The Chit Chat Chit Chat Thread

[MinnieM123]

I remember food on my vacations too. Isn't it nice to have someone else cook?

Cook, and clean up the mess for all of us, too!!

 

[Goofyernmost]

I love the Minions! Still debating if we are going to go see it tonight.

It will be interesting to see if they can carry a whole movie (sans Gru and Agnes) or if it will be like Seinfeld, starring Kramer only.

Yes, I am a tad skeptical. Let me know how it works out will ya?

 

[MinnieM123]

@ajrwdwgirl , I was completely in awe of the pictures from Versailles. They were like something out of a beautiful storybook. And, you and hubby look so happy together! I like how you must have asked other people to take pictures of you--very retro approach--you actually talked to people and asked them to take your picture--love it!! (No déclassé selfie sticks for you two!)

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

These are pictures of the Trianon palaces at Versailles (a getaway when life at the main palace was rough) and Marie Antoinette's hamlet (a peasant village she had built so she could pretend she was a commoner). Then back to the main palace and soon back to Paris.

 

[MinnieM123]

It stopped raining this morning and now it is just cloudy but we just broke 70! My tomato plants are not liking this at all.

Not to fret, buddy. It will just be a later crop this year, that's all. My father used to grow tomatoes in the side yard, and I remember that his tomatoes didn't ripen on the vine until mid-August. Then, we had tomatoes everywhere; I swear they were even cloning themselves on the windowsills in the house!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

@ajrwdwgirl , I was completely in awe of the pictures from Versailles. They were like something out of a beautiful storybook. And, you and hubby look so happy together! I like how you must have asked other people to take pictures of you--very retro approach--you actually talked to people and asked them to take your picture--love it!! (No déclassé selfie sticks for you two!)

We did take a few selfies of ourselves too (no selfie stick though). But I like having someone else take our picture, there is usually more of the background and not just our heads and a little background.

 

[MinnieM123]

We all have those days. And for some of us Autocorrect is not always kind to us.

One of my duties at work is proofreading articles written for medical journals, etc. I like proofreading, and catch all kinds of errors. Autocorrect is lame in many ways, and we never rely on it.

 

[MinnieM123]

It's 73 in the house right now, hubby likes it cool! My fingers are frozen!

You wouldn't want to live with us, that's for sure. In winter, the heat is about at 58 (if it's really cold outside, like zero or below, I'll break down and kick up the heat to 60 degrees for that). In summer, we'll turn on the a/c to about 62 or so--just enough to make it bearable from the heat and humidity. So far this summer has been good--not too many hotter days, so we've been lucky. (Oh, hubby isn't a fan of my favorite lower household temps; he often walks about here in his hoodie to keep warm?! Such a wuss!)

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Back to Paris for a quick visit to the Montmartre area and the Sacre Coer and of course dinner.

Our dinner onion soup, I had a beef bourginon (I know I spelled that wrong) and hubby had lamb shank with ratatouille. We had crepes for dessert but I must not have taken a picture of those. They came with chocolate and sprinkles.


This fountain was specially designed so people back in the day could use it for drinking only, not for their whole bodies. It was supposed to only fit a cup in the water area. I guess a visiting royal was so disgusted that people were bathing and drinking in the fountains of Paris so they donated these drinking fountains to the city. And no I didn't try drinking out of it.


Our hotel and balcony from the street.

 

[MinnieM123]

My grandfather says to leave it out in the sun the next day, then once it gets nice and hot, spray it with the hose. Dings come right out.

But I'd rather not have to deal with it.

Just curious: did your grandfather say that many years ago, or just recently? I'm only asking because cars were made differently years ago from what they're made of now. (I may also need to call in our car consultant @donaldtoo , to weigh in on this.) What made me think of this was when our car door got hit by another car a few months ago; years ago, they could have just pulled out the dent with a tool. Now, they have to replace the whole stupid door. Hence, I was wondering if the "ding removal" process your grandfather suggested, also applied to newer cars.

 

[MOXOMUMD]

All this talk of playing dead reminds me of William Shatner in Over the Hedge Can you say ham?

No this is Hammy.

 

[MinnieM123]

I just have to tell this story, hubby was out looking at an electric line, in Indiana...a big storm came up....it broke the back window, really big dents in the car...he turned our car damage into State Farm, they told him to drive around for a couple days, and see if the dents would come out. Which was crazy. Hubby wrote the president of State Farm. Our claim was paid.....we were cancelled the day after we got the check! We now, have Allstate, we had to have a roof replaced due to big hail stones, no questions asked...they were prompt, and gave us the best service ever!

The first part of that story was infuriating on a few levels. You pay your premium every month (or in total, once a year), and those loyal customer payments may have gone on for years. But once you put in a claim, they try to cheap out on the money due to you. Then, eventually you win that battle and get the correct amount of money to fix the problem, so, they cancel you??!! After all your years of being a faithful customer! I have heard this similar type of story from others.

Just look at the tallest buildings in most large cities. Who are the majority of owners of these skyscrapers? Insurance companies--making boodles of money and flaunting their expensive real estate.

Oh, and let's all have a little cynical singalong jingle, shall we? "And like a good neighbor, State Farm is there."

 

[MinnieM123]

It has been my experience that State Farm will cancel you if they find out you have a hang nail. I had Allstate for quite a while, but never had a claim, same with The Hartford. However, Allstate did insist on charging me higher rates due to accidents that my daughter had when she was under my insurance. In spite of the fact that she was married, paying for her own insurance and not even living with us. But now I have Geico because of the price... still no claims so I cannot tell you how they do with that part of the thing.

Oh, I just love the Geico Gecko!!! He's hilarious!! (Haven't a clue about the insurance company though . . .)

 

[MinnieM123]

I still have a flip phone and I know I'm not the only one here that does. Open my phone and there's a clock and a pic of Darth Vader.

I have a flip phone too. I rarely use it--not a fan of cell phones. When I turn my on, I don't have a picture--it just shows the day and time, and then I can dial in a phone number; it rings, and usually someone at the other end of the line will say hello.

 

[MinnieM123]

And now it's time for a brief overview of cell phones.

There are two types of phones, basic and smartphone. Basic phones can make calls, text, and some can do basic web browsing and email. Most have a keyboard as opposed to a touch screen. This is a quick way to tell the difference between a basic phone and a smartphone.

The next group is Smartphones. They are devices that generally have more power and can do more, like web browsing, more game, reading, higher-functioning email, etc. The two most popular types of Smartphone operating systems (the phone version of Windows, Mac, etc.) are iOS and Android. iOS is made by Apple, Android is developed by Google. Only Apple devices (iPhones) have iOS, but many manufacturers make Android phones. Most people prefer one or the other. I have an Android phone because of the price, but I have an iPod touch (which basically runs like the iPhone, but doesn't make calls and only works with Wifi, ie, no mobile data) and prefer the iOS operating system over Android. I think it's much more user-friendly.

As a sidenotes, tablets also use iOS or Android in general (minus the Microsoft Surface, which runs Windows). Basically, if it's an iPad, it runs iOS. If it's any other tablet (minus a Surface), it runs Android.

Other types of Smartphone operating systems are Windows Phone and Blackberry. Blackberry is a dying brand. Only time will tell with Windows phones, but they have yet to reach the popularity of iPhone and Android devices (although the Surface is gaining popularity, especially among college students).

As I already stated, only Apple makes iPhones. The most currect devices are the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6+. 6+ is the largest device. There is also the iPhone 5s and 5c. 5c will run you the least expensive, while the 5s will be less (and smaller) than both the 6 and 6+, but still more than the 5c (main difference is that the 5c has a plastic back while the 5s has a metal back).

Other manufacturers make Android devices. Google does make their own devices (Nexus) but most Android devices are made by other manufacturers. Unlike iOS, which basically works across all devices the same, different manufacturers can customize Android, so it's slightly different on, say, an HTC phone as opposed to a Samsung device. Generally, if you get an Android phone, make sure it's a brand name device (like Samsung, HTC, Nexus, Motorola, etc.) as opposed to a brand you've never heard of. If you buy an off-brand device, the quality will be questionable.

This concludes your brief overview of cell phones.

Bravo! Well written!!

 

[MinnieM123]

not really true but I guess in depends where you live. At least for cars, when I got my new car, I looked into switching insurance somewhere else besides Liberty. I got quoted 1800 dollars, with Amica it was 1300.

It definitely depends on where you live. Of course, that just one of countless criteria they have in their pricing "scheme" . . .

 

[MinnieM123]

@StarWarsGirl95 , those were some terrific pictures of Diamond Head, etc. I'm really glad you had more to share with us after your vacation!

 

[StarWarsGirl]

Just curious: did your grandfather say that many years ago, or just recently? I'm only asking because cars were made differently years ago from what they're made of now. (I may also need to call in our car consultant @donaldtoo , to weigh in on this.) What made me think of this was when our car door got hit by another car a few months ago; years ago, they could have just pulled out the dent with a tool. Now, they have to replace the whole stupid door. Hence, I was wondering if the "ding removal" process your grandfather suggested, also applied to newer cars.

He just said it. He does this for a living, so I would assume he knows what he's talking about.

Important to note, though, you have to do it right after it happens, like day after, so several days later might not work.

 

[Progress.City]

You like to post a lot of pictures of girls, don't cha?

That's All the people who are here! A few guys.. All the girls have been dancing with me!

By the way, I LOVE Jerusalem! Have I mentioned that?

And the few guys who are here, introduced me to the girls and have been super cool! I LOVE Jerusalem!

 

[StarWarsGirl]

View attachment 100493 View attachment 100494 Back to Paris for a quick visit to the Montmartre area and the Sacre Coer and of course dinner.View attachment 100491 View attachment 100492

Our dinner onion soup, I had a beef bourginon (I know I spelled that wrong) and hubby had lamb shank with ratatouille. We had crepes for dessert but I must not have taken a picture of those. They came with chocolate and sprinkles.
View attachment 100495 View attachment 100496

This fountain was specially designed so people back in the day could use it for drinking only, not for their whole bodies. It was supposed to only fit a cup in the water area. I guess a visiting royal was so disgusted that people were bathing and drinking in the fountains of Paris so they donated these drinking fountains to the city. And no I didn't try drinking out of it.
View attachment 100497

Our hotel and balcony from the street.
View attachment 100498 View attachment 100499

Onion soup. My favorite.