I know it's split, but I think the majority of the votes will go toward the direction they have for the past nine elections. But hey, I could be wrong.

Good point, lots of people probably won't put stuff in their yard til later. Or car. Or whatever.

I am probably not making sense. I did not mean I know who will win the election. I meant I feel like I know who will win our state's popular vote and electoral vote. And apparently depending on which state you live in, your electors have different rules for voting. http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/electors.html

Oh I know that not everyone has signs and I haven't actually gone looking for them. I just meant in the time I was visiting the gulfcoast of my state that's all I saw and I live in the central part of my state. I admittedly haven't seen much here. Probably because I'm not usually driving inside neighborhoods.

Alexa/Echo We have one, but it's pretty much me running late yelling, "Alexa, what time is it?!" :lol: I add things to the grocery shopping list but it's me getting irritated saying, "Alexa, add potatoes to the shopping list. *takes a breath* "Alexa, add bread to the shopping list." If I'm going to sit in front of the PC to add things then I might as well print my own shopping list! Okay Ok I know, I can refer to it on the app while I'm in the store so I don't have to hold a piece of paper. But do you know how often my phone dies while I'm out? I prefer not to rely on apps or phone signals. ETA: Dh usually does the grocery shopping and prefers I add it to Alexa vs. texting him. And yes, somewhere I have a thing to charge my phone while I'm inside stores but I can only find the huge device we own. My phone dies quickly when I'm using Shopkick.

Not the electoral system, but even just the majority popular vote. Well, I've seen the presidential signs in lawns and on bumper stickers. I've only seen one sign lol. (I know not everyone is voting for that person, but it does color my picture of where the election is heading)

Sorta on topic here... There are some alternatives to real meat that are fairly new I heard about recently. I don't know if "Beyond Meat" succeeded or not. There's also this other thing. Kinda weirds me out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSD0_I1MwqU

Because no one is eating the lion or elephant I imagine. Also, many people may still be unaware of what goes on with many animals. Plus, eating food doesn't necessarily mean you are okay with how it got to your plate. I may say I'm not ok with how some clothing is made, but I can't say I have investigated every garment or that I've boycotted all the stores that have lower prices. Basically, a lot of us are guilty of doing things indirectly because it's hard for us to stop shopping/eating what we're accustomed to.

Well, some outdoor ideas might have hiccups. Like you may need a permit for the beach (thinking of a TV episode where this was an issue). Do the parks have bathrooms that you have to get unlocked? I don't think I'd want everyone in formal wear having to use a park bathroom. But maybe that's just me. I had to have my sister go with me into a bathroom to help hold my dress. If budget allowed, I'd be tempted to just find a location where they let you rent their area. Whether that be a convention center or a place with a big beautiful yard and gazebo or building access/yard. We didn't use it, but there was such a place near where we got married. Do you already know where to find the artists? Is there a Craftmen's Guild?

The majority at the table is determining what is served I think (the state). So it doesn't matter at all in a way at my particular table; I know what my state is choosing.

lol he can easily be cropped out.

I think I'm allergic to both shrimp and chicken :lol:

I somewhat disagree. I don't blame the media completely but let's not act like being a third party candidate isn't horrible for coverage. Ron Paul felt he had to run as a Rep. I never said lack of third party choices. I said lack of coverage. Months ago I brought up a third party candidate's name and people are like, "who?" and I voted for the guy LAST election. Something does need to change, though.

I did not know you could vote early at a physical location. I thought only mail in votes. Back to the analogy about the dinner reservation. I don't think it's so much about what meal you will get but to send a message that you want more options at the next event. If enough people write in the same third party (or any third party) maybe the media will give more attention to the third party candidates.

I am glad it worked out :)

Supposedly there might be time to add salmon to the menu. I mean the debate. So I'm not sending in my RSVP yet LOL

I would have taken the Whole Foods hummus and put it in another dish probably :lol:

My cat is the same!! We tried samples of a few "healthy" brands. She'd turn her nose up. I found a reasonably priced cat food that seemed healthy but she didn't care for it, either. It's called 4Health, but I can only find it in the dry variety or else I'd try the wet. Basically my cat just likes the gravy in wet food, so if it's not packed in a lot of gravy, she won't touch much of it. Some wet food is pureed and some is not, which I found out the hard way. Mine actually didn't finish her Fancy Feast cans when I did buy it. She'd eat a little bit, lick the gravy, and be done. If any food is not cut into the tiniest pieces she won't even try to eat it. She's such a princess. I think Purina Pro Plan was suggested for wet. It's supposed to be of the better quality in their line. Of course my cat just wants to eat the lower quality stuff.

Another vote for hummus. Do you have any stores with hummus samplers? We got one at Whole Foods before and it has 4 varieties. That is, if you aren't making your own. I personally don't like those hard break your teeth pita chips that I think are meant for hummus. I actually like to use naan bread. I don't mind carrots, pretzels or corn chips for dipping in hummus, either.

We had the same neighbors for years when I was growing up. We were really close. We were always going to each other's homes. So I guess for me personally my comfort level would somewhat be based on if I knew my kid played with their kid a lot and that they would stay close together during the trip. If they don't normally hang out with each other and there's a huge age gap, I dunno how that will play out. My sister and I went camping at Yosemite with one set of neighbors we were really close with. So no, it's not automatically strange to me to do something with neighbors. Basically the same sentiments as what ThisIsTheDay added to her post.

So a teenager wants to hang out with your 10 yr old? Did I get that right? That's the part that struck me as strange...

I'd be thinking look, lady, you're not Santa. My kid isn't going near your lap or being left alone with you. Not going back. (I wouldn't leave my kid alone with Santa, either, in case that was confusing)

Thanks for the update! Sounds good you are working with a therapist. I am so sorry you got the short end of the stick. I think you should have gotten to take a rain check but I guess you felt you needed to go since they both wanted to. I don't think I could have done it. "I got three hours of sleep so we are not going." Lol I am sure your sons are happy and I hope they appreciated what you did. Hope you can get some sleep before the play and social commitment.

I can stop at Sam's and feed the kids for very little if we need to shop and eat on a budget. No one should probably be eating those enormous hotdogs and drinks, but sometimes you are hungry and that less than $2 purchase is a life saver sometimes.

Yeah, that kinda threw me. Someone mentioned "situational anxiety" which I didn't even know was a term. I'm going to learn more.