No Topic, just Chat

[kathyst]

Wildsky..I too can have selective hearing at times. I get that way when I'm on the computer reading and someone comes in to ask me something or just to talk to me. I find it hard sometimes to tune into what they are saying.

I've spent so much time on computers that I feel my attention span is shot..I used to read 2 to 3 books a week, now I can barely get through a chapter before I either fall asleep or lose interest. I think the internet has changed the way I read. Anyone else feel this way?

I used to read for hours, too, all the time, for years. And exactly as you said, now I will start reading on my bed in the afternoon or something...and fall asleep. However, I read a lot of fan fiction on my netbook now, so it's not exactly book vs. computer screen. But absolutely, definitely our lives have speeded up so much, is why it seems to me I don't spend hours lost in a book anymore. The world is calling to us on the internet, maybe...

kathy

[kathyst]

OK - I find it hard to walk and chew gum!

I was born and raised in New Jersey.

I just love to laugh and have fun.

My favorite pasttimes are my grandkids, baking, playing Texas Holdem and swimming. Oh , add vaping and this forum to that list!

I have 2 daughters and they each have 2 daughters.

I was separated in 1981 and divorced in 1986. Yes, it was a long one!
I was a stay at home Mom until the separation, which forced me to go
out and get a job. My pay was not 'cutting it', so I went to school in the evening to become a computer programmer. Once working as a programmer, I went to college at night and got a degree in computer science. I have been working as a programmer for 23 years now. Wow,
it seems like yesterday! I enjoy what I do, but I am looking forward to
retirement.

Well, I admire you tremendously. Back in the 80's I needed to go to school at night (and I didn't even have kids as an excuse not to) but I just couldn't make myself work [u]and[u/] go to school. So you have my applause and admiration. Also, I wish I'd gotten into computers at the beginning.

But also why I didn't go to school is, where was the class for being a vagabond artist? So I worked as a legal secretary, and here I still am. The difference now is that are fewer working years ahead of me than behind, so I'm cool -- I'm just grooving through these last few years of working. I'm a vagabond artist in spirit, and I don't care now that I'm not making a living at it. I like the legal assistant thing. I just got into it in 1972 as the best-paying secretarial temp job...and I'm still doing it. I like the office and the work and the people and my view and my lunch hour and my three-mile "commute."

But anyway, good for you, hilwayb. I love that you have two daughters and each of them has two daughters -- wow.

(I'm in San Diego, but was born and raised in St. Louis, but my father's family is from NJ, so I feel like I'm a Jersey Girl in my roots.)

kathy

[kathyst]

coming in late to the party.

I've lived all over the place, got a bit of wanderlust. Spent time in TX, FL, CA, OK, MO, KS and now HI (not necessarily in that order, some states more than once) and worked all kinds of jobs because I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up. I did singing telegrams back in the 80s, that was loads of fun. Bartended off and on for years even when I had regular jobs, which led to my smoking habit. What kind of dummy starts smoking as an adult, right?

Divorced in 1989 and didn't get married again until 2006, let's say I was a bit gun-shy. DH and I both had our kids late in life, which makes us about half nuts and means we'll probably be retired when they graduate.

I love reading all of your stories! Both you, Bigeyes, and Mary Kay, and others, all seem to have flitted around like butterflies! Me, I guess I like to stay put for a while. This comes from my checkered past with the drinking and drugging (though clean and sober almost 25 years) when I was buzzing around like a maniac, never content. Well, Ive gotten content, and got to where it pleased me to find myself able to pleased to not require that manic change thing. Mellow is my mode; I'm not so much looking for something "out there." Though I do love traveling, which I do kind of enough of to satisfy.

kathy

[kathyst]

Fun topic MaryKay!

I've lived in Oregon all of my life, and have been in the same house now for almost 30 years. I was married for 14 years (to a nightmare) that I divorced in 1989, and we had 1 daughter (31) and 1 son (29) together. My daughter is married and has 2 children, my grandson is 6, and my granddaughter is almost 3. They are in the military so move around, and even though I don't get to see them as often as I'd like... I so love being a Granny!

I married my 2nd hubby in 1996... and still totally adore him after almost 13 years of marriage. We have our dog "kids" together - a Jack Russell Terrier (Lucy) and a Rat Terrier (Holly) and we love spoiling them rotten! And, after both raising human children (he also has 1 son, 1 daughter) we can appreciate that our dogs won't need/ask for designer clothes, cars, or have a need to go to college!

I've done a lot of different "jobs" in my life, but never really knew what I wanted to "be" when I grew up! After my divorce I worked for many years tracking newspaper advertising for TV & radio stations across the country. I really enjoyed my work, but my department/job was phased out in 1999. I then started a home business with Watkins products, plus turned a "hobby" of candle making into a candle "business" (my family room was my candle factory ) and sold candles online, gift shops, holiday shows & craft fairs, farmer's markets, etc. I also agreed to work for a friend in her CPA office for the 1999 tax season, and after tax season she asked me to stay on permanently to do payroll. Burning the candle at too many ends... I gave up my candle business in 2006, I hated the payroll job (was never a math type person) but struggled along trying to convince myself that I could do this until I could retire. It didn't work.. and I decided I just had to do something else! I had wanted to do something "dog related" for a very long time.. so I finally decided to check into dog grooming. There was a school about an hour away from where I lived, so I went to dog grooming school and graduated in 2007. I opened my own grooming shop at home in May of 2008 after my sweet hubby remodeled our garage into my grooming salon. I can finally say I LOVE what I do.. so have no plans to retire (ever) but may have to limit myself to 5 pound pups by the time I'm 99 years old!

First, mixxy, congrats on your 162 days! Jeez, like half a year. I wonder why I didn't tune into the e-cig thing sooner. I know I did hear of them last year sometime, but...

Oregon is lovely. I lived in the Bay Area for a while, and did a lot of road trips all over CA, OR and WA, etc. I relate to your being in the same place for 30 years also. Not that I have been. 17 years was the longest I lived in one place as an adult. I'm glad I had to move, just because it was a little old funky house getting more run down by the minute. Now I'm in the snazziest apartment I've ever lived in. Mod cons -- things that work and are clean/cleanable

I love your job history, too. This is a funny group -- all sorts of crazy things. Well, I'm very glad for you to finally be doing your dog thing! And I love the candle-making, too. I do a lot of craftsy things -- I'll have to check out the crafts sub-thread.

kathy

[kathyst]

Well there's always Dorothy, but I did like it..Of course I was a second grader. Mom still fusses about the dust and sand or whatever under the window seals every day. It was rather dusty and windy, kind of like Cheyene.
California is beautiful, I was in a small town above Sacrameto called Colusa. But once you get on the freeway it's a nightmare! We went down to Canoga park in the Valley/L.A area/Topanga Canyon whatever it is, and I was on the floorboard in fear. My brother-in-law said he was only doing 90 and was being passed! The bridge into S.F. was a free for all and the hills were not places you wanted to drive a V.W. bus. I like flat land!

I drove those hills in a VW bus also! Not any more. A nice automatic (PT Cruiser -- bought last year. First new car I've bought since 1974. In a nice enough city traffic and road-wise, San Diego is. I hate LA -- a sprawling metro area; and SF Bay Area is even worse, as far as a congested metro area.

I've never been to Florida. The only reason I know I don't like it, though, is the weather. That's why I'm in SD. I grew up in St. Louis, with heat and humidity, and will never live someplace like that again. Won't live in the majority of the country. Visit, but not live. SD is really moderate, with subtle seasons, but most of all, no humidity. I sweat like a pig.

kathy

[kathyst]

I thought this was interesting too, since I have lived a couple of places where I just didn't 'fit.'

U.S. Regions Display Marked Personality Differences

State Personality Map

Note how when you click on 'conscientiousness' (is that a word?) Hawaii almost disappears. If you've ever tried to get service in a restaurant or store here you'll know exactly why that is. When the surfing's good people call in sick to work.

Fascinating! I'll read the article later...but it's cool. The map is a little hard to read. Black is at top of gauge at the side, meaning the states with black have the most of that thing? Which makes NY, WV and MS tops in neuroticism? That just seems funny.

kathy

[kathyst]

I would like to point out a few trends I have noticed..Applogizing for every edit..foget it! I sometimes have to edit 3 or 4 times! We aren't in the main body of the forum, and even there I edit (I do try to give a reason up there)! Down here we do as we please..within reason of course..LOL
The other thing is that we are sooo worried about stepping on each other's toes. Surely we can't all be that tenderfooted. A simple "sorry" will suffice and maybe a smiley. It's very hard to hear the tone of voice and see the others smiling at the keyboard, but do try. Besides, most of us seem to be nice enough people to begin with!
Trust me if flaming starts, I will talk to the flamer and if that gets nowhere..delete posts and speak to Lu. I do carry a big stick and I am not afraid to try to lift it!! LOL
Last is being reluctant to start threads..I hate looking like a tread starting nut! But I do like choices in topics. If you start a thread somebody here will answer you. It doesn't have to be a question, it can just be a topic you like.

I don't know about people not stepping on each other's toes here. (By "here" you mean the forum as a whole, right? Not just here in the Women's Room.) I wandered into a thing between some guys about charging li-ion batteries. Now I totally do not "know" any of the guys involved nor have any opinion about them except from this interchange. But one is Mr. Know-it-All ("The TRUTH about Li-ion Batteries") and the other Mr. Passive-Aggressive Subtle Barb ("Oh, okay, I'll buy that. Like I buy voodoo.") I thought it was funny and I can't help but say, typical, guy stuff. But Mr. P-A could certainly have replied more civilly if he questioned Mr. Know-It-All's information.

I'm on another discussion forum set up like this one, and I like that we have agreed-upon ideas of basic civility. There is a lot of disagreement, but it never gets nasty like personal attacks.

As for threads, I find this forum kind of a mess, disorganized, with so many sub-threads, instead of a nice assortment of specific topics and you post under that existing topic instead of starting your own. But if that's how it works here, fine. I'll start new threads, no problem. My experience with the other one, though, is that there is a link to click on the home page to see what replies have been on the threads you had posted on. That's what makes it not easy to follow for me.

kathy

[kathyst]

Just popping in to say hi =)

My name is Jen and I have 2 beautiful (yet stubborn) daughters and an awesome hubby (also stubborn, they get it from him) Born and raised in Texas though I spent a couple of years in the D.C. area.

Yep. Back to your regularly scheduled chit-chat. =D

I love your avatar, Serendipity! I see so many very cool and creative, beautiful or funny or clever avatars here.

kathy

[bigeyes]

Fascinating! I'll read the article later...but it's cool. The map is a little hard to read. Black is at top of gauge at the side, meaning the states with black have the most of that thing? Which makes NY, WV and MS tops in neuroticism? That just seems funny.

kathy

Yeah, the darker it is the more it is.

Where would we be without neurotic NY comedians?

[kathyst]

You know I have never understood what the big deal with tasting nic is. We sucked on a cigarette for years and years, did we think no nic seeps into our mouths from the wet end of the cig? Howabout those who use chew or cigars? What about using one of the approved devices like, that puffer thing or nicorette. then of course there is getting it on your skin, what about the patch.
Potatoes, tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, eggplant, tomatillos, tamarios, pepinos, pimentos, paprika, cayenne, and Tabasco sauce are classified as nightshade foods. All contain a tiny bit of nic.
I am not saying we should sip nic juice or use it as a hand lotion, Precautions should be taken when handling any toxic subtance.
We just need to keep things in perpective.
All that said...yuck! I hate it when I get a mouthful of nic!

I kind of freak out, too -- but I won't anymore. It's just that everywhere you read or watch in this e-cig business says the nicotine will like kill you. Maybe that's more if you're dealing with making your own juice or something, with pure nicotine. But it must be very diluted in the prepared liquids we get. At first (yesterday), just filling a cartridge, if there was the tiniest little smear of dampness on the outside, I went and washed my hands. But I haven't gotten any liquid in or on my mouth yet.

kathy