In reply to Eggy (msg # 676):

Wow...he does realize that while yes, Gluten free is better for you, it's not calorie wise when it's a pizza right? When my boyfriend and I eat out, I have to eat gluten free because I'm intolerant, but even I know that the calories are pretty much the same if you get a pizza. It's just less likely to have the preservatives the others would have which is why it's always mostly frozen. But that doesn't take away the calorie count. So when we order pizza for him and his boys, I choose a salad, because the salads a cheaper and better for me, i get the vinaigrettes or italian dressings. I'm obese too, not because I want to be, but because numerous things like genetics and a disability have caused me to be unable to keep a low weight even with watching my calorie intake, I have a hard time losing weight. I can't exercise because of back issues and knee issues and now nerve issues. So I'm not sure if I will ever get to the exercise point again, but gluten free has never been my "Oh i'm eating better than the rest of you!" go to and nor should it be anyone else's. For me, it's a lifestyle, not a choice.

Small Update: My husband heard back from his friend. They're not hiring right now, but he should apply in about four months. I suggested to my husband that he take a couple days to spruce up his resume and his wardrobe. He was quiet for a moment, then said okay. I found an ad for a place he expressed interest a couple years ago. They're hiring now. I asked him to take a picture in his new suit for me and he seemed much more positive and thanked me for finding the ad.


It's all in his head. We have friends with strict dietary restrictions. He tried some of their gluten free pizza and liked the taste. Now he says it makes him feel good and he orders it all the time. He told me that he used to get a heavy feeling in his stomach when he ate four or five slices at a time (you think?), but with the gluten free pizza, he can eat about eight slices (a whole pizza?) before he feels too full.
This message was last edited by the user at 00:04, Fri 30 Sept 2016.

Yeah and that would be because it's a thinner crust, but with the whole pizza, your getting more cheese and meat then you would have on just those four normal pieces which means more calories intake for him because cheese and meats have high calories. maybe explain it that way to him?

Unless he is truly gluten intolerant, I know of no reason why he should restrict it.  'Gluten free' seems to be the current buzz phrase, and lots of people with no issue with gluten kid themselves they are eating healthier if they avoid it.  And like your hubby, are really eating worse, because as long as there's no gluten whatever else there is surely isn't important.  Reminds me of someone I used to work for who avoided chocolate, but ate too much of something that is like chocolate (I forget what) and no better for her, especially given the amount she seemed to eat.  There are few foods that are truly bad for you, it's the quantity, and the variety, that's important.  Even fat - I've heard of people trying for a fat free diet, and ending up with problems because we need fat, just not much, we need carbs, we need protein, and so on.

In reply to Brianna (msg # 683):

Chocolate substitute is called Carob. They use it in 'chocolate' animal treats to, since chocolate is bad for animals (like dogs, cats, people in general).

Actually it's been proven that dark chocolate has many health benefits for humans, the darker the better. And because light chocolate can contain gluten as a binder, I usually have to eat dark anyway. But it needs to be in moderation.

In reply to ShadoPrism (msg # 684):

Yes, I think that was it.  She seemed to think that any amount of candy was fine, as long as it had carob instead of chocolate.

I wake my daughters up the same time every morning, and today was no different.  They had an hour to get ready for school today and make sure they had everything they need. I even triple asked them just to make sure.  This is what I get.


Oldest:  I don't know if I have to wear my uniform to school today. (Said the same thing yesterday)

Youngest:  I need a cold lunch for today, I have a field trip.

Me:  >.<  Really?  You are going to tell me this 1 minute before you have to go out the door for the bus?!  Sucks to be you two today.

I would blame their father for this morning, but those are my two procrastinators.

In reply to ginny (msg # 687):

How old are they, ginny?  Maybe it's time to get them an alarm and let them get themselves up?  If not yet, ASAP.  And make their own lunches too, with the ingredients you provide.

In reply to Brianna (msg # 688):
I agree. We helped our kids with wake up for about the first half of kindergarten. Then we took them shopping for alarms. My eldest chose one that looks like hatching chick and chirps. My youngest picked out one that gradually beeps louder and changes colors. They both picked out traditional, double-bell alarm clocks thinking they were cute and they both hated them the next morning. They've been packing their own lunches since the third grade.

When they have field trips I usually pack them something special for their lunches, because it's not that often.  But this time we didn't have the money to do it, so I signed her up with the school for a bag lunch from them for this trip.  I had my days mixed up and it was all just a big Monday kind of Wednesday.

My youngest is the easiest to get up, she's read within 10 minutes of me waking her.  The oldest has started setting the alarm on her phone, but forgets to take it off vibrate and sleeps through it.  We don't live close enough to the schools for her to walk if they she misses the bus, and hubby takes the vehicle to work at 4 am every day, so Im the one that makes sure they're up and out the door.

Its that once in a while where everything is mentioned literally last minute that frustrates me.  Having a teenager and a preteen has its moments.  Today went off without any problems though. ^_^

In reply to ginny (msg # 690):

As to the last minute stuff - when we had a retail store, it used to frustrate me that the schools would ask children to pick up something that either wasn't available in town at all (a particular style and colour of gym short), or that we carried (like white Tshirts) but not in the quantity for a class.  Or worst, the very young children who were told they had to have a particular package of Crayola markers, which we not only didn't carry, but that wasn't even produced in that exact formation.

But yes, kids can be bad at telling parents when they first hear of something, more the night before (after stores are closed) or first thing in the morning.  Eventually they have to be left responsible for the problems created!

First off, my husband has a new job. He was picked up by one of his old competitors. Going back to work has improved his esteem. The talk about his wardrobe was a bit bumpy, though.

He bought larger button-down shirts, but he was buying the same size of slacks. We went round and round on this. He was convinced that the older pants had shrunk. When I showed him the pants laid one atop the other, he told me that it wasn't a true comparison because he had just taken off that particular pair and that helped to stretch it out to its true size. I pointed out the fit of his new pants. He said that was just how pants were cut nowadays. I suggested larger pants and a new belt. He balked, saying that was A Size For Fatties. I told him that it didn't make sense for him to buy the same size in the same brand if he expected it to shrink and fit in an uncomfortable and unflattering way. Once the shirts and pants were sorted, I tackled his undershirts. All of his undershirts are torn. The underarm seams have all popped and the shirts just look ragged. He says it's because they're cheaply made. Really, the problem is the undershirts don't really cover his girth anymore, but he tucks the shirt in by force. I suggested either buying a slightly more expensive undershirt or (wait for it...) a larger size. He didn't like either idea. We were too irritated after that to talk about larger underwear and socks. I think I'll just give him some for the holidays.

Still, he has a job he enjoys. One problem down.

This vent is closed for now, but I'm sure it will pop open again.
This message was last edited by the user at 08:37, Wed 12 Oct 2016.

It has been a hell of a bad week. I know it could be worse but, lay off please?

In reply to Merevel (msg # 693):

I am in the exact same boat. Well, at least in the exact same boat as that generic statement. Cats, car, job, insurance, teeth, cats again, car again, job two more times, and games falling through. You know... the usual?

I will NEVER understand how people do not know what kind of car they are driving. >_<

In reply to GammaBear (msg # 695):

My wife once worked with a woman who came in raving about her new car and how wonderful it was. When asked what kind of car it was, she considered it for a second and replied: "A blue one."

In reply to jpetoh (msg # 696):

XD

A thousand years ago, I was fresh out of college and needed a job.  Any job.

I became a temp worker doing General Motors customer service in a call center.  Horrible corporate environment job with fast food payscale.

I get this call one day.  This is after all the standard greeting and script I had to go through on every call.

"Hello, I think there's something wrong with my car."  Her voice sounded trippy and airy, like she wasn't quite with us on this planet.

"Well I'd like to resolve this for you ma'am, can we start with some information on the vehicle?"

There was a pause.

"I drive a blue car."  She said with the utmost conviction like that told me anything.

I was dumbfounded.  Then I began to silently pray please don't be a General Motors vehicle, please don't be a General Motors vehicle (you'd be shocked how many people think GM makes Toyota and Ford).

So I composed myself and carried on.  "Right, do you know what model your car is ma'am?"

"Oh no it's not a model it's a real car."

"No... no ma'am, the model of the car."

She laughed.

"I'm not a model you tease."

Awkward pause.

"Okay let's try... what is the car called ma'am?"

"I don't name my cars."

Ugh.

"Okay let's try this.  Is there a word on your car.  Anywhere.  Not a bumper sticker or parking decal or anything like that, but a word that the factory put on there."

"Well... yeah... here's one.  I'm not sure how to pronounce it though."

"That's okay you can spell it for me."

I am thinking please spell H-O-N-D-A or F-O-R-D or anything non GM...

"B...U...I...C...K."

At that point... I had no mouth and I had to scream.

In reply to drewalt (msg # 698):

I feel your pain. I really do. The check in procedure for where I work isn't all that different from other places I've worked at (10 years hospitality experience, here), so it's fairly easy for me to fall in to a regular script. So, I get annoyed when people want to jump the gun and whatnot. Sometimes I just want to strangle them while saying, just shut up and let me talk. If I don't volunteer information that you're probably going to ask (because trust me, you all ask the same questions), wait until I'm done to ask. Yes, I'm going to tell you about breakfast. Yes, I'm going to tell you where you can park. Yes, I'm going to tell you where the elevators are. It honestly makes me wonder where people have stayed where this information is NOT given out at check in.

And for the love of the gods people, I know of no hotels that need all the darn numbers given to you by Expedia, Hotels.com, etc. Really, we don't need any of that. Our screen has a list of names. You tell me your name and I'll check you in. Done. I don't need any paper. I don't need to search for some million digit stupid number. Just. Give. Me. Your. Name.

I have stayed in a few hotels that Dont tell you much of any information beyond the amount you owe or check out times. While some are part of larger chains these tend to be in the lower end of quality lodgings. In those you have to ask questions cause they dont volenteer any information.

Rita Rudner actually had this as a joke in her stand up routine.

"They asked me what kind of car I had and I said a white one."

In reply to GammaBear (msg # 699):

Speaking of supreme annoyances... I work as a (the only) tech support specialist for an agency of about 250 employees. We're trying to roll out a new time clock system (called EWS going forward), and are currently in the process of setting up everyone's accounts in prep for a test run for the system next week.

This happened last week. Before I give you the exchange, I should say that I wrote a thorough document, complete with screenshots, on how to set up one's account on EWS, which is basically a website. I also created two videos (one for each type of time clock we're using under this new system) that go into as much detail as the document. So I've basically addressed as best I know how two of the three learning styles common in adults (visual and auditory), and my hope was that by following one or the other, they could do the kinesthetic approach if that's how they learn. So, having set that up...

Caller: "I can't get EWS set up. I keep getting [common error that I recognize]."

Me: "Okay. Let's start from the beginning. Click on Account Setup. On the next screen, enter [our agency ID], then your employee ID, date of birth, and last four of your SSN. You got all that?"

Caller: "Yes."

Me: "Okay. Now this is where a lot of people get tripped up. On this screen, you will enter the username you want. But don't include the @[agency ID]." (Aside: I'll explain that at the end.)

Caller: "Okay, I have that, and I put in the password I want in the other two fields." (This is correct.)

Me: "Okay, click Create Account, and you should get a confirmation message on this screen. Then click Return to Logon, and try entering your information again please."

Caller: *gives same error as when she first called*

Me: "Okay. When you typed your user ID into the field on the account creation screen, did you include @[agency ID]?"

Caller: "Yes, because that's what So-And-So told me to do."

Me: "No. I know it's weird, but when you do account setup, you just put in your username. Let's try account setup again."

*****gets to the username part*****

Me: "Now, tell me exactly what you're typing in this field please."

Caller: "[username]@[agency ID]"

Me: "Please take off the @[agency ID] part before proceeding."

Caller: "But So-And-So did hers this way." (Obviously not.) "And my local area manager told me to do it this way too!"

Me: *takes a deep, quiet breath* "I understand that that's how they told you to do it. Please just trust me. Take out @[agency ID], then enter your desired password before you click Create Account."

Caller: "Okay." *tries to log in* "It worked! I'm in, thanks ashlayne!"

Me: *barely keeps from saying 'I told you so'* *wraps up call normally*

Aside: With this website, when a user sets up an account, they create a user ID, but when logging in they use userID@[agency ID], because the agency ID points to a database on a cloud server, kinda like how the @gmail.com points an email client to look at Gmail for your username (to put it in simple terms for those who don't know computers well).

Aside #2: I can't wait until EWS is rolled out (expected to be mid-November) and this round of growing pains, a.k.a. changes to the agency's processes and procedures, is behind us...

This reads like a site I read: Not Always Work.
The Not Always sites are fun to read cause they are all true antidotes like this one above.
You should submit this to them.

That reminds me.

I miss Mlia back when the site was funny and not full of trolls.