Yeah, right. It's difficult to love your neighbors when you have neighbors like mine. Well, it's mostly one family that's annoying...
A couple of years ago, they planted 5 pine trees near our fence line. No problem - they want some privacy - so do we!! It was fine the first year. They weren't the loveliest pine trees around, but I could deal with it.
Here are the pine trees this year:
Not very nice, right? Well, let's take a closer look:
Yep, that's right. Not only are the trees dead, but they have massive weeds growing under, around, & up through them. I think perhaps they plan to use the trees as a base for topiaries. I can only hope, because that is definitely the lesser of all of the possible evils.
These people have hot tub parties and play the music so loud that we can hear it inside our house with all of the windows closed - at 2:00 am. Hey, I like to party with my cool neighbors (the ones who live in our cul-de-sac), but we don't disturb everyone else & we sure aren't blasting music at 2:00 in the morning.
If you look closely at the first picture, you can see that they have patched the siding on their back porch. Unfortunately, it's nowhere close to the color of the original siding. Yet another lovely thing we get to stare at if we sit on our deck. It annoys me more than it should - but I think that's because they do so many other annoying things.
A couple of winters ago, they decided to "seal up" their back porch. Now most people would have put plastic on the inside, but not them. They put it on the outside & held it in place with 2X4's. They didn't even bother to trim the excess plastic. It just flopped in the wind. That was really pretty to look at all winter. Thank goodness they haven't done it again. Yet. Oh, please, don't let them do it again.
They have two kids - a girl around 18 months and a boy around 4. The boy is a brat and the mom likes to scream at him a lot. (I'm going to call him Bratty Boy - because he's a bratty boy, and because his mom always uses his first & middle names when she screams at him.) You can hear this inside our house with the windows closed (God forbid you should be outside while she's yelling - yikes - it's deafening).
They have a dog that they like to tie up outside - and he likes to bark. A lot. We have a dog, too (Riley) - but if he starts barking, he has to come inside. I don't let him bother the neighbors. I caught Bratty Boy standing on our fence one day, trying to poke Riley with a stick. Riley was slobbering, barking, & going crazy like a rabid beast, but that didn't stop BB - and Mom was nowhere to be seen. I had to go out and tell BB to stop bothering Riley - and that he should always leave Riley alone because he bites. :-)
The other day, I noticed Bratty Boy in his yard playing with one of his friends. BB was swinging a golf club. Yeah. Now that's the kind of toy to give to a kid like BB. I thought to myself - he's gonna hit that other kid in the head. Where was Mom? Nowhere to be seen, as usual. A couple of minutes later, I hear crying. When I looked out the window, the other kid was crying, & BB's mom was screaming at the top of her lungs. Again. Guess what happened? Luckily, the other kids seemed to be okay.
I wanna love my neighbors, but they sure do make it difficult!!! Argh!!!
Showing posts with label spiels (DMRHandS). Show all posts
Showing posts with label spiels (DMRHandS). Show all posts
If you can't say something nice...
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
I know I shouldn't be, but I am constantly amazed by the number of rude people out there. I'm talking about people who don't know how to voice their opinion without being obnoxious.
I'm all for speaking your mind - as a matter of fact, I think that most of the time, it doesn't pay to be quiet. But there are definitely times when you need to stop and think about what you're getting ready to say. Ask yourself if it's really necessary - or if there is a way to word it so that it's not offensive - or if it's going to make you look like an uneducated, immature ass.
For example, if you read someone's personal blog and you disagree with something they write about - before posting a comment, you should probably ask yourself if the comment is appropriate. After all, it's someone's personal blog - with their personal opinions - and their personal observations. It's not the gospel - it's not the law. So should you really make a comment telling that person that they are wrong/shallow/ridiculous/vain? Or would it be better to say something like "I feel differently" or "I see it this way" or "This is my opinion"?
There's a lot of truth to Thumper's father's advice - if you can't say something nice... don't say nothing at all. You can be nice and still have a different opinion. I have no problem with opinions that differ from mine. Opinions - we all have them - we all have a right to ours - and that's the way it should be...Amen. But insulting me on my blog is like coming into my home and insulting me. Would you want me to come to your house and insult you? I would like to think that your mother taught you better. Or perhaps she did, and she would be just as appalled at your behavior as I.
So if you make a comment on one of my blog posts and it's rude, insulting, or otherwise disrespectful - don't expect to see it posted. That's why the comments are moderated. Please take your nastiness elsewhere. On the other hand, if you have a well-thought-out comment to make and you're respectful in your wording, I have no problem with posting it for everyone to see. I know not everyone will agree with me and I wouldn't have it any other way. Variety is the spice of life!
My readers are awesome - but over the past couple of days, I've had people appear out of nowhere just to make rude comments. I don't know these people - they've never commented on my blog before - and apparently they're just signing up for an ID just to make a rude comment. Nice, huh?
I apologize for the need for this little soapbox rant. We now return to our regularly scheduled program. I'm going to go listen to Nirvana's "Lake of Fire"...
I'm all for speaking your mind - as a matter of fact, I think that most of the time, it doesn't pay to be quiet. But there are definitely times when you need to stop and think about what you're getting ready to say. Ask yourself if it's really necessary - or if there is a way to word it so that it's not offensive - or if it's going to make you look like an uneducated, immature ass.
For example, if you read someone's personal blog and you disagree with something they write about - before posting a comment, you should probably ask yourself if the comment is appropriate. After all, it's someone's personal blog - with their personal opinions - and their personal observations. It's not the gospel - it's not the law. So should you really make a comment telling that person that they are wrong/shallow/ridiculous/vain? Or would it be better to say something like "I feel differently" or "I see it this way" or "This is my opinion"?
There's a lot of truth to Thumper's father's advice - if you can't say something nice... don't say nothing at all. You can be nice and still have a different opinion. I have no problem with opinions that differ from mine. Opinions - we all have them - we all have a right to ours - and that's the way it should be...Amen. But insulting me on my blog is like coming into my home and insulting me. Would you want me to come to your house and insult you? I would like to think that your mother taught you better. Or perhaps she did, and she would be just as appalled at your behavior as I.
So if you make a comment on one of my blog posts and it's rude, insulting, or otherwise disrespectful - don't expect to see it posted. That's why the comments are moderated. Please take your nastiness elsewhere. On the other hand, if you have a well-thought-out comment to make and you're respectful in your wording, I have no problem with posting it for everyone to see. I know not everyone will agree with me and I wouldn't have it any other way. Variety is the spice of life!
My readers are awesome - but over the past couple of days, I've had people appear out of nowhere just to make rude comments. I don't know these people - they've never commented on my blog before - and apparently they're just signing up for an ID just to make a rude comment. Nice, huh?
I apologize for the need for this little soapbox rant. We now return to our regularly scheduled program. I'm going to go listen to Nirvana's "Lake of Fire"...
No, that's not a burn mark on my forehead...
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Sometimes, I feel like there should be a mandatory safety class that you have to take before you can purchase a heat appliance for your hair. I'd take it just so I could learn to stop burning my fingers & forehead! I can't be the only one who does this, right? I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've been SO glad that I wear bangs! They'll hide a red mark the size of a mini Milky Way bar. Yes, I know this from experience - thanks for asking. Well, while perusing the Glamour website, I came across an article that seemed tailor-made for me - "How Not To Lightly Sear Your Fingers Whilst Curling Your Hair". First, I laughed at the title, then I felt relief that I wasn't alone, and finally, I settled down to read the article. It suggests wearing fitted heat-resistant gloves, like the Ove Glove, while styling your hair! Brilliant! Can I tape one to my forehead?
I decided to see what other gloves I could find, and it seems that they are quite plentiful! Who knew?
The Enzo Milano heat-resistant glove, available through amazon.com for $10
The HAI Elite Heat-Resistant One-Size-Fits All Glove, also available from amazon.com for $30

The HAI Elite Iron Tips - they just cover the thumb & index finger - available at amazon.com for $14.99

The Pure Heat G-0103 3-Finger Iron Glove, available at amazon.com for $17
I think I'd probably require a glove for both hands as I tend to be a bit uncoordinated when working with a curling iron. I'm also wondering if heat-resistant gloves would be necessary or if just wearing a pair of tight-fitting cloth gloves would offer enough protection since you would feel the increased warmth and be able to move your fingers before they were burned.
Other than advice saying to place a comb between the forehead & the iron, I wasn't able to find much to prevent forehead burns. I'll be honest - I do the comb trick a time or two, and then I stop, because I think "Oh, I know I have to be careful - I won't burn myself again". And then one day, as I'm curling the front of my hair, my husband or one of the kids barges into the bathroom and either startles or distracts me. You see where I'm going with this - and yes, once again I give thanks for my bangs. This is one reason why I rarely use a curling iron. My forehead is pretty safe with a flat iron.





