The Vent and Rant Thread

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

And locally as well?

We had three grenades go off last week, two of them a few blocks from my house, but no real concerted efforts.

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

You just got that? I have been following Thailand since you moved there and the papers are pretty clear that there is a lot going on there. I figured you were ok since you keep posting and don't comment on it.

I'm not an alarmist. While bullets and bombs are not my favorite companions, I don't get in a frenzy when they go off. I just keep my head down and my eyes open. I don't take it personally. I know a bit about staying alive in combat zones, having lived in them before, so for me, it's just 'life goes on.' Many ex-pats are packing up and moving back to their home countries. I choose to stay.

The south has been a Muslim stronghold ever since the re-alignment of the southern border resulted in taking land away from Malaysia. In the past several years the activists have been much more aggressive, with random bombings occurring every week or so attacking local schools and hospitals. Still not anything like what has been happening in the past few months, with frequent attacks on military and police installations too. The south has turned into a religious war zone. Now, adding to the Holy War aspect, the political schism that is affecting the more northern provinces has added fuel to the fire too. Unfortunately, this is something that will begin to affect us more and more in the north as time goes by.

Stitchawl

[CRussel]

Please do take care up there, Stitchawl. Things can get ugly quickly and it wouldn't be the same around here without your morning lyrics.

[kindlekitten]

The kitties got a mouse and have spent about the last two hours terrorizing it. I tried to rescue it a few times but it was too fast when it was still relatively whole. They've either finally killed it and who knows where it is, our it's crawled off to die. More likely the former as Strider keeps jumping up on me, stomping on me with his back paws (think silver back chest thumping), flicking his tail about and dashing off. It seems I've become some part of a feline victory dance. It's happened about four times in the last thirty minutes. I think Arwen is back in the laundry room hunting again.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

The kitties got a mouse and have spent about the last two hours terrorizing it. I tried to rescue it a few times but it was too fast when it was still relatively whole. They've either finally killed it and who knows where it is, our it's crawled off to die. More likely the former as Strider keeps jumping up on me, stomping on me with his back paws (think silver back chest thumping), flicking his tail about and dashing off. It seems I've become some part of a feline victory dance. It's happened about four times in the last thirty minutes. I think Arwen is back in the laundry room hunting again.

The cats are doing their job and want to make sure you know and appreciate it! Just be glad they don't feel the need to bring the dead evidence up onto your bed to make sure you notice. A victory dance one can appreciate, but waking up to a dead mouse being deposited on the bed? I'll pass.

[red_phoenix]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

The kitties got a mouse and have spent about the last two hours terrorizing it. I tried to rescue it a few times but it was too fast when it was still relatively whole. They've either finally killed it and who knows where it is, our it's crawled off to die. More likely the former as Strider keeps jumping up on me, stomping on me with his back paws (think silver back chest thumping), flicking his tail about and dashing off. It seems I've become some part of a feline victory dance. It's happened about four times in the last thirty minutes. I think Arwen is back in the laundry room hunting again.

Originally Posted by CRussel

The cats are doing their job and want to make sure you know and appreciate it! Just be glad they don't feel the need to bring the dead evidence up onto your bed to make sure you notice. A victory dance one can appreciate, but waking up to a dead mouse being deposited on the bed? I'll pass.

Or going to the bathroom in the middle of the night only to step on mouse guts with bare feet.

[ProfCrash]

Caya brought me her prize to show me twice. She was stunned by my very stereotypical girlie reaction (dog carrying dead squirrel in mouth not good) and not happy when my father and husband went out to retrieve said dead animal. I believe she still finds things to kill but she takes them under the deck to eat only because she disappears and takes about 25-30 minutes to come when called sometimes. The only place for her to go is under the deck and we have caught her there a few times.

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by CRussel

The cats are doing their job and want to make sure you know and appreciate it! Just be glad they don't feel the need to bring the dead evidence up onto your bed to make sure you notice. A victory dance one can appreciate, but waking up to a dead mouse being deposited on the bed? I'll pass.

The second time I was stationed in Germany the feral cat I adopted was always trying to feed me in bed. She also had a litter of kittens in my bed. She traveled back to the states with me and made it to almost twenty

[covingtoncat73]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

We had three grenades go off last week, two of them a few blocks from my house, but no real concerted efforts.



I'm not an alarmist. While bullets and bombs are not my favorite companions, I don't get in a frenzy when they go off. I just keep my head down and my eyes open. I don't take it personally. I know a bit about staying alive in combat zones, having lived in them before, so for me, it's just 'life goes on.' Many ex-pats are packing up and moving back to their home countries. I choose to stay.

The south has been a Muslim stronghold ever since the re-alignment of the southern border resulted in taking land away from Malaysia. In the past several years the activists have been much more aggressive, with random bombings occurring every week or so attacking local schools and hospitals. Still not anything like what has been happening in the past few months, with frequent attacks on military and police installations too. The south has turned into a religious war zone. Now, adding to the Holy War aspect, the political schism that is affecting the more northern provinces has added fuel to the fire too. Unfortunately, this is something that will begin to affect us more and more in the north as time goes by.

Stitchawl

Stay safe, Stitch!

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

The kitties got a mouse and have spent about the last two hours terrorizing it. I tried to rescue it a few times but it was too fast when it was still relatively whole. They've either finally killed it and who knows where it is, our it's crawled off to die. More likely the former as Strider keeps jumping up on me, stomping on me with his back paws (think silver back chest thumping), flicking his tail about and dashing off. It seems I've become some part of a feline victory dance. It's happened about four times in the last thirty minutes. I think Arwen is back in the laundry room hunting again.

Ha! Kitties. My fat, little Cinder couldn't catch anything if she tried, I think. Ming, the Siamese, is the terror of any lizard who crosses her path but I think that is the limit of her skill.

Ugh! Heath insurance headaches! I got a healthcare.gov plan when I was working part-time and didn't qualify for insurance through work. I now have a group plan with the same company (blue cross) through work and it has been a hassle cancelling the old plan. I also haven't gotten cards for the new plan and it was supposed to take effect April 1.

So, I called the number for the BC group insurance dept. which I had to search for since I have as of yet no cards for that policy. They had no excuses for themselves but said they would get cards out to me and gave me my policy number.

I had to call healthcare.gov to see about the cancellation. They told me the coverage was cancelled but would be in effect until April 30. I called them back in March! I'm not paying two premiums because the policy through work is being deducted from my paycheck.

I called the individual BC number (1 digit off from the group number) to see why I was still getting invoices. They told me the cancellation was in progress or something. I didn't really understand.

It is all extremely frustrating and makes me very nervous. I don't think I am an unintelligent person but work benefits, especially health, and other bureaucratic things scare me because, try as I might, I can't understand how they work at all. This leads to frustration and rage. I'm glad I haven't needed to go to a doctor.

[Stitchawl]

I live in a tourist town. It's an old city with very narrow streets and sidewalks everywhere. It's filled with foreign visitors all year long, each month changing nationalities as the 'home holidays' change with the seasons. This means there are always groups of visitors walking around the Old City, visiting the different temples, markets, and other places of interest... and stopping in the middle of the sidewalks to spread out their maps and try to figure out where they are. But with very narrow sidewalks, they are constantly blocking the pedestrian flow! I was always taught that when I want to stop in a pedestrian area to move to the side so as NOT to block the flow. Isn't this taught in other countries? It's getting to the point where many who live here are getting 'sidewalk rage,' the pedestrian equiv of road rage. Today I had to step out into the street four different times to get around groups of Chinese tourists.

I'm more than happy to help lost souls find their way... In fact, I even carry a few free tourist maps to give away when I see people standing off to the side trying to use the tiny maps in guidebooks... The key words being 'standing off to the side.' (Actually, I actively LOOK for lost Swedish girls to help... ) But the majority don't stand out of the way. The other day one group was stopped right at the bottom of an escalator blocking the exit. You can't imagine the mess that created. Yet they stood there for a good 4-5 minutes looking at their maps, ignoring the people bumping into them trying to clear the escalator! Don't other countries teach manners? Or is it just that the cultures are so different that in their home countries they don't think about others?


Stitchawl

[kindlekitten]

I've gotten to the point where I gently but firmly place my hand on a shoulder or mid back and move them all the while smiling, saying excuse me and thank you

[CRussel]

Apparently they don't, Stitchy. I live in a tourist location as well, and where I notice it is in the IGA. They can't send one person to buy what they need. No, they have to all come, and all stand in the middle of the aisle while they discuss whether they need X or if they're out of Y. And meanwhile, they have scouts out all over the store, yelling back and forth while they're blocking the aisles -- "Hey Maud, did we need any X?" And then, just as one gets tired of being patient and starts to push past them, they suddenly start up, moving slowly, and diagonally across the aisle.

We need the tourists, they make it possible for us to have the things we have here. They arrive starting two weeks ago, and they last until September. And believe me, we're really glad to see them go by then, even though it's the first sign of fall, and a sure sign the rains are coming, one is so glad to get our town back to just us!

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

I live in a tourist town. It's an old city with very narrow streets and sidewalks everywhere. It's filled with foreign visitors all year long, each month changing nationalities as the 'home holidays' change with the seasons. This means there are always groups of visitors walking around the Old City, visiting the different temples, markets, and other places of interest... and stopping in the middle of the sidewalks to spread out their maps and try to figure out where they are. But with very narrow sidewalks, they are constantly blocking the pedestrian flow! I was always taught that when I want to stop in a pedestrian area to move to the side so as NOT to block the flow. Isn't this taught in other countries? It's getting to the point where many who live here are getting 'sidewalk rage,' the pedestrian equiv of road rage. Today I had to step out into the street four different times to get around groups of Chinese tourists....

I've found that in situations like those that an uncontrollable fit of coughing works wonders.

[HomeInMyShoes]

I loved Tokyo for how everything flowed, including pedestrian traffic despite huge numbers of people. Here in Canada, three people on a sidewalk create pedestrian jams. We suck so bad at walking here.

[ProfCrash]

The Washington Post runs a column that reminds people to be nice to tourist.

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

I loved Tokyo for how everything flowed, including pedestrian traffic despite huge numbers of people. Here in Canada, three people on a sidewalk create pedestrian jams. We suck so bad at walking here.

And here I was thinking how seldom this happened in Canada. Obviously we live in different locales.

In the area I live in we have wide sidewalks almost everywhere and while there is the odd cluster of tourists it seems they are usually accompanied by a tour guide who seems to think it is okay to bunch them all up on the sidewalk and block traffic.

Of course holiday shopping is another matter.

Helen