totally off topic -- just a lot of random stuff Showing 301-350 of 1,139

[Donna, Co-Moderator]

Number 10. I haven't stayed in the Farnsworth House in Gettysburg but the restaurant is very good.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Donna wrote: "Number 10. I haven't stayed in the Farnsworth House in Gettysburg but the restaurant is very good."

I want to stay in the Key West Artist House. Once while we were there for a long weekend, we did the Haunted Key West tour at around midnight and had a blast.

[Donna, Co-Moderator]

Many years ago we did a lamplight tour of Williamsburg, VA. Not totally a "ghost" tour but still very eerie.

As for the B&Bs all look terrific especially the one in Charleston, SC.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

We did one in Savannah, and one in St. Augustine FL. The St. Augustine one was even more fun because I had my two sisters and my brother with me -- and we started with drinks before. :)

[Bill]

Thornewood Castle or 17Hundred90 Inn.. they look very nice

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Alice wrote: "Has anyone else noticed more interest in Halloween starting earlier this year? There seems to be a lot of stuff going on!"

I always have to laugh about how early the hype for holidays starts -- like Christmas stuff starts appearing in stores right after Halloween, followed by Valentine's Day just after New Year's Eve, then Easter as soon as Valentine's Day is over. Every year my sisters and I have a thing where the first one to hear Christmas music posts the date on Facebook.

[Barbara]

Alice wrote: "Has anyone else noticed more interest in Halloween starting earlier this year? There seems to be a lot of stuff going on!"

I noticed that Walmart shelves are chock full of Halloween candy; it's true - like Nancy points out - all holiday stuff seems to start very early.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Loretta wrote: "Alice wrote: "Has anyone else noticed more interest in Halloween starting earlier this year? There seems to be a lot of stuff going on!"

Summer wasn't even over yet in my neck of the woods and the..."

"Can you imagine how stale that candy will be..."

I guess when you're a kid you don't really notice that part of it. :)

[Arlene]

I was in CVS a few weeks ago and was surprised to see candy corns (my weakness) out NOW! I don't understand the need to push all the holidays up. I don't even want to think about Christmas until Thanks Giving is over. Let us enjoy the holiday (in the correct month) and not anticipate the next holiday before the upcoming holiday has happened. (Did that make sense?)

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Arlene wrote: "I was in CVS a few weeks ago and was surprised to see candy corns (my weakness) out NOW! I don't understand the need to push all the holidays up. I don't even want to think about Christmas until Th..."

I say that every year but no one seems to listen. What's absolutely awful for me is that the day after Thanksgiving, they start with the Christmas music at my local grocery store. I mean, come ON!

[David]

Retailers push the holidays up for one reason only - MONEY!!!

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Loretta wrote: "Nancy wrote: "Arlene wrote: "I was in CVS a few weeks ago and was surprised to see candy corns (my weakness) out NOW! I don't understand the need to push all the holidays up. I don't even want to t..."

It makes me wish for canned Country/Western music. And I hate Country Western music. LOL

[Thomas]

My wife used to work in retail. Every Nov 1, they took down Halloween decorations and put up Xmas decorations. She hated it as it was a 5am report time. Everything had to be done by 10am opening. She is only 5 feet tall and it was a strain reaching up to place decorations.

[Arlene]

Thomas that is exactly what I'm talking about. Halloween is just over and they totally skip past Thanks Giving and go straight to Christmas!!

[Thomas]

Liz had an assistant manger who would use the loudspeaker to announce her birthday, as follows: "Today is Liz' 39th birthday. It is now eleven times that she has celebrated her 39th birthday. If you see Liz, wish her a happy birthday." He would do this 3 or 4 times on her birthday.

[Wendy]

Let me think... I began seeing Halloween decorations for sale in August....end of August I began seeing Xmas stuff for sale. Thrift Stores here (CA) have Xmas stuff year round on a separate shelf..
As far as the music... Someone once told me the reason we hear the same Carols over and over is that they are free. Anytime you hear different Carols usually means the retailer has spent extra for those songs. Personally, I detest shopping in November/December because of the piped in music.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Wendy wrote: "Let me think... I began seeing Halloween decorations for sale in August....end of August I began seeing Xmas stuff for sale. Thrift Stores here (CA) have Xmas stuff year round on a separate shelf...."

Then of course, there are the shoppers singing along with Christmas music, some of whom shouldn't.

[David]

When I worked retail, one of the things I loved most about Christmas was knowing that I wouldn't hear a Christmas carols for the next 11 months.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Quillracer wrote: "When I worked retail, one of the things I loved most about Christmas was knowing that I wouldn't hear a Christmas carols for the next 11 months."

If there was a like button, I'd click it.

[David]

The company I worked for seemed to have the absolute crappiest collection of Christmas carols every assembled.
There was one in particular that aggravated me so much, my co-workers used to listen for it, call it to my attention when it played, and tease me about how irritated I got every time I heard it.

[Arlene]

I just shop online year long that way I don't have to deal with the crowds and I don't have to worry about not getting gifts on time.

[Arlene]

Loretta, I totally agree with you. I avoid the crowds and I like to shop locally (mom and pop stores).

[Thomas]

We also do most of our shopping online. I worked with a woman who took a vacation day every year on black Friday and mapped out how many stores she could go to--starting at 4am

[Sandysbookaday (taking a midwinter break)]

Thomas wrote: "We also do most of our shopping online. I worked with a woman who took a vacation day every year on black Friday and mapped out how many stores she could go to--starting at 4am"

She sounds like my sister-in-law Thomas! She would drive an hour to redeem a 40c savings coupon!

[Arlene]

OMG I would not even think about being at a store at 4 a.m. I don't care what type of a deal they have and by the way I was just watching the news and they were announcing that in the town that I live in tonight is going to be the start of the Halloween haunted house. Its not even October yet there are 31 days in October plenty of time to go to a haunted house especially since Halloween is on the 31st

[Wendy]

Nancy wrote: "Quillracer wrote: "When I worked retail, one of the things I loved most about Christmas was knowing that I wouldn't hear a Christmas carols for the next 11 months."

If there was a like button, I'd..."

me too
I dislike Malls anyway. The combination of bright florescent lighting, loud piped in music, echoing noise level, and over heated/air-conditioned freaks me out UGH Too much stimulus. I can understand how some people with Autism feel.
I have a tiny bit of anxiety when it comes to crowds I cannot "control". Meaning if I have an "out" I am okay. But as soon as I cannot move freely... :<

[David]

I feel that way about crowds in general which is why I avoid fairs and carnivals and amusement parks.

[Wendy]

For the most part, I can handle crowds.. I love fairs etc. But as soon as they get in my personal space and I can't "get out", I begin feeling anxious. Part of it is I am baring 5'1" and when everyone is at me...
As far as Black Friday, sometimes those sales are just BS. It is not worth the bad karma around me and the tension. Last year, a friend purchased a large TV for almost 50% off... to find it again after the holidays for even less....

[Arlene]

And now there are better online deals. You can get up later have your coffee while you are shopping and getting great deals.

[David]

Wendy wrote: "For the most part, I can handle crowds.. I love fairs etc. But as soon as they get in my personal space and I can't "get out", I begin feeling anxious. Part of it is I am baring 5'1" and when every..."

My problem is the opposite. I'm 6'4" and have long legs and a long stride so being stuck behind people shuffling along and gawking at everything around them just about kills me. It actually causes pain in my thighs. I don't care that they gawk, but not in the walkway. It takes all my willpower not to grab them by the scruff of the neck, bellow "Get out of my way!" and relocate them laterally.

[Wendy]

Nancy wrote: "Pick your next vacation spot:

http://www.the-line-up.com/most-haunt......"

I truly believe in ghosts. I have seen two. One of my Great Grandma and my late husband. Both were unnerving experiences. I also have had trouble with the bad vibes at Alcatraz. I believe that inviting spirits via those wijii boards is just asking for trouble. So, if they were kindly spirits, I would not mind visiting.

[Barbara]

I think there could be ghosts

[VickiLee]

I definitely don't believe in ghosts until I am alone - in the dark - in the middle of the night - and there are strange noises in the house!

[VickiLee]

Loretta wrote: "Well, I've actually seen a ghost in my house. It was a woman in period clothing (my house was built in 1929) and her hair was in a bun. I was sitting in my dining room, alone and I looked to my l..."

My friend, a drama teacher, had a similar experience. She told me her house was haunted and that, at different times, both she and her husband saw the image of a woman in a long white nightgown. I never felt quite as relaxed in her house after hearing that story.

[Jan C]

Several people said that an apartment building that I used to live in was haunted. Not too sure. Several strange incidents for me, but not sure that I really saw anything. One person saw what floor I was getting off at and he said, "oh, the ghost floor. " He went on to say that someone ran into the elevator one night claiming to have seen a ghost. Not sure if I ever did. Also heard several people talk of strange experiences in the laundry room. But I didn't have any trouble there.

[Wendy]

In my family, my Grandma, Mum, Sister and I all had some sort of esp type experiences. My Grandma often predicted things and had dreams that came true or were happening at the time of dream. i.e. she woke up knowing a relative was in danger. She immediately called to tell her to get out of the house to find out there had been a bad fire.
As a kid, 8-14yo, I also had dreams that eerily came true. (if only I dreamed of correct exam answers!)
I heard the voice of my Great Grandma calling my name for years (10-14yo)..(a rough time in my life). After seeing her ghost, the name calling increased. I freaked out and screamed to her to leave me alone. She stopped. Throughout my life, I often asked for her to come back....
As an adult, I do not experience any of it now. Although, I am very sensitive to bad vibes of people and places.

[Michael]

I lived in a rental house in Arlington Texas back in the 90s. The owner's son and daughter-in-law were murdered in the garage in a drug deal. Not one who put much credence in ghosts, this fact did not bother me. However, many times I woke to the sound of footsteps coming down the hall towards the bedroom. One night my wife woke up screaming something was pulling her by the leg. The most interesting time was when the cat jumped up on my chest and I reached out to pet it and it wasn't there. We did not own a cat.

[Amy]

@Michael

I just got the heebie-jeebies from that story lol

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

i'm sick for two days, look at my mail this morning, and see this conversation. Love it!

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Mary wrote: "Nancy wrote: "i'm sick for two days, look at my mail this morning, and see this conversation. Love it!"

Glad you're feeling better Nancy. :)"

Thanks, Mary. I think I may have picked up something at the food bank where I volunteer -- I didn't realize it until another one of my friends who does the same called to say she has the exact same thing now.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Mary wrote: "My daughter already had the flu 2 weeks ago. Its early this year."

This was all in my head. I mean, it was real, but centered in my head. I think I slept through the entire weekend.

[Thomas]

Concerning ghosts: I am a skeptic, but your stories seem credible. See below stats

Harper's Index:
Percentage of Americans who believe that vaccines are safe and effective --53
Who believe that houses can be haunted by ghosts--54

I believe that 100% of Americans should believe that vaccines are safe and effective.

[Wendy]

I enjoy this off topic spot. I can discuss things that interest me when my co-workers, friends etc. aren't.
I found something curious. Africa is a very big continent with multiple countries who in turn have mutiple cultures.
So why do I hear people from Kenya, and other countries say "I'm from Africa"? If someone asked ME where I was from, I'd say "the US, CA", not North Anerica. My mother would say "I'm from England" not Europe. Anyone?

[David]

I think (but I could be wrong) it's due in part to the partitioning of the continent into countries not based on tribal boundaries, but on whatever land England, France, Belgium, and the other European powers of the time could seize and hold.

As a result of losing that tribal identity, a person from Kenya may not feel the loyalty to that country the way we feel loyal to the US or England or wherever our home is.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Or it could be that more people are familiar with Africa as a whole much more so than they are with the countries that are in it.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Wendy wrote: "I enjoy this off topic spot. I can discuss things that interest me when my co-workers, friends etc. aren't.
I found something curious. Africa is a very big continent with multiple countries who in ..."

I'm happy you're enjoying it, Wendy. I stole the idea from another group I'm in. As long as things stay jovial, that's all I care about.

[David]

Nancy wrote: "Or it could be that more people are familiar with Africa as a whole much more so than they are with the countries that are in it."

Yes, I would imagine very few people in Europe or the Americas could point out the countries in Africa (except for a few of the more well-known ones like Egypt and South Africa) on a map.

[Sharon]

Alice wrote: "Mary wrote: "I would hate the human hauntings but I might like a cat ghost. "

I'm sure one of my cats stayed with me for about five years after he died. I didn't actually see him, but I could sens..."

I am probably one of the least likely of people to be sensitive to ghosts, but I am convinced I have had two dogs that were. I lived in one house for over 20 years and cared for both my grandmother and my father there during their last years. Both passed away in the house. I had two different dogs that would, on occasion, react as if there was a person (or something) standing or walking through the house that they would focus on, sometimes for a short time and other times for 15 or 20 minutes. Their reaction was as if someone they knew was there.

Ghost? I have no clue ...

[Wendy]

Thomas wrote: "Concerning ghosts: I am a skeptic, but your stories seem credible. See below stats

Harper's Index:
Percentage of Americans who believe that vaccines are safe and effective --53
Who believe that h..."

Thomas,
I firmly believe vaccines save lives.. the recent outbreak of measles at Disneyland and beyond proves NOT being vaccinated causes outbreaks. The fact the US no longer has polio and small pox attests to the success.
HOWEVER, I AM concerned: vaccines administered for babies and young children have changed. The vaccine is a more intensive cocktail and from what I heard from parents is given at younger age and closer together than before. Do we really know the long term outcome of these new practices? Also, some of the ingredients are disturbing.

[Wendy]

I have a funny story.
In 1980 my Mom purchased a 4BR 2BA Victorian circa 1906. It was a drafty, out-dated, aged old house. My Mom researched the house's history. No history on it at all. Just an OLD house that reminded my Mom of home in England.
The downstairs bathroom toilet would suddenly make weird sounds. There was no rhyme or reason. WE knew it was the old toilet but not so my best friend...
She was chomping at the bit waiting to find out if the house had ghosts. So me, my siblings and Mom obliged.
One night, while she was having dinner with us the toilet cooperated making those weird sounds. Her eyes widened "WHAATs That ??" I nonchalantly said "That? oh didn't I tell you? There IS a ghost. We are still researching it, so I didn't tell you. My sibs all nodded. She looked at my Mom questioningly. My Mom, who never lies launched into a story about the house and how we really were not sure Who died, or How or if the Death was In the house.
She believed it for a couple of hours until yours truly (who couldn't lie to save her life) blew it.