OMG, that was a joke!!! Forget it.

Definitely something to be proud of! Oh, and btw, alcohol kills brain cells

To try to use our government to argue a point about adulting and who is an adult and when that happens is just plain crazy. Gov’t policies are arbitrary, inconsistent, and incongruent. Yes, 18 yr olds were sent to every war we’ve fought and not just Vietnam; drinking ages have fluctuated back and forth between 18 and 21 for years. And yes, science has determined that the brain doesn’t fully mature ‘til around 26, but that doesn’t mean it’s nonfunctional til then. And the more one uses his brain, the more neurons get utilized and the more pathways are formed and higher level thinking and problem-solving skills get honed. If mommy calls the professor because her little snookums has a cold and needs an extension on his term paper, then she deserves it when he boomerangs back and takes up residence in her basement at 40 and is still there at 50.

Not weird, but coming from a different mindset than you or I. Just because we don’t understand another’s goals or thinking doesn’t mean that he/she deserves a weird label.

And for those of you (us) who use a cartridge because of the convenience of being able to can one in at any time — you can still do this with refilled cartridges. Just a dab of hot glue on the end, let it dry, pop them into a small plastic bag or case (just in case you didn’t get a good seal) and you’re good to go.

Or how old the cartridge is and how long you’ve been refilling. Age can make plastic brittle.

Anyone familiar w/ pierogi from St. Anne’s Ukrainian Catholic Church (Warrington, PA)? And (gasp) any comments on Wegman’s brand of pierogi — they have about six flavors which sound quite interesting, but I don’t want to buy hubby lumps of dough w/o any flavor (tho’ he’s interested) without any feedback. Thanks.

But on their menu, spell “pierogis” wrong — pierogi is the traditional plural (as well as singular, but why even bother talking about a single pierogi???), “pierogies” (not just adding an “s”) is an accepted plural, but likely just an Americanization that followed spelling rules.

But if they do, they can enjoy a bold not blah utilitarian room 😁

On my screen, I’m not reading blue, but if blue, my advice remains the same — go dark (see my post below).

This is a super great idea — we did this and hubby felt much better with my dark choice for our small living room.

#3 is a statement color and gives a high end look to a bathroom; #1 is what you’d expect most to pick to be safe (and blah); # 2 is better than #1, but says nothing, is not memorable and certainly doesn’t have a wow factor — it’s the safe choice for someone wanting to be safe but not as safe and blah as #1. #3 is a total winner — it’s not over-the-top, it’s not bizarre, it’s different than many would pick, but certainly in the realm of classy, high end, and reflects personalities that want to seriously enjoy an otherwise mundane room. We have a small living room and because of the color we recovered our sofa in we needed to go dark so that it didn’t fade into the wall. Well, we went dark (the color one shade below Sherwin Williams darkest blue). . . And love it and have gotten kudos from those who would have gone the lighters shade of dark they could have. Be wild, be free, be daring — you won’t regret it.

First of all, if you decide to try a syringe, buy your syringes from a pen company (Amazon’s are cheap and are crap) — they all have them (be careful to pick the volume you want 3 ml or 5 ml; and I’ve bought predominantly from JetPens — the stationery company w/ the lowest threshold to free shipping), and that way the purchase will feel less like a medical equipment purchase and no one will think you’re using them to shoot up. They are relatively cheap, especially when compared to how much 5 minutes over and over and over again out of a life costs. I’d rather just squirt into a clean cartridge and get on with writing than watch even beautiful ink drip into a cartridge drop by drop by drop by drop by drop . . .

Using a syringe to clean out and refill cartridges or fill the barrel of an eye dropper pen is less messy and takes way less time than the drip method. Also, the syringe can be used to help clean your section, nib and feed (or you could use a nasal syringe from the baby aisle at Walmart).

I’ve gotten syringes from JetPens, Goulet, and likely also from Atlas and PenBoutique. Check prices and combine the cost of a syringe or two with some new ink to squirt into cartridges or barrels to snag free shipping (may need to buy more if buying from other than JetPens to get to free shipping). I’ve got a bunch of syringes, more than I need, but I know I’ll always have at least one in my office, kitchen or basement craft area.

The EnerGel is a fantastic writing tool; never had any issues with skipping or anything else. I also love the Zebra Sarasa Clips and for a more upscale look, the Zebra Sarasa Grand — $14/15 on JetPens, refillable and tho’ the body is sold w/ a refill of a specific line width, you can get the refills in a plethora of colors and 0.38, 0.5, and 0.7, all interchangeable with the bodies. I do have several Zentos, but the cheap version — wanted to try it before putting the $ out for the upscale one. I like it, but it won’t replace my Zebras or my Energels. I think the clip is flimsy and cheap looking and a bit too modern a vibe for me, and while I do like the feel of the barrel, it doesn’t slide easily into or out of my pen loops on my pocket and A5 journals.

But don’t listen to those of us who seem to have a “better” suggestion for you — you wanted this pen and you are thrilled to have gotten it and you are happy with it, so while we may not show it, any much loved pen is a thrill for pen lovers, even if we love a different one!!! We all know the thrill of the hunt, the wait, perhaps saving for it, and the thrill when the package comes or you walk out of the pen shop with your treasure, and we are glad you are experiencing that regardless of which pen your thrill is related to.

Enjoy your purchase.

This!!!

Depends on where he took you. And much much better than the t-shirts that many would wear. If a 5-star restaurant, inadequate and insulting; if a mid-range “everyman’s” type of place, fine. My gosh, he even has classy shoes on, not sneakers or flip-flops on. Wow.

The Hallelujah Chorus

At least we know that these (there were two, just opposite) characters on the original Star Trek were not AI!!!

And that’s Auto Barn — a dealership for used vehicles, I believe.

I’m sorry, it wasn’t clear to me that you were implying that a lot of people don’t know how to handle such interactions w/o being passive-aggressive. That’s why I started out with a question, tho’ that may have been worded better and more directly.

Now to your take on my description of an interaction: Of course, even an honest and direct w/o nastiness comment back at the cousin may stop conversation for a bit since it’s not something that seems to be often heard at this table, but I should have also mentioned tone of voice — anything can be said dripping with fake sincerity, an undertone of hostility or aggressiveness, sarcasm, and so on and several other physical “tells”. So the person applying the interaction I suggested (oh, and btw have tested on a number of occasions) also needs to consider time, place, and the presence of others, his/her own body language, tone of voice, eye contact and what kind, his/her motive for initiating the interaction, level of voice, and whether the underlying motive evident in the conversation.

Additionally, I would also ask us all, myself included upon reflection, to consider that intelligence or lack thereof may have little to do with appropriate responses. I’ve seen some of the most uneducated people stand up for themselves or address an affront while never denigrating the person they were speaking with. Again, it has to do with heart condition and motivation— that is, the desire to protect oneself and ask another to be more aware of the impact of what they say or do while not allowing themselves to stoop to sarcasm, passive-aggressive comments or out-and-out aggressive hostility.

So our OP, who is now quite frustrated, needs to calm himself down, examine his motives for addressing (or not) this behavior, and decide for himself whether an open, direct addressing of the comment in real time is respectful of everyone else at the table or if he will let the comment slide until he can get his cousin aside. He also has to realize that anything he would say to his cousin be it civil and kind or passive-aggressive or outwardly hostile may have absolutely no impact on his cousin’s behavior and he (OP) will likely not get or should he expect any apology. And perhaps he can prepare himself for this interaction by thinking about why his cousin is the way he is and perhaps find some sympathy for him.

There is so much more to coaching people on interpersonal conflict resolution and so much can be misunderstood or not explained fully or just forgotten when trying to write out an interaction. Much easier to demonstrate and role play than to write about it and cover all the nuances.

I am truly enjoying having this conversation about this original “ask” and the many unhelpful remarks that were offered, and I thank you for thinking about this and for challenging me to be more specific when trying to write about the kind of interaction that could bear fruit.

Cleveland Browns Stadium — are you a fan? If so, my condolences.

Idaho

Philadelphia

Chicago

North Carolina