General Chit-Chat Part 2! Showing 1,201-1,250 of 2,680

[Karin]

I hope all goes safely, Joan--it's always stressful when our kids take risks like this, so hopefully they know what they are doing :)

[Chrissie]

Joan, I know you are worried, even though you trust your kids' judgment. Take care,

[Joan]

Thanks for your encouragement- I’m pleased that all 3 of my stepchildren are adventurous- and doubly pleased when the excitement has passed. In this case, the storm has moved on and they are all fine.

[Chrissie]

Joan wrote: "Thanks for your encouragement- I’m pleased that all 3 of my stepchildren are adventurous- and doubly pleased when the excitement has passed. In this case, the storm has moved on and they are all fine."

Phew, that's good to hear.

[LauraT]

Good to know!

[dely]

Now my mother told me about a hurricane on the Philippines and Hong Kong. A cousin of mine lives in Hong Kong since June (the same that lived in Malaysia, but his company moved him to Hong Kong). I'm also thinking about friends and relatives of Alice. I hope they are all fine.

[Joan]

Dely, that storm barreling around the Philippines, Hong Kong and China is terrible-and so many people in danger.

[Nancy from NJ]

Would you believe we are going to Hong Kong for 3 days and then boarding a ship to go to Beijing and Shanghai. We leave on October 4th. Best laid plans ha ha. I remember too well when the tsunami hit and we and our daughter had friends vacationing there. Luckily they were ok but many weren't.


Joan - glad to hear that your children ae all fine. This reminds me when our daughter was in high school and since she had such great friends we set a reasonable curfew and she would call if she wanted to stay with friends. We also wanted her to know right from wrong and have a little moxie. But one night she came home very late and never called. When I saw the door open and she was there, I didn't know whether to hug her to pieces or smack her. I hugged her.

[Nancy from NJ]

Going to watch a you tube of my friend's nephew who was only 6 months old when his father died on 9/11. He is such a wonderful kid and we all tell stories about his father so he gets to know him a bit, Sal is a super kid who is attending Syracuse University on a full scholarship. This was the school he wanted to go to since they have a great communications school and that's what he wanted to study.

[Chrissie]

Nancy, good luck on your trip AND have lots of fun, gather up memories and eats lots of yummy Chinese food..

[Nancy from NJ]

Thanks for your good wishes Chrissie. I am looking forward to this trip which I am certain will be different than our other trips.

[Alice]

dely wrote: "Now my mother told me about a hurricane on the Philippines and Hong Kong. A cousin of mine lives in Hong Kong since June (the same that lived in Malaysia, but his company moved him to Hong Kong). I..."

dely, I've just seen your post. Thank you for your concern. My sister and brother and relatives and friends are all OK. My heart goes out to those who are hurt or have their lives disrupted. Monday saw workers wanting to get to work all stuck in a massive traffic chaos. Hope Tuesday will see things back to normal.

[Alice]

Nancy from NJ wrote: "Would you believe we are going to Hong Kong for 3 days and then boarding a ship to go to Beijing and Shanghai. We leave on October 4th. Best laid plans ha ha. I remember too well when the tsunami h..."

Nancy, have a great trip! I will be in Hong Kong from November 12 till early December for my annual home visit. This time there will be a dinner celebrating the 60th anniversary of my primary school, in addition to usual hiking with old friends and cousins and reunion dinners :)

[Nancy from NJ]

Too bad, Alice, we won’t be there at the same time. Sounds like a lovely vacation awaits you with friends and family.

[Leslie]

I have been neglecting this thread so apologies all.

Alice, it sounds like you will be busy during your trip home. Have a good time (in case I miss your actual leaving a month from now)!

[Greg]

Alice wrote: "Nancy from NJ wrote: "Would you believe we are going to Hong Kong for 3 days and then boarding a ship to go to Beijing and Shanghai. We leave on October 4th. Best laid plans ha ha. I remember too w..."

Have fun Nancy and Alice!

[Alice]

Nancy, have a great trip :)

Leslie & Greg, thank you!

[Diane S ☔]

Nancy and Alice, have great travels, sounds wonderful.

[Pam]

Nancy & Alice- Have fun on your trips!

[Chrissie]

Brrrr, it is cold and dark now in the mornings on our walks.

[Pam]

So, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta starts tomorrow morning! It’s a huge event with ~500 hot air balloons. I live very close to the Balloon Field so I can walk outside and have a great view! It’s a lot of fun seeing balloons all over the sky. Sometimes they wake me up early in the morning going over my house! You hear whoooooosh when they do their burners. I haven’t attended the festival in several years but might go this year with my folks. It’s a different experience being on the field with the crowds as they lift off.

[Chrissie]

Sounds fun, Pam!

[Greg]

Pam wrote: "So, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta starts tomorrow morning! It’s a huge event with ~500 hot air balloons. I live very close to the Balloon Field so I can walk outside and have a great..."

Fun!

[Diane S ☔]

There is a balloon festival in a town not to far from mine, every summer around July 4th. Not as many as five hundred, but a good enough number to make it awe inspiring. Has anyone ever gone up in one?

[Marina]

Not me, Diane. With my fear of heights it would be hell! But it does sound fun - at least I think I would enjoy watching the balloons :)

[Chrissie]

Diane S ☔ wrote: "There is a balloon festival in a town not to far from mine, every summer around July 4th. Not as many as five hundred, but a good enough number to make it awe inspiring. Has anyone ever gone up in ..."

My son and his wife did when they were married. They received the tickets as a present.

[Greg]

Did they enjoy it Chrissie?

[Chrissie]

Sort of. They had trouble landing.

[B the BookAddict]

More and more on US television shows, I hear the word 'drug' as opposed to 'dragged'. 'Drug' just feels and sounds wrong so finally I checked into Google to find which is correct.

For those interested (like me), grammarist.com says: "In all main varieties of English, dragged is the standard past tense and past participle of the verb drag. Drug is a dialectal variant that appears in many areas of the U.S. Though drug is common in these areas and cannot be considered wrong, it might be seen as out of place in more formal writing, where the traditional dragged is always the safer choice."

[Greg]

Chrissie wrote: "Sort of. They had trouble landing."

That happened to one of my coworkers - everyone in the basket fell on his wife when the basket tipped, and she broke her leg. I think accidents must be rare though. She was just very unlucky!

[Chrissie]

Greg wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Sort of. They had trouble landing."

That happened to one of my coworkers - everyone in the basket fell on his wife when the basket tipped, and she broke her leg. I think accidents..."

Ooooh, bad! Hope she has no lasting problems. I would not want to travel in one.

[Ruth]

I haven't been on here in awhile. We've been working short staffed at work and by the time I get home I am wiped out. Anyway, I hope everyone is well.

[Greg]

Ruth wrote: "I haven't been on here in awhile. We've been working short staffed at work and by the time I get home I am wiped out. Anyway, I hope everyone is well."

Good to hear from you Ruth - hope work gets more relaxing soon!

[Diane S ☔]

I only went once, at that festival they offered tethered rides, so the basket only went as high as the rope would allow. Was more than enough for me. Except for horseback riding, I like to keep my feet firmly on the ground. They are a gorgeous sight I the sky though.

Are you recovered from your cold, Greg?

Ruth, hope things settle down and they hire quickly.

[Ruth]

Thanks Greg and Diane. I hope they hire more people soon. The problem is they don't pay enough and they are burning out their staff because people are picking up shifts and doing double shifts. Unfortunately, it is the residents who suffer because they are not getting the care they should be getting.

[Angela M]

I’ve been thinking about Terri lately and hoping she’s doing okay. I’ve wanted to write to her to let her know that, but based on her last comments to the group, I don’t want to intrude. I miss her. Has anyone heard from her ?

[Marina]

Hey Ruth, good to hear from you. Sorry to hear about the stress at work. As you say, doing double shifts is bad for the residents as well as for the people working. I hope there will be changes soon.

Angela, I haven't heard from Terri, though as you say, I feel like I would be intruding if I wrote to her. I guess she'll pop in to say hello if and when she feels like it.

[Greg]

Angela M wrote: "I’ve been thinking about Terri lately and hoping she’s doing okay. I’ve wanted to write to her to let her know that, but based on her last comments to the group, I don’t want to intrude. I miss her..."

Angela, sorry to ask, but what were her last comments to the group? It must have been during one of my absences.

[Greg]

Greg wrote: "Angela M wrote: "I’ve been thinking about Terri lately and hoping she’s doing okay. I’ve wanted to write to her to let her know that, but based on her last comments to the group, I don’t want to in..."

Ah, I think I found it in General Chat back in June 4 - is that the one? Unfortunately though, I think Terri deleted her entire Goodreads account since then. :(

I feel worried for her too, especially now. I wish she were still here - I will miss her very much. Maybe one day she will rejoin Goodreads. Also, I know for me it is so important to take breaks from those things that haunt me; I do hope she finds something to provide those breaks, even if it isn't reading.

Angela, if you have a way to contact her beyond Goodreads (her personal email or something), I don't think she would find it a bother at all based on the June 4 message. And if you choose to write her, please let her know she's in our thoughts, that many of us do consider her a friend, but that we completely understand if she needs space. Just let her know we wish her well!

[Greg]

Diane S ☔ wrote: "
Are you recovered from your cold, Greg? .."

About 90% Diane :) Good enough to be functional anyway, just the lingering cough.

[Angela M]

Greg, I think the June 4th post is the post from Terri I was thinking of. I hadn’t checked so I didn’t realize that she had deleted her GR account. I found an e-mail address for a Terrij which I think might be hers. Given her feelings and concerns for our country and what has been happening with the Supreme Court this week (not going to discuss the politics here) , but I don’t think this would be a good time to contact her . I’ll wait a while and then maybe will send her a mail. I’ll let you know.

[Chrissie]

Greg wrote: "Diane S ☔ wrote: "
Are you recovered from your cold, Greg? .."

About 90% Diane :) Good enough to be functional anyway, just the lingering cough."

Greg, glad to hear you are better.

[Greg]

Angela M wrote: "Greg, I think the June 4th post is the post from Terri I was thinking of. I hadn’t checked so I didn’t realize that she had deleted her GR account. I found an e-mail address for a Terrij which I th..."

Thanks Angela, I just hope she's hanging in there

[Greg]

Chrissie wrote: "Greg wrote: "Diane S ☔ wrote: "
Are you recovered from your cold, Greg? .."

About 90% Diane :) Good enough to be functional anyway, just the lingering cough."

Greg, glad to hear you are better."

Thanks Chrissie!

[B the BookAddict]

I often think of Terri and wonder how she's doing. Glad you might try to contact her, Angela.

Such a shame she has deleted her GR account. She and I used to talk really good books and she was the source of many fantastic book choices for me. I hope life is well with her.

[Diane S ☔]

I think of her too, so hope they are okay. Also Jenny And Rowena, haven't heard from them in ages.

[John of Canada]

B the BookAddict wrote: "More and more on US television shows, I hear the word 'drug' as opposed to 'dragged'. 'Drug' just feels and sounds wrong so finally I checked into Google to find which is correct.

For those intere..."

B the BookAddict wrote: "More and more on US television shows, I hear the word 'drug' as opposed to 'dragged'. 'Drug' just feels and sounds wrong so finally I checked into Google to find which is correct.

For those intere..."

B the BookAddict wrote: "More and more on US television shows, I hear the word 'drug' as opposed to 'dragged'. 'Drug' just feels and sounds wrong so finally I checked into Google to find which is correct.

For those intere..."

B the BookAddict wrote: "More and more on US television shows, I hear the word 'drug' as opposed to 'dragged'. 'Drug' just feels and sounds wrong so finally I checked into Google to find which is correct.

For those intere..."
Thanks for this B.When I was a kid I was watching a baseball game on television.The announcer was a good old southern boy called Dizzy Dean.The runner on first base took off and successfully stole second base.Dizzy commented,"he slud into second base."I never forgot that.

[Pam]

Diane S ☔ wrote: "There is a balloon festival in a town not to far from mine, every summer around July 4th. Not as many as five hundred, but a good enough number to make it awe inspiring. Has anyone ever gone up in ..."

I have never been in one but had a chance several years ago. I chickened out, though! It's rare that people are hurt but I have heard of people getting injured on the landing. There was a horrific accident here one year where the balloon hit a power line and burst into flames. The passengers all died, I think from falling out. It was horrible! It was enough to keep me on the ground.

[LauraT]

I've just come back from Turin where I've seen the restored "Cappella della Sindone" - the chapel where the Shroud is kept - not at the moment since the Altar is yet to be restaured after the fire of 20 years ago!
The chapel is indeed worth a visit, even if, as for me, you are a non believer: it is a perfect geometrical game; breath taking!

[Alice]

Diane S ☔ wrote: "I think of her too, so hope they are okay. Also Jenny And Rowena, haven't heard from them in ages."

I miss Jenny too! Guess what, I met Rowena in person when she showed up at my Workshop at the September LiterASIAN Festival in Vancouver :) I was thrilled to meet her! She and I have been in touch on Twitter.