Apropos of Nothing v.6

If anybody could make a tinfoil hat look good, it would be Julie. :)

Maybe tell DH that he has to build you a BIG house before they revisit?

I just took the census-takers' test. Pretty sure I screwed up all the management questions. What do you think of the following strategies?

1) Consider meeting workers' needs & then getting the job done.
2) Reward & discipline workers generally the same while taking into consideration individuals' situations.

Oh, I also screwed up this question: "Male or female? Check the appropriate box."

The recruiter got a good laugh out of that.

Summer, I've checked the wrong box on that question too. More than once. *ditz*

I'm confused. Are you or are you not supposed to meet worker's needs? Do you or do you not consider the individual when meting out discipline? My daughter is considering taking that test, so inquiring minds want to know.


My groovy daughter has started writing a book and has the first installment done. We love it that she is writing as this is what she is meant to do. But it doesn't pay anything yet. Thank goodness for unemployment and soul-sucking bosses who really screw up and, through their own stupid, abusive behavior, qualifying people for unemployment when they would not have qualified otherwise. The universe works in mysterious ways.

I like this, "A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle."

"A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle."

I love that. A lot of people miss that completely. People can be so selfish.

AS to wine.
Trader Joe's Coastal Cabernet is $1 more than $2 Chuck (Which is $2.99 here) and is REALLY REALLY GOOD.

Pixy, I dunno. Jack says the answer to both should be yes because that implies you know how to apply common sense in addition to adhering to the rules.

A few of the questions might be intentionally vague because they are trying to test your abilities to deal with less-than-cut-&-dried information that you might get in the field.

Tell DD that there is a practice test online -- there were several versions given to us today to prevent cheating, so her questions would be different from mine.

I really like Judi's idea about the hat. perhaps those who are so inclined could fashion a few, which would help Julie in that she would have options during the next extended stay.
Losing the remote is quite handy, though.
I do understand how this type of visit can bring one to the edge of sanity. My IL's like to sit around & watch TV for hours on end. I can't sit for more than 1/2 hour so I might consider losing the chairs.

Steve - magic Brownies? I was thinking about that & then jumped right over to Chocolate cheesecake, which has its own magical qualities via Mr. Theobromine....

summerkid, I had seen that on-line test. I browsed it out of curiosity and was actually amazed at how difficult I could see it being for some people. I agree that the vagueness is probably deliberate.

So regarding in-law repelling hats and magic brownies, why can't Julie just serve her inlaws some of the magic brownies? I'm sure she can come up with the ingredients somehow. They will have an excellent time, and probably would leave her to her own devices.

beadmom, thanks for the tip on the wine. I will find that next trip to Trader Joes.

I can envision a magic brownie hat appropriate for serving.

I'm liking this whole magic brownie notion...

Heck, that census test was tough for ME & I'm in the 99th percentile. Or at least was way those many years back in school.

It was an interesting group of about 17 people. Take all the unemployed people in Lincoln County & you get quite a cross-section. The heavyset young woman next to me, who got dropped off by her mother & then hacked, gurgled & sniffled her way through the test, finished 5 minutes early & just sat there. I used every second to second-guess myself. One guy couldn't figure out how to turn off his cell phone. Hardly anybody had gone to the Web site to see that you needed 2 forms of ID. I was the only one who had printed & filled out the application beforehand. (Also, as noted, the only woman who proudly declared herself full of testosterone.)

Question 1: Are you a manager or worker. The manager would meet workers needs and then work overtime to get the work done.
Question 2: You cannot vary the discipline because it would show favoritism and lack the grueling rules you have to follow in a government job. Whether you discipline or not is the individual situation. Just my trying to be a government employee. I have no idea either.
Chocolate (theobromine) + Cannabus (tetrahydrocannabinol) = satisfied and initially uproarius seed swap that decends into poorly marked seed packets with following poor garden composition.

Thanks all for the tips! I am liking the tinfoil hat idea! Maybe adding the need for guests to wear them ..... I think that combining that with disconnecting the wires that run the socket that the TV plugs into (too big to send out for service, and losing the remote would eventually lead to training them to run the thin without it!!!) might help a bunch. Fortunately, this is not a common occurance...I think I have done my pennance for several years now. As for the magic brownies... might help their disposition, but from what I heard, would make them even less likely to move out of my favorite relaxing spots so would work against my own disposition!!! Katye, I am so with you...it is really hard to spend time around people who are easily planted when you are a moving type of creature. I don't spend a lot of time in one place, but when I want to park myself for a few minutes, I expect my favorite landing pad to be available!!!!

Kahy, love the candle quote! Actually, I think that that sentiment is very appropos of gardening as you can share so much without losing anything yourself.

Summer...you so crack me up. Hopefully your test went well... creative answers, while not always the right ones, tell you that when you are chosen for a position, you are at least somewhere you will be appreciated. Big house would just be more to clean and eat up garden space...not in the plans any time soon. Totally content in our tiny abode as long as it is only the two of us...he in his shop and me in my dirt and the house to sleep in.

SNORT!!! the descent is finalized in the garden only if folks make it home!

A few of those magic brownies and they will eat you out of house and home.

Soferdig, you almost confused me. This isn't the seed swap thread, it's the 'apropos...' thread. We want to kick Julie's inlaws out of her dirt, not swap seeds while high. That would probably be a mistake as I would not be able to keep up my new organization system while under the influence. Also, as much as I love you all, you will have to go home after the swap,whenever that is. Our couch isn't big enough for everyone, and I don't have cable. Steve, can you make it? Will you be around at the end of January?

I dunno... wearing tinfoil hats to the swap could be fun. *snicker*

I can see it now: HEADLINES LAKEWOOD WA....... After the tragic events of this community, citizens have become during the darkness following, apparently disturbed. A group of young garden beauties, while gathered at a seed swap, were arrested by the overburdened police force. It has been reported that these bikini clad women were further adorned with various foil head gear. Their actions elevated while resisting arrest by vollying various baked goods at the arresting officers. They confess to be aliens from some planet called DG and referred to each other with ficticious names. Assumptions of these women belonging to some local drug cartel because they were all carrying pockets full of unknown seed packets.
No I cannot come. I need to keep my narcotic licence. LOL

I'm laughing.

You "crack" me up!

*Suspiciously putting on my tinfoil hat*

How come you guys plan all these swaps for the very dates that I either have Chicago guests or am myself in Chicago?

I'll have to get busy making an appropriate head gear made out of al u min ium and wear it on the targeted date. Hmmm, do you think I should tell Jeff what is going on that day?

*snork* Steve, you should write for a tabloid. ;)

I added a few of you on Facebook- if anyone wants to look me up and add me, search for Pony Lauricella.

In other news, and apropos of nothing, I am now an officially ordained minister of the Universal Life Church. I can perform weddings! :)

I will make you a friend. I facebook all the time. Anybody else I'm Steve Lowry.

This is for any of you who could switch to the "Time of Use" meter. If I am reading my electric bill correctly, it cut my daily cost last month (this is an all-electric house) from $14.64 to $5.35.

Granted, that earlier cost was jacked up by that awful cold spell we had & me keeping the heat high because I had no water for a few days, but still. That's pretty significant, given that December probably would be my highest bill generally.

Bikini clad, soferdig? Really?
I will have extra tinfoil on hand for our party hats. I don't know about involving the Lakewood PD, though. Many of them would simply join us in wearing the hats.
Congratulations, Pony. Will be now be calling you Rev. Pony?

Summerkid, are you kidding? How can anyone have an electric bill that low? That's incredible. Do you actually use heat or hot water?

Apropos of nothing, Mike just yelled from the other room that the J pod of orcas, with baby, was sited and photographed off Vashon island on Jan 3!

I need to get on the grapevine for when the orcas go by. They often swim past Pt. Robinson, which is about 2 miles away and I have never been lucky enough to be there to see them.

I think we're going to go out on the boat tomorrow in case they are around. I would love to see them this far south. I wonder if there is a website where people post if they've seen them? There are lots of new baby orcas in the last year, thank goodness.

My BIL and his girlfriend go whale-watching a lot. There's some outfit that does trips that they really like, can't recall the name at the moment.

Melissa, I'm not a reverend, my title is 'Child of the Universe'. Maybe we should just stick with 'Pony'. ;p

Oh yeah! It's Island Adventures Whale Watching. They have a Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Anacortes-WA/Island-Adventures-Whale-Watching/195210805565

Child of the Universe. I like it!

I've heard of Island Adventures. I think they go out into the San Juans a lot. I was thinking more of a local site where people could post when they've seen them this far south. Seems like they've been down here more frequently this year. They don't usually come down this far. We did a lot of whale watching last summer, but it was from our boat. I love seeing them.

When I moved up here I was convinced that orcas were a local myth, anything to get unsuspecting tourists to spend money. My first whale watching tour was a bust but they gave us a free coupon because they guaranteed sitings of the orcas. I figured they called ahead for the animatronic whales ( ;-) )when we went out three years later with our free passes because, sure enough, we did see orcas on that tour. We travelled all the way down to the San Juans though from Richmond, way closer to the States than Canada........

Pix, yes. I have 2 massive water heaters to serve both ends of this huge house but I tend not to have the heat on unless the temp drops below about 44 degrees.

I'm fairly spartan when it comes to energy use, but I DID have company all of December, so that pushed my energy use up quite a bit.

The high-peak periods are 8 to 10 a.m. (I'm never up at that time) and 5 to 8 p.m., when I pick a room & turn everything else off. So I hole up in the studio or lounge in front of the fire with a book or move.

Aside from just saving me money, it's made me even more conscious than normal of energy use (my main vice being LOTS & LOTS of lights on).

Summer I can see you sitting in the couch with clothing like Ralphie's little brother. I wonder how you can turn pages in the book you are reading?

I don't think I would argue with success considering the size of those electric bills. On the other hand, 44 degrees is a little nippy for me in terms of sitting still, unless I'm in a cozy bed with comforters, nose under the covers.

Oh, that fire puts out a lot of heat & I tend to walk around wrapped up like the Michelin Man anyway.

I do seem to prefer ambient temps that are much chillier than the norm. I freak out at Lisa's house, where the daytime thermostat is set at 72.

In a way, the 5-8 blackout provides some structure. I do all my cooking, laundry, showering beforehand, and after that, no chores.