Keep your paws off

woman opening refrigerator

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There are certain things in life that just shouldn’t be. And, to be fair, there are probably things in life that just should be. As humans, we like things to be a certain way – our way.

I am right and you are wrong. Plain and simple.

I just want to point out a place where I just want it to be a certain way. If I am honest, it is that I just don’t like sharing certain things. It’s mine and I want it to stay that way! To what am I referring?

Restaurant leftovers.

Petty? Yes. Piss me off? Definitely.

Keep your paws off my leftovers. I ordered it and I brought it home, for me to eat, not you! Just because it is in the fridge doesn’t mean it is fair game to anyone that opens the door. Got it?

Unless I have given explicit permission, it is not yours to eat. Period. So, stay away!

How do you feel about your leftovers? Have you ever experienced this outrage, at home? At the office? Shared apartment with roommates? What’s your worst experience with this?

It cuts not so deep

straight razor kit

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The morning ritual of shaving (something my face can’t handle on a daily basis so I alternate) has got to be one of the worst forms of torture. Can I just stop hair growth on my face?

For a tiny little razor, it sure makes my face bleed red. How is that possible?

The blades are minuscule, and for the most part they lay flat on my face. I try to keep the angle correct, yet somehow I end up with red spots and scrapes and my face looks like I was attacked by a lawnmower. Those little cuts are just enough to be annoying but not deep enough to be a medical emergency.

Ugh, I hate it. And yet, I don’t really have an alternative. So, the torture continues…every other day.

Throw the flag!

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Alright football fans, do you ever find yourself yelling this at the TV (or if you’re lucky to attend the game, at the actual refs)?

What if there were penalty flags in real life? Wouldn’t that be great if there was a way to immediately have feedback from a random third party that could “throw the flag” as a penalty when someone wrongs you?

Cut you off in traffic? PENALTY FLAG! Move back three cars.

Rudely interrupts a conversation at a restaurant? PENALTY FLAG! They pay for my dinner.

Neighbor’s dog craps in the yard and they don’t clean it up? PENALTY FLAG! They have to mow my lawn for a month.

Someone in the house eats your leftovers? PENALTY FLAG! They have to cook every night for a week.

What do you think? Could you go for this? What are some places you’d love to have someone “throw the flag” in your life? (or, if you’re brave, maybe places you DON’T want a flag thrown!)

Just a number

top view photo of ceramic mugs filled with coffees

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Raise your hand if you like coffee. Raise your hand if you have at least two cups of coffee a day. Finally, raise your hand if you have a favorite coffee cup.

Yeah, I thought so. I do too. I like coffee. I have at least two cups of coffee per day. I also have a favorite coffee cup. Well, to be fair, I have a favorite coffee cup at home and also one at work (oh, and include one favorite travel mug as well).

So, I generally use only two coffee cups per day. However, if you are also like me, you probably have a collection of about 63 coffee cups, most of which never get used. Right?

So what’s the deal? Why do people “collect” coffee cups they never (or rarely) use? Moreover, why do people give coffee cups as gifts period? In most cases the giver has to assume the receiver already has a cup they like/use and doesn’t need another cup to clutter up the cupboards. So why give it in the first place? Do you think you are so important that the receiver will give up their favorite cup just for you? Arrogance!

If you go to a coffee shop, you see all the different options there. If you go to a big box store, you see all the options there. If you go to a novelty shop, you see all the options there. Here’s the kicker, if you go to a thrift store you can see the myriad of options there! All those discarded and unwanted coffee cups…

So why do people keep making, selling, buying, and giving them?

What’s your number? How many do you have in the cupboard?

Options, so many options

black leather padded cushion couch near to black leather padded cushion loveseat

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When faced with so many options, do you buckle under the pressure and decide not to make a decision?

I am sure you are well aware that when shopping for something there are often so many choices that it becomes difficult to make a decision. Cars. Shoes. TVs. Restaurants. You name it, there are probably more than three options. And then, to top it all off, there are probably options for the options! Say what? Now I have 209 different options to choose from but each of those options comes with another 117 other features to pick from as well? See? It can get overwhelming.

I went furniture shopping over the weekend. The living room needs new furniture. A couch and love seat to be exact. My only specification for said couches was that they had recliners in them (something the current seating does not have). The room is too small to have a single recliner, so they have to be combined into the other seats in the room.

When thinking about shopping for furniture in our little neck of the woods, there are only four places to really go for selection. Yes, there are big box stores but selection is rather limited in the store and shopping online is always an option, but don’t you wanna try something before you buy it? I can’t imagine buying something like a couch without having sat on it first.

Anyway, two of the stores are really the same store. They are in fact two different companies, but one of the store carries the same product as the other store so there really wasn’t an option that was acceptable in either of the first two stores.

Next was the La-Z-Boy store. Good grief it was recliner heaven. And a headache. Find the style you like. Then find the firmness you like. Then find the fabric you like. Then find the recliner function you like. Do you want dark? Do you want light? Do you want puffy? Do you want motorized? Do you want modern? I tell ya, my head was spinning. Oh, did I forget to mention the cost was also adjustable too? Every feature came with an additional cost or reduction based on what you chose. So, trying to decide where my butt was going to be relaxing couldn’t just flat-out be based on the sticker price.

Finally, the last store. Not a lot of options as far as couches with recliners, but the quality of the furniture is awesome. Plus, you could still have some options for the furniture that was on display so you didn’t have to take what was on the floor if you didn’t quite like it.

It was settled right then and there. The (near) perfect couch was right there in that final store. I say near perfect because, well, I am not the only buyer of said couch and there were other specifications that had to be met, mainly it couldn’t look like it belonged in a media room (there go the cup holders, leather, and arm rests…). Compromise would have to be involved here. Anyway, the near perfect couches met almost all specifications with the person that really counted and the pieces had recliners. So, mission accomplished.

Now, if I just didn’t have to compromise the USB ports for charging devices that would have been perfect…

Marketing mayhem

red and white ribbon

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Anyone else already tired of today?

Anyone else think this day, Valentine’s Day, is dumb?

The stores love it because it is just a marketing bonanza filled with stupid little gifts. Money, money, money! The cash registers ring non-stop.

Ever notice that the price for things that are normally reasonable suddenly go way up? Case in point, flowers. A dozen roses at Safeway any other time of the year is $14.99. The days surrounding Valentine’s Day…$45.99. Seems like a scam to me! Hopefully you ordered yours early or you may be outta luck, or pay through the nose as the price probably went up.

Sappy cards @ $5.99 a pop. Little trinkets and stuffed animals @ $7.99. Chocolate, of course varies on size and quality, is priced like there is going to be a shortage in the near future. I mean, really, nothing says “I love you” like a box of chocolates. I love you so much, why don’t you add a few pounds.

Don’t even think about reservations at the last minute! Prepare to drop a fortune if you are going to a special restaurant. You might as well just hit up the McDonalds drive-thru and go home to sit on the couch.

Alright. I am sure you get it. I’ll stop.

Today is stupid.

Got a Valentine’s Day horror story? Do you agree with me? Tell me in the comments!

 

Wolf in sheep’s clothing

brown wolf

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If you have watched any TV, either live or on a paid service, you have probably seen an ad for something that was vague enough to be intriguing but also vague enough to seem just a bit shady.

I saw the commercial again last night and I just gotta think that someone is marketing the hell out of dangerous app. Dangerous? Why? Well, because it is just a pay day loan repackaged to look like something else. I would recommend you stay a long ways away from that app called Earnin. Here is a review, or the BBB, take if for what it is worth.

Now you don’t have to actually walk into one of those Money Tree stores or find the local loan shark to get your legs broken, you can just get money via your phone. Yeah, brilliant. Except that it preys on people, especially low-income people. It just creates a dangerous cycle that is hard to get out of.

**Quick disclaimer: I am not speaking from experience. I am not stupid, or desperate.**

I have known people who get stuck in these cycles and it rarely seems to have a pretty ending. How about we teach people financial responsibility instead of sucking them into spending money they don’t have?

Watch out people. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Cliche, I know, but there is a reason these cliches exist.

 

Stir the crazy

a man holds an old worn axe

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In the PNW, we have had cold and snow and ice. Reality check = it doesn’t look like it will let up any time soon. The overnight lows are high teens and daytime highs are mid thirties. Yes, I realize those aren’t polar vortex numbers, but for our area this is cold and it doesn’t usually last this long, nor does it give the prospect of lasting long.

Anyway, my job affords me the opportunity to telecommute (you know this already) and I have taken advantage of that since driving with stupid people (more so than typical days) isn’t my thing (I’ve mentioned this already this week too).

That being said, I think I might be going a bit stir crazy. Cabin Fever. “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” kind of crazy. I haven’t left the house since Sunday evening. My interaction with others has been limited to those in the house and those I can communicate with at work, via Skype, Zoom, text, and email.

While I haven’t hacked my way through a door with an ax, yet, I think I will venture out this afternoon and try some human interaction before the next wave of snow and ice comes this weekend.

Guess we’ll starve

abstract art cooking cutlery

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Ok, I know this is a question for the ages and it is as much a mystery as finding a sasquatch…

Why, when you are with a group of people or family, is it so dang hard to decide on a place to go to eat? Why does it have to be an exercise in patience and tolerance, with a side of not murdering someone?

I mean, really? Is it that tough to decide? Everyone put an idea on the table. Is there a common thread to the ideas? Similar location? Wide variety of food options at your idea? Could everyone find something on the menu to satisfy their taste?

Sheesh, people.

My family is the worst. I honestly think it would be better to starve than try to make everyone remotely happy.

“Fine. Stay home and starve. I’m out the door and I’ll eat by myself.”