The Vent and Rant Thread

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Oh, no the Junior's fire! I remember someone calling me, from the scene, from a local payphone (no cellphones or smartphones in '81, bygod!) and he was nearly hysterical. I think he'd have been less upset about people than cheesecake, TBH.

I don't doubt it! For one thing, very few people are as satisfying as a Junior's cheesecake! And it was already known that everyone got out safely. No, the panic was the fear that there might never be the perfect cheesecake again.

The good news was that they were able to lease space from a nearby candy factory and produce Junior's cheesecake there (and I can attest that they were just as good - after all, I had to buy <several> in solidarity with Junior's, of course) and sold them out of a tent they set up nearby. And yes, I was there for the grand re-opening. What a celebration!

I do 1-2 very quick-n-easy, sort of Americanized Asian meals--Kung Pao Chicken, easy-peasy and a modified version of that that makes it Sesame chicken, more or less. Mooches those from Epicurious, if memory serves and even though they are faux-Asian, they are both excellent.

That's about it. I really don't have the patience for the endless dicing of the veggies, I JUST DON'T. Drives me nuts. Once made spring rollss and thought I would die. I mean, jeeeze. Even with a good mandolin(e) (e for US readers, without the e for UK) or a good food processor, it's still a bloody hassle.

Hitch

I find it quite relaxing, actually. And a great way to leverage the relationships I've built with local farmers, as well as the fruits of my own garden, while seriously reducing the amount of meat we eat. Plus my little recipe mailing list has gotten quite a little following.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Rumpelteazer

Re pizza:
I've eaten pizza in Sicily when I did a teaching placement there. Best pizzas ever! However, I think the whole outrage of some about pineapple on pizza is invalidated by the fact that they sell pizzas with french fries on them. And, like Hitch, they don't see a frozen pizza as complete; they always add fresh ingredients to it and scoff people who don't do that.

I spent a couple weeks in Sicily, and I honestly can't remember if I had pizza there or not. I remember the panini carts, though. Most of my meals were on the Navy base, so I probably missed out on some stuff.
And, for the record, I really like Hawaiian pizza (pineapple and ham toppings). I'm the only one in my family who does, though, so I only get it occasionally. Not that I'd want it every time , but I do like it.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by CRussel

T&T Supermarkets has been an absolute godsend for those of us living in a remote (Canadian) location. My latest is Beef Noodles with XO Sauce -- a quintessentially Hong Kong dish.

T&T, a division of Loblaw's. Seriously, T&T/Osaka (don't know why their stores in Park Royal and Yaohan Centre have a different name) is a pretty decent place for Asian foods. I would prefer to visit the shops in Vancouver's Chinatown but it's not an area I'm fond of visiting anymore. The difference between many of the panhandler's tactics and demanding money with menaces is barely visible to the naked eye.

There's also several H-Marts locally when I am looking for Korean specialties.

I do find the preparation of food to be very relaxing. Takes so little mental effort to slice and dice with a decent knife. I do have a food processor but seldom use it. I just dislike the effort required to clean it properly (setup 5 minutes, process 2 minutes, clean for 20 minutes) and my sous-chefs have abandoned me for their own homes.

[CRussel]

None of the T&T's are local to me -- all are at least a Ferry ride away. But for anything non-perishable, they happily ship here. It's been a major boost for me. I've picked stuff up from the Osaka in Park Royal, once, at the beginning of the pandemic when I had to go into town for an MRI. Didn't actually go in, however. I'm hoping to correct that tomorrow, if my other stops go quickly enough. As for the different name? I'm guessing that T&T bought out the existing Osaka in Park Royal and kept the name.

[Rumpelteazer]

I might not be liked anymore by some neighbours, but it was really satisfying.

My parents have always been at the forefront of trying to keep/make our neighbourhood a liveable place for those who live here. There was a time when neighbours would report any problems to my parents and my parents would forward them to the council every week.

The last time my parents were up in arms about something was when the Aboriginal Art Museum wanted a permit as an event location, being allowed to serve alcohol and use their garden as party space. Since most people living on the block sleep at the back of their house (too noisy at the front), nobody was happy with this. The AAMU did get a permit, but it was very limited and as a result the inside of house blocks in the city center were designated as quiet spots for residents.

Since then some neighbours living in the row of apartments behind us come to us for any complaints they have and want us to solve them. This ranges from noise complaints (some unreasonable), to trash being dumped, people parking illegally. When they come we tell them to report to the council themselves, and they go all huffy. This has been going on for over 20 years!

Yesterday one of the biggest complainers came about the new headquarter of a company in the old AAMU building. I was surprised that they hadn't come by about the light issues. But apparently the company wants to organize cooking classes at the headquarter (they have shops that sell a lot of cooking stuff). They want to stop that because they think it's basically the same as a cafe in their opinion. They also want to object to the basement being converted to meeting rooms. The basement is at the front and won't cause any problems for them, if at all.

They wanted my father to take up the problem, again. My father wasn't in the store and I refused and told them that we were moving soon so we have better things on our minds than fight something that will probably never be a problem. And again they got all huffy and stomped off. My parents were happy I did this. And when the neighbour came back in the afternoon to try and convince my father and complain about me my father blew them off.

I've been annoyed with their attitude for years and my father being too friendly to properly blow them off. So it was very satisfying to do it myself.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Rumpelteazer

I might not be liked anymore by some neighbours, but it was really satisfying.

My parents have always been at the forefront of trying to keep/make our neighbourhood a liveable place for those who live here. There was a time when neighbours would report any problems to my parents and my parents would forward them to the council every week.

The last time my parents were up in arms about something was when the Aboriginal Art Museum wanted a permit as an event location, being allowed to serve alcohol and use their garden as party space. Since most people living on the block sleep at the back of their house (too noisy at the front), nobody was happy with this. The AAMU did get a permit, but it was very limited and as a result the inside of house blocks in the city center were designated as quiet spots for residents.

Since then some neighbours living in the row of apartments behind us come to us for any complaints they have and want us to solve them. This ranges from noise complaints (some unreasonable), to trash being dumped, people parking illegally. When they come we tell them to report to the council themselves, and they go all huffy. This has been going on for over 20 years!

Yesterday one of the biggest complainers came about the new headquarter of a company in the old AAMU building. I was surprised that they hadn't come by about the light issues. But apparently the company wants to organize cooking classes at the headquarter (they have shops that sell a lot of cooking stuff). They want to stop that because they think it's basically the same as a cafe in their opinion. They also want to object to the basement being converted to meeting rooms. The basement is at the front and won't cause any problems for them, if at all.

They wanted my father to take up the problem, again. My father wasn't in the store and I refused and told them that we were moving soon so we have better things on our minds than fight something that will probably never be a problem. And again they got all huffy and stomped off. My parents were happy I did this. And when the neighbour came back in the afternoon to try and convince my father and complain about me my father blew them off.

I've been annoyed with their attitude for years and my father being too friendly to properly blow them off. So it was very satisfying to do it myself.

Go get 'em, Rumple! Kick neighbor ass and take names!

Hitch

[Rumpelteazer]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Go get 'em, Rumple! Kick neighbor ass and take names!

Hitch

Haha, thanks. It's just frustration that's been building for 25 years.

They've been mostly complaining about things they can notify the council to themselves (via the website/app), like trash being dumped, a clogged drain or broken street lighting.

Up until seven or eight years ago there were students living above two neighbouring restaurants that threw loud parties lasting until the early morning regularly. We called the police about it. But they waited until the next day and come complain to us about it.

Since the students moved out the noise complaints have stopped. At least the valid ones. Occasionally a neighbour has a loud-ish party or barbecue (nothing compared to the students), but it always stop at a reasonable time.

That doesn't mean the complainer (two or three) haven't stopped. Especially during Covid they got worse. Complaining to us about neighbours sitting outside talking on nice evenings.

They came again yesterday, trying to get me to take over from my parents. I shut that down quickly. Also, they don't know the plans for the cooking classes; they won't have a conversation with the company until next week. The smart thing to do is wait for that talk, see what the plans are and discuss your fears with them. See what the company's reaction is and if you're still afraid it will cause a nuisance then you can take action. Going to the talk all huffy and puffy won't do them any good, I think. But that's their problem now.

[mlewis78]

Originally Posted by Darqref

The news media here in Washington keep saying that there is a change required in national law before the already approved Washington law can take effect. I haven't paid close enough attention to remember what it is, just that it's difficult to get anything done in D.C.

The Senate passed having a permanent DST, but the House hasn't taken it up and it appears that they won't.

I had some trouble setting my bathroom clock. It has a blue partial cover on it. I lost the instructions (bought it 4 months ago, put battery in and set it) and looked at the non-instructions on the Amazon page. It said to unscrew the clock and I was trying to unscrew the cover and hurt my hands (temporarily). Tried again the next night and inquired about it on the Amazon page. 5 people responded. I still had trouble. The seller had no support page, so I contacted Amazon CS and asked for printed directions, maybe a PDF. They didn't have it and offered to refund the cost, which I accepted. Then I figured it out and got the cover off and set the clock ahead.

[DiapDealer]

Baseball announcers who call the count as "nothing and one".

[CRussel]

Unthinkable!

[DNSB]

What could they be thinking? Love and one!

[cromag]

Originally Posted by DNSB

What could they be thinking? Love and one!

Well, that sounds like a recipe for disaster!

[BetterRed]

Duck and run, anyone?

[Rumpelteazer]

Oops wrong thread.

After two days of warm and fairly sunny weather I realise I really need spring to arrive properly. Current prediction for the coming week is good temperatures but a lot of rain.

[mlewis78]

My brother Stan died last Friday morning. He'd had recurring bladder cancer. The chemo ruined so much of him and he got Covid for the first time over New Year weekend 2023. Now I am the sole living person from our immediate family. He has three grown kids and four grandchildren. Lived in Georgia, so I hadn't seen him since 2018. I had three older brothers (he was 2nd oldest).

Our sib relationship wasn't so good starting a few years after he married the 2nd wife. She was getting him to try to get money from our poor mom and change her will (she didn't). He changed a lot then. Our youngest brother died in 2016 (in New Jersey), Stan came up and we started to become closer. He split with the wife in 2018 and seemed so much nicer from then on. Saw him three times that year when he came up to New Jersey to see high school friends (I went down there from the city).

Hope it was OK for me to post this here.