You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion
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Watcha Doin' - 2016.1
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Sandra, Moderator
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Oct 18, 2016 09:21AM
Thank you everyone! 11 days more!
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I'm back from Vienna. I had a fantastic time. It was good to catch up with the friends we were visiting. We stayed at their apartment and they took us out sightseeing everyday. We drove up around the hills of Vienna giving us great views of the city and river Danube, checked out the Old Town, the cathedral, churches and other funky buildings, sampled sachertorte and coffee in traditional Viennese coffee houses and enjoyed some lovely food. I was struck by how quiet the city was. Such a contrast to big cities here. Looking forward to visiting again. We were so lucky with the weather. It was so warm. We were walking around in t-shirts, sat in the sun drinking wine. Hard to believe it was October. I believe it now though today. That is ind is cold!
My cold was a lot better whike we were away but the flights were quite uncomfortable with my ears. I have had muffled hearing since the flight out of which is pretty annoying.
We saw signs for Budapest Peggy while we were driving around Vienna. I would love to go there as I've heard good things. Enjoy!
It's my partner's 40th birthday tomorrow. We both have the day off work. Not sure what we're doing if anything yet.
Glad you had fun, Sarah! It sounds like a wonderful time.
I'm glad you had a good holiday and that your cold allowed you to enjoy yourself.
Sounds like a great weekend Sarah. I'm glad to know your cold let you enjoy the trip. Happy birthday to your partner!
Sounds wonderful, Sarah! Glad you had a good time!Happy Birthday to your partner!
Sarah, maybe try putting a few drops of warm olive oil in your ears if they are blocked and causing you discomfort. I have done that a few times before and it does sometimes help to unblock them. It feels nice and soothing if nothing else.
Thanks guys. Oh and Peggy, I had Radler! I told my Austrian friend's about our conversation and told them about the cyclists etc. They didn't mnow about that so we had a good conversation.Thanks Lisa. Annoyingly they are blocked the other side of the eardrum. I have fluid there and the tubes going down to my throat are blocked. If they don't sort themselves out by the weekend i might go see the doctor in case i have an infection.
Sarah wrote: "Thanks guys. Oh and Peggy, I had Radler! I told my Austrian friend's about our conversation and told them about the cyclists etc. They didn't mnow about that so we had a good conversation.Thanks ..."
Oh, that's annoying, Sarah. It definitely sounds like you should go to the doctor. You may well have an infection.
@Peggy - Yes I did. It was with lemon. I saw there was a cranberry one too but I didn't try that. Tasted pretty much like our shandy here (and the menu said shandy too). The bottle said it was a 40/60 split.
Lemon is the original one :) glad you liked it!My boyfriend has an ear infection too. After almost two weeks of ear aches, fluid in his ears and being half deaf he finally decided to see a doctor.
I have a sore throat, hope it doesn't get worse with our trip to budapest coming up.
Yes I'm half deaf too at the moment although it comes and goes. Maybe i should get to the doctor sooner rather than waiting as long as your partner did Peggy. Fingers crossed you haven't caught whatever he has and that you'll be well for your trip.
Sarah wrote: "Annoyingly they are blocked the other side of the eardrum. I have fluid there and the tubes going down to my throat are blocked. If they don't sort themselves out by the weekend i might go see the doctor in case i have an infection..."Sarah, I know it sounds strange, but we always use Mentholatum rub to help open up blocked ear and sinuses. I swear it works! (Of course antibiotics are a must, if there is really an infection). Rub it on behind your ears and down the side of your neck at night before you go to bed. When we have colds, we rub it on the bottom of our feet too, and wear socks to bed. You can rub it on your chest and under your nose - but do not put it in your nose. I like the camphor smell in Mentholatum better than Vicks.
I have some tiger balm so I might try that tonight. Thanks Cherie. I might also steam with some menthol crystals today. I'm off work again today as I can't stop coughing and I didn't think it would be very relaxing for my clients.
Try a salt sock too. I had heaps of problems flying with my ears before I had my wisdom teeth out (yay for everything being interconnected). Sometimes blocked ears would last a day or two, but not this long. But anyway, get a cotton or woolen sock (Poly mix is okay but you don't want a pure poly sock). Get cheap table salt and fill up the toe of the sock. You want to twist the sock up, so it's a good ball size, and fold it over itself so the salt doesn't fall out.
Dampen the sock slightly, and put it in the microwave. I do about 20 secs, maybe in 10 sec bursts depending on your microwave. You don't want the natural fibres to burn or the poly to melt or to burn yourself. But then hold it to your ear. The heat soothes, and loosens the gunk. The salt absorbs moisture and draws the moisture out of your ear. And it feels amazingly good.
It's a Lexx family trick and I have dealt with many ear infections, teeth infections, throat infections and just bad colds like this. It doesn't replace medicine, so if it doesn't clear see a doctor, but I always try it first.
Sorry if I've told you this before. i just think it's an amazing trick.
That's really cool, Rusalka!! I love home remedies like that!When I had blocked ears I made a mixture of honey, ginger and lemon. Made it the consistency of syrup and would either drink it straight or put it in some tea. It really helped with opening up my ears.
Sounds sensible the way you describe it Rusalka. If only we had a microwave!
My ears are feeling much better today, less muffled although they aren't perfect. I remember the salt trick Rusalka and I did think about doing it. But I'm not sure how to get around the "not having a microwave" issue safely.
Hmmm I wonder if you could dunk it in boiling water quickly. Not to soak the inside but enough to coat the outside? Or in an oven on a low heat? But you don't want it wet, and you don't want it burnt. Microwaves work well as they heat through evaporating the water.
At the risk of getting political, this did make me laugh. A library display here in Aus.Tagged as: Possibly the best book display ever.
I own 3 of 5, have another one my tbr list, and have added the 5th.
Only 5 books on that shelf, Rusalka? LOL!
Sounds l like you had a great time, Sarah! Hope you continue to feel better.I like the salt sock tip, Rusalka! I wonder if you could heat it in a steamer on the stove for those that don't have a microwave. It would stay mostly dry and shouldn't be a fire risk. I bet adding some essential oils to the salt would make it even more helpful too. I'll definitely be storing this idea away for my next earache!
I was thinking about placing it in a plastic bag and putting in hot water to warm up?!
I've had work drama today. One woman has a desk near the front door, but isn't the receptionist. The receptionist has moved into a cubicle since she has taken on some additional duties and everyone congregates around her desk which she finds extremely distracting when she's trying to work. She still answers the phone, but she isn't positioned at the front door any longer, that desk is empty. So when someone comes in the front door, the lady that is closest to and can see the front door has been ignoring them causing the "receptionist" to have to jump up from her desk and go to the front to see if it is someone that needs help or just an employee going in/out. It has been causing a lot of tension obvisouly. We've also had issues bc the person that normally handles the phones during the lunch hour has been out recovering from surgery. Instead of anyone communicating about who answers the phone when, people are just leaving without saying anything and whoever is left behind is just stuck. I got the four of us together this morning to talk about it which was extremely uncomfortable for me. I hate confrontation and drama, but these were issues that needed to be addressed and our management won't do anything. I think it went somewhat okay. I know I made the "receptionist" mad when I first started talking about it and probably ticked off the other 2 as well... which I hate. I'm a people pleaser so I can't stand when someone is unhappy with or dislikes me. I know I shouldn't care or let it bother me, but it is one of those things I just can't control. I'll be stressing about this for quite a while, which causes me to stress because I'm stressed. Ugh, it is a vicious cycle!
Sounds like you did the right thing, Kimey. Those were issues that needed to be addressed. Hopefully, things will run a bit smoother now and they'll be appreciative of the intervention.
I think it's brave that you took action KimeyDiann!
Well done KimeyDian, it may be uncomfortable in the short run but an explosion of your colleagues simmering resentment would have been much worse in a week or two. You deserve a leadership badge this month!
Sounds like a good move though KimeyDiann. I too would have struggled doing that so nice one for taking the initiative. They were all probably feeling exactly the same as you and it just needed someone to speak up about it. Fingers crossed things will settle down for you.
You did the right thing, Kimey. It is better to talk about this things instead of let the snow ball grow.
Rusalka wrote: "At the risk of getting political, this did make me laugh. A library display here in Aus.Tagged as: Possibly the best book display ever.
I own 3 of 5, have another one my tbr list, and have adde..."
I can think of a lot of books for Clinton... ;p)
Tasha wrote: "I can think of a lot of books for Clinton... ;p) "lol as can I
I'm off out tonight for a meal with my parents to celebrate my partner's birthday which was a couple days back and my birthday which is on Sunday. Looking forward to some tasty food.
Have a great time, Sarah! Happy birthday!
I had a good one-on-one talk with the lady that was in the receptionist role. I knew she had been upset after our conversation so before we left, when it was just the two of us still in the office, I stopped to talk to her. I asked if she was mad and she said not really, mostly hurt. I apologized to her if I came off in a way where she felt singled out and explained I didn't mean it that way. She and I left the talk feeling much better I think. I explained I was just trying to diffuse a situation before it got too bad, which is part of why she took my original approach the wrong way, that is something that is very out of my character to do. She thought the other lady had asked me to talk to her and that she was being singled out as the bad guy in the situation. I think everything is smoothed over between us but I'll never know for sure how the other one feels, she's a bit of a put on... super sweet to your face but talks about you like a dog behind your back.
Thanks guys. Just back from our meal and I'm stuffed. I do love a good halloumi burger. :-)
Sarah wrote: "Thanks guys. Just back from our meal and I'm stuffed. I do love a good halloumi burger. :-)"I absolutely had to look that up! I had never heard of a halloumi burger. Looks good.
Are you feeling better, Sarah? I was concerned, as I read about the possible infection you have/had. Infections in the face/head, specially in the ears, can easily get through till the brain, that's why is allways better to see a doctor right away and take proper care of it.
I love halloumi in anything Kristie. I made battered halloumi the other day which is often marketed as a a veggie alternative to battered fish. Thanks for your concern Mariab. My ears are improving but not totally back to normal. At leadt there is no pain now. My cough is what is annoying me most at the moment. If i'm still no better Monday I will get an appountment at the doctors.
Sarah, Halloumi sounds interesting, thanks for telling us about it. I would like to cut down on the meat in my diet but switching seems overwhelming. This looks lovely like a meat substitute to try.No way will I ever give up dairy however - its my primary food source. I am indebted to the dairy farmers like Travis :)
I haven't had Halloumi. Haven't even heard of it, but would love to try it. I pretty much love anything cheese tho some cheeses take more effort to pair with the right thing. Dairy is a significant chunk of my diet, especially from kefir. Also goat cheese now since it's generally a lower sodium cheese. Important to me now for controlling blood pressure. My husband and I are home from visit to San Francisco, and i didn't have my regular home-brewed kefir. Had some store-bought from grocery that tided me over. But then had to get my kefir "grains" going again. They're not really grain, more like kurds, but they're called grains for some reason. Had them "resting" in fridge. Finally today had some of the good stuff to drink - yay!
Lots of travel talk here while i was away. Lots of good trips coming up. Sandra heading to Urugruay, Peggy to Budapest, and Janice to Mexico. Sarah, your Vienna trip sounded wonderful. Would love to visit there. Also very much Budapest. Uruguay would be really interesting. Mexico is an almost annual vacation destination for us. Look forward to hearing more about these trips!
So got home with mild cold coming on. Started zinc lozenges immediately. Also vitamin c supplement. If i start these at first signs of cold, knocks it right out for me. Doesn't work for flu tho. Already got flu shot this year. Have been doing annual flu vaccines now for about 5 years. Has really reduced my getting flu.
Good show, KimeyDiann, on taking initiative to try to improve a difficult situation at work. This shows real leadership on your part, and i know i would appreciate the problem being acknowledged in such a situation. Sometimes, just having a problem acknowledged, I find, makes it a lot less difficult to deal with.
Happy birthday, Sarah!!
Sorry so long, but trying to catch up here with all.
Happy birthday Sarah!Halloumi is delicious. You need to fry it on both sides so it has a crisp shell, and then soft in the middle. And it squeaks. We call it squeaky cheese, as it squeaks on your teeth. Some people hate it because of that, but it's delicious. However it is a very salty cheese, so may have to be a celebration food TJ from what you are saying.
I went to buy unhomogonised milk today so we could make our first batch of cheese at home (and were debating halloumi, but decided brie as the first batch). Paid an arm and leg for the milk at the markets. Lexx cleaned down the entire kitchen to make sure no contaminates could get the cheese. Pulled out all our kit, got it all ready unpackaging and drilling holes in the tubs for thermometers, and cleaning it down. Then I pulled out all the moulds and cultures and stuff out of the freezer and the fridge. Check off the recipe...
Missing rennet.
Never got sent it with our kit. The one ingredient you need that can't really be substituted when making cheese. So grumpy. I had it all planned, as it requires slots 20mins of work, then 15mins-2 hours waiting depending on the cheese or the step, so perfect for toppler and would get some presents for Christmas on the go.
Now, I have a fridge full of milk that will go off by next weekend that cost me $8 a bottle. I need to get me a cow.
(Emailed the guy who did the course and sold us the kit so hopefully will have some in the next few days. Will just have to make ricotta)
Yes as Rusalka said, halloumi is a little salty. I love that it squeaks! It is great as kebabs with vegetables, i also use it in pies occasionally, with salads, in stir fries, and now the battered halloumi. I love that it can be fried and it doesn't melt. You dry fry it as it has a lot of fat of it's own that comes out when cooking. Definitely worth a try. It's pretty popular here.Thanks guys. Nothing planned for my birthday other than take away tonight so i don't have to cook :-)
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