We have finally hit full summer temperatures here, and I hate it. It's in the upper 80's or 90's every day, and humid. I expect this will last through August. I went for a walk this morning when it was supposedly going to be around 79, but with the humidity it felt much hotter. It makes me not want to do any gardening or anything outside at all. I can't wait for September!
I am the main administrator for our learning and performance management system, and I cannot tell you how many people email me with some version of "I am having a problem, can you help me?" Sure, I'd be glad to - but I'm going to need a little more information about what you're experiencing. It makes me a little nuts because we could save so much time if you just told me what was happening. I love where I work and the people I work with, but sometimes I wonder how the heck I ended up in what amounts to a tech support/tech design position most of the time! I don't know that it will always be like this since it's a new system and presumably things will calm down once everything is set up and people get used to it, but it's not my favorite.
Upper 80s sounds nice and cool compared to here.
I’m so ready for fall. So like late October if we are lucky? This has been a brutal summer already with way too many days in the 100s.
It's half devils food cake mix and half of a cream cheese mixture topped with chocolate chips. They are so easy to make and so good.
This is my family’s big baking tradition at the holidays. Minis only though (I have a pan that bakes 4 dozen at once!) and I’ve never heard of using cake mix.
I think it’s a mid-Atlantic thing because I never see them anywhere else and anyone from elsewhere never knows what they are.
Post by pinkdutchtulips on Jul 6, 2023 11:14:10 GMT -5
It is July 6 in San Francisco and I'm wearing a long skirt and tall boots to work ... same thing I usually wear in January or February. There's an expected high of 60 here and at my house MAYBE 70-75 which is unheard of for early to mid July.
I won't complain, I don't like triple digit blistering heat.
A friend wants me to weave a couple of small, very easy monochromatic wall hangings for her and her roommate. She wants to pay me and I have no idea what to say. I do need to buy yarn for the project because I don’t have the specific colors on hand and I’d want that back but I generally don’t sell anything I weave so I don’t have a set price point or anything.
The project really is simple and won’t take long and I have the time. She’s single and is generally on a pretty strict budget. My instinct is to tell her not to pay me for the labor but she’s brought it up a few times.
Can I avoid the question and just tell her to Venmo me whatever when I tell her how much the yarn is?
I have a friend who is a talented seamstress who has done some small projects for me. I always provide the material and I much prefer when she sets the price. The problem is I have no idea how long a project will take her or the level of complexity. I also always let her know she can decline if it’s not something she’s interested in. But when she says pay me whatever I struggle with coming up with a number that’s appropriate for the time and skill she has put in.
Yeah, I feel like I should tell her the price but I really don’t care if she pays me!
It will be a little time consuming but it’s a low skill, low creativity project which makes it harder to quantify. Like knitting a plan, flat scarf.
Post by sunshineandpinot on Jul 6, 2023 11:19:12 GMT -5
idk who needs to know this but Athleta is having a hell of a sale and you can use code SHOPFIRST for an additional 30% off. I just stocked up on Bombas and Feetures socks which are normally quite pricey. I should be good for a while!
stbxh moved out this past weekend. Tell me why the hell I woke up to him walking around my house this morning? I don't give a fuck if you were passing by any ways and had to pee. He can't just show up whenever the fuck he wants and let himself in. It scared me to death for a second before I realized it was him. I'm going to start using my security chain locks in addition to the deadbolt that he still has keys for. He won't be able to get past that shit. Oh and he is all mopey about the fact that the kids and I have plans this weekend that don't involve him. Sorry dude you are the one that sleeps with other people. You are the one that moved across town to be closer to the 22 year old that you are in love with. My life is going to keep going. I need to get the girls' mind off this shit. So I planned a fun weekend Hiking swimming cooking out sleep overs all kinds of fun stuff. He is not invited. Fuck him.
This has probably already been said but .. change.the.locks.
stbxh moved out this past weekend. Tell me why the hell I woke up to him walking around my house this morning? I don't give a fuck if you were passing by any ways and had to pee. He can't just show up whenever the fuck he wants and let himself in. It scared me to death for a second before I realized it was him. I'm going to start using my security chain locks in addition to the deadbolt that he still has keys for. He won't be able to get past that shit. Oh and he is all mopey about the fact that the kids and I have plans this weekend that don't involve him. Sorry dude you are the one that sleeps with other people. You are the one that moved across town to be closer to the 22 year old that you are in love with. My life is going to keep going. I need to get the girls' mind off this shit. So I planned a fun weekend Hiking swimming cooking out sleep overs all kinds of fun stuff. He is not invited. Fuck him.
Time to change the locks!
I’m so baffled by this behavior. How dare he think it’s okay to come in!
tacokick - yes, give her a price. I would find it really uncomfortable to try and guess how much I should send. If you don't want to charge for labor, just use the cost of materials as the price you tell her.
I know! It's unfortunately not unusual for a Japanese bank culture to work like crazy and drink like crazy. He hasn't done this late in years, but he does go out every single Thursday and stays out until 11-midnight most Thursdays. It's also not unusual in British culture to be hungover at work on Fridays. I can't do it as a psychotherapist or a 50-something woman, so I think he sees me as a stick in the mud, a bit.
wanderlustmom, I'm your H in a lot of ways. I'm totally happy to just be home more often than not, though I do enjoy myself when I go out. I know it drives my much more social H crazy. Probably why he ok'd a week long girls trip in August.
I'm Irish. I grew up in Brooklyn and spent my twenties in bars with cops and firemen and once worked for a Japanese bank. I've never seen anyone drink like a Japanese banker!!
That’s so funny! I never knew the Japanese were known for drinking. OMG! My husband is a chemical engineer they are not known for drinking or going out so he fits the mold. He does work for a Japanese company—nobody goes out
Less than 24 hours before DS leaves for a 3 week super expensive scuba camp and he looks at me says "oh by the way my eyes and throat hurt". This better be allergies kid.
Wow!! Where is the SCUBA camp? Is he already certified? I'm so intrigued!
It's half devils food cake mix and half of a cream cheese mixture topped with chocolate chips. They are so easy to make and so good.
This is my family’s big baking tradition at the holidays. Minis only though (I have a pan that bakes 4 dozen at once!) and I’ve never heard of using cake mix.
I think it’s a mid-Atlantic thing because I never see them anywhere else and anyone from elsewhere never knows what they are.
West coast too .. Miss R's daycare lady would make them for the kids' birthdays on request and for any bake sale (school, church).
A friend wants me to weave a couple of small, very easy monochromatic wall hangings for her and her roommate. She wants to pay me and I have no idea what to say. I do need to buy yarn for the project because I don’t have the specific colors on hand and I’d want that back but I generally don’t sell anything I weave so I don’t have a set price point or anything.
The project really is simple and won’t take long and I have the time. She’s single and is generally on a pretty strict budget. My instinct is to tell her not to pay me for the labor but she’s brought it up a few times.
Can I avoid the question and just tell her to Venmo me whatever when I tell her how much the yarn is?
I've been in this situation with something I make (leashes). I don't sell them, but I've made them for friends. I usually ask my friends to pay for the paracord (give them a link, tell them the quantity to order in whatever colors they want, ship to me) and don't charge for labor or the clip. They often give me something like a bottle of wine in return. I've also bartered for something they make. I specifically don't sell them because it's too hard on my hands and to make it profitable I'd need to order paracord in bulk and then limit color options. It's more fun to just do the occasional one in whatever color someone really wants.
That makes sense! I also don’t sell anything like this because it hits that sort of threshold. Maybe I can get her just to buy me a doughnut or something when we meet up.
I have a regularly scheduled doctor’s appointment today (quarterly neurology follow up) and have been having upper left quadrant pain intermittently the past few days, so I will bring it up at this visit. The office is hospital based so I’m sure that I can get whatever testing might be needed.
Dr. Google says it’s something serious like my spleen needs to come out, or something much less serious like heartburn or a hernia. We shall see…
I hope it’s not your spleen.
I have one of those appointments tomorrow. My onco-cardiologist. And I’m having some issues that are tangential to him, but I’m also considering he might jump on. And so, my nighttime medical anxiety has me spending the weekend in-patient. But, it’s probably nothing.
Post by emilyinchile on Jul 6, 2023 11:45:37 GMT -5
Update on my question/dilemma about getting married in Santiago vs far away beach town: we've decided to get more details from the beach town location we're still thinking about. We looked at a place here in Santiago that we both liked and love the style of the decoration and everything, but it didn't give us any spark. So we figured might as well deal with the extra organization hassle, trust that people who want to make the trip will and do what we really want.
DS2 got his braces off today and he looks so much older. Also, there's a photo op section in the orthodontist's office, so we did our "off day" photo their. I compared it to when he got the braces put on (September of 2021) and he's SO MUCH TALLER now. Like, startlingly tall. It made him feel good because he's easily one of the smallest kids in his grade (he has a July birthday, so he's the youngest in his class).
This is my family’s big baking tradition at the holidays. Minis only though (I have a pan that bakes 4 dozen at once!) and I’ve never heard of using cake mix.
I think it’s a mid-Atlantic thing because I never see them anywhere else and anyone from elsewhere never knows what they are.
West coast too .. Miss R's daycare lady would make them for the kids' birthdays on request and for any bake sale (school, church).
That’s fun! I’ve been doing a regional cookbook cataloguing project for the past year and haven’t found them in any West Coast or Southwest cookbooks at all yet! A sprinkle in the Midwest but they are in nearly every book from VA to NY.
They were in an insanely popular David Lebovitz baking book about 10 years ago so I’m sure they’ve spread around a bit though.
West coast too .. Miss R's daycare lady would make them for the kids' birthdays on request and for any bake sale (school, church).
That’s fun! I’ve been doing a regional cookbook cataloguing project for the past year and haven’t found them in any West Coast or Southwest cookbooks at all yet! A sprinkle in the Midwest but they are in nearly every book from VA to NY.
They were in an insanely popular David Lebovitz baking book about 10 years ago so I’m sure they’ve spread around a bit though.
Oh, I'll have to look through my David Lebovitz books. I've been a fan of his blog forever. It's hard to go wrong with cream cheese and chocolate...
tacokick I’ve made cakes for a few friends and have them pay me for ingredients + $20. They want to pay something but I don’t feel I am good enough to charge bakery prices.
tacokick, my aunt who gave me the recipe always did the mini's. That stuff was way too time consuming. I can get a whole batch made and out of the oven in an hour. It took me forever with the mini's. So do you make the cake mix from scratch?
I'm in Maryland and most people know what they are in this area.
I am waiting to hear back on an internal job and it is killing me. I had my final interview Thursday. Intellectually, I know that most people were out F-W and also that the hiring manager is the worst person about getting back to people, so HR is probably struggling to get what they need from him, but also I need to know if I'm getting this offer. A lot of planning takes place in my position this time of year and I feel not really committed at the moment, which is weird.
My dad is 83 years old. I just pulled up into their backyard (The driveway goes into the back) and here he is dragging a closet door across the backyard.
tacokick, my aunt who gave me the recipe always did the mini's. That stuff was way too time consuming. I can get a whole batch made and out of the oven in an hour. It took me forever with the mini's. So do you make the cake mix from scratch?
I'm in Maryland and most people know what they are in this area.
Yeah, we make the cake from scratch, it’s similar to a red velvet cake (contains vinegar) but without the food dye.
We normally made a massive batch but do it assembly line style so it goes pretty quickly. The worst part was the waiting between batches but having pan that makes so many at a time really speeds it up.
We are in MD too! Everyone I knew growing up made these for every function. I feel like minis were always what people made at home but delis/bakeries often sold the cupcake sized.
That’s fun! I’ve been doing a regional cookbook cataloguing project for the past year and haven’t found them in any West Coast or Southwest cookbooks at all yet! A sprinkle in the Midwest but they are in nearly every book from VA to NY.
They were in an insanely popular David Lebovitz baking book about 10 years ago so I’m sure they’ve spread around a bit though.
Oh, I'll have to look through my David Lebovitz books. I've been a fan of his blog forever. It's hard to go wrong with cream cheese and chocolate...
I’m pretty sure it’s in his Great Book of Chocolate. I think his recipe could use a little more chocolate in the batter and you should always use the mini chips!
This is my family’s big baking tradition at the holidays. Minis only though (I have a pan that bakes 4 dozen at once!) and I’ve never heard of using cake mix.
I think it’s a mid-Atlantic thing because I never see them anywhere else and anyone from elsewhere never knows what they are.
West coast too .. Miss R's daycare lady would make them for the kids' birthdays on request and for any bake sale (school, church).
Interesting. Native Californian here and I’ve never heard the term.
tacokick I’ve made cakes for a few friends and have them pay me for ingredients + $20. They want to pay something but I don’t feel I am good enough to charge bakery prices.
I’ll probably end up doing this. I really don’t want her money but I am sure she will insist! It’s stressing me out lol
tacokick, would you mind sharing your recipe? I'm wondering if there is a big taste difference. I can flip you the one I use if you are interested in seeing it.