Speedy's Cafe - General Chat about anything you like!

[Carol the Dabbler]

8 hours ago, Caya said:

[corn is] an option here - not the most common one but not as wild as pineapple either.

Pineapple has been a fairly standard option here since the 70s, mostly as part of various "Hawaiian style" pizzas, but also available on a "build your own."  When I lived in Iowa they also routinely had sauerkraut, but either that was just a local thing or it fizzled out.  I don't recall ever seeing corn, though.

 

[Caya]

On 2/11/2024 at 8:35 PM, Carol the Dabbler said:

sauerkraut

[J.P.]

Yeah, I don't even want to imagine that.

[Carol the Dabbler]

I don't recall ever having sauerkraut on a pizza myself, but it's traditionally paired with ham or Canadian bacon.  Looks like it's still popular in Iowa.

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

And as a followup to our pizza discussion:

Happy Pi Day!  (March 14 = 3.14, sort of, approximately -- at least in the U.S.)

 

[Fantasy Lover]

On Tumblr the ides of March were celebrated, the memes were amusing

[Carol the Dabbler]

9 hours ago, Fantasy Lover said:

On Tumblr the ides of March were celebrated

Oh, right, Pi Day would be the day before the Ides of March -- which in turn is only two days before today -- Happy St. Patrick's Day, everybody!

9 hours ago, Fantasy Lover said:

the memes were amusing

Is there a way to link to those?

 

[Fantasy Lover]

they're on my tumblr: https://aurelievanimpe.tumblr.com/

[J.P.]

In case of boredom
https://detectiveforaday.com

[Carol the Dabbler]

In an earlier post, I told an anecdote about Q-Tips (AKA "cotton swabs" in the US and "cotton buds" in the UK), which I repeated to Alex today, which got me thinking about Q-Tips.  Other than craft projects and such, just about everyone seems to use them for the same thing, namely cleaning their ears.  Yet the package always says something like "To clean ears, stroke swab gently around the outer surface of the ear.  Do not enter the ear canal."  That's pretty clearly a CYA ("Cover Your A$$") statement to protect the manufacturer against lawsuits in the event that someone inadvertently pushes their earwax in deeper or even punctures their eardrum with a Q-Tip ("Well, they didn't follow directions!").

Seeing as how you can clean and dry your outer ears just fine with your usual washcloth and towel, the CYA statement boils down to this:  Q-Tips serve no useful purpose whatsoever, except for an occasional craft project.  Fortunately for the company's bottom line, though, quite a few people go right ahead cleaning their ears with them.

On 9/25/2017 at 8:27 AM, Arcadia said:

Question: are you familiar with the Donovan song "Wear Your Love Like Heaven"? In it he pronounces "alizarin crimson" as "alizarian crimson", which has always driven me crazy. Is that just a British pronunciation, like "aluminium" vs. our "aluminum"? Or did he mispronounce the word? Inquiring minds want to know.

Minor point:  "aluminium" vs. "aluminum" is not technically a pronunciation difference.  When the metal came into common use circa 1900, there was disagreement over the proper name for it, so the UK and the US actually have slightly different words, the former ending in "-ium" and the latter in just "-um" -- and pronounced accordingly.  (See this article.)

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

On 12/18/2017 at 11:55 AM, T.o.b.y said:

I can't say for sure what my eye color is either. Again, depends on the light. If someone asks, I just go with grey, because who wants to hear "grey-green-blue-with-specks-of-yellow-i-guess"?

And a mere six or seven years later, I have a definitive answer for you -- or actually two answers:  If the yellow specks are fairly evenly scattered about, that's called hazel.  But if they're heavily concentrated around the pupils, then it's called central heterochromia (just try getting that on your driver's license!).  This site has a good photo of the latter, and here's a more specific description of it (from this site) :

Central heterochromia is characterized by having two different colors in the same iris. Usually, the outer ring of the iris is one color while the inner ring is another.  The inner ring often seems to have “spikes” of different colors that radiate from the pupil . . . .

My eyes are like that, though perhaps a bit darker than yours -- most of each iris is a dark blue-gray-green, but there are brown flecks concentrated around the pupil.  (My mother had that eye coloring too, as does Martin Freeman.)  I'll probably stick with writing "hazel" on forms, though, since most people have at least a vague idea what that means (and Mom's eye doctor called hers a "blue-hazel mix").

By the way, there's also something called complete heterochromia or just heterochromia, meaning that each eye is a different color (for example, the individual might have one blue eye and one brown eye).

 

[Hikari]

On 5/20/2024 at 12:10 AM, Carol the Dabbler said:

In an earlier post, I told an anecdote about Q-Tips (AKA "cotton swabs" in the US and "cotton buds" in the UK), which I repeated to Alex today, which got me thinking about Q-Tips.  Other than craft projects and such, just about everyone seems to use them for the same thing, namely cleaning their ears.  Yet the package always says something like "To clean ears, stroke swab gently around the outer surface of the ear.  Do not enter the ear canal."  That's pretty clearly a CYA ("Cover Your A$$") statement to protect the manufacturer against lawsuits in the event that someone inadvertently pushes their earwax in deeper or even punctures their eardrum with a Q-Tip ("Well, they didn't follow directions!").

Seeing as how you can clean and dry your outer ears just fine with your usual washcloth and towel, the CYA statement boils down to this:  Q-Tips serve no useful purpose whatsoever, except for an occasional craft project.  Fortunately for the company's bottom line, though, quite a few people go right ahead cleaning their ears with them.

Minor point:  "aluminium" vs. "aluminum" is not technically a pronunciation difference.  When the metal came into common use circa 1900, there was disagreement over the proper name for it, so the UK and the US actually have slightly different words, the former ending in "-ium" and the latter in just "-um" -- and pronounced accordingly.  (See this article.)

 

 

On 5/20/2024 at 12:10 AM, Carol the Dabbler said:

In an earlier post, I told an anecdote about Q-Tips (AKA "cotton swabs" in the US and "cotton buds" in the UK), which I repeated to Alex today, which got me thinking about Q-Tips.  Other than craft projects and such, just about everyone seems to use them for the same thing, namely cleaning their ears.  Yet the package always says something like "To clean ears, stroke swab gently around the outer surface of the ear.  Do not enter the ear canal."  That's pretty clearly a CYA ("Cover Your A$$") statement to protect the manufacturer against lawsuits in the event that someone inadvertently pushes their earwax in deeper or even punctures their eardrum with a Q-Tip ("Well, they didn't follow directions!").

Seeing as how you can clean and dry your outer ears just fine with your usual washcloth and towel, the CYA statement boils down to this:  Q-Tips serve no useful purpose whatsoever, except for an occasional craft project.  Fortunately for the company's bottom line, though, quite a few people go right ahead cleaning their ears with them.

Minor point:  "aluminium" vs. "aluminum" is not technically a pronunciation difference.  When the metal came into common use circa 1900, there was disagreement over the proper name for it, so the UK and the US actually have slightly different words, the former ending in "-ium" and the latter in just "-um" -- and pronounced accordingly.  (See this article.)

 

I don’t know what possessed me to come to this discussion tonight but here’s a few other uses for Q-tips besides crafts—

Use them to clean tiny areas a cloth or brush can’t reach, like electronics and little crevices in the molding.  Also good for removing gunk around bottle and jar necks.

Don’t have a fancy eyeliner brush or shadow blender?  A Qtip is the cheap solution.  Great if you’re traveling And have limited space for cosmetics. Just be sure to keep them sterile and take care that you don’t get fibers in your eye.  Also use to apply creams or medications to a small area, like zit cream or hair remover that you don’t want to get on your fingers.

Work as lipstick applicators or to apply Vaseline and the like.  Wetting it first is suggested!

Apply solvents like jewelry cleaner to tiny areas and clean knickknacks.

You could always color them green with a marker then stick them in your ears, not too hard!… And you are on your way to a Shrek costume! 

They work great to clean smudges of nail polish when doing a mani/pedi.

[Van Buren Supernova]

It's actually not recommended to use Q-tip to clean ear canal. Most likely it would push the ear wax deeper, unless you can navigate your way around expertly and the Q-tip is thin enough.

For me, I use metal! Yeah, the one that looks like tiny round shovel. My family have always been using that and it's more effective effective than Q-tip.

 

On another note, I have been curious about this since months ago. Is it true than in some part of America theft under $950 is 'okay?" Merchandizes have been locked up and stores are closing because of that? I hope it's not true, because what kind of shenanigan it would be (but I think my sources are quite credible). 

[Carol the Dabbler]

VBS -- glad to see your shadowy face again!!!  

9 hours ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

It's actually not recommended to use Q-tip to clean ear canal. Most likely it would push the ear wax deeper, unless you can navigate your way around expertly and the Q-tip is thin enough.

Yes, that's my understanding of the official reason.  I suspect it may depend on the texture of one's personal ear wax.  I do know that some is gooey (which Qtips may work well for) and some is dry and crumbly (which may be the problem type).  But that's just my guess.

9 hours ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

For me, I use metal! Yeah, the one that looks like tiny round shovel. My family have always been using that and it's more effective effective than Q-tip.

I've seen the type you're talking about -- a friend from Hawaii had a pair of tweezers with that on the other end -- but that's the only one I've ever seen, so I don't even know if they're available here on the mainland.  (My friend was from a Chinese family, so maybe they're an Asian thing.)  My mother used the round end of a bobby pin in a similar way, and my brother still does.

ADDED:  But I think any such tool is officially considered dangerous.  The only recommended method seems to be soaking with various liquids, followed by rinsing with a rubber-bulb syringe of water.

9 hours ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

On another note, I have been curious about this since months ago. Is it true than in some part of America theft under $950 is 'okay?" Merchandizes have been locked up and stores are closing because of that? I hope it's not true, because what kind of shenanigan it would be (but I think my sources are quite credible). 

I've heard the same things, but cannot verify from my own experience, because I don't live in any of those places.  Apparently some jurisdictions assume that "petty" theft is done only by people who have little or no legitimate income, so even if the thieves are arrested (and even if they've broken into the store), they're usually released without being formally charged with any crime.  If such leniency were helping the thieves to support themselves while getting a legitimate job, I might be somewhat sympathetic, but I fear that it's only encouraging them to continue in a life of crime.  I also fear that this will be the ruin of several of our big cities. 

 

[Hikari]

VBS,

Hello again!

Theft is not “okay” but is often overlooked if the value of the items is not deemed worth the effort of prosecution.  Under $1000 in value is considered petty theft—a misdemeanor.  If one is convicted of “grand larceny”—$1000+, that is a felony.  Generally you are not required to disclose misdemeanors on job applications but felonies are different.

with the current push being toward self check out, retailers are having more and more prosecutions of people who take items without scanning and paying for them. Theft is a huge problem… Called “shrink“ in retail lingo, when the takings do not match the inventory. The biggest source of shrink is often the employees. It’s a depressing scenario. When I worked for a small retailer in a mall, we had to get searched every night before we left to make sure we weren’t stealing. Ironically I had worked for a huge department store prior to this  and they didn’t have any such rule. Inflation is so bad post Covid especially for groceries that more people are being driven to steal. It’s like the dystopian future is here.

[Van Buren Supernova]

14 hours ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

VBS -- glad to see your shadowy face again!!!  

Carol and Hikari, happy to see you both are well. Oh, how much I miss that dancing cow!

I've always wanted to come here to discuss something, but when I had time I forgot what I wanted to say. I also need reading glasses now (I'm lucky, a bit late. I am 47) and it takes away one of favorite activities, reading! This forum doesn't display well in my mobile version, and I still haven't found the nice balance of not getting headache between wearing and not wearing the glasses! 

You can injure your forehead with the size of fonts I use now, but somehow it doesn't work on every site so I barely do any serious reading except when I am on my laptop or kindle. Oh well. Those are my excuses.

 

14 hours ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

The only recommended method seems to be soaking with various liquids, followed by rinsing with a rubber-bulb syringe of water.

Oh that sound pretty uncomfortable! 

Sometimes I got water in my ear for being in there for too long or because of some wrong movements, I had to clear the clog by putting in more water, bent the body so the ground was perpendicular with the ear canal direction, let it settle for a couple of second, and then tilt the whole body in opposite alignment to pour it out. It would poop and the stuck water would be gone, maybe it's similar concept? Not sure if that also cleaned my ear or took out some of my brain matter as well, but I only did that when there was water in my ear.

 

14 hours ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

If such leniency were helping the thieves to support themselves while getting a legitimate job, I might be somewhat sympathetic, but I fear that it's only encouraging them to continue in a life of crime.  I also fear that this will be the ruin of several of our big cities. 

1 hour ago, Hikari said:

Theft is not “okay” but is often overlooked if the value of the items is not deemed worth the effort of prosecution.  Under $1000 in value is considered petty theft—a misdemeanor.  If one is convicted of “grand larceny”—$1000+, that is a felony.  Generally you are not required to disclose misdemeanors on job applications but felonies are different.

Apparently yes, it encourages crime, because I think $1000 is a lot of money for grocery anywhere, right? It probably lasts me a long time. So, it's very lucrative for those who prefers not to earn money the honest way, especially because working could pay much less.

I have seen too many footages and read about thieves simply walked in and took merchandizes without anyone doing anything about it. And worse, for shop owners who took action, they were punished for protecting their places instead of the thieves, which is very ridiculous to me. I read about big chains closing like Target, Starbucks, Walmart, and more because of blatant retail thefts, I saw merchandizes locked behind glass cabinets or priced above $950 (shoppers get their 'refund' on the cashier). There are more news about organized retail thefts for high value stuffs like electronics and branded goods.

It sounds unbelievable to me and I don't discount that the reports might have been overblown, it probably worse than the actual data, but one thing is for sure: it happened. Well, free $950 grocery, I'd be tempted!

I have read about Romanian pickpocket's confession that he operated in Spain because the punishment for pickpocket was 3 days jail (regardless of how many times you offend) while it could be years in Romania, and they made much more than working or being a police officer.

 

2 hours ago, Hikari said:

with the current push being toward self check out, retailers are having more and more prosecutions of people who take items without scanning and paying for them.

I love self check-outs, although it sometimes not user friendly for my parents. I don't need to interact and I can use coins from my piggy bank all I want (most cashiers have policy that limits the number of coins you can use). That's why we can't have nice things.

On another note, I read interesting articles that revealed Amazon's 'just walk out' checkout tech was powered by 1,000 Indian workers which is hilarious to me because I am going to hell Amazon's Just Walk Out technology relies on hundreds of workers in India watching you shop but then Amazon sort of 'denied' it Amazon insists Just Walk Out isn’t secretly run by workers watching you shop. I tried to check Snopes but there was nothing about it.

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

On 6/8/2024 at 11:25 PM, Hikari said:

Theft is not “okay” but is often overlooked if the value of the items is not deemed worth the effort of prosecution.

Unfortunately, the burden to the shop owner is not just the value of the items stolen.  There are apparently a growing number of cases where thieves enter after hours by breaking a window, quickly find the highest-price item(s) within easy reach, then flee, often before police can respond.  Those big store windows can't be cheap to replace!

On 6/9/2024 at 1:49 AM, Van Buren Supernova said:

I've always wanted to come here to discuss something, but when I had time I forgot what I wanted to say.

That's OK, you can come here anyhow and see what's up.

On 6/9/2024 at 1:49 AM, Van Buren Supernova said:

I still haven't found the nice balance of not getting headache between wearing and not wearing the glasses! 

I can relate to that!  I'm nearsighted and wear bifocals.  I tried reading my computer screen through the bottom section of the bifocals, then realized that tilting my head that far back for that long was the cause of the mysterious stabbing pains in the top of my head.  I finally got "computer glasses."

On 6/9/2024 at 1:49 AM, Van Buren Supernova said:

I read about big chains closing like Target, Starbucks, Walmart, and more because of blatant retail thefts

Yes, but fortunately Indiana is still pretty much Indiana.  It's only in certain other states and/or certain cities that thieves are treated so leniently, so it's in those places that more stores are closing, including some stores in those big chains.

On 6/9/2024 at 1:49 AM, Van Buren Supernova said:

I have read about Romanian pickpocket's confession that he operated in Spain because the punishment for pickpocket was 3 days jail (regardless of how many times you offend) while it could be years in Romania, and they made much more than working or being a police officer.

Well, at least it's not just here in the US, then!

On 6/9/2024 at 1:49 AM, Van Buren Supernova said:

I read interesting articles that revealed Amazon's 'just walk out' checkout tech was powered by 1,000 Indian workers 

Weird!  According to this article, though, the system is mostly run by AI, and "its workers [in India?] are tasked with annotating AI-generated and real shopping data to improve the Just Walk Out system — not run the whole thing."  Apparently, even though Amazon is selling the "just walk out" technology to other businesses, it's replacing that system in its own stores with what sounds to me like self-checkout right in your shopping cart.

[Van Buren Supernova]

13 hours ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

Unfortunately, the burden to the shop owner is not just the value of the items stolen.  There are apparently a growing number of cases where thieves enter after hours by breaking a window, quickly find the highest-price item(s) within easy reach, then flee, often before police can respond.  Those big store windows can't be cheap to replace!

Yeah, not to mention that it could be quite traumatic.

I read (but wasn't really sure how legit, wait I think it is) that San Francisco wants to make it illegal for grocery store to close without six months' notice and must seek 'successor.' I had tried my hand in small business, and this is bloody ridiculous because of how hard it is to even survive without crime.

 

13 hours ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

That's OK, you can come here anyhow and see what's up.

But, but, what about my eyesight excuse? I can't read the forum from my phone now without getting headache.

13 hours ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

I can relate to that!  I'm nearsighted and wear bifocals.  I tried reading my computer screen through the bottom section of the bifocals, then realized that tilting my head that far back for that long was the cause of the mysterious stabbing pains in the top of my head.  I finally got "computer glasses."

Yes, I am still considered lucky and I am really grateful because my eyesight is still okay for everything else. I heard stories about pain and bad posture from a friend who has a similar problem with yours.

13 hours ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

Well, at least it's not just here in the US, then!

And my neighbor threatened to cut my hand because I touched her flower! True story, I was six maybe. Charming woman.

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

10 hours ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

I read (but wasn't really sure how legit, wait I think it is) that San Francisco wants to make it illegal for grocery store to close without six months' notice and must seek 'successor.' I had tried my hand in small business, and this is bloody ridiculous because of how hard it is to even survive without crime.

I hadn't heard about that, but (looking online) it was indeed being proposed a couple of months ago.  (I have no idea whether it's still under discussion.)  Apparently, though, it would *not* apply to stores that are closing because they're losing money.

10 hours ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

I can't read the forum from my phone now without getting headache.

That's OK, just come visit us when you're on your laptop.

10 hours ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

... my neighbor threatened to cut my hand because I touched her flower!

Well, did you get fingerprints on it?

 

[Van Buren Supernova]

On 6/12/2024 at 1:09 AM, Carol the Dabbler said:

Well, did you get fingerprints on it?

No. She caught me red-handed. We were not each other's fans.

 

 

[Van Buren Supernova]

Merry Christmas!

I remember it used to snow here and I have missed all of you greatly. Hope you are all well!

I can't find a good way to host my image anymore, a link is the best I can do. This is my dog Locky, posing with 'almost' all his toys, collected over 9.5 years from me, family, and friends. He doesn't destroy toys (he only digs plastic/button eyes ) and I wash them when they get too dirty, so they are all in good conditions.

https://ibb.co.com/7tW7gQZ

The rest of the toys are either scattered around, in his toy's lair, or are somewhere waiting to trip me.

 

I can't express how happy I am with this picture. We had just gone through weird times. He had a head operation early November to remove a lump (thankfully it's benign) but the few months leading to it and the time waiting for the biopsy result were hellish. Locky is a healthy dog, but he is 9.5 years old, has kidney issues, irregular heartbeat, and reverse sneezing. While all these didn't give him problems, it increased his risk significantly for anesthetic procedure. It didn't help that I had known a few healthy dogs that didn't wake up after simplest procedures, and there were multiple pet deaths around me including my brother's when I was told he needed the operation. The fear of him not waking up and going home with me paralyzed me with fear.

Besides that, I also went through my own operation that delayed his (thankfully, nothing permanent but it was unexpected. The only time I was hospitalized was almost forty years ago) but everything is okay now! We are out there again roaming the beaches!

So, Merry Christmas!

Hope you have the good one, too.

 

 

 

[Fantasy Lover]

Merry Christmas everyone

[Carol the Dabbler]

We've missed you too, VBS and FL, and hope you're having a good holiday season!    

As for the virtual snow, Tim doesn't come around as often as he used to.  He keeps the software working, but isn't spending much time on frills.

Your link worked quite well, and I love that photo -- Locky is a very cute little fellow!  But how was he able to get his toys piled up so high, considering that the stack is way taller than he is?  

I can fully understand your concern regarding his recent surgery.  Our cats have had enough unexpected problems that I'm well aware things don't always turn out so nicely.

Merry [belated] Christmas to all!

 

[Fantasy Lover]

Not really, my friend doesn't want to be friends anymore. I've had it with this year, I just want it to be over.

[Carol the Dabbler]

On 6/8/2024 at 8:32 AM, Van Buren Supernova said:

Is it true than in some part of America theft under $950 is 'okay?" Merchandizes have been locked up and stores are closing because of that?

I now have some specific details on that, plus an update.

Back in 2014, California voters passed a referendum turning shoplifting from a felony (serious crime) to a misdemeanor (less serious crime).  This meant that not only was the penalty far less, but -- perhaps more relevantly -- the California police cannot arrest someone for a misdemeanor unless it occurs in their presence -- which hardly ever happens, of course.  So, for all intents and purposes, shoplifting became legal in California.

Until the election last month.  There was another referendum on the ballot, to repeal the prior one, and it passed overwhelmingly (something like 70 to 30%), even though the governor had spoken against it and activists were calling it "racist."  As I understand it, the most severe penalties apply only to repeat offenders (as was also the case before 2014), but shoplifting is once again illegal in California.