I gotta agree with Slartibartfast on this one. The books have been out for so long...the show has already aired...and the very title of this thread alerted readers that there might be spoilers. Why are we dancing around? The Shakespeare analogy doesn't apply here. Nobody sat down with anybody from the board and said "Let's watch Game of Thrones together and oh by the way I know you haven't seen it but Ser Jorah gets the boot." (which I personally thought was the worst/saddest part of the episode.) Edited to add...I just realized some of what we're talking about re: spoilers is whether to reveal upcoming story lines. And I do agree it's just polite to refrain from doing that. (when dh asks me what's going to happen next, I always say, "Do you really want to know?"). But in the context of this thread I don't understand why we can't say who killed whom etc.

:grouphug: I'm sorry I didn't know you were going through this. I had a lumpectomy 3 years ago. My mom had a mastectomy yesterday. :sad: It is a hard thing to get through but you can. Call the doctor on Monday (if you didn't already yesterday) to get your questions answered. I'll be praying for you.

Oh, I change my answer. I quit Words with Friends too, for that reason. I don't know if it's "cheating" but it sure took the fun out of it every time my friend posted some bizarre combination of letters that nobody ever knew was a word. She never said anything to me about why I quit. Maybe she's really debodun and is posting on the internet about why all her friends quit games. KIDDING! :laugh:

Yes. You've answered your own question. :)

My crazy neighbor admitted to my husband that he had a motion sensor camera pointed at our yard (he had previously accused us of trying to poison his dogs, among other offenses). I was never so glad to move. I literally had nightmares about that paranoid delusional man.

Some stores are much more customer friendly, though. I think the Gap brand stores (Banana Republic, Gap, Old Navy) and Victoria's Secret show a discounted amount for each item, and they'll actually refund that amount even if you only return half of a BOGO deal or otherwise no longer qualify for your promotion. For example, if you have a $10 off $50 coupon at Victoria's Secret: Buy 2 bras for $30 each with that coupon, and the net price is $25 each. If you return one, VS refunds $25. Sounds like under the same promo, Dress Barn would have only refunded $20 because they'd have subtracted the $10 coupon from the refund. Customers could theoretically take advantage of companies' more liberal policies, but really is the store losing that much? And the other stores are losing customers with their stingy policies! I've benefited from the policy at VS before, but it was truly for an item I changed my mind on, and not a planned purchase/return, since I'd rather take a beating than wait in line at VS!

Sigh, on the Camila video I got overwhelmed at 34 seconds when she held up the kit you need. Just for your eyebrows, before you do the rest of your face!

We've used Craigslist to find rentals before. Also MLS sites do list rentals, but those tend to be the higher-cost properties because the owner has to pay a big fee to the listing realtor!

In California, it's very painful - a speeding ticket is almost $400, either to pay it or to have it dismissed with the class. Getting it dismissed was actually slightly more expensive. (I'd heard this before, and then one of my young adult children found out the hard way...) I hope yours is not too expensive.

This is what makes me nervous - the therapist obviously believes you are overwhelmed and who knows what else. Isn't she a mandatory reporter? I would stay as far away as possible from your mother AND the therapist.

How did you know that would be a key factor? ;) But guess what? I already googled it and the first Tampa TJs opened in March! So now there are at least 3 cities to choose from. :)

We did Plimouth Plantation and Mystic Seaport and historic Boston on a trip when my kids were a bit younger than yours. We all loved it. As some have mentioned already, PP is very historically accurate and dirty. :tongue_smilie: Mystic Seaport is a bit more sanitized and theme-park-ish (at least it was 13 years ago). But both are definitely worth doing.

thanks, I'll send you a PM

Thanks! The arts part sounds nice - that's something we enjoy about SoCal. Funny about all the critters. When we've looked at houses online, I immediately reject anything that's directly on a creek or lake, and we joke that "oh look you can see the alligators right from your backyard." :tongue_smilie: I like the part about being outside; we spend a lot of time outside. And we noticed that many of the houses online have the screened-in pools & porches.

Thanks for all of the input! I told dh last night, "You need another business trip to FL soon so I can tag along...!"

I was a dance mom for a lot of years. I don't miss it. :)

If your studio wants you to have them, ask the studio where to get them! Maybe there is a local shop.

Yes, everybody needs to consider this. I was shocked when I saw the states listed on the "surprising" link above - healthcare was an important part of the ranking, yet many of the states listed are rural, which means you don't have access to that healthcare unless you live in a city. (North Dakota? Nebraska? Wyoming?) We are going through this right now with my parents who live in a tiny town, 3 hours from their doctors. They are both in poor health. EVERY week they drive the 3 hours, see the doctor, sometimes pay for a hotel to spend the night (because my dad won't drive after dark). My mother has been very ill since November. I fear for the day that my dad can't do the driving anymore, because she's absolutely not able to. They don't have family or close friends there either (they relocated there on a whim in their late 60s, so no long-term relationships to count on). Since they are so far from us, (and 3 hours from the nearest airport!) I can't offer them a lot of help with chronic conditions. When it comes down to it, I will offer to help them pack up and move to a city with doctors.

I don't know...urban, I think (although we like to spend time outdoors). The extent of my Florida experience is 3 trips to Disneyworld in the last 15 years, and a trip to Miami. I only saw the Disney & Universal parts of Orlando. And I wasn't that impressed with Miami - it was so crowded and expensive; reminded me of New York except it was hotter. :) We drove up to West Palm Beach for a day for dh' business meeting. He has spent a lot more time than I have in Florida, in various cities. He likes Tampa, from what he's seen.

Hmm, I was aware of the hurricanes but am alarmed that so many of you mentioned sinkholes! I was looking at houses online and did see one that had a note to the effect of "sinkhole fixed, see engineering report" but I assumed that was an unusual thing. Right. We wouldn't move unless he could stay in his position. (he works from home and does some traveling). We're trying to think of where his salary will go a lot farther!

Yikes! I was about to say, "You must live in TX," but then I scrolled up & saw you said NY. I had no idea NY property tax rates were so high.

We live in a very high COL area (SoCal). We don't own a home and can't foresee that we can buy one & get it paid off before retirement (15 years). DH and I have been discussing whether we should move to a lower COL area - which is possible because of his job, as long as it's a city w/ a decent airport. If you live/have lived in FL, tell me about it! What do you like/dislike? I don't need to know about homeschooling as we graduated our youngest. :)

I like the phrasing of this. After sending, I'd immediately unfriend/block on FB. Agree! You need to get them out of your life AND your FB life.

I'm so glad you posted this. I have a friend who lost her son in January. I had not even been thinking of how hard this weekend will be for her. Your idea is a good one. I'm going to send a card, too (and also otherwise be in touch).

What's with the machine gun cat?