:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: I am so very sorry. So very sorry. :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

Today I ate lunch with dd and some of her friends at the establishment where they enjoyed an activity. When the bill arrived, directly below the amount was the expected tip amount, listed in 10%, 15% and 20% increments, calculated specifically to our bill amount. I felt this was...insulting. Personally, I always just double the front number, or numbers (accordingly) for a (roughly) 20% tip - it's just easy math for me and I don't have to think about it, just being thankful that someone else did the cooking and delivering of my meal. And I understand there are those who find $10 for a burger and fries to be more than enough, and don't tip at all, so I *almost* get it. But, if an establishment feels that they need to include the tip amounts on the bill, why don't they just pay their hardworking waitresses enough (ie, include the amount in the food price itself and pay it out accordingly) to avoid such...dare I say, tacky...wording on the very same bills those waitresses need to deliver to the customers? Disclaimer - I have never been a waitress. I have never owned a restaurant and needed to pay waitresses' wages. Is it a tax thing? Is it a way to keep employees? What are your thoughts on this?

n/a

When I'm cooking, I like big band era stuff - Glenn Miller, The Andrew Sisters... and some classic jazzy stuff - Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington... I :001_wub: Pandora for this reason.

It made sense to me. Sounds pretty basic, actually - eat real food, take the time to taste it and enjoy it, and move. It makes sense to enjoy your food, your meal, and then use your body to get from point A to point B. I think in America we tend to drive everywhere (mostly due to the layout outside large cities) and we don't move as much as our bodies were designed to do. I think even in the French schools, food is a major focus - the lunches are amazing. Being somehow connected with both an understanding and appreciation for our food along with an understanding what our bodies were made to do and utilizing that goes a long way.

For me, it appeals to my obsession for food and recipes. If you click on Food and Drink under "Everything", the drool-worthy pictures abound, ten, twenty, fifty, hundreds...all leading to recipes. It's almost beautiful. But it's really not fair to put stuff like that out there for those of us who cannot handle it. I could sit there all day long, staring at all the pictures, clicking on all the recipes... And then there is the architecture. I have one board just for the kitchen designs I'm going to have when I grow up. And, I did not look today :001_tt2:

My black lab mix is Rosie (dd named her after Rosalie from Twilight because she disliked them both), and my...Tree Walker Coon Hound (who was supposed to have been a beagle/basset mix :lol::lol:) is named Huckleberry Pi, or Huck for short (as well as Critter and Buster - we call him many things; he's just crazy happy to be called :)) , based on name suggestions from here and the fact that my kids wanted to name him 3.14 :D. What a sweet pup you have!!

Just saying it out loud because I have other things I must do today. That is all. :D

Yes! I have a shellfish allergy and I cannot take a multivitamin with iodine in it (if you use vitamins, look for one that is specially designed for allergies). I also cannot be doused with betadine for a surgery (my ob tried to do this for my c-sect - than goodness dh was standing right there and pointed out the big, red note on my chart!! :svengo:). Another thing to watch for is buying fresh fish - in one of the grocery stores I go to, they don't have separate cases for the shellfish and regular fish, and often times the shrimp will tumble onto the tuna or cod - please notice if the store keeps those things separate before purchasing any fish from there.

Somewhere between "not helpful" and "squirrel". ;) It's hard with situations like that because bringing in a 3rd person and trying to catch them up to speed with how two others already work is a giant pain, and that 3rd person can never really understand the dynamic. And if one of the arguments in the marriage is money, well, the 3rd person tends to exacerbate that issue, especially if that 3rd person is not at all helpful.

:grouphug: It's so hard seeing a dog in pain, especially a super sensitive one. Keep us updated.

Safe Eyes has a youtube filter. It blocks viewing what it finds as inappropriate, but allows other videos. The thumbnail still shows up :glare:, but it can't be watched. The administrator (you) will get a report of what has been watched and what has been blocked. More dependable than nothing at all. I think it's free for 30 days, then $49 per year. We just renewed. Must say, though, the filter is more conducive to a windows platform than a mac (it works well on both, but on the mac it works a little too well and can be a pain). Does anyone know if K-9 offers this now?

I was just thinking about you the other day and wondering if you had found her yet. So glad she's back home! :party:

I hate being wrong :D.

Bump :) Dh and I are kidless this evening, and are trying to plan our own menu. So far I'm thinking mushrooms in garlic and wine, pasta, maybe some fish...but I just don't know.

That's what is throwing me off, though. If I am grabbing more than one handful or lettuce or m&ms or something, I will grab a few...hands ful - in which case, it isn't the "full" that's plural, it's my hands (as in how many I am using to grab lots of stuff). My head hurts, too - the word doesn't even look right anymore no matter how it's spelled! And it's beginning to sound stupid, too. :lol:

I thought to make handful plural, it became handsful, but my spell checker is hating that. Were I on a game show, I would have hit the buzzer for handsful, but now I don't know. What do you think? ETA - there should only be one l in the "handfuls" in the poll (I think - at least I thought so...) :rolleyes:.

I voted that I'd have trouble choosing, too, because I do. I'm up for renewal in Feb, and I just don't know what to do. Dh had an iphone and it was pretty easy to use, but he's also got a Mac computer. I use and like windows, and all my stuff is on windows program (music and books on windows media, writing in Word, notes and things in One Note, etc). I'm toiling over the decision, actually, because I'm completely techno-stupid.

Why is honey off the list? I like to use (local) raw honey, maple syrup, shredded apple (rather than juice concentrate), ground dried dates (homemade date sugar), and just the general sweetness found in other fresh fruits (like bananas).

Same here! :lol: I think some angry scamee hacked their phone account...:lol:

Oh, hon :grouphug:. Check your crap outside (you are welcome to park it next to mine - it's still warm there), and come on in - it's nice in here :)

Mr. Darcy is most welcome :). I am loving malbec recently, and the two that I can afford to bring into my Happy Place are Alamos (Argentina) and Caillero del Diablo (Chile)- which did you and your dh find?

I have just tossed the lavender and replaced it with mint. C'mon in.

:):):) And cats are most certainly welcome - my own cat and my two dogs are very cozy, passed out cold, and snuggled in. All is well in The Happy Place.

No. Absolutely not. No crap is allowed. Not even on the shoes. All crap must be left outside. I may thank you for the flowers and the thought, but they will not be allowed inside. Sorry for any inconvenience. :)