What are some of your pet peeves?

[Selene Gregoire]

48 minutes ago, kali Wylder said:

I'm a proud swamp Yankee

Well... that is better than being just a yankee and a damn sight better than being a damn yankee. 

 

For those who don't know, a damn yankee is a northerner that moved to the south permanently. In other words, they won't go home! 

[Luna Bliss]

4 minutes ago, Marigold Devin said:

Oh that is an absolutely beautiful part of the British Isles. My cousin married a Scotsman and traced his family back to King James VI. My family tree just keeps leading me back to more peasants!! 

The 'born out of wedlock' ancestor that ended up at the Hebrides (is that the right name?) came from royalty, but I seldom mention that. It's the wild, in-tune-with nature, open, determined, and sincere (so people say they were) people of that area I want to connect with.

[Selene Gregoire]

13 minutes ago, Rolig Loon said:

The "melting pot" metaphor is a crummy one on several levels, but if you accept it you still have to recognize that North America is imperfectly melted.  A couple of centuries isn't long enough to blend the cultural histories (much less the genetic heritage) of the waves of immigrants to this continent and the native people who were already here.  After the mid-19th century, immgrants tended to form their own communities, many of which still have an overprint on "American" culture. In my own part of the midwest, for example, we have counties and towns that are still largely Norwegian or Dutch or Czech or Finnish or Swiss because the families that arrived together to farm the land still own it today.  Eastern Europeans arriving in the start of the 20th century formed vibrant communities around factories and mines, as well as merchant communities in places like New York.  Asians have done the same, bound by linguistic and cultural ties, so we have Hmong in Minnesota and Korean communities all along the west coast. Those are strong and cohesive today.  It's no surprise that they still identify with where their ancestors came from, but they are all quite definitely American.

First Nations people do not want to be "blended". You'd be surprised at how many of us do not consider ourselves to be American. No, I don't expect people who are not First Nations to understand it. The only way I can explain it is to say, I am Lakota, not American.

[Selene Gregoire]

13 minutes ago, Marigold Devin said:

Oh that is an absolutely beautiful part of the British Isles. My cousin married a Scotsman and traced his family back to King James VI. My family tree just keeps leading me back to more peasants!! 

Whenever I go to Scotland though, I try to go to Skye, but even a week in Fort William and you come back feeling rejuvenated by the clean air and ten years younger. 

And contrary to popular belief, Scottish folk are probably the most generous I have ever known. 

RL other half is Clan MacLeod (Harris).  We dream of visiting Dunvegan, his ancestral home. Good thing we can't afford the trip because I'd probably never get him to leave Skye. lol

[Kimmi Zehetbauer]

While on the subject, both my parents came from Congo. But they came to the US about a year before I was born to work in the auto industry. My man is a Heinz 57 mix though.

Edited May 15, 2020 by Kimmi Zehetbauer
Old age typo.

[Marigold Devin]

16 minutes ago, Luna Bliss said:

The 'born out of wedlock' ancestor that ended up at the Hebrides (is that the right name?) came from royalty, but I seldom mention that. It's the wild, in-tune-with nature, open, determined, and sincere (so people say they were) people of that area I want to connect with.

Yes, Hebrides, pronounced Heb rid ease. Wild and wonderful. 

[Marigold Devin]

7 minutes ago, Selene Gregoire said:

RL other half is Clan MacLeod (Harris).  We dream of visiting Dunvegan, his ancestral home. Good thing we can't afford the trip because I'd probably never get him to leave Skye. lol

It is a place I yearn to go back to. It has magical qualities. You would never want to leave. 

[Luna Bliss]

1 minute ago, Marigold Devin said:

It is a place I yearn to go back to. It has magical qualities. You would never want to leave.

I would love to visit.  I hope this Covid leaves us alone eventually so people feel comfortable traveling again.

On the way to tracing way back to this family line ending up in the Hebrides I discovered a group of Scots who meet yearly, some relatives, a couple states away. The guys wear kilts -- I keep teasing my brother about having to wear the kilt/skirt if we attend one of their gatherings.

[Marigold Devin]

1 minute ago, Luna Bliss said:

I would love to visit.  I hope this Covid leaves us alone eventually so people feel comfortable traveling again.

On the way to tracing way back to this family line ending up in the Hebrides I discovered a group of Scots who meet yearly, some relatives, a couple states away. The guys wear kilts -- I keep teasing my brother about having to wear the kilt/skirt if we attend one of their gatherings.

Sadly I think we are stuck with covid for a long time yet, especially as I just looked out of my back window to see 20 youths playing football together, not adhering to the social distancing guidelines.  Methinks the UK will hit a second peak, and that's another couple of months down the swanny.  

But WHEN it is over, the get together, with the men in kilts, is a MUST. Men look fantastic in kilts in my opinion, the material of them is so rugged, the pleating and sporrans masterful. 

[Luna Bliss]

16 minutes ago, Marigold Devin said:

Sadly I think we are stuck with covid for a long time yet, especially as I just looked out of my back window to see 20 youths playing football together, not adhering to the social distancing guidelines.  Methinks the UK will hit a second peak, and that's another couple of months down the swanny. 

It drags on and on and on...like a bad dream.   

[Marigold Devin]

1 minute ago, Luna Bliss said:

It drags on and on and on...like a bad dream.   

Surreal and weird, but definitely the stuff to make movies out of! 

I wonder how many movies will be made after the virus has done it's worst?  

 

[Rolig Loon]

36 minutes ago, Selene Gregoire said:

First Nations people do not want to be "blended". You'd be surprised at how many of us do not consider ourselves to be American. No, I don't expect people who are not First Nations to understand it. The only way I can explain it is to say, I am Lakota, not American.

I definitely agree, and that's why I said that the melting pot is a crummy metaphor. It implies that "melting" is a good thing and that it is welcomed by Americans as an ideal. However, it has its roots in some odious practices, like those that punished Native Americans for speaking their own languages in order to make them more like "us". It's reflected today in repeated efforts to pass "English only" rules and to argue against allowing Islamic communities to build mosques in "Christian" areas. There are advantages to having common goals and a common understanding of legal, economic, and political principles, but homogeneity comes at the cost of our people's rich cultural variety.  By following Lindal's mention of the melting pot, I was hoping to make the point that "melting" not only has not worked but is also not desirable because it implies a flattening of our differences.  North Americans are stronger because we can celebrate the patchwork of heritages among us, blending ideas from them while keeping their unique identities.

[Lillith Hapmouche]

1 hour ago, Marigold Devin said:

Researching family history is always so interesting.

Actually, I found it rather disappointing on the paternal side, they all sucked. Especially the most direct relative is a plain waste of resources, along with his nuthead sister. Wish I could have traded when friends lost their truly beloved fathers, would have gladly done so.

[Lindal Kidd]

1 hour ago, Orwar said:

 I think it's hilarious to point out how one Swedish submarine 'sunk' a US Aircraft Carrier without being detected by its escort during a war game, because that's like holding out your leg when someone struts past you with their nose in the air. Anyone could very well retort with the fact that Sweden only has 5 submarines in total, and that our combined armed forces probably has about the same firepower as the coast guard of Utah.

I think Sweden should be proud of this achievement.  It is not easy to stalk and attack an aircraft carrier, given all the protection provided by the carrier group.

By the way...do you know why the Swedish Navy puts barcodes on all its ships?

 

 

So they can scan da Navy in!

[Marigold Devin]

14 minutes ago, Lillith Hapmouche said:

Actually, I found it rather disappointing on the paternal side, they all sucked. Especially the most direct relative is a plain waste of resources, along with his nuthead sister. Wish I could have traded when friends lost their truly beloved fathers, would have gladly done so.

Sadly, in this life, we can't often get what we wish for, and sometimes when we do, it isn't all it's cracked up to be. 

What I found with my relatives is that they seem to have kept the same dozen names - Oliver, George, Mary, Ethel, and that gets a bit confusing when trying to delve further back. 

_____

Edited to add.

Got to bear in mind that we are descended from them - I know that is pretty obvious - but they live on in us, so the "nuthead"/waste genes might get passed along. It's up to us to change future history I guess.

Edited May 15, 2020 by Marigold Devin

[Lindal Kidd]

1 hour ago, Marigold Devin said:

And contrary to popular belief, Scottish folk are probably the most generous I have ever known.

You're right, but the "tight fisted Scot" jokes are still funny.  Here's my favorite:

An American tourist visited a souvenir store in Glasgow.  After making his selections and taking them to the counter, he took out his nylon sports wallet to pay for them.  It had a velcro closure, and made a ripping sound as it was opened.  The storekeeper looked at it and said,

"Aye laddie, that's a rrreal Scots wallet...it scrrrrreams when ye open it!"

[kali Wylder]

every time I try to trace my roots, in every branch, I find that my ancestors were scoundrels, no wonder I was such a rebellious teenager.

[Luna Bliss]

32 minutes ago, kali Wylder said:

every time I try to trace my roots, in every branch, I find that my ancestors were scoundrels

aww surely there were some good ones, and many 'half good' ones....you might have to go back a ways...

[Lillith Hapmouche]

 

38 minutes ago, Marigold Devin said:

Got to bear in mind that we are descended from them - I know that is pretty obvious - but they live on in us, so the "nuthead"/waste genes might get passed along. It's up to us to change future history I guess.

Oh, never mind. My motto lately is, "There's no risk for me to infect anyone who's close, 'cause there is no one close. Still I wouldn't like to get sick because there's no one close to look after me either." 

So yeah. A good inspiration to enjoy the home office weeks.

[Marigold Devin]

2 minutes ago, Lillith Hapmouche said:

 

Oh, never mind. My motto lately is, "There's no risk for me to infect anyone who's close, 'cause there is no one close. Still I wouldn't like to get sick because there's no one close to look after me either." 

So yeah. A good inspiration to enjoy the home office weeks.

No doubt the suicide rates are going to go up these next few weeks.

I don't have anyone to look after me if I get sick either. And I have to look after someone full-time, so if I get sick there will be no one to look after him either.

It is what it is. For everyone right now. We're all in this minestrone soup together - even while apart.

And if you choose not to look for the positives, then you can be sure the negatives will get in through the cracks in your armour. 

My friend's mother died today. She has got proper reasons for being sad. I want to go hug her, help her sort out what she needs to sort out. She's been told no funeral for six weeks! It's frustrating. But it is what it is.

 

[Lillith Hapmouche]

Hmm, pretty many words to say "stop whining".

.... ohhh, pet peeve. People telling other people that others have it worse. No matter if they have complained at all or not. 

Everyone is perfectly fine to feel sad. It's no contest.

[Marigold Devin]

3 minutes ago, Lillith Hapmouche said:

Hmm, pretty many words to say "stop whining".

.... ohhh, pet peeve. People telling other people that others have it worse. No matter if they have complained at all or not. 

Everyone is perfectly fine to feel sad. It's no contest.

I know it is no contest.

I did not say "stop whining". You heard that from the voices in your own head.

I just felt the need - because you seemed to be treating me like I was too happy and you wanted to bring my mood down. Not possible. Butterflies and rainbows. Enjoy your misery. Misery loves company though, and you are all alone  

 

[Lillith Hapmouche]

Errr, yeah. Regards to your voices. They are telling you some really strange things, apparently.

[kiramanell]

21 minutes ago, Lillith Hapmouche said:

.... ohhh, pet peeve. People telling other people that others have it worse. No matter if they have complained at all or not. 

Everyone is perfectly fine to feel sad. It's no contest.

 

Astute observation! People have a tendency not to relativate themselves, but YOU. "There's always someone worse off than you." There probably is, but it's a BS argument, meant to keep everyone silent about their suffering; and the one actually literally 'worst off' wouldn't even know it to boot.

So, yeah, hating those faux relativations. Reminds me, every time, of that poignant stanza from "In Memoriam", by Alfred Lord Tennyson:

 

One writes, that `Other friends remain,'
That `Loss is common to the race'—
And common is the commonplace,
And vacant chaff well meant for grain.

 

EDIT: Just agreeing with the pet peeve; not aimed at @Marigold Devin

Edited May 15, 2020 by kiramanell
Addendum

[Luna Bliss]

33 minutes ago, Marigold Devin said:

No doubt the suicide rates are going to go up these next few weeks.

It is what it is. For everyone right now. We're all in this minestrone soup together - even while apart.

I'm really not so affected by the lockdown. I mean I can't go to my favorite park and walk, and stop off on the way home at my favorite organic salad bar. If it goes on and on though I won't be able to visit my family in SF without risking getting ill.

What I'm worried about now is the depression we seem to be headed toward. Food insecurity. Civil unrest.  Somebody broke into my backyard the other day, probably looking for stuff to sell. I managed to get the back gate repaired. That's never happened before.  I just don't know how bad it's going to get.