[Student driver signs? Partly JAWM]

8 hours ago, katilac said:

There is no way to get into the deep end of driving other than . . . getting into the deep end of driving. You can practice for years on quiet suburban streets, and that is not going to make you ready for the deep end of crowded city traffic or the interstate.

 

Strongly disagree with this. And yes, I've lived in a very large metroplex (Houston). My kids didn't learn to drive there as we moved.
But, when I started my kids driving, we went to a large empty parking lot (town size here is about 90K) - movie theater in the AM or one of the large churches. We practiced there. Driving around the building (and avoiding those curbs on the sidewalks and other raised areas), parking (getting out and walking around car to see if you had pulled in enough/were centered/etc), driving fairly fast and stomping on the brakes, etc, etc. Once they felt comfortable steering/starting/stopping car, I would drive them to our shopping mall in the early AM before it was open, and we practiced all that again in a much bigger area. We also practiced driving straight through the aisles of painted parking lines (obviously with no parking stops).  We practiced driving over trash (can you hit that McDonalds cup with your left front tire? type stuff) because learning where the boundaries of your car - front, back, and sides and wheels is very useful.  When comfortable with that, we drove on quiet suburban neighborhood streets.  Then busier streets.  And we started driving the busy streets at times they weren't typically busy and then moved to busier times/locations. This did not take years, it took a couple of times, and they (and I) felt comfortable with the basics so adding in new challenges (4way stop signs with traffic, construction zones, etc) was just a slight increase - not throwing them into the deep end of driving without the foundation skills of controlling your automobile.  We moved on and on in difficulty - actually practicing merges on surface roads here before migrating to the interstate. We practiced driving off the road (it happens, best to prepare and let your kid  know what to expect) - but this was done in a rural location without a huge dropoff and at a slow rate of speed because it was just practice.  Then as your skills improve, you move onto driving in busy traffic.  By this time, you've mastered the clutch and aren't having trouble getting your car to go when the light turns green. 

I had a friend who just put her first driver in the driver seat and had him drive her to her favorite coffee spot - major roadways, etc. She screamed a lot, kid got upset. It was a disaster. That is not, IMHO, how you start a brand new driver off. 

Teaching a new driver is like teaching any other skill, you start with the basics and work your way up from there. If it takes a year, it takes a year. Because being a good driver is important. 

[Student driver signs? Partly JAWM]

I've seen them on cars driving around. I give them a little extra space and grace. 

As for proper driving, I'd also like to suggest that stopping 5 inches from my back bumper at stop signs/stop lights is not a good idea. Leave more space. I have a manual transmission, and I'm very good at not rolling back on hills when starting from a dead stop, but give me a little room. There are still manual transmissions out there (some of us are driving them through choice!), so leave more space. This was an issue when my oldest was learning to drive my car.  Hint - I drive a Honda Accord -which you would think was automatic - but the big SPORT on the right back side = manual transmission (or at least it used to!). 

[Does your bank routinely call you to “go over your accounts”]

We use credit unions, and we've never got a call from them. Fidelity, however, calls maybe once a year to offer advice - but if you don't return their call, they don't call back - until next year. 

When we got paper statements, sometimes there was a brochure in there for this new account type or this CD rate or something like that. But that is it. 

[Freedom of Movement for those with disabilities]

3 minutes ago, MEmama said:

I've no idea how such things happen, but it takes *leadership*. It takes compassion, it takes a small amount of money to allocate and it takes the will. Nowhere does it happen easily, but it certainly benefits everyone.

Unfortunately, it is not a small amount of money. Especially in older towns that were built before anyone thought about this. 
https://www.baltimorebrew.com/2021/06/30/baltimores-estimate-of-the-cost-of-ada-compliance-a-whopping-657-million/

And the original costs are not the only costs associated with this. In my mind, you need someone or some system to report when maintenance is needed. I'm going to assume bumps providing guidance for the blind are going to fall off, be knocked off, wear off over time, whatever and will need replacement.  Same with the ramps at the corners of sidewalks - just as the sidewalks develop cracks, holes, bumps etc - the entire thing will need maintenance/repair/replacement. 

I'm not against doing any of this, but it isn't going to be a small amount of time and money - especially if local government is involved. And we need to be determined to maintain it in good condition as well. Bumpy sidewalks are hazards too. 

[Freedom of Movement for those with disabilities]

I think this can also apply to the elderly who are no longer driving or should no longer be driving. My MIL lives in an Independent Living facility. They offer transportation to various stores on specific days of the week - but everyone goes together and there is a specific amount of time you are allotted, so hurry back to the bus. For the folks with trouble getting on/off (scooters, etc) - it takes them so long to get on/off, there is not much time left to actually shop.  They do offer transportation to doctors/beauty salon/whatever 3 days per week if you schedule at least 24 hours in advance and no one already has that slot already taken. But you are dropped off and they return later (sometimes much later) to pick you up. 

For her, I'm available and happy to take her the places she needs to go and will happily wait for her, but if you don't have family nearby who can actually help with transportation, it is a major hassle, so I can sorta understand why many elderly continue to drive when they probably shouldn't be.  Voluntarily giving up independence is hard. 

And it isn't just transportation that is hard for the elderly - so much has converted to online/apps, and that is just outside their experience/comfort zone. Want to get a Rules of the Road book to study before taking a driving test? Only available online now.  Want to see what the test results were from the doctor? Available on your online health portal (which is also the best way to ask questions/request appointments - especially if you are already struggling with hearing loss). Want to make an appointment to get your state picture id? Again - online - just showing up any more in our state without an appointment is NOT a good idea.  Want to schedule a vaccination (which many doctors aren't doing any more - go to pharmacy)? -Again, it works best if you set up an online appointment.  Oh, yes, let's also see that many hearing aids now have apps to control them. Yeah, I don't think that is going to work either. 

And for those with hearing loss, it is really hard to do any interactions in a public place. I go along as the communicator because MIL just can't hear and understand the words.  

[Wwyd]

I think there is no way a 6 and 8 yo are helping prepare food at all for a commercial food truck.  The mom probably has to stay in the pulling truck (so not food prep area) to supervise them because 6 and 8 are too young to be left alone if she was helping in the food truck.  So, I would do nothing. I would, however, continue to wash my hands after using the restroom. 

I know a couple who own a food truck. They are very, very careful about cleanliness, making sure food is stored at proper temperatures, properly prepared, etc, etc. It only takes a couple of negative reviews to cause issues. I wouldn't go to an obviously dirty food truck, but otherwise I'm not going to worry about it. 

[Do you like seven layer salad?]

13 minutes ago, AmandaVT said:

I've heard of it, but it's not what I thought it was. I've heard of a layered bean, salsa, guac, cheese, sour cream (and I'm forgetting a few layers!) version. 

This is what I was thinking of too. It is yummy! But maybe it is a dip and not a salad? 

[S/O: prepping for disasters]

We have an outside natural gas grill + one stovetop burner (back covered patio), so theoretically we can actually cook, boil water. 

We do have a gasoline powered generator and typically keep gas to keep it powered for several days (it can handle a freezer, refrigerator, window A/C that only comes out if necessary). If we have advance warning of some sort of disaster (hurricane, bad weather), we can increase the gasoline storage.

We keep plenty of bottled/canned water ready for drinking. Water to flush would be more of an issue, but we do have some. Again, we can fill one bathtub (that is all we have, others are only showers!) if we have advance warning. 

I keep some shelf stable food - PB, canned chicken, canned tuna, individual applesauce containers, crackers, canned soup - so we won't starve, and we do have the outdoor kitchen to cook the frozen meat/veggies if needed. 

We have several Luci lights (the floating solar charging lights). We have several LED lanterns for lighting plus a surplus of flashlights (I like flashlights!). I recently purchased a solar cell phone charger/flashlight combo for charging cell phones. We can use the generator, but I hate to do that. 

We do have first aid supplies - the regular stuff, and we try to make sure to try to have extra prescription meds (as much as you can with insurance limiting when you can get refills!). 

We have a few raised beds, but we usually only grow tomatoes - and not very successfully at that! 

Freezes this far south have not been real common, but we've had 2-3 the past 3-4 years, so our concern is more 98+ temp, 98% humidity and no power for 2 weeks.  If it does freeze and we lose power, we have a natural gas fireplace that still works. Note I'm assuming we do not lose natural gas!

If trees come down, we have a chain saw so we can try to get those out of the way.  

[Higher level emergency prep/awareness]

Communication. Our town has a Red Alert type text system. We also have sirens (tested first Wed every month at noon) for things like tornadoes, but we are far enough out from town that we never hear those. 

Give me some warning - water main break alert, dangerous weather - and I think some short (if possible) basic instruction. AKA Water Main Break, boil your water. 

[When I was your age ....]

When I was a kid, my parents really did tell me about having to walk to school daily and always in the snow (but Illinois, so maybe?). They were old enough they started in a one room school house, and it was not unusual for the girls not to actually graduate.  We rode the bus to school (and have some horror stories about that bus ride too!)

Fast forward to now, when my adult kids and one of their spouses are complaining because they have to go into work. Seriously - from working remotely except for 2 days/month and now they will have to go in more days.  And my DH and I are thinking about our 'when I was your age' horror stories of having to go into to work *every* week day and sometimes on Saturday! Worst yet, when we lived in Houston, DH had to wear a suit and tie to the office *every* single day.  We didn't share these stories with the adult children, we just looked at each other and mentally rolled our eyes and laughed later. 

So I wonder what 'when-I-was-your-age' horror stories our kids will tell their children? 

[I think I have a work enemy :-)]

I'm sorry. Hopefully she will calm down tonight and realize that this isn't your fault and come back and apologize. 

[Eclipse glasses--reliable source?]

15 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

That's why I appreciated THESE comments:

You should not be able to see more than the filaments of a bright light bulb at close range,

and the flashlight of your phone should look like a small red dot when held facing you

You can test them yourself.

I also ordered the LUNT glasses.  It says CE, and has the ISO stamp.   I couldn't figure out the difference between the 10PK and the 5pk (especially since I wanted 10) - so I ordered both to test (I can send back anything not used/not satisfactory)
Finally figured it out.
10pk - made in Germany

5pk - Made in USA

both sets are stamped CE, and ISO (on the right ear.)

Eta: the paper part is printed, it's easy to include the stamps in your print run.

 

Valid point - I missed those comments. I tested my flashlight of my phone, and it looks like a small white-ish dot. 
I'm going to have to search harder for an incandescent bulb! 

So my LUNT solar glasses - all say Made in USA. 

[Eclipse glasses--reliable source?]

2 hours ago, gardenmom5 said:

Here are some recommendations to make sure your eclipse glasses really ARE.  I pulled this off a highly rated pair of eclipse glasses that are being the #1 rec on many sites - and are probably heavily spoofed - though even in the pictures for the product, there were no stamps of authenticity for CE, or ISO.

 

PLEASE DON'T HAND THESE OUT WITHOUT TESTING THEM.  

You should not be able to see more than the filaments of a bright light bulb at close range, and the flashlight of your phone should look like a small red dot when held facing you. Anything more visible than that poses a risk to your vision.

The packaging and the glasses themselves had similarities to, but were not a match for the ones on the brand's website. There should be an ISO stamp on the outside of the right earpiece and the inside of the left one. NO ISO stamp anywhere on any of them.

I'm a little concerned about this:

To me, it seems pretty easy to just make the ISO and CE stamps for authenticity with any decent printer. 

I ordered the LUNT Solar glasses that @Innisfree has listed in her link. I've actually purchased these before for another eclipse. 
These have the ISO stamp on the inside of the right earpiece, and the CE stamp in the inside of the left earpiece, and the "Conforms to and meets the Transmission Requirements of ISO 12312-2, Filters for Direct Observation of the Sun" on the inside left earpiece. (although somehow I ordered a five set and I have 9 - which may make sense because I did give one or two to an adult child, so I'm assuming I ended up somehow with a 10 pack? I did order a 10 pack back for the 2017 eclipse, but those actually said '2017 USA Total Eclipse' As they did not have the ISO nor CE stamp on them, I tossed those though. )

I have not checked, but I would be surprised if there were requirements that you have multi ISO or CE stamps on every paper pair of glasses. One each should be sufficient. 

[Why do Amazon returns have so many different return locations?]

The return options changed in January for us too. Now the only free place is Kohls - which makes you walk to the very back of the store to return things. As a reward, they do give you a 15% off coupon for anything in Kohls. It's not enough! I hate Kohls. I hate their business model. I hate their messy stores. 

The regular place I used to drop off returns was the UPS store. Now that costs $1 per item. 

I'm wondering if Kohls is giving them a great deal to be their free return place so they get more foot traffic/customers in the store? 

[Co-worker with cancer]

If she has refused a Go Fund Me, then no fund raiser at work.
But I'm against it anyway. Because ... where do you stop? 

To the employee who asked me about doing a fund raiser or suggested anything like that, I would say we are not doing a departmental one, but there are ways to anonymously donate some money.  Maybe call the electric company and with her address pay some money towards her electric bill? Something like that. Giving a gift card for WalMart or local grocery store helps.  You can send them through the mail anonymously or possibly just leave them on her desk. 

[Dining room]

Other - we have a dining room, but we've never used it as a dining room. It was a school room. Kids are adults now so it is a library, holds the exercise bike, and temporary cat's litter box/toys. Will it ever be a dining room? I doubt it. We have a breakfast area with a kitchen table that is big enough for everything we've done.  I don't have fancy china and crystal, nor do I want any. If we ever decide to turn it into a dining room, we will have to make due with our current white corelle, regular silverware, and bentley tumblers - which is our everyday dishes. I may get out the fabric napkins though! 

[Is there a rule]

Wow. I think I'd be having a discussion with all the family. If you spill something in the oven, either clean it up (right!) or let me know so it doesn't become a hard baked on mess. 

I'm sorry. It's hard work to clean an oven only to find out someone messed it up. 

[Individual vs combo graduation announcements]

I'd send out separate ones for each kid. Each is a wonderful accomplishment.  

[Bridal registries]

I've seen a variety. I saw one probably 15 years ago that had china - at $100+/individual plate. The bride came from a wealthy family, and she did have a variety of price points. 

However, one I saw recently had a very expensive ($500+) fancy coffee maker (I don't do coffee, so I can't tell you what kind it was). I was completely and totally shocked because these people did not come from wealthy families - more like the old fashioned Mr. Coffee type families.  This was a very young bride (not quite a legal adult), so possibly she wasn't thinking? 

I will look at the bridal/wedding registry - mostly because I am curious what folks are interested in getting, but if nothing is in my price range, I will send a check or gift card, and not feel bad about it at all. 

[Eclipse glasses--reliable source?]

I ordered the Lunt glasses (paper) from Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01NB09NHK/

ETA: I ordered them back in July 23 for the partial eclipse, and we just refolded them and stored in the original wrapper for this upcoming eclipse. So, if you order any, find a good place to stash them for any upcoming events. 

 

[Jokes & memes]

21 minutes ago, kbutton said:

Or what it rhymes with…lol!

Or what the initials might spell. Of course that is hard if it is a girl child and decides to take husband's last name, but at least consider what birth initials spell. 

[If you want to be a real jerk, do this!]

I completely understand having a phobia about something, but would it have been okay if coworker caught said beetle and released it outside? 
That is something my entomologist DD totally would have done. I've had to catch and release more bugs outside since having her than I ever considered doing pre-kids (of course, that never ever occurred to me pre-kids!). I appreciate it when she restrains herself and doesn't tell me all about how useful that particular type of insect is - and how cute they are - and ..... 

I do think your co-worker was not acting nicely. 

[Old parent situation]

2 hours ago, Terabith said:

Note to self:  Do not invite anyone from the hive over to my house.  My counters are constantly full of clutter and I don't think I have cleaned my baseboards like ever.  ETA:  Or blinds, for sure.  I know I have never scrubbed down all my cabinets unless there was a very obvious spill.  I know I'm a terrible housekeeper, but I'm really cringing here.  

I mean, I already don't invite people over hardly ever, because I'm self conscious about my terrible housekeeping.  But yeah, priorities are laundry, dishes, cat items, cooking/ eating surfaces.  Anything else is a bonus.

I'm glad someone else said this! I know folks have different standards of cleanliness! I have wiped the cabinets down when the sun comes in (only certain time of year!) - but not always because ... time/attention/interest. But my floors are mostly clean (thank you robotic vacuum!), bathrooms are clean, kitchen sink and counters are clean, laundry is done. Little box is scooped daily (not my cat, DD's cat that I am hosting on an indefinite basis). I do wash the blankets I have put on various furniture for the cat once a week, but mostly because that helps my DH's allergies. I'm also sure my house isn't as clean since cat arrived, but I'm okay with that. DD needed a safe place for cat, and we can provide that. And I'm growing more fond of cat! 

[Old parent situation]

I'm not that particular about keeping my house spotless. This is not one of those areas of pride for me, so if my kids at some point tell me that my house is dirty and I should hire someone, I'd be agreeable to that assuming I could afford it. But I do know some who would be seriously offended if anyone ever suggested their house was not pristine - even if it wasn't. It is a matter of pride to them. 

[Old parent situation]

Re life expectancy, there are various calculators online that can give you answers. 
I'm 59, and I just did one, 88 is my life expectancy. 
I think 84 is typical any more. 

I think many think of old as their age + X. We had a 92 year old man in our congregation who prayed for "the elderly of the congregation". I asked him once who he thought those elderly folks were (he was the oldest guy there). Probably rude of me, but I was curious. He did not think of himself of old, in fact he was still climbing up ladders to prune trees much to his children's concern.