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I made a deal with my brother that we trade gifts, in that neither buys the other a gift and both are fine with it. We still hang out at Christmas and eat ham together, isn't that more important?
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Dec 30, 2016 21:58
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genetic_knockout posted:The worst is when you try to ask someone what they want, and they are all like "oh, don't even bother getting me anything. Save your money!". Sure, Mom, I'm just not going to get you anything for Christmas while you buy me mountains of gifts I don't want or need. I'm sure that like 99% of people who say this would be secretly offended if you called their bluff anyways. this drives me up the loving wall. look I have to get you a gift, okay? You're getting me a gift and I am too filled with guilt on a near constant basis that not getting you a gift would probably overload me with guilt and kill me. Just tell me something to get you. I don't give a gently caress if it's like "oh I could really use some new socks" just let me get you something please you are making this so awkward Also yes, the eating of the ham is the most important part. I would be so pleased if my family would just stop with the whole gift thing altogether and just happily eat ourselves into comas instead. less pressure
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Dec 30, 2016 22:31
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My mother in laws gifting practices. She'll use our amazon list only for 'inspiration', usually buying an offbrand/wrong size of something we actually would get, or copies of books and movies we already have. Then she'll put them in her cigarette smoke filled Volvo for a few weeks until the smell sets in. Next she'll schedule a special gift exchange time with us. Then reschedule it at the last minute. Then once more after we've cancelled other plans. Finally she'll arrive at our door 90 minutes after we've planned. I probably sound bitter and ungrateful. Probably because I am. I feel bad about it too though. Not sure I'd ever be able to convince her to not give us anything though.
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Dec 31, 2016 00:40
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yeah I eat rear end posted:I love when people pop in and think their small town experience growing up applies anywhere but other similar small towns. Yes, if you live in rural montana where your nearest neighbor is 2 miles away, it is fine to leave your door unlocked. Most places in this country are not like that. I grew up in a mostly safe suburb and even I would not approve of someone coming in unannounced. It's weird. Knock on the door, maybe crack it open and call out, but don't cross the entryway without permission. My Small Town is Burnsville, MN 61,000 population in the Twin Cities metro which is getting on 4 million these days. Yet I'm still not afraid. There's a Meth dealer down the street and a super sketchy kid that likes to steal poo poo around the corner. I've seen guys casing the neighborhood at night. It's not a small town, just a town. Never be afraid. Even if you're in NY or LA. Chicago or Miami. Never be afraid. I refuse to be afraid. I've lived some of the sketchiest neighborhoods but never felt afraid of my neighbors. They've always got your back. Be it Powderhorn or be it Phillips. Be it North, or Golden Valley. Your neighbors always have your back.
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Dec 31, 2016 03:28
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mostlygray posted:My Small Town is Burnsville, MN 61,000 population in the Twin Cities metro which is getting on 4 million these days. Yet I'm still not afraid. There's a Meth dealer down the street and a super sketchy kid that likes to steal poo poo around the corner. I've seen guys casing the neighborhood at night. It's not a small town, just a town. cool but I'm still gonna lock my fuckin door "your neighbors always have your back" I live next door to a literal Nazi in real life, dude, I'm glad you've had such great experiences literally everywhere in your entire life
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Dec 31, 2016 03:41
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Also, not everyone is literally afraid of their neighbors. Some people just don't like having people drop in on them without advance notice or have random people come into their house just whenever.
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Dec 31, 2016 03:50
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mostlygray posted:My Small Town is Burnsville, MN 61,000 population in the Twin Cities metro which is getting on 4 million these days. Yet I'm still not afraid. There's a Meth dealer down the street and a super sketchy kid that likes to steal poo poo around the corner. I've seen guys casing the neighborhood at night. It's not a small town, just a town. No
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Dec 31, 2016 04:05
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mostlygray posted:My Small Town is Burnsville, MN 61,000 population in the Twin Cities metro which is getting on 4 million these days. Yet I'm still not afraid. There's a Meth dealer down the street and a super sketchy kid that likes to steal poo poo around the corner. I've seen guys casing the neighborhood at night. It's not a small town, just a town. later: 
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Dec 31, 2016 04:14
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Thin Privilege posted:So yeah I would LOVE to get a gift card instead of generic glove/scarf/etc, because then I can get what I want or need. I've gotten a ton of H&M and Starbucks and VISA gift cards in the past and I absolutely love them because I'm poor and then I can get stuff I like or need. I have no problem with gift cards in general, it's just the Visa ones that I have a problem with. I'd much rather have a card to a store, restaurant, Amazon, etc. But the Visa ones are basically just like giving cash, with an added unnecessary charge on top. THAT'S my pet peeve. I wish these folks would just save themselves that extra $6 and give me cash or an actual gift card to a specific place. I agree about random presents, though... I don't need 5 new pairs of gloves every year, it doesn't even get that cold here so I never wear them. Of course I'm always thankful and gracious about it no matter what I get. I just hate thinking that someone wasted money on me unnecessarily, whether it's a scarf that's going straight to Goodwill, or a stupid fee on a lovely piece of plastic.
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Dec 31, 2016 04:26
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my parents and relatives always gave us cash in an envelope or a little card for the holidays because they know better, I guess
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Dec 31, 2016 06:06
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I don't lock my door at night because I am afraid, I lock it because there is no good reason not to. Why leave the possibility open? What reason could someone with good intentions have to enter your house unannounced in the middle of the night? It's not fear, it's pragmatism.
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Dec 31, 2016 06:13
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I have no fear because I grew up in the Pokémon universe
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Dec 31, 2016 06:14
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I grew up in zelda and after growing up with strangers coming in and breaking all our dishes on the regular i now make sure to lock my door then feed the key to a random bat in the labyrinth in my cellar
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Dec 31, 2016 06:31
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Gifting in general was my peeve recently. I had a lot of bad poo poo happen to me over the past few weeks, so my sister, mom, and I decided no gifts. Sis and I abided, but mom gave us gifts she couldn't really afford. Nothing huge, but I'd really love for her to have that money back to pay bills or whatever. But it made her so happy to surprise me. It's definitely a gift I'll use, but I'm torn between "I want my mom to be happy and giving makes her happy" and "I want my mom to have everything she needs." The worst was at work. We did a white elephant, which was fun, but a few other people gave me gifts I didn't reciprocate, and I feel terrible about it. I really like the people, but I just had a really loving bad couple of months and wasn't in the spirit. I managed to reciprocate for a few but not all, and that bums me out the worst.
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Dec 31, 2016 06:34
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El oh loving el at the goon who thinks leaving poo poo unlocked is perfectly normal, even going so far as to say it's bad manners to lock your door if someone wants to drop in unannounced at any time of the day or night because they're too chickenshit to say NO. Even if I lived in the wealthiest gated community with the most trustworthy neighbors, security patrolling the area constantly, and the national guard posted around my house and car, I would still lock my doors because they have a loving lock on them. Why the hell wouldn't I? It's not fear, but common sense.
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Dec 31, 2016 07:25
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What gets me about that concept is of course the person espousing it would be from Minnesota.
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Dec 31, 2016 09:41
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You Are A Elf posted:El oh loving el at the goon who thinks leaving poo poo unlocked is perfectly normal, even going so far as to say it's bad manners to lock your door if someone wants to drop in unannounced at any time of the day or night because they're too chickenshit to say NO. Even if I lived in the wealthiest gated community with the most trustworthy neighbors, security patrolling the area constantly, and the national guard posted around my house and car, I would still lock my doors because they have a loving lock on them. Why the hell wouldn't I? It's not fear, but common sense. And apparently it's perfectly fine to have random people enter your house and take poo poo from the fridge and leave and we're the weirdos for not accepting that lifestyle. Are we sure this guy isn't just describing a Seinfeld episode?
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Dec 31, 2016 15:55
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bean_shadow posted:And apparently it's perfectly fine to have random people enter your house and take poo poo from the fridge and leave and we're the weirdos for not accepting that lifestyle. Are we sure this guy isn't just describing a Seinfeld episode? My sister-in-law lived in Africa for a few years, and she said the British ex-pat community pretty much used to do this all the time. She'd come in from the garden and find a complete stranger in her kitchen having a glass of wine, who would say say something like "Oh hi, so nice to meet you. I'm Sarah from across the road. This is lovely wine, by the way. Coming to tennis later?" And it was all completely normal. In the UK, of course, you just keep everything locked all the time.
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Dec 31, 2016 19:00
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Stoatbringer posted:My sister-in-law lived in Africa for a few years, and she said the British ex-pat community pretty much used to do this all the time. She'd come in from the garden and find a complete stranger in her kitchen having a glass of wine, who would say say something like "Oh hi, so nice to meet you. I'm Sarah from across the road. This is lovely wine, by the way. Coming to tennis later?" To be fair, that was generally what the British did, and not just in Africa.
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Dec 31, 2016 22:21
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One of my neighbors, the one across the street, has my back. He's a nice old retired vet who likes to fish and keeps an eye on my poo poo when I travel. The others, who the gently caress knows? On one side, renters that cycle out a couple times a year (including one guy who hosted narcotics anonymous meetings, which we all know attract society's elites). On the other side, a nice-enough old man who passive-aggressively mows a three-foot swath of my lawn when he thinks it's too long, and also has brain damage and some hoodrat-rear end grandkids. Over my back fence, two toothless tweaker brothers who keep their elderly mother locked in the house, farming her Social Security checks to buy drugs and food for their huge, aggressive dog that lives on a five-foot chain in the back yard. I don't trust any of them.
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Jan 1, 2017 01:12
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I just like the idea that one goon seems to picture everyone shaking in terror as they frantically turn ten locks on their door and fearfully glance through the peephole before slinking to bed for another night of tossing and turning in sweaty fear.
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Jan 1, 2017 01:25
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Initio posted:My mother in laws gifting practices. See now what you need to do is begin predicting what she'll give you, based on what you want. Then ask for that. For example, if you want a red shirt, ask for a yellow jacket. Then, in theory, she'll get you the shirt. Unless she goes the complete opposite direction and gets you like a parrot or something.
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Jan 1, 2017 01:43
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I loving love getting an Amazon wish list. I pick some presents and maybe get one or two other things that are related to that poo poo, and send it off. That's what I did for SASS and PISS this year. And it makes shopping for me and my aquariums a breeze; my parents don't know an air stone from a net, so sending them the wish list makes it easy on them. And I loving love gift cards. My niece and nephews love getting those as well. I think in the next generation, gift cards will be just as awesome as a physical present. Peeve: being asked to stay late at work because everyone else who works my shift has to go pick up their kids from daycare before 530pm. So everyone else who works a 9-5 can ask to leave early, and also is never asked to stay late, because they don't want to pay the extra cash for overtime at daycare. No, I don't have kids, but loving hell don't expect me to work an hour later every day of the week because "well, you don't have plans tonight, do you?"
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Jan 1, 2017 02:11
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Giving a gift card is the best way to say "I couldn't be bothered thinking about what you might like and am only giving you something because I feel obliged to do so." Cash says the same thing, but at least you can choose where to spend it. Giving nothing is better than giving a gift card, and the only people who want cash as a gift are teenagers (and teenagers are terrible people).
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Jan 1, 2017 04:32
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Tiggum posted:Giving a gift card is the best way to say "I couldn't be bothered thinking about what you might like and am only giving you something because I feel obliged to do so." That's bullshit and you're a loving idiot.
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Jan 1, 2017 04:49
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Gift cards to physical stores like Best Buy are bad. Gift cards for the Google Store or iTunes are good. I feel free to just buy whatever crap I feel like. It's way better than cash.
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Jan 1, 2017 05:01
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Gift cards are certainly not the most thoughtful gift, but to say they are worse than nothing is idiotic.
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Jan 1, 2017 06:34
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My family is pretty chill about gifts, we usually toss food and alcohol at each other, along with gift cards and a smattering of individual-relevant knickknacks. Not everyone gives to everyone else, either. Then we spend a couple of days eating and drinking each other under the table and introducing new members of the family to our particular traditions (my grandmother is British, therefore we eat Christmas Pudding, and first-timers always try so hard to like it, it's always fun). The gifts are obligatory, the spending of time together is the important part for us. Current peeve right this minute: block party four blocks away is still rattling my windows with bass and I want to sleep but cannot. I don't wish tinnitus on anybody but I will say that if everyone hosting that party had to live with a relentless, unending ringing in their ears for the rest of their lives, I wouldn't have much sympathy. What's the new-year's version of "Bah, Humbug"?
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Jan 1, 2017 09:34
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mostlygray posted:My Small Town is Burnsville, MN 61,000 population in the Twin Cities metro which is getting on 4 million these days. Yet I'm still not afraid. There's a Meth dealer down the street and a super sketchy kid that likes to steal poo poo around the corner. I've seen guys casing the neighborhood at night. It's not a small town, just a town. Haha what the hell? People don't think this is weird because they're afraid of their neighbors. Nettles Coterie posted:Unrelated: I hate when people give me those prepaid Visa gift cards. I know I should just be grateful for the gift, and I guess I can see their use as, like, prizes for a raffle or something where specific gift cards might be an inconvenience. But when a friend/family member gives me one, I just think of the $6 fee they paid on it, and wish they'd given me cash and thrown those extra few bucks in too. Or kept it for themselves, who cares. But if you buy a $25 Visa card, that's a fee of over 20%, and that's loving ridiculous. I feel the same way whenever my grandparents (and now my girlfriend's mom has started) get me Omaha steaks. That whole business feels like it exists to scam old people who don't know any better to spend $5 to mail a freeze dried baked potato across the country. Just get me a card and then I won't have the guilt of knowing you paid for this crapola. And like 10 sets of the shittiest knives known to man. The Moon Monster has a new favorite as of 11:38 on Jan 1, 2017 |
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Jan 1, 2017 11:30
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Che Delilas posted:my grandmother is British, therefore we eat Christmas Pudding, and first-timers always try so hard to like it Christmas pudding is delicious though?
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Jan 1, 2017 12:12
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Having a birthday on December 30th. Literally everyone forgot it and then they tried to turn the New Years party into a pathetic "We forgot fizzy whoops" party and the cake was this sad Wal-Mart tie-dye affair that they shoved number candles onto and just gently caress you birthday in general. I'm 34, I didn't need a party. Thanks for reminding me my birthday sucked assholes! edit: this is like the 5th time something like this has happened. Adult birthdays don't mean anything, gently caress off reminding me you forgot about me.
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Jan 1, 2017 13:28
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The annual visit to the in-laws. They are lovely people, and they try so hard to make everyone feel included. I've never been much of a family-orientated person and got away from my toxic relatives at as young of an age as possible. That said, I am friendly and polite and listen to the stories of their current hobbies and interests and gossip about the locals in the village, &c (he grew up in a tiny village in Kent near Leeds Castle, the kind of place where there's a 13th century church and a village green, pram races down the main street on New Year's Day, and everyone has the same peculiar eye colour, and there was much  when his mother married a boy from the next village, &c). They are very sweet, and Mr Boods' 80+ year old dad is quiet, but with a sly sense of humour. Ditto his elderly spinster auntie.However, ugh, as I moved over from the US permanently about five years ago, every new rellie who came into the house this year wanted to ho ho ho with me about Donald Trump and what do I think about the whole Trumpster situation and bleurgh. I just politely said that I didn't discuss politics and turned the conversation to something else, but Mr Boods' brother-in-law, who'd demolished a six-pack of Strongbows and was well into a case of Spitfires, would not let the subject drop. I just sat there, smiling blandly and let him blart on until Mr Boods' sister gave her husband a smack upside the back of the head and sent him out into the fog to put the chickens up for the night. Ms Boods has a new favorite as of 14:51 on Jan 1, 2017 |
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Jan 1, 2017 14:27
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mostlygray posted:Never be afraid. Even if you're in NY or LA. Chicago or Miami. Never be afraid. I refuse to be afraid. I've lived some of the sketchiest neighborhoods but never felt afraid of my neighbors. They've always got your back. Be it Powderhorn or be it Phillips. Be it North, or Golden Valley. Your neighbors always have your back. Me and my mom (super white) got lost in LA in '96 in a VERY BAD NEIGHBORHOOD in terms of gangs and such. Everyone was super nice and helped us get where we needed to go. Chicago isn't scary. In SUPER BAD NEIGHBORHOODS everyone is super nice. People aren't bad. I won't get into social/socioeconomic stuff but just yeah, people aren't bad. Absolutely no reason to be afraid. Peeve: people that get freaked out if they see a black person and get all weird about it. Usually it happens when we're driving through a VERY BAD NEIGHBORHOOD, they are so scared and they like, go down and push back into their car seats because BLACK OR HISPANIC PEOPLE! Oh noooooo so scary! And don't get me started on people who are weird when they talk to a black person. Unrelated: I'm reading stuff on the internet and, while it's grammatically correct, this person keep saying things like "an house" "an hinge" etc. the "an" in front of "h" is driving me nuts because no one really does that anymore and it seems so nerdy and pedantic. It's not a college paper, it's just a post on steam forums that's really long. Just be grammatically incorrect and say "a house" "a hinge"!
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Jan 1, 2017 19:31
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They could be from Britain, "an 'ouse" vs "a 'ouse".h
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Jan 1, 2017 19:36
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Tiggum posted:Christmas pudding is delicious though? It's absolutely delicious and I look forward to it every year, but it is very much an acquired taste for the majority of people.
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Jan 1, 2017 20:50
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Thin Privilege posted:Me and my mom (super white) got lost in LA in '96 in a VERY BAD NEIGHBORHOOD in terms of gangs and such. Everyone was super nice and helped us get where we needed to go. I've lived in 'nice' neighborhoods, average neighborhoods and sorta sketchy neighborhoods, and the worst fuckin' neighbors ever are in the nice neighborhoods. In the sketchy places, people know you might -need- your neighbors , so they tend to be much friendlier and have a stronger sense of community. In 'nice' places, people generally wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire. And I tend to agree with you about the gang members too - for awhile, my GF and I lived in a clean-but-old neighborhood sandwiched between two pretty lovely areas and gangbangers would walk/drive down my street from one to another. Hispanic dudes full of neck tattoos would stop, unasked, and help me lift heavy poo poo out of my truck, and politely walk in the street when my GF would have the gardening stuff out blocking the sidewalk. They might be machine-gunning rivals at midnight in front of liquor stores, but they were certainly respectful when they were 'off duty'.
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Jan 1, 2017 21:37
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It's almost like people are people whether they are black/hispanic or have neck tattoos or not. A lot of people seem to have the "noble savage" attitude when they meet what they consider a "gangbanger" that is nice to them, but you should never forget the actual "gangbangers" are criminals and if it was easy/profitable enough to rob you, they would in a heartbeat even if they helped you carry your couch in 12 hours earlier.
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Jan 1, 2017 21:50
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Thin Privilege posted:Unrelated: I'm reading stuff on the internet and, while it's grammatically correct, this person keep saying things like "an house" "an hinge" etc. the "an" in front of "h" is driving me nuts because no one really does that anymore and it seems so nerdy and pedantic. It's not a college paper, it's just a post on steam forums that's really long. Just be grammatically incorrect and say "a house" "a hinge"! This is one of my big peeves as well, but the thing is: that's not grammatically correct. 'An' exists to avoid the glottal stop caused when your mouth tries to go straight from 'a' to another vowel sound, so it should only be used when the word starts with a vowel sound. 'An' before H-words is only correct when you don't pronounce the H; A house, but AN hour. So the only way that person could be grammatically correct is if they're the most cockney human on the planet.
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Jan 1, 2017 22:09
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Realtor: I found this 2 bedroom perfect for a young family. Good school and a public park down the street. What do you say? Goon: eh what I'm REALLY looking for is something in the middle of gangbanger territory. That's where I'll feel safest.
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Jan 1, 2017 22:25
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actual thought expressed: "bad neighborhoods" aren't actually death traps where you'll be instantly rapemurdered the instant you step your lily-white foot out the door goon interpretation: i don't want to live in a good neighborhood i want to join a gang
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Jan 1, 2017 23:20
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