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Post by cheerypeabrain on Nov 28, 2019 20:23:35 GMT
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Post by Kimby on Nov 28, 2019 20:38:52 GMT
Happy Thanksgiving to those of you in the country where today is Thanksgiving. Don't save any turkey for me, though. More turkey for me, then! There WILL be some green bean casserole and Waldorf salad for you, if you’re so inclined. And of course taters and gravy.
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Post by Kimby on Nov 28, 2019 20:49:44 GMT
It has been said that the exact origin of an American can be determined by their traditional side dishes at Thanksgiving: green bean casserole vs broccoli with cheese sauce vs. creamed onions vs. Brussels sprouts, “dressing” vs “stuffing”, candied yams with marshmallows vs baked sweet potatoes, Waldorf salad vs Ambrosia, Jello salad or not, cranberry sauce vs cranberry relish vs cranberry jelly (shaped like the can), pumpkin vs pecan pie... Almost as diagnostic as our regional word choices (pop vs soda vs “coke”; drinking fountain vs bubbler, etc.) More Thanksgiving variations here: www.insider.com/regional-thanksgiving-dishes-us-2017-11
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Nov 28, 2019 20:56:08 GMT
On xmas day itself this year we are having fried egg and chips. It's become a tradition in this house and some of my relatives have adopted it too. This year I might treat us to some nice thickly sliced cold ham from the deli in town as a special treat. I used to work for the NHS (no! Really? ) and for 28 years I pretty much worked every 25th December. Often because I volunteered, I found that if I volunteered early enough I could take my pick of shifts and labs..if I waited until I was assigned shifts I would inevitably end up with something awful. I always chose an early shift (0800 - 1600) at the hospital near to where we live. Staff used to help each other out too...I'd go in early so that my colleague could get home in time to open presents with their children...and the person taking over from me might arrive a couple of hours early. We decided that cooking a big turkey dinner wasnt a good idea after I'd worked a busy shift..Jeff didnt want to cook it either, so he would prepare chips, fried egg with bread and butter for us to eat. We felt slightly naughty and opened our gifts late in the evening after watching Doctor Who We will still have a big 'Christmas dinner' when Russell gets back from Finland on January 4th. Maybe I should post this on a waffle thread...seeing as I'm waffling on.....
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Post by mich64 on Nov 28, 2019 23:18:27 GMT
Happy Thanksgiving to those Americans celebrating today!
My husband is working Christmas Day, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. Boxing Day. We will visit on Christmas Eve at the annual family/friend gathering at cousin Joe and Rose's home. We will visit with my parents Boxing Day afternoon and have dinner with my in-law's. The 25th I will stay home and pretend it is not Christmas Day.
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Post by questa on Nov 29, 2019 0:48:39 GMT
Before we had kids, my former husband and I always worked the daytime shifts, he with his Taxi and I at the hospital. The hospital was great fun as many patients were allowed home for the day and the resident doctors dressed as Santas, elves etc and gave little gifts to the patients. The wards were decorated and we had the usual full on dinner (as allowed) It was all fun and jollity.
Meanwhile it was one of the busiest days for taxis as people chose to not drive. Tips are not usual in Australia but many passengers were generous, just because they had a taxi with a cheerful driver. Some of them were 'regulars'and had wrapped gifts for us. Most of the women were carrying special plates of home-cooked goodies to the family, samples of which came our way.
The strangest passenger was "Turkey Man". Every year for about 6 years he would phone for a cab, specifying my husband and meeting him at a given bus stop. He had 12 turkeys, thawed and wrapped in foil in an icebox. They then set off to call in to every police station in the city area where he dropped off a turkey while husband stayed in the taxi. He had a set route which ended back at the bus stop. Here he discovered he had a turkey left over which he insisted my husband must take home for our dinner. Next day we had our Christmas...cold turkey and goodies and watch the cricket.
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Post by fumobici on Nov 29, 2019 3:49:29 GMT
I made roast halibut and potatoes with herbs from the garden, cornbread stuffing (as a nod to the day), and steamed asparagus. Then apple pie from the local bakery for dessert. I accompanied it with Jever pilsner, a current beer crush. Feelin' pretty full, but can't go to bed—too early and have to get the dog out yet.
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Post by onlyMark on Nov 29, 2019 5:09:36 GMT
Cheery, for ten years in the police I never had a Christmas Day off, nor a New Year's Eve. Most years on Christmas Day you seemed to find your 'beat' just so happened to be the area where you lived, even if you'd never worked there before during the rest of the year. You were asked to supply a phone number where you could be reached and left it with the control room, then spent all day in familiar surroundings. Boxing Day was one of the worst days for domestic disputes.
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Post by bjd on Nov 29, 2019 7:29:52 GMT
My brother-in-law in Canada was a policeman in Toronto. He worked every year either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day so family get-togethers were often a bit difficult to plan so that he wouldn't miss out on everything.
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Post by Kimby on Nov 29, 2019 12:00:46 GMT
When Mr. Kimby was Dr. Kimby, he always volunteered to be on call on Christmas so that his partners with small children could be home with them for Santa’s arrival and for dinner with the grandparents.
He did have an ulterior motive however. No one complained when he asked to be off for the mid-January Martin Luther King long weekend eight years in a row so we could join my family in Colorado for skiing. Win win.
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Post by patricklondon on Nov 29, 2019 12:08:17 GMT
My late father was once rushed into hospital on Christmas morning (we were all due to go to my brother's for lunch, about an hour away). After assorted tests, they decided it wasn't critical, but they would keep him in overnight, so my mother and I stayed with him for the day: and they gave us lunch on the NHS (and it was a substantial plate of ham and vegetables too, with the usual pudding to follow). We ended up having a second Christmas somewhat later. My blog | My photos | My video clips | My Librivox recordings"too literate to be spam"
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Post by htmb on Nov 29, 2019 13:27:56 GMT
My ex husband played professional American football the first thirteen years we were married. Thanksgiving was always a regular workday for him because the team would hold practice in preparation for Sunday’s game. It was tough because we were away from family, as were many of the other players. I can remember missing my family and thinking about the great day they’d be having together with all the aunts, uncles, and cousins. However, as consolation, in the late afternoon, after practice was over for the day, the team would host a very nice dinner for all players, coaches, staff, and their families with great food and some sort of entertainment for the kids. Everyone would dress up in their nice clothes and it was lots of fun, though I certainly would have preferred being back home with family.
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Post by mich64 on Nov 29, 2019 20:17:53 GMT
My husband has worked more than not, but at least has had some off over the past 25 years.
I think I may have shared this previously but, one year I was doing laundry on the 24th and was not feeling well is was worsening as the day progressed. I researched my symptoms and then told my husband that once the laundry was done he was going to have to take me to the Emergency Department. Appendicitis. It was removed later that evening, normally would have been discharged the next morning but because of my blood disease I always have to stay an additional day for observation. The local Lion's Club stopped in and gave me a gift.
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Post by kerouac2 on Nov 29, 2019 20:48:56 GMT
What a lovely Christmas story! But of course this sort of thing happens to somebody every year, not to mention horrible accidents and such...
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Nov 29, 2019 21:03:17 GMT
Christmas was always horrendously busy in the lab. There were always only one haematologist/blood bank scientist at each hospital. Ok there were no 'routine' ops but there were always loads of acute admissions, every single admission needed 'stat' bloods doing... Only good thing about it was that the time flew by.
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Post by lugg on Dec 1, 2019 17:51:42 GMT
A belated Happy Thanksgiving to those members who celebrated it.
Of course I do admire and appreciate those that work at Xmas and other holidays
Although I have worked for the NHS since 1978 I have rarely worked at Xmas - in the days when I worked on the wards I always volunteered to work a late shift on NYE and an early on New Years Day in exchange for Xmas off. My hand was usually snapped off. Since 1996 my various jobs have been such that holiday working was not required as the services were closed. One of my best Xmas presents ever was in 1979 or possibly 1980 when I was working an early shift as a student nurse. My friend and I turned up as normal at 07.00 , did a couple of hours work and then the sister called us into her office - we were terrified, thought we had done something wrong. But no , nothing wrong , she sent us both home for the day as it was so quiet on the ward. I can still remember how happy my Mum and Dad were when I phoned them to come and collect me for lunch at home.
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Post by whatagain on Dec 5, 2019 9:12:47 GMT
Belgium authorities are inquiring into the death of a youngster and the main suspect is the e-cig. The young was smoking a substance with ´legal' cannabis. Will be interesting to follow.
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Post by kerouac2 on Dec 5, 2019 16:28:47 GMT
I made a foolish mistake this morning.
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Post by Kimby on Dec 5, 2019 16:43:08 GMT
That’s news? More details, please. So we can verify/celebrate your foolishness. Welcome to the human race!
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Post by kerouac2 on Dec 5, 2019 17:04:32 GMT
I went to pick up a rental car this morning and was informed that my reservation is for tomorrow. Actually, this mistake might have a positive aspect, because there is a transit strike in France at the moment (not at all the reason for my rental), and there are almost no cars available. They said that many of the reservation requests have not been confirmed, but mine is, and they know that I am coming back tomorrow morning, so I am quite confident that my car will be there.
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Post by onlyMark on Dec 5, 2019 19:12:17 GMT
I did once go to Frankfurt airport to catch a flight and became concerned I couldn't see it on the information boards to see where to check in. After a pause I realised I'd come a day early. The very strange coincidence is that Mrs M was in Peru and arrived at her airport on the same day to fly out and discovered she was a day early as well. Neither of us admitted our mistakes until years later when it came up in conversation with some friends.
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Post by whatagain on Dec 5, 2019 19:52:09 GMT
That has never yet happened to me. But I am obsessive at checking and rechecking dates of travel. What I have done is to land at the wrong airport or to book at the wrong airport - this one turned into a plus.
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Post by kerouac2 on Dec 5, 2019 20:45:22 GMT
Somebody I know visited my friend who is in Guatemala. She got her return flight date confused and missed it. Had to buy a one-way ticket back to Paris at full fare. Ouch!
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Post by mich64 on Dec 5, 2019 21:18:08 GMT
Will keep watch to see a new report as to where you are driving off too!
I would not be over estimating a guess that I probably check my flight dates/times on my tickets about a dozen times the week before departure and always check in on-line the night before.
I was actually looking at a flight sale today and was putting in dates and destinations for April 2020 and was surprised to see the flights are on 737 Max planes, I guess that is their plan for now.
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Post by kerouac2 on Dec 5, 2019 21:23:25 GMT
Oh I was very much aware of the date of the rental. The problem came from thinking that today was the 6th and not the 5th. Ever since I stopped working, I no longer always understand the days of the week.
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Post by mich64 on Dec 5, 2019 23:05:18 GMT
The problem came from thinking that today was the 6th and not the 5th. Ever since I stopped working, I no longer always understand the days of the week. Well I understand that! I often ask my husband what day of the week it is! We had a laugh in the grocery store today when we were checking the best before date on a chicken when we both looked at each other and neither knew what the date was! Thank goodness for cell phone calendars.
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Post by fumobici on Dec 6, 2019 4:53:32 GMT
I did once go to Frankfurt airport to catch a flight and became concerned I couldn't see it on the information boards to see where to check in. After a pause I realised I'd come a day early. The very strange coincidence is that Mrs M was in Peru and arrived at her airport on the same day to fly out and discovered she was a day early as well. Neither of us admitted our mistakes until years later when it came up in conversation with some friends. Earlier this year I went to pick my brother up at Peretola airport in Florence before I realized I'd shown up a full week early and he wasn't coming until the next Friday. And it was 42C that day. Shucks!
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Post by bjd on Dec 6, 2019 8:07:08 GMT
Glad to see I'm not the only one who does silly things. One yeard we rented a house in Portugal. I had the right date, but it was the arrival, not our departure. We drove and stopped overnight in Salamanca, Spain. When we arrived in Ericeira, the agency had wondered what had happened to us and why we hadn't arrived the day before when the rental started.
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Post by whatagain on Dec 6, 2019 16:33:19 GMT
English spoken. A nice sticker on the right side if the pharmacy close to home. So as always I chat while watching and ask if they often have clients who don't speak at all french. ´Oh yes ´ is the answer. ´But the funniest is that we had 2 people complaining that on our phone the message is only in french and English ... ´ no sweat ?! And no Chinese complained that the message is not in Chinese ? Sometimes some expats are very nice.
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Post by whatagain on Dec 7, 2019 13:11:31 GMT
Michel Lelièvre accomplice of the infamous Dutroux has been freed after 23 years in jail. He was sentenced to 25 years and is now 48. L'affaire Dutroux was a gigantic trauma in Belgium involving the death of 6? Young girls abducted by this paedophile.
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