What you did today

[Hurlshort]

San Jose is BYOB.  I keep them in my car as well.

[Nepenthe]

 

Spent half the morning in bed with a headache, but decided to try pushing through the day on a fresh cup of tea,..

 

You have more headaches than anyone I ever heard of. You have a brain tumor.

 

I haven't been comparing on a per week basis, but I think we're about even.

[Nepenthe]

My local grocery has finally implemented the "no plastic bags" rule. So either paper, or bring your own bag. Which would be fine, except if you don't BYOB, you have to pay 10 cents per paper bag at the cash register (they count 'em up as you're standing there) - and most baggers have no clue how to bag efficiently, often leaving them half-empty. My husband once got almost all of our (massive amount of) stuff into 2 paperbags and the cashier was all "Wow."

 

That said, I'm off to buy a few more tote bags. Sometimes I don't feel like BYOB (and 10 cents isn't much vs. the rest of the bill) but even so, guess it's time to always have some in the car, because paper bags don't usually have handles, and my arthritis likes handles.

 

Welcome to the real world.

[BruceVC]

 

My local grocery has finally implemented the "no plastic bags" rule. So either paper, or bring your own bag. Which would be fine, except if you don't BYOB, you have to pay 10 cents per paper bag at the cash register (they count 'em up as you're standing there) - and most baggers have no clue how to bag efficiently, often leaving them half-empty. My husband once got almost all of our (massive amount of) stuff into 2 paperbags and the cashier was all "Wow."

 

That said, I'm off to buy a few more tote bags. Sometimes I don't feel like BYOB (and 10 cents isn't much vs. the rest of the bill) but even so, guess it's time to always have some in the car, because paper bags don't usually have handles, and my arthritis likes handles.

 

Welcome to the real world.

 

 

Yeah, we have had that "pay for plastic " in place for about 5 years in South Africa. I am surprised that anywhere in the USA is behind this regard?

[LadyCrimson]

I think they passed the laws a few years ago but in some cities they had a long adjustment period of time where stores didn't have to do it, yet. Of course, how long this adjustment period lasted depends on individual city, it's not a Fed. regulated type of thing I think (yet). I'm not sure all of them charge for the paper bags (at the cashier, I mean, vs. just raising prices). And oddly, liquor stores seem exempt (or are ignoring it)...convenience stores around here are still tossing everything into plastic bags. (edit: it's possible the bags they're using are made of a different type of plastic, I have no clue)

 

I always preferred paper, until my fingers/wrists became arthritic. It's hard to lift/grip heavy smooth paper bags. I tend to be a buy-groceries for 10-14 days at once sort, so having to carry in 5-8 tote bags or something is kinda irritating. Plus the plastic ones made good kitty litter waste bags - now I'll have to buy more bags-in-a-box for that. Oh well.

[Hurlshort]

 

 

My local grocery has finally implemented the "no plastic bags" rule. So either paper, or bring your own bag. Which would be fine, except if you don't BYOB, you have to pay 10 cents per paper bag at the cash register (they count 'em up as you're standing there) - and most baggers have no clue how to bag efficiently, often leaving them half-empty. My husband once got almost all of our (massive amount of) stuff into 2 paperbags and the cashier was all "Wow."

 

That said, I'm off to buy a few more tote bags. Sometimes I don't feel like BYOB (and 10 cents isn't much vs. the rest of the bill) but even so, guess it's time to always have some in the car, because paper bags don't usually have handles, and my arthritis likes handles.

 

Welcome to the real world.

 

 

Yeah, we have had that "pay for plastic " in place for about 5 years in South Africa. I am surprised that anywhere in the USA is behind this regard?

 

 

You'll have to excuse us, we have a lot more open land than most to create sprawling landfills on

[Nepenthe]

I think they passed the laws a few years ago but in some cities they had a long adjustment period of time where stores didn't have to do it, yet. Of course, how long this adjustment period lasted depends on individual city, it's not a Fed. regulated type of thing I think (yet). I'm not sure all of them charge for the paper bags (at the cashier, I mean, vs. just raising prices). And oddly, liquor stores seem exempt (or are ignoring it)...convenience stores around here are still tossing everything into plastic bags. (edit: it's possible the bags they're using are made of a different type of plastic, I have no clue)

 

I always preferred paper, until my fingers/wrists became arthritic. It's hard to lift/grip heavy smooth paper bags. I tend to be a buy-groceries for 10-14 days at once sort, so having to carry in 5-8 tote bags or something is kinda irritating. Plus the plastic ones made good kitty litter waste bags - now I'll have to buy more bags-in-a-box for that. Oh well.

 

Well, adjustment periods or not, it's been like that around here my whole life, so my original comment stands.

[LadyCrimson]

It's funny becuase when the plastic bag thing started, I hated them. I was used to paper bags. I insisted on paper bags for a long time, annoying baggers at stores. Then it came to a point where no one had paper anymore. I got used to the plastic bags and found uses for them. Now they changed it again.

 

Make up your minds, people.

 

I wonder how many people who decry plastic bags use plastic disposable diapers. Not to mention all those monthly plastic feminine products.

[Walsingham]

It's funny becuase when the plastic bag thing started, I hated them. I was used to paper bags. I insisted on paper bags for a long time, annoying baggers at stores. Then it came to a point where no one had paper anymore. I got used to the plastic bags and found uses for them. Now they changed it again.

 

Make up your minds, people.

 

I wonder how many people who decry plastic bags use plastic disposable diapers. Not to mention all those monthly plastic feminine products.

 

Be fair, LC. Paper or plastic in a bag - you can just bring a proper bag with you, or load it into a car. Diapers and sanitary stuff strikes me as legit.

[LadyCrimson]

Be fair, LC. Paper or plastic in a bag - you can just bring a proper bag with you, or load it into a car. Diapers and sanitary stuff strikes me as legit.

I am being fair. The amount of landfill, possible water table contamination and other pollution issues with plastic diapers vs. reusable diapers (as well as the manufacturing impact) is a legit concern. Of course, on the other side, if everyone used washable cloth diapers, then one has to wonder/worry about the water usage outweighing the benefits they have (which includes, hopefully, the sanitation of the waste water, vs. all that human poo being in landfills - which then makes you wonder about the environmental impact of how they sanitize the water, if any...).

 

The point is, there's pros and cons to everything, if you start to look at it from all angles and perspectives down the long chain, with no truly awesome solutions. Let me state that I am not exactly PRO-PLASTIC-BAG (or for the over-reliance on cheap disposable plastic for many things). What I get grumpy with is when scare tactics are used to frighten the masses into thinking one particular option is 100's times more evil than another, and then even the choice is forcibly taken away.

 

...plus I'm overly grumpy from watching too many depressing "humanity rather sucks" documentaries.

 

Edit: I found this interview's various stated viewpoints interesting...with the usual caveat that when it comes to some of their statements, I haven't researched their validity. It's just an interesting discussion.

 

Do Plastic Bag Bans Help the Environment  (Host Michel Martin discusses the issue with Michael Bolinder of Anacostia Riverkeeper, and Nick Gillespie of the libertarian magazine Reason.)

Edited July 12, 2013 by LadyCrimson

[Azdeus]

Here in Sweden, when it comes to sewage water treatment, you don't even have to hook it up to a treatment plant. I know this due to rebuilding/restoration efforts. My septic tank has a drainage for the urine/feces-water just goes into the ground. If you don't live in the mountains, the sand and soil will deal with that and you get a truck to take care of the more solid things.

This obviously does'nt cover diapers or plasticbags ofcourse, but the least of your worries is the feces.

 

Anyway, something that annoys me is the flourecent lightbulbs and LED power saving lights that are around nowadays, and the normal lightbulbs are just plain gone. I hate the type of light that comes from flourecent lightbulbs, not to mention that they take forever to light up. And I don't save any money from them during the wintertimes, since I have eletrical heating in my house.

 

I'll agree with the scaretactics, it's annoying to all hells, especially when you concider that scared straight efforts does'nt work.

 

It took me 5 minutes to remember the word feces... :<

[Walsingham]

And you've been corrupted by yankees. It's spelled faeces.

[BruceVC]

Here in Sweden, when it comes to sewage water treatment, you don't even have to hook it up to a treatment plant. I know this due to rebuilding/restoration efforts. My septic tank has a drainage for the urine/feces-water just goes into the ground. If you don't live in the mountains, the sand and soil will deal with that and you get a truck to take care of the more solid things.

This obviously does'nt cover diapers or plasticbags ofcourse, but the least of your worries is the feces.

 

Anyway, something that annoys me is the flourecent lightbulbs and LED power saving lights that are around nowadays, and the normal lightbulbs are just plain gone. I hate the type of light that comes from flourecent lightbulbs, not to mention that they take forever to light up. And I don't save any money from them during the wintertimes, since I have eletrical heating in my house.

 

I'll agree with the scaretactics, it's annoying to all hells, especially when you concider that scared straight efforts does'nt work.

 

It took me 5 minutes to remember the word feces... :<

 

I admire you guys who can live in these remote mountain villages in places like Sweden. Life must be hard with all the dangerous animals like Timber wolves, bears and Yeti's

 

I don't think I could handle the constant threat of been eaten by some carnivorous creature !!!!   

[Azdeus]

And you've been corrupted by yankees. It's spelled faeces.

 

Sorry, I did'nt know that. I've learned English from my Canadian relatives, TCC, Ultima V and Test Drive - so it's a horrible mix of different sources of influence.

When I started learning English at school the teachers ignored me, just because I had a basic grasp of the language, so I had to make do. 

 

 

I admire you guys who can live in these remote mountain villages in places like Sweden. Life must be hard with all the dangerous animals like Timber wolves, bears and Yeti's

 

I don't think I could handle the constant threat of been eaten by some carnivorous creature !!!!   

 

 

Yeti? Well... My uncle does sometimes go skinny dipping. That's got to be close enough to a missing link. And far, far more terrifying...

And there are hills around here.

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f220/Azdeus/DSC00115.jpg

 

Some yankee bastard bought most of the forest on the other side and proceeded to clearcut it, you can see the beginnings of it in the image.

He bought it, clearcut it, then sold it again. If I had a gun...

 

I've not even seen a fox here otherwise, we've got moose though. Lots of them. And deer. Scary stuff!

[BruceVC]

 

And you've been corrupted by yankees. It's spelled faeces.

 

Sorry, I did'nt know that. I've learned English from my Canadian relatives, TCC, Ultima V and Test Drive - so it's a horrible mix of different sources of influence.

When I started learning English at school the teachers ignored me, just because I had a basic grasp of the language, so I had to make do. 

 

 

I admire you guys who can live in these remote mountain villages in places like Sweden. Life must be hard with all the dangerous animals like Timber wolves, bears and Yeti's

 

I don't think I could handle the constant threat of been eaten by some carnivorous creature !!!!   

 

 

Yeti? Well... My uncle does sometimes go skinny dipping. That's got to be close enough to a missing link. And far, far more terrifying...

And there are hills around here.

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f220/Azdeus/DSC00115.jpg

 

Some yankee bastard bought most of the forest on the other side and proceeded to clearcut it, you can see the beginnings of it in the image.

He bought it, clearcut it, then sold it again. If I had a gun...

 

I've not even seen a fox here otherwise, we've got moose though. Lots of them. And deer. Scary stuff!

 

 

 

I think your English is excellent and I'm not just saying that to make you feel better.

 

That photo looks amazing, very picturesque. I can imagine waking up and looking over that water as the sun rises

[Azdeus]

Thank you kindly.

 

My bedroom window faces the other direction, the picture is facing straight south, so you get awesome sunsets over the water. In the other direction there are some fields, hills and trees, I can't actually see the other lake that is in that direction.

Sunsets at the jetty/dock with a beer are pure win though.

 

The downside is that this house is built in the early 1800's, and the quality is ... uh... well, kind of good after standing for 200 years - but there isn't a straight line anywhere. ^^

[Walsingham]

Bruce is right. Your English is fine. I was just poking fun at the Americans. They always bash on about how they spell things easier, but they don't. They just make up weird exceptions to the few rules English has in the first place. Like changing aluminium to aluminum, but leaving all the other metals like plutonium etc. Chopping 'a's out of words like faeces. And coincidentally they also make a mess of diahorrea.

Edited July 12, 2013 by Walsingham

[Malcador]

Last day of work before my vacation, and surprisingly no disasters yet!

 

[Azdeus]

Bruce is right. Your English is fine. I was just poking fun at the Americans. They always bash on about how they spell things easier, but they don't. They just make up weird exceptions to the few rules English has in the first place. Like changing aluminium to aluminum, but leaving all the other metals like plutonium etc. Chopping 'a's out of words like faeces. And coincidentally they also make a mess of diahorrea.

 

I can't say it any other way than aluminium, since Swedish also use the correct spelling of the name. You also left out the classics, colour and armour.

 

On an unrelated note, I think I just avoided a minor heartattack when the new cat jumped ontop of my fathers LP player... Had he broken it, I'd... get broken myself. And broke too. Frickin two thousand dollar pick-up. :S

[Walsingham]

WTF? $2,000? Just for the pickup?

 

How much did his ears cost?

[Azdeus]

Audiophile, need I say more? =) He bought it in the early 90's aswell, when it was on "sale". He's spent thousands of dollars on his amps and speakers.

I'm hearing impaired, so I probably can't tell the difference between CD and LP if there was'nt dirt on the vinyl.

Still, recording vinyls for neighbours and friends parents gives me some pocketchange and I get to listen to (mostly) ****ty music.

 

Edit; Now that I thought about it, my father nearly got an heartattack.

Edited July 12, 2013 by Azdeus

[Walsingham]

Thinking about it, I do have a friend who has expensive music kit. The only result I noticed was that most of our modern music sounded like cack.

 

I'd rather enjoy the music at lower fidelity.

 

I am minded of my very slightly failing eyesight. It allows me to avoid noticing all the wrinkles etc.

[Amentep]

Bruce is right. Your English is fine. I was just poking fun at the Americans. They always bash on about how they spell things easier, but they don't. They just make up weird exceptions to the few rules English has in the first place. Like changing aluminium to aluminum, but leaving all the other metals like plutonium etc. Chopping 'a's out of words like faeces. And coincidentally they also make a mess of diahorrea.

Er...while its fine and dandy to blame the Americans for duffing up the English language, Aluminum was coined by English chemist Humphrey Davy in his 1812 book CHEMICAL PHILOSOPHY.

 

Later an anonymous writer, objecting to the "less classical sound" of aluminum (despite the fact that it followed the convention of several other elements) suggested that it be named aluminium in the same year's QUARTERLY REVIEW (not unlike an anonymous message board post; me thinks it was the "Walshingham of 1812" who wrote this letter to QUARTERLY REVIEW suggesting aluminium...)

 

Correspondingly different people, companies and countries went with the different suggestions; the US originally used Aluminium exclusively, but this gave way to aluminum due to Charles Martin Hall using it on handbills and dominating the production in the US and Canada.

 

So the aluminum-aluminium thing can't really be laid at the feet of the Americans, I'm afraid. The IUAPC didn't standardize to aluminimum until 1990 and still see aluminum as an acceptable variant.

 

Edited July 12, 2013 by Amentep

[BruceVC]

 

Bruce is right. Your English is fine. I was just poking fun at the Americans. They always bash on about how they spell things easier, but they don't. They just make up weird exceptions to the few rules English has in the first place. Like changing aluminium to aluminum, but leaving all the other metals like plutonium etc. Chopping 'a's out of words like faeces. And coincidentally they also make a mess of diahorrea.

Er...while its fine and dandy to blame the Americans for duffing up the English language, Aluminum was coined by English chemist Humphrey Davis in his 1812 book CHEMICAL PHILOSOPHY.

 

Later an anonymous writer, objecting to the "less classical sound" of aluminum (despite the fact that it followed the convention of several other elements) suggested that it be named aluminium in the same year's QUARTERLY REVIEW (not unlike an anonymous message board post; me thinks it was the "Walshingham of 1812" who wrote this letter to QUARTERLY REVIEW suggesting aluminium...)

 

Correspondingly different people, companies and countries went with the different suggestions; the US originally used Aluminium exclusively, but this gave way to aluminum due to Charles Martin Hall using it on handbills and dominating the production in the US and Canada.

 

So the aluminum-aluminium thing can't really be laid at the feet of the Americans, I'm afraid. The IUAPC didn't standardize to aluminimum until 1990 and still see aluminum as an acceptable variant.

 

 

 

How did you know that piece of interesting trivia?

[Amentep]

How did you know that piece of interesting trivia?

Got it off the back of a lorry, no questions asked.

 

 

I remembered the gist of it from some reading years ago. Although I had to look it up to get the details I couldn't remember. Most likely looking up why the difference in pronounciation existed in high school, I'd think.

Edited July 12, 2013 by Amentep