I say yes, you say no, OR People are Strange

pupmom

Happy anniversary to the thread! 

Athena, real, positive change for women in India will undoubtedly be slow. But I saw the passion of those protestors. They are still out there demanding justice for all. I truly believe that we'll see some improvements soon. At the very least, I think police will start taking rape victims seriously, instead of knee-jerk blaming them for their assaults!

QuinnCat

Obama in Hawaii with his family. An autopen will sign the legislation once it is physically prepared.  Be calm.

It is Boehner that held up relief for Sandy.  After outcries, he will bring it to the floor on Friday.  I guess he's following the Hastert rule - modified for just mollifying the chuckleheads for losing on the FC, because it will pass. 

Just wanted to ease some fears and appropriate blame where it belongs.

RetiredLibby

How are you holding up, Kam? I just ran into another friend who retired today from my agency -- about 8% of our headquarters staff of 200 retired at the end of the year. Wow! And it seems as though a BUNCH of people (CSRS Boomers) are going on June 1. It will be interesting to watch the vacancy announcements -- there is "shrinking the government" and then there is "unable to perform critical functions." Since most people are doing the work of 2 or 3 people already, it could get interesting fast.



L

Chickadee

My DH says part of the reason the Sandy money didn't get passed is because of all the pork the idjuts added to it. No one wanted to give up their pork. Don't know if that's true but its typical.

bluedahlia

Some people are worrying themselves into a frenzy.

bluedahlia

1Athena1

A wiser child never lived. BTW, I think Emilia wrote your previous doggie manifesto, Blue! Very labradorian.

1Athena1

lewing

Athena, that picture was slow to load for me, but good things are worth waiting for!

By coincidence, my sweetie called just now to ask if he should pick anything up from the food coop.  Three guesses what I asked him to get . . .

Linda

1Athena1

LOL! I actually had some for lunch. Glad your wait was well worth it!

Wabbit

LOL ... somebody mentioned cake for our anniversary earlier and I was thinking brussel sprouts would be more appropriate.  And Athena provided them

Now where is our bartender? 

CherrylH

At your service, Ms. Wabbit. JUst got home from  the day job. What may I get for you?

alexandria58

I just peeped at the other side, and i think could use a White Russian.  Double vodka please.

QuinnCat

Blue - loved your dog article.  Sent it to a coworker as we were just having a doggy convo. She and her husband are driving 5 hours to get her new Scotty Collie spayed laproscopically. I guess that is done quite often on the East Coast, but not so much in the West.

Athena - Brussel Sprouts are $8 a lb here!  They aren't in my retirement budget at that rate and as of today, I'm retired!   Speaking of food budgeting, would anyone care to share with me how much they spend on food a month?  I've been eating organic (mostly) for 20 years, but now I'm really getting into gluten-free (which just means I'm not eating bread and pasta), dairy free, sugar free, lots of kale, arugula, dates, bananas (for smoothies), raw, matcha green tea and I'm spending $12 a day.  Is this a lot of money for food??? (I do live in an expensive town, though).

HL - 6 people retired today....2 people left before that. We are definitely getting leaner and there are some positions where no one is taking over the work.  Where there is someone else to help out, there is just too much work to get it done, or properly.  People want to complain about government spending, but they just don't realize we are living on the lowest marginal tax rates in history and with the smallest government we've ever had.  It's never enough, though "they're" happy to give the military money for tanks they don't even want.

Wabbit

Hi barkeeper!  It's cold here ... how about an Irish Coffee?   

QuinnCat

I think they could use a White Russian.  I hear alcohol breaks down fears.

Listening to RM list all of the goodbyes in Congress.  Not a bad list.

Wabbit

A toast to your retirement Kam!!!  Wishing you all kinds of good things as you jog away from the rat race.

bluedahlia

THat's all I'm gonna say.............

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJPFSNu_QNs

QuinnCat

That's a Steven Spielberg production?

I'm adopting this term for today....(I just heard it on RM)...I feel like a "Privledged Beligerent."   So far, that is what retirement feels like.  It's kind of like the hugest birthday, like turning 40 or 50 or, well, I don't know anything past that, yet. 

Wabbit

Retirement ...

IllinoisLady

Beam and coke please.  Ah, Blue.  I loved that piece.  Saw it some time ago and did not completely remember the end/answer.  It is true though.  Animals are without guile and while some things that are done look a bit horrific ( especially cats who follow a pecking order  ) it is standard behavior and tolerated and accepted....once established then life goes on pretty much without a hitch.  I'm a bit more famaliar with feline pecking order more so than the dogs....but I think all animals have them 

It would be wonderful if we could take a few lessons from them as they do become bi-partisan and quite good to each other once the pecking ceremonies have been gone through. 

Paula.....glad you are getting out of the fog and able to get back to yourself.  I very much hope your dh's interview works out to the satisfaction of everyone.  I recall going to some love-in's....lots of dope-smoking hippies there.  I say went, as in walked through some of the parks they were using.....interesting then.  Lots people just stoned and being nice to each other and anyone they encountered.  This was some areas/parks around Detroit suburbs in the mid 60's.  I was newly married so it was more of a Sunday afternoon past-time adventure for us. 

Beautiful brussel sprouts.

Jackie

QuinnCat

No one wants to chime in on their food budget?

Chickadee

I bet few of us are disciplined enough to write it down. Budget? What's that? We make sure we have sufficient for the bills and don't run out at the end of the month on the discretionary stuff.

Wabbit

I'm not even sure what my food budget is to tell you the truth.  I get all kinds of other stuff at the same time.  Plus we are meat eaters, etc. so don't really match your diet.  I'm guessing that Sunflowers when she makes an appearance again might be your best bet for a comparison.

Deletion above just because my silly picture was too big and messed up the page by the way.    

IllinoisLady

Kam...I wish I could tell you.  I guess I'm the ....... when I'm out of something I replace it type for the most part and since we are only a family of two for yrs.  I never paid much attention.  I read labels basically to make sure we aren't getting additives and dyes and other things that you shoudn't have so am probably not terribly thrifty, but we are not huge eaters so our food allowance was generally one of the lower allowances. 

Sorry I'm not more help.

Jackie

lewing

Same here. I don't keep track of my food spending . . . when I was a grad student (and for a while after) it was almost a challenge to see how little I could feed myself on; I ate a lot of lentils and beans and reduced-for-quick-sale produce. But as I got more established and my income edged up, I stopped paying so much attention. I'll still put stuff back if the price strikes me as outlandish, but I don't have an overall budget.



Jackie, you've got me really curious . . . when did you leave Detroit?



Linda

QuinnCat

I haven't really done a budget either, but a few times I've added up my food shopping trips and I've been shocked (though realizing food prices are about 35% higher here than a more populated area).  I've heard people say $240 per person and I can't even come close to that eating organic.  I've found when I do eat meat, it is actually cheaper. I cooked an organic chicken last night ($14) and it will probably yield atleast 6 meals, so $2-3 per serving, but I can go through $4 of kale a day!  I think it is more efficient to cook for 2 or more...I do end up wasting a lot of food.  Due to this transitional time, I am tracking my expenses closely.

Wabbit

Something I have started doing more is freezing leftovers for another meal later.  Doesn't work for everything of course but does for a lot of stuff I would otherwise throw away.  And it means I don't have to cook on some future day! 

Chickadee

Want to have some fun? Show your age by remembering the price of some typical food item.



I remember milk as being .43 for I think a half gallon. My mom cut it with powdered milk (yuck) to stretch it. Bananas, 10 cents a lb I seem to recall. Gasoline of course was around 35 cents although my tiny child brain remembers a sign from long ago in the teens.



A grocery store was not much bigger than one of those Dollar stores now.

YramAL

Powdered milk-gak. We used to have that at my house when I was growing up. That was all my mom could afford to buy on my dad's phenomenal teacher's salary. One of my friends even remembers her mom watering down the powdered milk even further.

Mary