Very OT. For the wine-drinkers!

In article , "Pat EAXStitch"
writes:

Boy, you seem to know an awful lot about your neighbours, Karen! LOLOLOL!!!
;-)

When I said to one of them "hey, let's do something on Sunday", she explained
why I wasn't going to get anyone on the block to "come out and play".


--
Finished 9/24/04 - Quilt Show
WIP: Fireman's Prayer (#2), Amid Amish Life, Angel of Autumn, Calif Sampler,
Holiday Snowglobe

Paralegal - Writer - Editor - Researcher
http://hometown.aol.com/kmc528/KMC.html

"Lucretia Borgia" wrote in message
...
Sheena probably bluntly says



Of course they can, when they`re old enough to be sensible. We could all
arrange occasional family outings that met the approval of EVERYONE - but
there`s something wrong with kids above a certain age if they want to be
with the parents all the time. I can`t ever remember any of my kids
wanting
to do the same thing at any one time - what one wanted to do the other
two
wouldn`t be seen dead doing. One would be off sailing or camping, one
hated
either of those and would be off watching nature, the other would rather
stay in bed with a good book! Whichever you choose to do out of those
(and
they are only a few examples of their interests) you`re going to get up
the
noses of the other two! Either that or you`re forcing them to do what
you`d
rather do yourself "Because it`s GOOD for them!"

Pat P

I made the point to you that DISTANCES preclude a lot of that sort of
thing here. You're being silly, you know I would be the last to
demand or insist my kids went on outings they detested. We put
thought into it and they all remember those outings and what we did
etc. which is why I maintain they are an important part of family
life.

I`m not being silly - I`m just responding to what you actually said! LOL!
Anyway, we can`t let `em all think we agree on everything. That would be
much too boring. I`ll leave you all in peace now, anyway - off to bed.
Been feeling lousy all day and hated doing the shopping. Should have gone
on Sunday when I felt fine!!! (duck!) Anyway, it`s kept you off the bloody
politics!!!

John went for his check-up on the 1st - we got there nice and early, found a
parking space and did a crossword. Then we wandered in and found we`d got
the date wrong. It should have been the 11th - they`d written the first "1"
right on the vertical line on the card - you couldn`t see it unless you had
a magnifying glass! I know we like to be early - but ten DAYS?

Pat P

"Lucretia Borgia" wrote in message
...

The merchants gear their advertising to make sure it is what the
consumer wants. I think it is also driven by the Me Generation that
does not org anise itself properly and then demands shops be open all
the time because they might need to go there.

I always did write long letters and I do miss them but with the
exception of three people, all are email now. So I can move with the
times, it isn't that.

I see the loss of that day when things cease and a lot of families get
together as a serious loss in todays times of high divorce rates and
troubled children.

Oh well, lets all rush forward like lemmings - don't let me hold
anyone back.

Do you print off any of your emails??? I have a box of letters from pre
email . I print off emails so I will have the letters later on. About 15
years ago when my sister in law was visiting I let her read through all the
letters her Mam had written to us and pick out any that mentioned her or her
children. She was so happy to have them. Because she lived so close to her
mother she had no letters from her. I am going through my box of letters
sorting out some for the kiddies to me from their grand parents etc. I
have letters written to my mother from my great grand father and they are so
nice to have. Although not hand written the emails will at least have a
nice record to read one day. Even though I do email all the time I still
write real letters to my children and my grandson. My daughter was thrilled
the first letter she received written to her son. She has started a letter
box for him. My son sends post cards and goes to great lengths to find
interesting stamps and cards. His grandparents are thrilled to receive them
as are we. Emails may be faster but a hand written letter is nice to have
I think.
Just my two cents worth.
Ruby

"Karen C - California" wrote in message
...
In article , "Ruby
Scott"
writes:

I can get out into my
neighbour hood and interact or keep to myself.

Well, then your neighborhood is different than those I've lived in. In
the big
city, any stranger who knocks on the door is assumed to be a salesman or
planning to shove their religious beliefs down your throat, therefore, no
one
EVER rings the doorbell to introduce themselves when they move in. You
can
live in the same apartment for years and not know the names of any
neighbor
other than the apartment manager.

I know all my neighbours by name. Although months go by sometimes without
seeing those at the ends of the street. We have a court barbacue every
summer. this year it was year 15 for the barbacue. In my last neighbourhood
we did a sort of international picnic every summer. As we had a large
variety of people . Everyone brought a main course and a desert that would
be from their culture or country of origin. Both neighbourhoods were
circles this one has 12 houses and the old one in Ottawa had 20. I only
lived in the neighbourhood in Ottawa for 4 years, it was a new
neighbourhood( housing development) and it was a good way for everyone to
get to know one another as we were all from somewhere else. LOL! There were
people whose ancestrey was Polish, Japaneese, Chineese, Egyption, Pakastani,
Nigerian and a several of us muts. There were muslims, Hindus, Jews,
Christians/ etc,
In my neighbourhood we all look out for the elderly couple next door to me.
My husband mows our side of their lawn for them and the neighbours on the
other side mow their side. I think that knowing ones neighbours makes one
want to look out for each other. People come and go from this neighbourhood
but none have stayed for less than 5 years.
An out of town relative of one of the neighbours was visiting as often
happens when the barbacue was held. He said that he wished there was
something like that in his neighbourhood. I simply said " well it just takes
one person to organize it what are you waiting for""
Ruby

One apartment, after nearly three years, the only one of the neighbors I
knew
by name was the one the others called "The Busybody" -- she had dared to
violate the unwritten etiquette and had *gasp!* gone around to introduce
herself. What was so wrong about that? Well, after she said "Hi, I'm
Willah!", she dared to ask "what's your name?", and that violated their
privacy. They just *knew* she was going to run around and gossip about
them to
everyone, so I was warned off talking to her before she'd even gotten a
chance
to introduce herself to me. I didn't find her gossipy -- I found her
small-town friendly and a little lonely. But when the lady across the
hall
caught me welcoming Willah into my apartment for a cup of tea, she snarled
"Oh,
you're one of those gossips, too!" and after that refused to talk to me
because
"you just want to gossip to that busybody what I'm up to, and it's none of
your
business!!!" Despite her best ongoing efforts to make friends in the
building,
the only apartment Willah ever got into was mine; no one else would talk
to her
because they were suspicious why any stranger would want to talk to them
except
to spread gossip or sell them something.

In this neighborhood, we do have front porches, but it's apparently a
violation
of etiquette to have much more of a conversation than "Nice day!" with
anyone
sitting on their porch. I've never once been invited to come up and sit
on the
porch with them and have a nice long chat, and when I've done the
inviting, the
resultant cringe shows they're expecting to have a catalogue shoved at
them and
a sales pitch for Amway/Avon/Tupperware rather than a nice neighborly
chat.

Anyway, on Sundays, one neighbor is sleeping off a hangover and doesn't
want
guests, another couple have taken the dogs out for an all-day hike, and
another
couple is enjoying cozy-couple time and don't want guests. We don't
socialize
with the neighbors, and when one neighbor came up with the First Annual
Christmas Party, it was also the Last Annual Party because once we'd met
the
neighbors, no one found it necessary to socialize with them again.

So, the only interacting done in this neighborhood on Sundays is achieved
by
going to the grocery and asking "do you think this melon is ripe?"


--
Finished 9/24/04 - Quilt Show
WIP: Fireman's Prayer (#2), Amid Amish Life, Angel of Autumn, Calif
Sampler,
Holiday Snowglobe

Paralegal - Writer - Editor - Researcher
http://hometown.aol.com/kmc528/KMC.html

and the walmart i work at doesn't sell liquer. there is just some
things that i will not buy. i don't mind inexpeance wine but any wine
for that cheap is exatly what it is. i will not buy any wine under ten
dollars. except for arbor mist that is pretty good. Kelly

S (Karen C - California) wrote in message

One apartment, after nearly three years, the only one of the neighbors I knew
by name was the one the others called "The Busybody" -- she had dared to
violate the unwritten etiquette and had *gasp!* gone around to introduce
herself. ... Despite her best ongoing efforts to make friends in the
building, the only apartment Willah ever got into was mine; no one else
would talk to her because they were suspicious why any stranger would want
to talk to them except to spread gossip or sell them something.
How sad!!! How long did she last there? I couldn't *imagine*
living somewhere so cold! I think I'll keep my ND cold temperatures
and warm people!

In article , "Ruby Scott"
writes:

He said that he wished there was
something like that in his neighbourhood. I simply said " well it just takes
one person to organize it what are you waiting for""

As I said, one person *did* organize a holiday party one year, and the next
year couldn't rustle up any support for doing it again. They'd met the
neighbors, determined we had nothing in common but an address, and didn't care
to spend any more time with the rest of us.


--
Finished 9/24/04 - Quilt Show
WIP: Fireman's Prayer (#2), Amid Amish Life, Angel of Autumn, Calif Sampler,
Holiday Snowglobe

Paralegal - Writer - Editor - Researcher
http://hometown.aol.com/kmc528/KMC.html

In article ,
(Joan E.) writes:

How sad!!! How long did she last there?

Willah had been there a few years before I moved in and was still there when I
moved out three years later.

The problem is not just that apartment complex, but all over both large
California cities that I've lived in. Nobody wants anything doing with their
neighbors. In San Diego, we thought we had it figured out that as a military
town, you didn't want to get close to anyone because you knew they'd be
transferred and break your heart, but Sacramento is primarily a government
town, where once people get gov't jobs, they stay forever, so that explanation
doesn't hold.

I read in magazines about people who've become best friends when one brought a
casserole as the other was moving in. I have moved about ten times in
California and not once has anyone even come over to introduce themselves on
moving day, much less bring a casserole. And when you run into them, they'll
say "hello", but not "Hello, I'm Tom Jones"; for whatever reason, they don't
want you to know their names. Most of my neighbors, I learned their names when
the mailman accidentally delivered some of their mail here. The few who would
tell me their names, it was first name only; I'm now firmly convinced they're
afraid that if you can find them in the phone book, you'll call and ask them
for a favor.

Like Willah, I've found that if I ask personal questions, people clam up. Till
I talked to Willah, I always figured that with my background in investigative
journalism and law, I was coming across like an interrogator rather than a
conversationalist, but even a sweet little grandmother wasn't able to get
people to tell her their names and their hobbies, so it wasn't just my brusque
style that was the problem. They just plain don't want to reveal anything
about themselves to anyone ...

I've had the same problem on blind dates. I'm lucky if I can get "Hi, I'm Tim;
you must be Karen". Doesn't want to talk about his job (I guess he's afraid
I'm going to size him up by his paycheck), doesn't want to talk about whether
he's been married before, doesn't want to talk about whether he grew up here or
elsewhere. There's a lot of superficial convo about the weather/waitress/food,
and that's all he wants to talk about. I may be able to get out of him "so how
do you know [person who set us up]?", but I've even had them clam up on that
question. God forbid I should find out that he works, or goes to church, or
golfs.


--
Finished 9/24/04 - Quilt Show
WIP: Fireman's Prayer (#2), Amid Amish Life, Angel of Autumn, Calif Sampler,
Holiday Snowglobe

Paralegal - Writer - Editor - Researcher
http://hometown.aol.com/kmc528/KMC.html