Post a good thing that happened in your life today

[John Mitchell]

6 minutes ago, spacecadet said:

Billions!

Courtesy of some volunteering I now have one of the re-usable face shields which are much pleasanter. But I can't wear it out and about because my hat feels like a loose dustbin lid with it.

 

 

We don't have dustbins (just dust) over here, but I get the idea. The transparent plastic face shields I've seen people wearing in Vancouver look pretty useless -- i.e. they don't act as an air filter the way cloth masks supposedly do. But perhaps I'm missing something...

[spacecadet]

15 minutes ago, John Mitchell said:

perhaps I'm missing something

Well, as they're acceptable for volunteers at vaccination centres, perhaps you are. But then, a face covering is mostly for the protection of others, not the wearer, we take a test before every shift, and vaccine candidates wear a mask as well.

Tests are free, regardless of risk or exposure, for the asking here- we carry out 1.5M tests a day, 3% of the population.

Edited December 21, 2021 by spacecadet

[NYCat]

We are supposed to cut the strings before we throw away masks in order to protect the animals from getting trapped in them. I think I have been remiss. I was using washable masks at first and was very good about washing them every night. Then we were only wearing them inside and if I'd only had it on to visit a store I was lazy about doing the washing. Then I got a stye. My optometrist says a lot of people got them from the masks. Now I wear disposable ones and toss them.

 

Paulette

[aphperspective]

My optometrist who removed an ingrowing eyelash today told me there is now a condition called MIDES "Mask Induced Dry Eye Syndrome" caused by hot breath blowing out from the mask top constantly blowing over the eye's. No vaccine for that yet. 🙄

[John Mitchell]

1 hour ago, NYCat said:

We are supposed to cut the strings before we throw away masks in order to protect the animals from getting trapped in them. I think I have been remiss. I was using washable masks at first and was very good about washing them every night. Then we were only wearing them inside and if I'd only had it on to visit a store I was lazy about doing the washing. Then I got a stye. My optometrist says a lot of people got them from the masks. Now I wear disposable ones and toss them.

 

Paulette

 

I didn't know about cutting the strings or the styes (I'm susceptible to those). Good info. Thanks.

 

P.S. I now have more masks than the Lone Ranger (Remember him?), but I've switched to disposable.

 

 

[John Mitchell]

2 hours ago, spacecadet said:

Well, as they're acceptable for volunteers at vaccination centres, perhaps you are. But then, a face covering is mostly for the protection of others, not the wearer, we take a test before every shift, and vaccine candidates wear a mask as well.

Tests are free, regardless of risk or exposure, for the asking here- we carry out 1.5M tests a day, 3% of the population.

 

Both the vaccinators and the vaccinatees here wear cloth masks. But as you say, masks are reportedly not that effective for self-protection. Corona is a sneaky little virus. Good for you for volunteering.

[Bryan]

9 hours ago, John Mitchell said:

 

I always take my own cloth bag and pack my own groceries. However, I'd say that only about 50% of customers at the grocery stores I frequent bring their own bags. They seem to prefer paying 5 cents for plastic ones. Some stores here do offer paper as an alternative. I guess they are perceived as being more environmentally friendly. Plastic container use is still totally out of control, though. We're going to be literally drowning in plastic soon. In fact we already are. COVID must have really increased global solid waste, with so many people ordering takeout food, etc. I shudder to think where all those millions of disposable masks are ending up...😷

My wife has a bee in her bonnet regarding disposable plastic bottles, she is a volunteer member of our neighbourhood litter collection group, and despairs of the plastic waste found on our streets. We've seen how there is provision for paid recycling in some states in the USA with stores accepting returns and making a small payment, while here the government makes sympathetic noises but does nothing, maybe they are reliant on  the industry for cash ? While I'm no untidy litter enthusiast, I believe a greater problem lies with plastic getting into the food chain, and know a riverbank strewn with plastic en route to the sea. This can't be right.

[Cecile Marion]

In my city, and many others in the US, recycling is part of our home and business refuse pickup. We pay for the service, either through monthly utility bills, property taxes or through community fees (condo/apartment association fees). While I have tried to cut back on purchasing plastic, especially, I can recycle cardboard, glass, plastic bottles and paper, at the same time I throw out household waste. It’s been amazing to me how much paper I recycle. All materials must be sorted into the proper bins so, if I have extra items to recycle, such as when I have had large amounts of shredded paper for disposal, I can drive it to the same refuse center as before and dump it into large containers at no extra cost to me. In a few other cities I’m familiar with, all items to be recycled are dumped in together, and later sorted at a recycling facility. Unfortunately, not every city recycles as efficiently as my town, and some don’t recycle at all.

[Bryan]

3 hours ago, Cecile Marion said:

In my city, and many others in the US, recycling is part of our home and business refuse pickup. We pay for the service, either through monthly utility bills, property taxes or through community fees (condo/apartment association fees). While I have tried to cut back on purchasing plastic, especially, I can recycle cardboard, glass, plastic bottles and paper, at the same time I throw out household waste. It’s been amazing to me how much paper I recycle. All materials must be sorted into the proper bins so, if I have extra items to recycle, such as when I have had large amounts of shredded paper for disposal, I can drive it to the same refuse center as before and dump it into large containers at no extra cost to me. In a few other cities I’m familiar with, all items to be recycled are dumped in together, and later sorted at a recycling facility. Unfortunately, not every city recycles as efficiently as my town, and some don’t recycle at all.

Yes we have a similar arrangement, and responsible people separate and recycle their waste. However there are those who don't think twice about discarding litter in the streets, while there is a concern about what happens to all that carefully binned recycled stuff, is it properly recycled or dumped elsewhere in the world to become someone else's problem?  A refundable deposit scheme would cut the number of bottles dumped, and a move away from plastic packaging is also part of the solution.

[spacecadet]

13 hours ago, John Mitchell said:

Good for you for volunteering.

Thankyou. I am making an effort not to blow my own trumpet about it unless it comes up in conversation, as it did.

The NHS volunteering system uses a smartphone app to allocate shifts so I couldn't go in until I acquired OH's old one recently. Many thousands are now volunteering, mostly for what amounts to crowd control at vaccine centres or pharmacies, but we can also do the data entry on the Ipad. I've received a huge red poncho which could keep about 5 people dry, but I've mostly managed to keep indoors. Just as well, it's -1C today.

You learn a great deal about vaccines very quickly, and if someone asks a question you can't answer, you'd better Google it when you get home! I've now spoken to about 1500 people and am in danger of thinking I live a charmed life with no sign of covid myself. The booster programme is up to about 1M people a day now.

It is quite rewarding to pitch in (and incidentally show up our politicians as hopeless jerks, which is a bonus).

Edited December 22, 2021 by spacecadet

[Mr Standfast]

5 minutes ago, spacecadet said:

Thankyou. I am making an effort not to blow my own trumpet about it unless it comes up in conversation, as it did.

The NHS volunteering system uses a smartphone app to allocate shifts so I couldn't go in until I acquired OH's old one recently. Many thousands are now volunteering, mostly for what amounts to crowd control at vaccine centres or pharmacies, but we can also do the data entry on the Ipad. I've received a huge red poncho which could keep about 5 people dry, but I've mostly managed to keep indoors. Just as well, it's -1C today.

You learn a great deal about vaccines very quickly, and if someone asks a question you can't answer, you'd better Google it when you get home! I've now spoken to about 1500 people and am in danger of thinking I live a charmed life with no sign of covid myself. The booster programme is up to about 1M people a day now.

It is quite rewarding to pitch in (and incidentally show up our politicians as hopeless jerks, which is a bonus).

⭐!

[spacecadet]

4 minutes ago, Mr Standfast said:

⭐!

I only wish I could have been doing something throughout. But last March when the call for volunteers went out the WRVS failed to verify my identification. Odd because this time round they verified exactly the same passport scan in a couple of hours.

Edited December 22, 2021 by spacecadet

[Ed Rooney]

 

Thank you, Mark for helping the NHS and thanks to all the volunteers. 

 

I have some pros and cons thoughts that I'm not sure are good or bad.

 

"There's nothing quite like the taste of a Big Mac in your own home." That's an ad that plays on my radio on Classical FM. McD has announced that they will be opening 200 more locations in Italy. There are none in Florence at the moment. Let's keep it that way. And there's that charity ad asking for £29.06 to help the homeless. What's the 6 pence for?  They specifically ask for twenty-nine pounds sixpence. ???

 

My view of Liverpool -- comparing it to NYC -- is probably out of date. It's been 4 years since I left Mulberry Street. Cuisine, style, healthcare, music, politics, films, everything has changed in that time. 
 

 

Edited December 22, 2021 by Ed Rooney

[Betty LaRue]

I recycled religiously in Oklahoma City for years. Then a year or two before I moved, they ended the program. It was said the city lost money. I think the city should have budgeted the difference. I think, though it was a year when there was a huge budgetary shortfall, so they had to hunt to find things to cut.

[MariaJ]

18 hours ago, Bryan said:

My wife has a bee in her bonnet regarding disposable plastic bottles, she is a volunteer member of our neighbourhood litter collection group, and despairs of the plastic waste found on our streets. We've seen how there is provision for paid recycling in some states in the USA with stores accepting returns and making a small payment, while here the government makes sympathetic noises but does nothing, maybe they are reliant on  the industry for cash ? While I'm no untidy litter enthusiast, I believe a greater problem lies with plastic getting into the food chain, and know a riverbank strewn with plastic en route to the sea. This can't be right.

 In Canada, getting money back for recyclables depends on the province.  I was surprised to see no money for returns in Ontario, the last time I was there.  Here in BC there's money back for plastic and glass bottles, with deposits charged when purchased.  During the pandemic they've made it easier to drop off a bag of bottles a return-it centre - you just need to put a sticker on the bag and they'll refund it to your account.

[John Mitchell]

9 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

Thank you, Mark for helping the NHS and thanks to all the volunteers. 

 

I have some pros and cons thoughts that I'm not sure are good or bad.

 

"There's nothing quite like the taste of a Big Mac in your own home." That's an ad that plays on my radio on Classical FM. McD has announced that they will be opening 200 more locations in Italy. There are none in Florence at the moment. Let's keep it that way. And there's that charity ad asking for £29.06 to help the homeless. What's the 6 pence for?  They specifically ask for twenty-nine pounds sixpence. ???

 

My view of Liverpool -- comparing it to NYC -- is probably out of date. It's been 4 years since I left Mulberry Street. Cuisine, style, healthcare, music, politics, films, everything has changed in that time. 
 

 

 

In the early 2000's, MacDonald's announced they were opening a restaurant on the historic main square of the lovely city of Oaxaca, Mexico. There was so much resistance from the locals that they eventually had to back down. I haven't stepped inside a MacDonald's in about 25 years and plan to keep it that way.

 

¡Viva la Revolución! 🤠

[Ed Rooney]

 

Mexico, like Italy, has a very important traditional cuisine. Fast food attracts the youth away from that tradition.

 

I've not found a good Italian or Mexican restaurant in Liverpool. There are some Indian and Middle Eastern places I like. 

[Bryan]

6 hours ago, John Mitchell said:

 

In the early 2000's, MacDonald's announced they were opening a restaurant on the historic main square of the lovely city of Oaxaca, Mexico. There was so much resistance from the locals that they eventually had to back down. I haven't stepped inside a MacDonald's in about 25 years and plan to keep it that way.

 

¡Viva la Revolución! 🤠

I've a similar dislike for M but on the rare occasion I've driven at night to avoid the traffic, theirs is sometimes the only offer available at the motorway service stations. You may be interested to learn that Tim Hortons has arrived on these shores, our local drivethrough is always busy, but I've yet to darken their door.

[Bryan]

With the threat of heavy rain on the way, we picked the Xmas veg. this morning. Brussels sprouts, parsnips, cabbage and leeks, not to mention a few sprigs of rosemary with which to roast the spuds.   Just need to navigate the minefield of vegetarian, and lactose/soya intolerant family members come the day. 

[John Mitchell]

12 hours ago, Bryan said:

I've a similar dislike for M but on the rare occasion I've driven at night to avoid the traffic, theirs is sometimes the only offer available at the motorway service stations. You may be interested to learn that Tim Hortons has arrived on these shores, our local drivethrough is always busy, but I've yet to darken their door.

 

I'm not a big fan of Tim's either, which I guess amounts to treason. By the way, it's not even Canadian-owned.

[John Mitchell]

6 hours ago, Bryan said:

With the threat of heavy rain on the way, we picked the Xmas veg. this morning. Brussels sprouts, parsnips, cabbage and leeks, not to mention a few sprigs of rosemary with which to roast the spuds.   Just need to navigate the minefield of vegetarian, and lactose/soya intolerant family members come the day. 

 

Have you tried oat milk? I find it as tasty as dairy milk and more versatile than soy milk. Stores can't seem to keep up with the demand here.

[Michael Ventura]

1 hour ago, John Mitchell said:

 

Have you tried oat milk? I find it as tasty as dairy milk and more versatile than soy milk. Stores can't seem to keep up with the demand here.

 

My daughter, who is a vegan, is totally nuts for oat milk.  While we were away, she bought oak milk creamer for our coffee and it was good!

[Bryan]

1 hour ago, John Mitchell said:

 

Have you tried oat milk? I find it as tasty as dairy milk and more versatile than soy milk. Stores can't seem to keep up with the demand here.

Cheers John, I'm told that we have bought in a supply of oat milk to cater for the lactose people, I'll certainly give it a try.

 

We normally drink fat free dairy milk, but that buffered with milk protein so that it tastes just like semi skimmed. This is also sometimes difficult to source. Having just checked, it's the same price as oat milk.

Edited December 23, 2021 by Bryan

[Cecile Marion]

I’ll have to try oat milk. One of my granddaughters and I are allergic to the casein in cow’s milk, so I sometimes cook with almond or soy (I don’t care much for either). I love oats prepared a certain way, but can’t abide oatmeal. Go figure. I’ve just now taken out of the oven some "energy bites" made with oats, peanut butter, unsweetened shredded coconut, two ripe bananas and a little vanilla. I like them a lot, and they’re an easy way to use overripe bananas.
 

I was a vegetarian for 15 years. I’m headed back in that direction again, though I doubt I’ll give up meat/fish completely. I applaud your daughter for eating vegan, Michael, but also know it can be a challenge for all of us cooking for family members who eat a certain diet.

[Michael Ventura]

6 hours ago, Cecile Marion said:

I applaud your daughter for eating vegan, Michael, but also know it can be a challenge for all of us cooking for family members who eat a certain diet.

 

This is true.  Fortunately I do love a lot of vegetarian and vegan dishes so I can go without meat fairly easily.  Not like my brother who has to have meat just about every meal, especially dinners.

Edited December 24, 2021 by Michael Ventura