Random Thoughts

[Ceir]

It's a weird feeling when random little stuff you never really think about just...disappears from retail.

I realized I needed to replenish on shave soap and aftershave, which I buy extremely rarely - like every couple years for soap, and even longer for aftershave. And the brands I have used and liked for years are just gone from brick and mortar retail. Wasn't anything rare or fancy, just Van Der Hagen and Pinaud Clubman. But over the last weeks and months I have checked at *breath* Kroger, Safeway, Target, Walmart, Walgreens, and CVS. And found jack and squat. I know I can get it online, but really - things like shaving soap and aftershave aren't the stuff you expect to vanish.

[AnaKhouri]

I have a job again! I don't know if I will have any stories for this place though. I am a Youth Services Associate (I help kids find books). It's a low-stakes job & I figure if people are not spending money someplace they'll feel less entitled than if they were. And kids are generally nicer than adults 😄

[Kristev]

I warn you, those qualify as famous last words . . .

[Pixelated]

I envy you that job, AnaKhouri. I would love to have a job involving books!

My shift yesterday: WTF, is there some kind of catastrophe coming up that I don't know about?? The lineup went back to the freezer section, turned the corner and kept going ... and a lot of them were massive orders ($250-$300 and up).

You should've seen me sprint for the doors when 3 p.m. came around. I went to the nearest restaurant and sat on the patio (indoor dining just around the corner) and shivered while I ate my supper and had TWO drinks with it.

[Kit-Ginevra]

Most kindergarteners are taught to count to 6,identify 6 items in one place and work out 'This space has room for 6 objects.There are 6 objects in it,so the number of new objects that can fit is 0.'
I thought this was a skill for life, but evidently it disappears somewhere in later life, to be replaced with identifying 6 items and thinking 'This space has room for 6 objects.There are 6 objects in it,so the number of new objects that can fit is 2 or 3,because maybe some of the 6 become invisible or disappear or don't count any more'.....

[Dreamstalker]

Are five floor lamps really neccesary in one living room? How many do we actually use anyway? (hint: way less than five)

[AnaKhouri]

Supervisor: Sometimes we get people who are just angry or rude, so if you ever have a patron like that just send them to me.

Me: I worked retail for almost twenty years. They cannot touch me. 😄

[Ceir]

I talk to myself a lot, when I'm driving. It's my rant time. The 'conversations' aren't worth recording, it's just me half-coherently rambling and swearing a lot. But I do occasionally come up with some very creative titles.

Although the general gist is always pretty similar, I get a lot of mileage and variation out of the classics Why Did It Do That, Why Is It Like That, Why Is It Bad? and Why Is It Slow, Why Must It Be Slow, Why Must Everyone And Everything Be Slow And In My Way?.

Then there was last weekend's epic, Lament Of A Man Who Wants To Just Go Places And Pay Cash For Physical Copies Of Things, So He Has It Right Away And Does Not Have To Rely On Delivery Or The Internet. That was a good one.

[Pixelated]

I would totally read that last one, LOL.

So I have cleared a large expanse of my balcony and I was hoping that would convince the pigeons to go elsewhere, since there are no longer any nooks and crannies for them to nest in.

Wrong.

Now I have half a dozen perching on the balcony overnight.

So tonight I tried something I'd read about on the internet: smeared Vaseline over about 1/3 of the railing, where a few of them stand to keep an eye out for predators. I'm told that they don't like goopy feet, AND it makes it difficult if not impossible for them to stay put. If I see it working, I will put Vaseline over the entire railing. (It's amazing what desperation will do; nothing else would have gotten me that close to the railing. )

I've also got some sparkly tape on order, and an idea on how to set it up. If that works, I'll be calling in the professionals to clear the guano away and add any more "deterrents" they can come up with.

[csquared]

smeared Vaseline over about 1/3 of the railing

I was told to smear Vick's on things to keep dogs from chewing them. I wonder if the smell would add benefit,

On the other hand, your neighbors might complain.

[Pixelated]

I was told to smear Vick's on things to keep dogs from chewing them. I wonder if the smell would add benefit,

On the other hand, your neighbors might complain.

Not nearly as much as they'll complain about the smell of pigeon guano if I can't get rid of these things.

I wouldn't want to smear it on the railing, since a quick Google check advises parrot owners not to use it 'near' a parrot as it will coat the feathers. However, the same article points out that ingesting ANY petroleum product is bad for ANY bird ... and I've just put Vaseline on the railing ... oops.

I'll try some Vicks on something that the birds shouldn't actually come into contact with. They are reportedly not fond of strong smells so it might add some additional incentive to them to bugger off until my "glitter tape" arrives.

[AnaKhouri]

Wow, Husband & Tween are on Episode 2 of Loki and Husband already figured out they're setting up (name redacted). It must be horrible to be that smart so you can never be surprised 😬

[El Pollo Guerrera]

Are five floor lamps really neccesary in one living room? How many do we actually use anyway? (hint: way less than five)

Are you sure there's FIVE?

[Jay 2K Winger]

I talk to myself a lot, when I'm driving. It's my rant time.

I do this too. Sometimes I'm plotting out dialogue or something for a piece I may be writing, or just thinking out an idea of some kind.

There was one time, though, a few years ago, when I was driving up to Philly for a wrestling show, and I got frustrated with traffic. I randomly started channeling 'Macho Man' Randy Savage and started cutting a promo with a traffic theme. Something like "You're drivin' through life in the slow lane, while I'm heading up the express lane all the way to the top of the mountain!"

It was some hour or so later that I suddenly realized that talking like Randy Savage about driving fast in cars was probably in poor taste...

[Food Lady]

My mom has the big TV on and is watching her handheld at the same time. Is it all old people or just the ones in my family?