Tuesdays and an Open Letter

VarunaTT · November 2019

This day is starting out stressful. I understand the weather is bad, but if everyone could stop losing their minds, it would be really great. Main roads are mostly clear except for some patches of ice, but the side roads are just pure slick road completely covered ice.

Is it Thanksgiving weekend yet? I need the break.

Dear "Management" Staff,

I put management in quotes b/c not a one of you knows WTF you're doing. If I have figured out a problem (caused by the previous paralegal on this case who was a complete fuckup at her job and you still say how great she was) and say, I need you to do X and Y, so that I can move forward to Z, I absolutely expect X and Y to be accomplished w/out me having to double check you. Why? B/c you're management and it's your job. Then, when I've solved Z and try to move forward, only to find out I can't for some reason, start digging again, and find out that it's your fault b/c you never took care of X and Y as instructed in July? You're right that I'm angry, the client is angry, the attorney is angry, I'm 100% not covering for you, I've got receipts, and I'll be damned if you get to try and "help me figure this issue out" when the thing you still.need.to.do.is.X.and.Y. and that would have the issue "figured out."

Signed,

The employee who is the thorn in your side because I never need you b/c I know how to do my job and probably yours too.

CharmedPam · November 2019

Ha! And I bet they play “I didn’t do it” too.

I signed up for the meal kit greenchef last night. It’s more more money than my greatly missed homechef but they offer paleo meals which homechef didn’t. I don’t mind the $2.99/extra a meal but I hate that they charge shipping when the other mainstreams don’t. I’ll probably end up canceling once my discount is over. Or use them 1x a month as a treat. I just hate having to figure out meals!

Tonight I have an appt at my dentist to see if Invisalign is right for me. I kinda want to do the smile direct - while you sleep ones more but maybe Invisalign does a sleep one too?

short+sassy · November 2019

I have a bottled alfredo sauce curiousity question, if any of you have theories. I would really love to be able to find a bottled alfredo sauce that is GOOD. But, at least to me, they all have this weird taste. I'm not sure how to describe it, but it's always the same. A little like a metal or fish taste. I have tried many brands over the years, including higher quality ones. But to no avail. I think I have finally given up on my quest, lol. But am still curious what that weird taste is and why does it happen.

I just had a blow to morale. I submitted my first draw request. Which is essentially "give me some money" from the rehab portion of my loan. But apparently they are very persnickety that what I'm requesting follows my scope of work, to the letter. It just sucks and is kind of annoying because, in construction, things change! There are some things we are no longer doing and/or don't need to do. But other things we needed to add. A big one in that category was new windows ($3400) for one of the duplexes. Which they've already just rejected, outright. In the end, I had to amend my request and cut $8K off my draw request. They might cut even more

.

I already sent my amended draw request. But, after that, I sent another message to my "draw' guy and asked if I can amend my scopes of work, as long as I'm not going over the rehab amount. It actually would be a good bit less anyway. More a "re-allocation" of where funds are going. But I strongly suspect that is a lost cause

.

On the small bright side. If I'm basically paying out of pocket for big chunks of the rehab and can't get the money back from my loan, then it will be that much more money I get back when I refi a few months from now. Because the payback on my loan will be less. But still! That was not how this was supposed to go down. It just makes things tighter than they already were (sigh).

charlotte989875 · November 2019

I slept/watched tv pretty much all day yes try and I wish I was still doing that today. I’ve got a big-ish meeting later today and I’m still prepping materials for it.

Other than that this is a Tuesday that feels a whole lot like Monday.

STARMOON44 · November 2019

short+sassy said:

I have a bottled alfredo sauce curiousity question, if any of you have theories. I would really love to be able to find a bottled alfredo sauce that is GOOD. But, at least to me, they all have this weird taste. I'm not sure how to describe it, but it's always the same. A little like a metal or fish taste. I have tried many brands over the years, including higher quality ones. But to no avail. I think I have finally given up on my quest, lol. But am still curious what that weird taste is and why does it happen.

I just had a blow to morale. I submitted my first draw request. Which is essentially "give me some money" from the rehab portion of my loan. But apparently they are very persnickety that what I'm requesting follows my scope of work, to the letter. It just sucks and is kind of annoying because, in construction, things change! There are some things we are no longer doing and/or don't need to do. But other things we needed to add. A big one in that category was new windows ($3400) for one of the duplexes. Which they've already just rejected, outright. In the end, I had to amend my request and cut $8K off my draw request. They might cut even more .

I already sent my amended draw request. But, after that, I sent another message to my "draw' guy and asked if I can amend my scopes of work, as long as I'm not going over the rehab amount. It actually would be a good bit less anyway. More a "re-allocation" of where funds are going. But I strongly suspect that is a lost cause .

On the small bright side. If I'm basically paying out of pocket for big chunks of the rehab and can't get the money back from my loan, then it will be that much more money I get back when I refi a few months from now. Because the payback on my loan will be less. But still! That was not how this was supposed to go down. It just makes things tighter than they already were (sigh).

I’m not sure exactly what the ingredient is but even Rao’s, my fave sauce brand, has emulsifiers and preservatives. You really need them to make an Alfredo sauce that’s shelf stable and won’t break when it reheats.

levioosa · November 2019

I feel like I got hit by a train today. I am still so sore from my workout on Saturday and then the crazy hike on Sunday. FSIL and I are supposed to do our 60 minute stairmaster workout today and I don’t know if I’ll be able to. I’m having the period from hell too, and I’ve been taking Motrin like it’s a snack. Yesterday all I did was spud out on the couch. FI and I went for a short walk at one point. Not too much going on today. SSDD, really.

short+sassy · November 2019

STARMOON44 said:

short+sassy said:

I have a bottled alfredo sauce curiousity question, if any of you have theories. I would really love to be able to find a bottled alfredo sauce that is GOOD. But, at least to me, they all have this weird taste. I'm not sure how to describe it, but it's always the same. A little like a metal or fish taste. I have tried many brands over the years, including higher quality ones. But to no avail. I think I have finally given up on my quest, lol. But am still curious what that weird taste is and why does it happen.

I just had a blow to morale. I submitted my first draw request. Which is essentially "give me some money" from the rehab portion of my loan. But apparently they are very persnickety that what I'm requesting follows my scope of work, to the letter. It just sucks and is kind of annoying because, in construction, things change! There are some things we are no longer doing and/or don't need to do. But other things we needed to add. A big one in that category was new windows ($3400) for one of the duplexes. Which they've already just rejected, outright. In the end, I had to amend my request and cut $8K off my draw request. They might cut even more .

I already sent my amended draw request. But, after that, I sent another message to my "draw' guy and asked if I can amend my scopes of work, as long as I'm not going over the rehab amount. It actually would be a good bit less anyway. More a "re-allocation" of where funds are going. But I strongly suspect that is a lost cause .

On the small bright side. If I'm basically paying out of pocket for big chunks of the rehab and can't get the money back from my loan, then it will be that much more money I get back when I refi a few months from now. Because the payback on my loan will be less. But still! That was not how this was supposed to go down. It just makes things tighter than they already were (sigh).

I’m not sure exactly what the ingredient is but even Rao’s, my fave sauce brand, has emulsifiers and preservatives. You really need them to make an Alfredo sauce that’s shelf stable and won’t break when it reheats.

@STARMOON44, it's funny you should mention Rao's! They are my favorite bottled red sauce. I was especially hopeful for their alfredo sauce, but they had the same weird taste also. Ah ha! Maybe it is something with emulsifiers and preservatives that throws the taste off for me. That makes a lot of sense because I could see that being something that is added to bottled sauces, but not necessarily to fresh sauces.

And the plot thickens! I have an issue with flavored creamers also. Those all taste like sickly sweet chemicals to me. I wonder if it is a particular type of preservative for shelf-stable dairy products that does not agree with my taste buds.

short+sassy · November 2019

Yaasss! After my mini b**ch-fest post, lol. My draw guy gave me a call and it is good news. He said I can absolutely submit a revised scope of work. Especially since I'm not requesting more rehab funds than what is already included in my loan.

He also laughed that I used the word "persnickety", ie being too picky. He said he'd heard the word before and was pretty sure he knew what I meant from the context. But Google'd it, just to make sure. He told me he liked it and thought it was a great word. I'm glad he got a kick out of it! Especially since, while not a nasty/mean word, it's not complimentary either, lmao.

banana468 · November 2019

@short+sassy have you tried Buitoni? They make the only pesto sauce I'll buy unless I'm getting it from a local place that did it in house with a very short shelf life. I won't buy any other pesto because all of the ones I've tried have been terrible.

cupcait927 · November 2019

@short+sassy I have the same issues with jarred alfredo sauce. But every time I try to make it myself, the sauce breaks and is no good. So I'm stuck with jarred until I improve my skills.

Coffee creamer - I also hate most flavored coffee creamers because of the artificial taste. The only one I actually like is the Coffee Mate Natural Bliss line. The ingredients are all natural and taste good. Granted, it doesn't have the shelf life of other coffee creamers but I can typically finish a bottle of creamer before it goes bad.

charlotte989875 · November 2019

cupcait927 said:

@short+sassy I have the same issues with jarred alfredo sauce. But every time I try to make it myself, the sauce breaks and is no good. So I'm stuck with jarred until I improve my skills.

Coffee creamer - I also hate most flavored coffee creamers because of the artificial taste. The only one I actually like is the Coffee Mate Natural Bliss line. The ingredients are all natural and taste good. Granted, it doesn't have the shelf life of other coffee creamers but I can typically finish a bottle of creamer before it goes bad.

Try adding flour/corn starch with a little lemon. This helps hold it together.

levioosa · November 2019

I finally got the job offer! It only took 4 weeks lol. It was a little lower than I had been hoping for, but it was the realistic offer I was expecting. I tried to negotiate for a little more but it was a no go. I'm still going to accept it. It looks like the health coverage is really good and it includes vision and dental. My start date is December 9th. Now I just have to decide what to do with my current job.

climbingsingle · November 2019

Is it Friday yet? I hate Second Monday. Here are my open letters.

Dear Every Driver In the State of NJ,

THE LEFT LANE IS FOR PASSING.

Dear Boss,
Please stop asking me to research things that were purchased in 2016 before I even started working here. I'm sorry you previously hired an inept purchasing manager, but that's not on me.

short+sassy · November 2019

climbingwife said:

Is it Friday yet? I hate Second Monday. Here are my open letters.

Dear Every Driver In the State of NJ,

THE LEFT LANE IS FOR PASSING.

Dear Boss,
Please stop asking me to research things that were purchased in 2016 before I even started working here. I'm sorry you previously hired an inept purchasing manager, but that's not on me.

It is a bizarre phenomena where I live that at least half the drivers, drive slower than the speed limit. All the time I am stuck behind these people. Like, nobody is in front of them. The speed limit is 35. And they're driving 15-20. And "the left lane for passing"? That's not even a thing here, lol. People drive in whatever lanes they want, even slow moving vehicles like semis. It's as if no one has a sense of time.

One of my main duties is also in Procurement and I occasionally get weird requests like that also! There is a weekly PO status report I prepare and send out to the masses. Recently, the Big Boss asked me for the last report like that run for a project that ended 5 years ago! I started right at the tail end of it. WTH? I assume he couldn't find the file because it doesn't exist anymore, lol.

short+sassy · November 2019

banana468 said:

@short+sassy have you tried Buitoni? They make the only pesto sauce I'll buy unless I'm getting it from a local place that did it in house with a very short shelf life. I won't buy any other pesto because all of the ones I've tried have been terrible.

I'm not sure if I have, though I've heard of the brand. Thanks for the recommendation, I'll give it a shot.

cupcait927 said:

@short+sassy I have the same issues with jarred alfredo sauce. But every time I try to make it myself, the sauce breaks and is no good. So I'm stuck with jarred until I improve my skills.

Coffee creamer - I also hate most flavored coffee creamers because of the artificial taste. The only one I actually like is the Coffee Mate Natural Bliss line. The ingredients are all natural and taste good. Granted, it doesn't have the shelf life of other coffee creamers but I can typically finish a bottle of creamer before it goes bad.

Yes! That is the only flavored creamer I like! It has a such a great rich and heavy cream taste. I'm glad it's not just me, lol. Most people seem to love the flavored creams, but they taste yucky to me.

It's like the first nano-second will taste like whatever the flavor is supposed to be. But then they all have the same flavor, like a sweet chemical. It's how I picture old-fashioned anti-freeze tasting, lol.

VarunaTT · November 2019

I'm not quite sure of the distribution of this, but this is the only alfredo sauce I've ever liked in the jar: http://www.straubs.com/product/taste-of-the-hill-alfredo-sauce

"The Hill" is the nickname of a heavily settled Italian American neighborhood in St. Louis with loads of amazing restaurants and delis.

banana468 · November 2019

climbingwife said:

Is it Friday yet? I hate Second Monday. Here are my open letters.

Dear Every Driver In the State of NJ,

THE LEFT LANE IS FOR PASSING.

Dear Boss,
Please stop asking me to research things that were purchased in 2016 before I even started working here. I'm sorry you previously hired an inept purchasing manager, but that's not on me.

You can apply it to the tri-state area. It's probably DH's biggest peeve because SO many people think that it's a fast lane and drive like no one should get in front of them because they need to be fastest and first. Makes us both nuts.

ei34 · November 2019

Congrats @levioosa!
Really unhelpful bc I'm strongly anti-jarred sauce, but do you have any mom&pop Italian shops nearby? They usually have their own line of homemade, fresh sauces.
We had our first snow flurries today...so pretty

going into the 20s tonight so bracing for impact. SSDD otherwise

short+sassy · November 2019

ei34 said:

Congrats @levioosa!
Really unhelpful bc I'm strongly anti-jarred sauce, but do you have any mom&pop Italian shops nearby? They usually have their own line of homemade, fresh sauces.
We had our first snow flurries today...so pretty going into the 20s tonight so bracing for impact. SSDD otherwise

I hadn't thought of that. I don't know of any local restaurants that sell their sauce. There is only one Italian grocer, Central Grocery. But they are in the French Quarter, therefore super inconvenient, lol. They are mainly legendary for inventing the muffaletta sandwich. They sell their muffaletta spread, by the jar. It's an olive salad, for those not familiar. And they're even kind of jerks about that because those jars are only sold in their store, lol. I wish they'd expand it to local groceries.

They wouldn't have their own pasta sauces because the sandwiches are pretty much the only food item they sell that they prepare. But their store is definitely one of those higher end, international food stuffs that you don't see anywhere else, kind of places. Maybe they'd have a good Alfredo sauce, albeit in a jar. Like I really need something else from that place to become addicted to, lol.

Mmmm...it has been a long time since I had a Central Grocery muffaletta

.

missJeanLouise · November 2019

For what it is worth, I use this recipe for Alfredo. It is super simple and uses on hand items, so it make alfredo an easy option when you don't want to run to the store. I use butter instead of olive oil.
//www.gimmesomeoven.com/skinny-fettuccine-alfredo-recipe/

@VarunaTT your company sounds like every municipality here. It is the biggest headache to get anything done.
@levioosa Congratulations on your job offer! Did they ever contact your current job for references? I mean, does your current job even have a clue you are leaving?

We are going through a mess right now because our apartment was broken into in Berlin and our passports were stolen. Getting emergency passport from the embassy was easy but dealing with visa shit here has been a pain in the ass.

We are hosting Thanksgiving this year. We skipped it last year since DS was still so new. I am preparing the house, my grocery list, my mind for that, lol. Grocery shopping is tiresome. No one store has everything you need so unless you want to go to 3+ stores in one day you have to plan life around what you can get from the store you can go to that day. I think I am going to try one of the produce delivery services but then I am nervous to try it right before Thanksgiving, idk.

DH and I are joining some friends for a baby first aid class this weekend. Then we are having a little BBQ afterwards. It should be nice.

levioosa · November 2019

I'm sorry about the break in @missJeanLouise. That's awful. I hope you're able to get everything fixed with the visa quickly. I think I went to 4-5 different stores last year for our Christmas dinner to get everything I needed. A pain in the ass, but I'm kind of particular with which brands/ingredients I want and not all of the stores had all of the ingredients anyways.

I'm assuming the new job did contact my old/current job. I'm going to talk to my manager this Friday when I work next to put in my two weeks notice. I was going to try to do a leave of absence, but it's only available for 30 days at a time and I'm pretty sure the end result is just going to be leaving anyways, since there's no way I can work 7 days a week. It's still nerve wracking and I do feel a little nostalgic even though I don't even like my current job. I feel odd about the fact that Friday might be my last day at work.

sparklepants41 · November 2019

banana468 said:

climbingwife said:

Is it Friday yet? I hate Second Monday. Here are my open letters.

Dear Every Driver In the State of NJ,

THE LEFT LANE IS FOR PASSING.

Dear Boss,
Please stop asking me to research things that were purchased in 2016 before I even started working here. I'm sorry you previously hired an inept purchasing manager, but that's not on me.

You can apply it to the tri-state area. It's probably DH's biggest peeve because SO many people think that it's a fast lane and drive like no one should get in front of them because they need to be fastest and first. Makes us both nuts.

This is MA in a nutshell. Really grinds my gears.

CharmedPam · November 2019

Illinois just put a law in that you could get a ticket if you drive in the passing lane. How they’re going to enforce that? I dunno? Maybe the fear of the possibility of getting one wakes people up? Oh. Wait. I’m in Chicagoland soooooo

Casadena · November 2019

@short+sassy my favorite alfredo in a jar is actually the Mario Batali brand. After his "me too" incident was called out I'm not sure if you want to support that or not (my grocery store doesnt' even carry his brand anymore) - but it was far better than others I've tried. You can get it on Amazon for sure.

short+sassy · November 2019

missJeanLouise said:

For what it is worth, I use this recipe for Alfredo. It is super simple and uses on hand items, so it make alfredo an easy option when you don't want to run to the store. I use butter instead of olive oil.
//www.gimmesomeoven.com/skinny-fettuccine-alfredo-recipe/

@VarunaTT your company sounds like every municipality here. It is the biggest headache to get anything done.
@levioosa Congratulations on your job offer! Did they ever contact your current job for references? I mean, does your current job even have a clue you are leaving?

We are going through a mess right now because our apartment was broken into in Berlin and our passports were stolen. Getting emergency passport from the embassy was easy but dealing with visa shit here has been a pain in the ass.

We are hosting Thanksgiving this year. We skipped it last year since DS was still so new. I am preparing the house, my grocery list, my mind for that, lol. Grocery shopping is tiresome. No one store has everything you need so unless you want to go to 3+ stores in one day you have to plan life around what you can get from the store you can go to that day. I think I am going to try one of the produce delivery services but then I am nervous to try it right before Thanksgiving, idk.

DH and I are joining some friends for a baby first aid class this weekend. Then we are having a little BBQ afterwards. It should be nice.

Thanks for the recipe! I need super simple.

I am SO sorry to hear about the break-in, while you all were vacationing in Berlin! That sounds horrible and especially to have your passports stolen is creepy. You and your H should put freezes on your all's credit reports. I assume there's no reason to apply for anything that pulls a US credit report while you all are living overseas anyway! But it's also easy to un-freeze, if you all ever need to.

short+sassy · November 2019

sparklepants41 said:

banana468 said:

climbingwife said:

Is it Friday yet? I hate Second Monday. Here are my open letters.

Dear Every Driver In the State of NJ,

THE LEFT LANE IS FOR PASSING.

Dear Boss,
Please stop asking me to research things that were purchased in 2016 before I even started working here. I'm sorry you previously hired an inept purchasing manager, but that's not on me.

You can apply it to the tri-state area. It's probably DH's biggest peeve because SO many people think that it's a fast lane and drive like no one should get in front of them because they need to be fastest and first. Makes us both nuts.

This is MA in a nutshell. Really grinds my gears.

Oh yes! And my "favorite" is when someone cuts me off. Only to drive WAY slower than me. Referring you back to my post where I mention that half the drivers here, drive 10 miles below the speed limit.

Oh! And this is hilarious with that also. Just happened, yet again, this morning. Someone driving ridiculously slow. But then runs a light that just turned red, smh. Umm...hello?!? If you just drive the speed limit, then the light will be green when you get to the intersection! However apparently in their world, driving all slow and careful...but then running a red light...is the best course of action. Mmm-hmm.

banana468 · November 2019

CharmedPam said:

Illinois just put a law in that you could get a ticket if you drive in the passing lane. How they’re going to enforce that? I dunno? Maybe the fear of the possibility of getting one wakes people up? Oh. Wait. I’m in Chicagoland soooooo

I think what happens is that those occupying the passing lane get ticketed when they are impeding the flow of traffic. I don't know of anyone who personally was ticketed though but I'm hoping some self-righteous "Why do you need to drive faster than the speed limit" people I know get karma handed to them in the form of money payable to the state.

climbingsingle · November 2019

banana468 said:

CharmedPam said:

Illinois just put a law in that you could get a ticket if you drive in the passing lane. How they’re going to enforce that? I dunno? Maybe the fear of the possibility of getting one wakes people up? Oh. Wait. I’m in Chicagoland soooooo

I think what happens is that those occupying the passing lane get ticketed when they are impeding the flow of traffic. I don't know of anyone who personally was ticketed though but I'm hoping some self-righteous "Why do you need to drive faster than the speed limit" people I know get karma handed to them in the form of money payable to the state.

This is what makes me so insane. People that drive the speed limit in the left lane are actually causing traffic. And they seemingly have no fucking concept of the fac that it's truly just a passing lane. It's fine if you want to drive the speed limit, just do it in the fucking right lanes! See, I get heated..haha.

One of the roads I drive on in a 2 lane parkway, and people will just park themselves in the left lane going slow, and no one can get around them. Like, do you not see the line of 60 cars behind you, trying to go faster? You're pacing the car next to you!

banana468 · November 2019

climbingwife said:

banana468 said:

CharmedPam said:

Illinois just put a law in that you could get a ticket if you drive in the passing lane. How they’re going to enforce that? I dunno? Maybe the fear of the possibility of getting one wakes people up? Oh. Wait. I’m in Chicagoland soooooo

I think what happens is that those occupying the passing lane get ticketed when they are impeding the flow of traffic. I don't know of anyone who personally was ticketed though but I'm hoping some self-righteous "Why do you need to drive faster than the speed limit" people I know get karma handed to them in the form of money payable to the state.

This is what makes me so insane. People that drive the speed limit in the left lane are actually causing traffic. And they seemingly have no fucking concept of the fac that it's truly just a passing lane. It's fine if you want to drive the speed limit, just do it in the fucking right lanes! See, I get heated..haha.

One of the roads I drive on in a 2 lane parkway, and people will just park themselves in the left lane going slow, and no one can get around them. Like, do you not see the line of 60 cars behind you, trying to go faster? You're pacing the car next to you!

Ugh it's such a pain in the ass.

I encounter this all the time when I go see our friends and family in Fairfield County and we're out on the Merritt Parkway and inevitably there are people who just don't move to the right.

Then add to that those who have no patience and whip through the traffic. It's awful.

ILoveBeachMusic · November 2019

Indiana will ticket people driving slowly and impeding traffic in the passing lane. This happened a couple of years ago when a woman was driving below the speed limit in the passing lane. I drive in the passing lane if I am passing several sets of vehicles but try and remember to go over if I'm not - sometimes I forget. However, the people that come barreling down like a bat out of hell when I'm passing really get me! Seriously folks, I'm already going over the speed limit don't tail me until I can pull over!

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