You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
Off Topic Chat
>
Watcha' Doing - 2020
Carter is so fine! So fine!
I thought it was funny! The classifieds, the personals, the news... There's a lot of little giggles in there. I also think it's cute that you can print up an honorary Sinful Ladies Society membership certificate signed by Ida Belle & Gertie. lol
Janice wrote: "Carter is so fine! So fine!"He is! But now I know I'm getting old because my first thought was that he's a baby. lol
Janice wrote: "That sounds interesting Esther! Is it random, or do you get to pick the text?"I had the choice between 2 options.
Esther wrote: "Russalka, so sorry about Kara. I just had a great experience. A theatre in quebec organized something called "au creux de l'oreille" (more or less "in your ear") I just had a 15 minutes phone cal..."
That sounds interesting !
Kristie wrote: "I'm not sure where to put this, but I thought some of you might be interested. Sinful, Louisiana (from the Miss Fortune series) has its own web page. I know several of us have read or are reading t..."I should give this series a try. It seems like a decent cozy mystery series.
edit: it's free on Kobo! Yay!
Sorry to hear about Kara, Rus.We had a nest of tits in the garden. I've been keeping a close eye on them (you know, being home all the time and all) but still I missed the moment they left the nest! Mom and dad were still flying to and from in the morning, and then a few hours later there was no more sound and the little ones all left the nest. I always thought they would be down on the ground for a few hours/days, but they were not. It was the same last year.
Two days later a new couple started making a nest in the same nest box, so hopefully more babies!
Other than that, our car broke down last Saturday (didn't start when Rob had to go to work, very annoying as he was the one who had to open up). It's kind of working again now but we're going to have a look at a new one on Saturday.
It's long weekend here for me because of Ascension Day. I could use some me-time, and it's going to be warm today, so yay :) Although on the other hand being at home for yet another day is making me restless.
Oh, and we started using HelloFresh. It's international, right? Or at least in Europe? Anyway, it's this service where you select meals and you get all the ingredients delivered at home. The food is delicious, the recipes easy, and we've been eating stuff we've never had before! Great experience so far.
You should get a little camera for the bird box for next year then you can watch what they do a bit mkre. I've been watching some online whicb are fascinating .There are quite a few schemes like hello fresh. I know people who have used them. Sounds good.
We were also thinking about getting a small camera Sarah :)
We have HelloFresh and similar services here in the US too. I tried one several years ago and liked it. It seemed a better idea for a couple or single person than a family due to the types of meals and the cost. At the time, they were quite pricy, but I think they've gotten a lot less expensive now that there are so many competitors.
We have HelloFresh here as well. Friends of mine were using it and I checked it out. It seemed to be more geared to a couple than and individual and seemed quite pricey. That was a year ago so prices may have dropped.
We do it for 3 meals a week for 2 people, which is fine. There are other services here too. I tried another one some time ago but it wasn't all that special. I like HelloFresh much more. It does feel a bit luxurious and is also a bit more pricey than buying stuff in the supermarket. I like the new foods and recipes though (I'm saving all of them) so that will also give me some new ideas for the future. Plus there are things we would not normally make as it involves buying food that you can only get in large quantities, and with HelloFresh everything is for exactly 2 people. And I like to not having to think of what to eat, as it was getting much of the same and I was growing a bit tired of it. We tried out new recipes before of course but mostly on the weekends. HelloFresh feels a bit like giving myself a treat when so many fun things aren't possible ;-) Especially now that I'm the one who has to cook as I'm always the first one home..
You can stop/pause it whenever you like, but I can already see that's going to be difficult. I can see recipes 2 weeks ahead and there are so many I want to try that I don't want to miss out on a week, lol!
I have been doing Hello Fresh also. During non Pandemic, we did it once a month. We have been doing it weekly now. I love it. It is more expensive then if we went to the store. But it is much less expensive then eating out. I have learned a lot of new things to cook. Its recipes are simple.
The thing I have loved the most is it has exposed me to different foods. I learned most of my go to dishes from mom. Hello Fresh has increased my repertoire.
Please don't laugh at me. I never realized until I started using hello fresh that meat balls, meat loaf or burgers could be made with anything but beef. lol
Looks like we have a similar experience Renee :)I made a deal with myself today (a pretty good one, actually): I'm going to clean out my wardrobe, and for every item I discard, I can buy a new one. I'm going to be very critical and hopefully end up with more than just 2 t-shirts.
Hm, the number of things I threw out is a bit disappointing, but I did rediscover some items, so that sort of feels like new too.And I decided that I'll buy some extra new clothes, as a reward for getting this job done.
Peggy wrote: "Hm, the number of things I threw out is a bit disappointing, but I did rediscover some items, so that sort of feels like new too.And I decided that I'll buy some extra new clothes, as a reward fo..."
Well done Peggy. It takes me a few turns before the pile to give away increases. I look at things and think, 'well, I could re-purpose that for when I paint (I seldom paint)' or 'well, that was from the time when I dressed up as a superhero/did a run for charity/wore it for a special occasion' or 'well, I should keep some yellow in my wardrobe' haha I looked at some of my keep pile and I have to laugh. It's stuff I wear once.
Then after I did it the last time, I spoke to a few people about it and then they gave me their give away clothes so now I have more oops!
Anybody got book recommendations for manifesting?! I could use it lol
Lol Grainne, I have exactly the same thoughts! Especially the one about painting, and then also painting in summer and in winter, which obviously requires different outfits ;-)Maybe we should both read or watch some Marie Kondo!
That's a good point about the weather. I didn't think of that haha.Definitely! Let's read Marie Kondo : ) I think I already have a copy.
You two sound exactly like my husband. LOL
Peggy wrote: "Lol Grainne, I have exactly the same thoughts! Especially the one about painting, and then also painting in summer and in winter, which obviously requires different outfits ;-)Maybe we should bot..."
LOL! My default is that "I can use this to work in the garden."
I need to clean out my closet too. Since I retired last year I am not wearing my "teacher" clothes anymore. I just can't seem to do it. Having a hard time letting go of that viewpoint of myself.
Grainne wrote: "It takes me a few turns before the pile to give away increases. I look at things and think, 'well, I could re-purpose that for when I paint (I seldom paint)' or 'well, that was from the time when I dressed up as a superhero/did a run for charity/wore it for a special occasion' or 'well, I should keep some yellow in my wardrobe' haha I looked at some of my keep pile and I have to laugh. It's stuff I wear once."This is exactly how I "clean out" my wardrobe...lol
All this sounds like a monthly challenge read theme!🤣
Jayme, I understand about retiring and letting go of the persona you had as a teacher. I have some really nice skirts and tops in my wardrobe that I will probably never wear again ... yet they are still there!We had to pull out our warm winter woollies last weekend when we had a "cold" snap (15 degrees in the middle of the day - yes, that's a cold snap in May here). I forgot that I had, in an iso-fuelled fever of clothes-sorting, put aside track pants to send to the charity bin, thinking that I'd go and buy new ones before winter. I had to drag them back out!
Rusalka, did you freeze in Canberra last weekend?
This morning I made face masks for my parents, Rob and myself. I had forgotten how therapeutic sewing was. I'm really pleased with how they turned out.Now I'm just making some lunch, a recipe I've not done before so fingers crossed it tastes nice as I made a big batch to last a couple days.
It's really hot here. I think it is supposed to be like this all week. I'm getting a nice tan.
I felt the same way when I made our masks, Sarah. I used to sew a lot years ago, but I hadn’t sewn in a long time.
My sister felt sorry for me and my mom and so she ordered a couple off of Etsy.
Shirley wrote: "Rusalka, did you freeze in Canberra last weekend?"I was thinking of you when I saw it was coldest May day in Brisbane in a century!! Saturday was a bit chilly with a top of 11, and drizzle. Sunday was 13 and really sunny. So typical Canberra weather. Cold and grey one day, the next you bake in the sun even though the official temp is cold.
Did Harrison go back to school this week?
We have Hello Fresh here too, along with many other meal prep/recipe services. I've never used them as they are much more expensive than buying fresh food. I have been for the past few years getting veggie boxes, and the one good thing about the lockdown is a lot of our farmers markets/greengrocers have gotten a kick and moved to home deliveries. I have been struggling to find local options since my last one closed down 9 months ago, and now my Mum and I are testing out all the new options! Sending photos and comparing, she calls me up just to talk veggie boxes and books as we are doing little else.I really love the challenge of being given something I have no idea how to use and finding something to do. And particularly when it's fresh and such lovely quality. When I first started getting them a challenge was a cabbage, or some beetroots. Now I'm just waiting for turnips or kohlrabi or celeriac or something similar to turn up and stump me, and then having to find something to use them in.
That's what i used to love about getting a veg box. I found somee vegetables I nevdr knew existed and had some greaat meals. Unfortunately can't get a veg box delivery to our boat.
I'm all of a sudden getting push notifications on my phone when someone comments on a thread in ylto that I follow. That has never happened before and it's annoying. Anyone else having the same?I can't find how to turn it off. There's no setting for it in the app, and in the app you're redirected to the desktop site, but can't find it there either.
Wow. I just found out that Airbnb had been acting in violation of Dutch law with its asking for a service fee if you rent accomodation (because they also ask a service fee from renters, and you can't do both). You should be able to get all service fees back from the past 3 years. It's not easy and of course airbnb isn't just going to say 'yeah, no worries, we'll pay you back'. You can join a collective no cure no pay thing where an organisation represents many renters and make a big claim and hope you get the money back at some point.Just for the Canada trip we were supposed to go on this year we paid €225 on service fees. I use Airbnb regularly. It could easily be over €500 for the past 3 years.
I should really be working instead of focusing on this.
Rusalka wrote: "Shirley wrote: "Rusalka, did you freeze in Canberra last weekend?"I was thinking of you when I saw it was coldest May day in Brisbane in a century!! Saturday was a bit chilly with a top of 11, an..."Yes he did ... quite happily. We miss him now!
@Peggy, I also started getting notifications from GR yesterday, no idea why. Like you I couldn't find how to block them in the app, so I just did it from my phone. Not sure if you have Android in your phone, but if that is the case go to settings / notifications / then find the GR app and select to block the notifications (or any other less drastic option). If you have an iPhone there's probably a similar way of doing it.
Thanks Sandra! I didn't even think of the general settings. I blocked them, hope it works :) I do hope I still see the notifications when I'm in the app though.
It worded for me (I didn't get any more notifications) and the rest is working as usual. I get the notifications in the app, in the bell symbol without problem. Hope it works for you too. :)
Peggy wrote: "I'm all of a sudden getting push notifications on my phone when someone comments on a thread in ylto that I follow. That has never happened before and it's annoying. Anyone else having the same?I..."
Do you mean emails? That has always happened to me Peggy. I removed my email address to block them but them I had to unblock them as that prevented me from getting some nessessary function. Now I send them to my unwanted mailbox.
Sandra wrote: "It worded for me (I didn't get any more notifications) and the rest is working as usual. I get the notifications in the app, in the bell symbol without problem. Hope it works for you too. :)"It works like that for me now too. Thanks again!
Margo wrote: "Peggy wrote: "I'm all of a sudden getting push notifications on my phone when someone comments on a thread in ylto that I follow. That has never happened before and it's annoying. Anyone else havin..."No, not emails. On my home screen a small icon appears when someone posts in a thread I'm following.
Can't you change the email settings on the website? If you click edit underneath the page numbers of a thread, you can select what kind of notifications you want and one of them says 'no emails - only notifications'. That should limit it to just the red number next to the bell.
Or otherwise somewhere in your general GR settings? It gives many options too on what you want to receive emails for.
I haven't been getting any icon notifications on my phone yet. I wouldn't be surprised if it comes with the next update though. I'll be sure to check in my general setting to turn them off too. I find those so annoying. Peggy, I hope you get some money back from Airbnb!
Sarah wrote: "That's what i used to love about getting a veg box. I found some vegetables I never knew existed and had some great meals. Unfortunately can't get a veg box delivery to our boat."Here there are pick up stations for our "veg basket", as we call them. The farmer set "shop" somewhere once a week during summer and subscribers come and pick up their vegs. As you, I like that it is breaking my habits of always using the same ingredients, I have 4 summers under my belt ans I already noticed that my "usual" hhas changed a bit.
I have to be honest. The little I know about the Hello fresh and the like tells me I will forever stay away from them. Too much waste, all that packaging. I am one who puts her garbage bin on the curb every 2-3 months. Event my recycling has gone down a lot as Quebec makes it easier and easier to use our own containers while shopping. The choice between throwing a bit of food in my compost if I miscalculated and the certainty of sending packaging to the landfill is a no brainer for me.
I got notifications today too. Update apparently.
Esther wrote: "To much waste, all that packaging."Also agree. It's pretty horrible.
Shirley wrote: "Yes he did ... quite happily. We miss him now!"Nawww I thought you would, once you got used to it!
I'm also getting iPhone notifications. I had 2 this morning. I think I'll just leave it as is since it's not intrusive. I don't use notifications on threads unless it's a thread I have a need to watch. I go to the "unread" link to get new messages on threads.
I was getting many notifications too but I reset it so I only get notifications for some chats now. @Peggy I am glad to hear that you can get a refund. Definitely chase that up. I am surprised to hear that they were doing that.
Definitely!! Let’s do a Marie Kondo group read!! I could definitely use a little help in that area haha
Weather is weird here too. It is colder than what I remember previously for May.
Some schools are starting back this week so hopefully it will go well. The class I am teaching is back in the classroom. We did a cooking lesson today and the made a caterpillar. Lots of handwashing, sanitizing and we all wear masks plus social distancing and disinfecting the rooms.
I am intrigued by the new procedures for book returns at our local library. When returned, books go into quarantine for 24 hours before they can be reborrowed. Even our local Primary School is doing it.
I was wondering if that was what was going to happen Shirley? Ours has only started opening the remote book return bins, but no word of when the library will actually open 😞 Can you tell that I miss it?
Yes I really missed ours because I don't particularly like ebooks or audio. At our Library we are not allowed to browse or sit and read. It's strictly drop off and pick up the reserved books from the online catalogue.
Shirley wrote: "Yes I really missed ours because I don't particularly like ebooks or audio. At our Library we are not allowed to browse or sit and read. It's strictly drop off and pick up the reserved books from t..."I have not seen an opening date for our library yet. I miss it.
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
You'll love this one...!! A book club & more
Books mentioned in this topic
The Lost Man (other topics)The Glass Woman (other topics)
The Survivors (other topics)
The Survivors (other topics)
The Glass Woman (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Roberto Bolaño (other topics)Dervla McTiernan (other topics)
Kevin Hearne (other topics)
Rachel Caine (other topics)
Tan France (other topics)
More...
LOL! The Classifieds are pretty funny.