Shoot the Wall (A.K.A. The Rant Thread)

[Van Buren Supernova]

Before I put proper reply, my rant is I'm in cranky mood right now. Had twelve hours journey yesterday including two flights for two hours meeting and I had to meet with bunch of people and be nice because they are nice, and I am beat. Now there is a frigging uncatchable mosquito with black and white pattern (the troublemaker one) determines to bite me and has been successful for at least five spots, including my forehead, and I had slapped on it in full force yet I missed it. It probably looks like big red patch with mosquito bump in the middle. Gah! &@^#%#(&^

 

 

@police charity etc

Police don't have good reputation where I live. So if you see them, it means trouble and they know that. The good thing is those police don't attempt to knock on home because of that, although they still try to extort something if you have a shop or business.

 

We didn't have visit from police, when our family had a shop, but from firemen. Two big burly guys came into the shop with uniform and paperwork and tried to intimidate my mom to purchase big fire extinguisher by saying our current one, small one, was not sufficient.

 

I didn't know the rule, and those rules were not properly implemented anyway, didn't really know if we really need bigger fire extinguisher or not, but the way they spoke and behaviour was shady to me and I didn't like the hidden threat they implied. So, a skinny young 16 years old teenager then, I comfronted them and asked them to prove that we needed it by challenging their calculation, proximity and requirement from the so-called data they were carrying and didn't back down when they tried to intimidate me. My mom is not easily intimidated too, as well, but she couldn't really articulate well. They moved on to more aggressive verbal threat, I also raised my voice, angrily asked them to leave or they waited while I make a call to verify their claim on spot. Although I wasn't afraid at all, thinking back, I am relieved they chose to leave and never bothered us again. And now I know, we were fine with our fire extinguisher. Our shops had open sides three ways, and our residential behind had three accesses to the outdoor. The only flammable material was a bunch of paint thinner cans that were located under the extinguisher.

 

I had traffic police tried to accuse me of not having valid license as well. I hold an international license that is perfectly valid for the place but he didn't want to acknowledged it, saying that it doesn't have word 'international' in it. (Sometimes what drives me madder is the stupid excuse they use). I had predicted this problem before, so previously I always make a proper international license booklet although it's actually not needed (mainly useful for countries that don't recognize common A-Z) to avoid this problem but I didn't make it in time to renew, and I already had various encounter with traffic police who acknowledged that license, but this guy. No, he didn't get anything from me.

[Pseudonym]

Don't think I've ever really had an encounter with the police, especially nothing that iffy. I did get a bit freaked out by Italian police whilst on holidays once who looked like they were looking for an excuse to arrest us, guess those particular ones didn't like tourists. 

 

Today I'm having to hunt to find the county and state of some place in America. I don't get it, if I order something I always put my full address in or I'd be worried it might not turn up, especially if it is in another country! Ah well, keeps me occupied I suppose because even though it's manically busy this time of year I'm also getting incredibly bored.

[Arcadia]

Can I help? Since I, y'know, live in America....

[Pseudonym]

I think I've hunted it down. According to my Goggle sleuthing I believe the zip code puts Raynham in Massachusetts. Apparently. 

[Carol the Dabbler]

I think I've hunted it down. According to my Goggle sleuthing I believe the zip code puts Raynham in Massachusetts. Apparently.

Yup, apparently that's the only Raynham in the US. Funny, though -- I'd never heard of it, and according to the Google map, I used to live maybe ten miles away. (For less than a year, though.)

 

We don't tend to put the county in our addresses here, except for certain government forms (E.g., voting goes by county). We really do have to put the state (or the postal code), though, since there are towns named Springfield (for example) in loads of states.

 

I once had a boyfriend who was big on efficiency. He once addressed an envelope to me as follows:

 

1. My last name

2. My house number

3. My street name ( but *not* "Blvd., since there was no similarly-named "St.," "Ave.," etc.)

4. My postal code

 

I got it, but was not particularly impressed.

[Carol the Dabbler]

In answer to Arcadia's question a while back, I live in the boonies now, and I was brought up in (what was then) the boonies. But my family has always locked their doors (house *and* car). And if a stranger shows up at the door, we'll talk to them through the (locked) storm door, porch window, or whatever applies. I've heard of some people doing things different, but I think they're generally considered a little strange (and imprudent) around here.

 

As for walking alone, it depends on where. We used to live in a typical subdivision, and I'd blithely walk by myself there, even after sunset. But now we live in a rural subdivision where the houses are pretty far apart, and pretty far from the road. I'll walk by myself in the daytime, but I won't continue to the stretch through the woods, where there are no houses, unless Alex is with me or it's the time of day when the neighbors are all driving by on their way home from work.

[Arcadia]

If I think of it, I'll ask what other people around here do when people come to the door. I'll bet I'm the odd one.

[besleybean]

I must confess, if someone comes to the door...I answer it!

 

[T.o.b.y]

Where I used to live, there was a buzzer. So if someone rang my doorbell, I could talk to them over the... the... say, what do you call the telephone-like system that's attached to door buzzers? I haven't a clue. So much for my poor deteriorating English. :(

 

Anyway. I could find out who it was without even leaving my apartment. Now, I have to go down a flight of stairs and try to guess who the blurry figure behind the obscure glass could be. So if I'm not expecting anyone, I don't bother, especially if I'm home alone.

 

I walk alone an awful lot, though. I didn't always have full use of my car and I do a lot of shift work, so I have walked to and from my job at every hour. Only got into trouble once and got out of it fairly fast and with no lasting damage. Now, I prefer to use my bicycle. I don't know if it actually is safer, but it feels that way and I still get the air and exercise I want.

[Carol the Dabbler]

It's called an intercom (short for intercommunication, I assume).

 

Bicycle sounds like a good idea. At least you can get away from a questionable situation faster than on foot. Car would be even better, though, especially at night.

[Pseudonym]

I'd call it a telecom. There was a place near me where people were knocking people off bikes to rob them which made me uneasy. Of course they were prob doing it to pedestrians too.

[T.o.b.y]

Thank you, Carol! You know, I was thinking "intercom" but then I wasn't sure, looked it up and the way the dictionary explained it sounded so unlike the real thing that I got confused.

 

It's horrible for me to loose my English. I actually spoke English first and German a bit later. But because I live in Germany and speak almost exclusively German now, I am beginning to lose some vocabulary. And I also have words floating around in my head that I think mean a certain thing and then I find out they don't, then I become insecure about every sentence I utter.

 

At least I haven't picked up a German accent - yet.

[J.P.]

I know what are you talking about.

The worst thing is to start to think about what you have to say. And trying not to mix. As I was visiting Poland last time, after a longer absence, I was so nervous about getting German words into my speech that I started to stutter.

[Carol the Dabbler]

"Intercom" is also used for several other, somewhat similar, systems, particularly a system that allows a person in one part of a home or business to speak directly to someone in another area by simply pressing a button. I believe in business settings this is sometimes incorporated into the phone system, but in homes it typically has its own wiring, or nowadays has its own radio transmitters/receivers.

 

The multiple meanings are probably what threw you.

[Fantasy Lover]

My mom bought me a Christmas tree. First of all, I can buy my MY OWN Christmas tree. Secondly I have a cat, there is no way she ISN'T't going to end up playing with the Christmas balls. Now I have to find a store which sells fake ones. And thirdly, why did you had to buy a REAL ONE? Now I have to sweep pine needles for at least a MONTH!

[Arcadia]

Ah, but they smell so nice. And your kitty will be entertained.

[Van Buren Supernova]

Of course, sometimes parents give unwanted attention or do something that doesn't sit well with us.

 

When I was in my uni, it was coming to end of semester, I fell very sick and practically couldn't really get off my bed for more than a week although I still dragged myself to uni when needed. My nosy brother, we stayed at the same hostel, informed my mom about it after he failed to persuade me.

 

So one night, she showed up and wanted to drag me home. I was one exam away from completing the semester, that was scheduled in two days. So I refused and wanted to stay. We had a bit of quarrel because both of us insisted and finally, she went back, but she was mad. It took about 2.5 hours car ride for one way and we had to practically passed a town between home and uni. She worked so she came at night and traveled back again right away, so she travelled 5 hours.

(My uni is very remote and back then to get proper medical treatment we had to go to another town literally)

 

At first I was a bit upset that she didn't understand why I needed to stay. If I missed that exam, it would mean I have to repeat and waste half a year where I could take up another subject. However, once it settled in, I thought about what she had done and how worried she must had been. Eventhough I would do the same, I should have at least trying to convince her in much nicer way because what she did was all for me.

I finished the bloody exam and made it home asap. We regularly joke about it and I always drop hints about how sorry I am. (And of course I settled the score with my nosy brother! :p)

 

So eventhough you are upset, is it possible that she does that because she cares, she tries to bring Christmas to your home, and probably worried that you get lonely and wants to show her support and be part of your Christmas?

I never have real Christmas Tree, but I suppose it's meant to be nicer, like someone picks you something better among others choices because they want the best for you although too bad you don't like it.

[Fantasy Lover]

Perhaps I should elaborate: my parents are divorced, and my mom is struggling to make ends meet. It's not that I don't like the gift, it's just that she could use every penny and she wasted it on a damn tree.

[Arcadia]

I'll bet she doesn't consider it a waste, though. I'll bet it made her happy. But you're a good daughter to be concerned about her. Us moms and daughters got to stick together!

[Carol the Dabbler]

Alex and I never have a tree in the house on account of our cats. (Dunno which would be in more danger, the tree or the cats, but we'd rather just sidestep the entire issue.)

 

There's an enclosed porch off of the kitchen, though, and the cats aren't generally even allowed in the kitchen. (But don't feel sorry for them; they have their very own enclosed porch off of the living room.). So anyhow, we have our tree out on that porch, where we can see it just fine from the kitchen. It's a fake tree that Alex got from his Mom one time when she moved, but we also have a couple of cedar trees at the near edge of our meadow that we plan to decorate, as soon as they're tall enough. We'll have a nice view of them from both the kitchen and the living room.

[Arcadia]

We've never had any trouble with Christmas trees vs. Cats. The most any of our cats has ever been interested in the tree was Panda, who liked to curl up amongst the presents and take a nap. And Jamal used to bat at the low hanging ornaments (and who can blame him? ) But climbing and eating and such behaviors? Nah. We only have good kitties. :p

[Pseudonym]

Perfect cats... ageing backwards... I think I'm starting to go off you. ;)

[T.o.b.y]

My mother can tell some really funny stories about our cat and the Christmas trees before I was born. The Christmas celebrations I remember were without cat because we always went to my grandmother's.

 

We always had real candles, even when I was a toddler.

 

I think it's sweet of your mother to give you a tree as long as you like Christmas trees (if you didn't, it would be one hell of a large unwanted gift).

[Carol the Dabbler]

We always had real candles, even when I was a toddler.

 

Do you mean on the tree?

 

I don't know of anyone over here doing that since strings of electric lights have been available, so I've never seen it done. My father had an old clip-on candle-holder for a tree, but that was just a keepsake. It was apparently made for something about twice the diameter of a birthday-cake candle.

 

Or did you mean candles as Christmas decorations in the room?

[T.o.b.y]

 

We always had real candles, even when I was a toddler.

 

Do you mean on the tree?

 

I don't know of anyone over here doing that since strings of electric lights have been available, which was well before I was born. My father had an old clip-on candle-holder for a tree, but that was just a keepsake. It was apparently made for something about twice the diameter of a birthday-cake candle.

 

Or did you mean candles as Christmas decorations in the room?

No, on the tree. It's still quite common in Germany and was even more common when my mother moved here after getting married to my dad. She loved it and hasn't changed back to electric ever since.