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

208sandy

BarbaraA:  Great news about your brother - hope you're sleeping.

Sandy

AnneW

Alpal, honey, STILL holding a grudge after all these years?  Of course, it doesn't help that ESPN rubs your noses in it every year that they show the BEST GAME EVER in college basketball!!

Hey, I'll pull for UK over MANY teams! Followed them for eons. There's only one team that I will NEVER pull for, and that's UNC.

That said, I am a UNC grad. But Duke got my heart first, when my Dad and Granddad whispered those simple words in my ears while I was in the newborn nursery at Mr. Duke's hospital..."Yay, Duke! Boo Carolina!!"

(PS, I would have gone to Duke after 3 tortuous years at Davidson, but needed a less intense change of pace. And a "cheap" nursing school!)

Bren-2007

Okay .. Alpal .. I was so confused.  Tim is a Duke fan .. I got my blue's confused.  I follow the tarheels of UNC.  When they played each other the other night, we were rooting for different teams!

Bren

Bren-2007

Barbara .. so glad your bro is on the mend.  Hope you get some much needed rest.

hugs,

Bren

pickle

Wow, this thread has more pages than a lot of threads that were started a year ago...lol
You ladies always spice things up with your topics from politics to dinner menus. Always interesting


Linda Congrats on the all clear

Barbara: glad to hear you are getting good news

KK: I hate to admit it but your dinner sounded the best of all.

I just finished a spinach, goatcheese and beet salad with a few roasted pecans on top. i'm trying to behave today because tomorrow is dinner out.


I like Walmart for some things like laundry detergent. It's usually the cheapest. I also frequent
Costco which my DH refers to it as the $200 store! I go to the local indoor Farmers market in the winter for veggies , fruit and for organic chicken.


Gracie. What province are you in? I buy from the local Hutterites at the market sometimes.

Regarding taxes, here in Alberta we pay the 5% GST but we don't have a provincial sales tax or health care premiums. When my kids were younger in school, we paid about $100 registration fee but it was waived for people who couldn't afford it. Our kids are both university educated and were lucky enough to graduate without any student loans. Our kids worked part time during high school
and they were told that they had to save for University. We would help, but each year they had to
pay tuition for first semester including books and transporatation and if they had decent marks then we woulld pay second semester. They were very fortunate and they know it because a lot of their friends have big student loans.


The new US entrance fee of $5.50 doesn't affect people crossing the border by car. Just by plane or ship so I don't think it's a big deal. I just think that all governments no matter what country you live in are just continually adding something else to our tax bill to cover their irresponsible spending.
The world is getting a wee bit crazy everywhere.

ananda8

BarbaraA,

Hooooray! Wonderful news!!!!  I am so relieved for you.  When my brother was diagnosed with oral cancer, I thought I would go insane from the stress.  It was much harder on me than my own diagnosis was.  I know you have been through the same with your brother.  Brava.

BarbaraA

Thanks everyone. I had seven hours of uninterrupted sleep last night and today is starting out great. Thanks again!

lewing

Barbara, hope you have time for one more "hurrah" before you go about your day.  SO glad your brother is finally doing better.

L

River_Rat

Barbara, I'm glad that your brother is doing so well and that you finally got a good night's sleep.

Bren-2007

Barbara .. yay for sleep!  Hope you're getting rested and your strength back.

hugs,

Bren

AnneW

Aw, Bren, don't break my heart and get your "blues" mixed up!! Ya gotta go for the real blue, not that washed out shade. Glad to seee your Tim has it right. My Tim has had to learn this during the past 25 years of marriage and basketball seasons...

rosemary-b

Barbara

I'm so glad about your brother and that you got some sleep!

Alpal

Real blue is actually slightly different from either of those blues! Barbara - so glad you got some good sleep!

leggo

Hi pickle. I live in Sask. The Hutterites around here are great. Not only do they sell great food, they also made all of my feather duvets and pillows. Unbelievable quality for a fair price.

pickle

Gracie, yes they really do have great stuff. I haven't seen their duvets here so I'll inquire at the next market. Thanks

Beth

Alpal

I googled Hutterite last night. Had never heard of them. They seem to be similar to the Amish and Mennonites who live around here. The Amish and Mennonites also sell goods - wonderful jams and jellies, and bread. I've seen their quilts for sale but not duvets or pillows.

1Athena1

'Morning all! Bracing myself for troll/deleter Fridays and hoping someone does not get deprived of her voice this weekend for no good reason. Will change avatar just in case.

Barbara - hurrah for a good night's sleep! KK, you are in my thoughts, as always.

leggo

I didn't know they sold anything but food either, but last time I went to pick up food, I just happened to notice them making the duvets for themselves. I asked if they'd make me some and they were more than happy to oblige.

1Athena1

For myself and all of us, and in observance of moderator-free weekends, I thought I would post urls and images that might be funnier/friendlier than words. Here go urls and images. Thank you Google:

1) http://warriorwriters.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/troll.jpg

2) http://www.roflronjon.net/images/Other/troll.jpg

3) A very useful one here:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_yFeC-Omt3c8/SK6Z1ZDjz2I/AAAAAAAAAao/IjytkOstgxM/s400/258Troll_spray.jpg

Directions: to be used liberally or conservatively, as the case may warrant.

4)A satisfied troll:

http://images.memegenerator.net/Internet-Troll/File/7970/Internet-Troll.jpg

Bren-2007

Ahh geez .. another Friday.  Athena .. hope your troll spray works.  Maybe if we talk about sprouts all day no one will be deleted.

Hope everyone is having a great day!

Bren

Anonymous

Yes, kadeed, I know that Walmart is Sams. 

Carolina BLUE is God's country.  Look at the skies....Carolina Blue.  We pull for Duke if Carolina is not playing.  Actually, we pull for Wake Forest before Duke if Carolina is not playing because my oldest DD went graduated from Wake undergrad.  My middle DD went to Carolina.  And my youngest stayed home and went to UNC-W.  We pull for any ACC team.

Still like Walmart for some things.  Of course there's things I wouldn't buy there, but it's the same thing in grocery stores.  I don't buy certain things from them either.

1Athena1

Here are more images to ponder. This one I dedicate to the Friday deleters:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vifhOfEpoe4/SwlkK2upwwI/AAAAAAAAHWQ/cX-mC4w_ldc/s1600/InternetToughGuy.jpg

2) This is food for thought:

http://www.fixcas.com/news/2008/censor.jpg

3) http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/dsc/lowres/dscn9l.jpg

pickle

Alpal, you're right that the Hutterites are similar to Amish and Mennonites. Great jams, bread, veggies. My cousin in Nova Scotia had a beautiful dining table, chairs and china cabinet built by the Mennonites in that area. The craftsmanship is amazing and the price was less than at a retail store.

leggo

It's always fascinating to me (and probably to most Canadians) how big college football is in the US. What kind of scholarship can someone get if they're really good at it?

Bren-2007

Gracie ... a football or basketball scholarship can be for a full ride through college.  And that can add up to a lot of savings when paying for college.  Down here student loans for a 4-year college or university can easily be $65K to $100K.

Bren

leggo

Wow!  Does one need to maintain a certain grade point average?

annettek

yeah Barbara!!! hoo hoo YEAH!

I love all stores...all part of the hunt...my new favorite place for groceries and quality is the super target...beats everyone else in quality...i think thye are pushing this as last episode of Top Chef Masters held their competition in  aTarget with all ingredients from the store. walmasrt had a line of norma kamali clothes a few years back and I walked by a rack and saw these two adorable wrap dresses...one black one green...for 20 each. I bought them thinkig if they don't last past one wearing I won't kill myself. Do i have to gon to tell you that I wore the green one under a gold blazer to a dinner with my boss and he, he who is a snob of the first order as only a self made gallionaire can be, said you look absolutely wonderful...what a great outfit. I almost did not tell him, and waited til we were alone and said...walmart. He started laughing and said HA you are so funny. (I am known as a bit of a clotheshound in my eccentric funky way) I said not funny, true. the dress is was 20 bucks. I have had the jacket and the accessories of course. He got red in the face and said, I don't believe it. I said believe. Then he waited a minute and said are telling me this because you think I am cheap? Do I not pay youenough so you do not have to shop at Walmart for god's sake? hahahahah I said you do and I shop everywhere...i might have on a $200 sweater with a pair of jeans from the 70's. He said - well, ok, but don't tell people that. It doesn't sound good.hajhahahahahahaha so, now, when I am dressed especially nice for a conference or if I am giving a speech ...he always wispers Where did you get that? hahahahaha poor guy I haven't told him that resale shops are my favorite yet, but I will. I am going to wait until we go to Atlanta in April...that is a big deal we put on a huge presentation on the state of our individual industry sectors...I have the coolest Calvin Klein dark gray flannel dress i found this past fall (on sale from 350 to 49 bucks Dillards) that I will wear with my red heels (29.99 from 125.00 TJMaxx) and a heather gray cashmere shrug I found at catholic charities for $5 bucks. the word charity will make him have a stroke right there. He is an oddball but has a great heart and i think we are all oddballs and snobs to some degree i think. If i get to to go to nyc this spring (go every year for pharma conference-butmight not get to go if exchange surgery is scheduled around then) the first thing I do is get my rear to Century 21 downtown...four floors filled with the cheapest dregs to designer stuff. WHAT A BLAST THAT IS...also makes me sad since across the street from world trade center and i always start crying my guts out. Have to spend time just pondering the whole thing and i never can quite get my head around it...anyway....as I said, even the stores i don't like I do like in a way...it is a sport for me;)

Alpal

My cousin has two grandsons who are Division I football players at major universities. Full ride - plus other perks. These guys are really good and there is every reason to believe they'll be drafted by the pros when they graduate. What a life!

pickle

My daugter had many friends from here that received sports scholarships to US colleges. Lacrosse in South Carolina, volleyball, hockey, basketball all in various states. My BIL's two nieces both played volleyball in NY.

Beth

Bren-2007

Gracie ... Partially on a sports scholarship.  Of course on an academic scholarship, they matter the most.

Down here the football and basketball college coaches start scouting players in high school and try to recruit them.  Most players can't afford college on their own, so a scholarship is the only way to go.