December chitchat

[agate]

flatcap. that is surprising! They may have known each other already (or been related?) and one happened to hit the other?

Interesting scenarios come to mind:

--Man driver hits vehicle driven by a woman. She gets out of the car and approaches the car that hit her, then realizes it's her husband who is the driver. She mutters something like, "Men just don't know a thing about driving."

[flatcap]

Agate, Virginia posed the same question, and I answered it. It's certainly possible the two young ladies knew each other, but it did not appear that they did. I would not have posted the story had it seemed so. There would have been no point.

Maybe it's all just wishful thinking on my part, but I would like to think it isn't, and even if it is, the world could probably use more of it. That was the real point. I was hesitant to post the story for fear it would miss the mark, but it seemed worth a try.

Now, it's like explaining a joke: It ruins it.

[agate]

Well, you can't ever assume anything when witnessing a situation like that.

When I lived in another city in this general neck of the woods, I noticed quite a lot of surprising hugging going on. The building manager hugging someone I don't think she knew very well (a stranger to me and I think not well known to her), then a cop in uniform hugging a street person.Then after I'd moved to this town, one of the van drivers stopped at our building and one of the residents came out as if to ask him a question, and they were hugging--though I knew both of them and had the impression they weren't related or in any way special friends.

I found out later that that resident was evicted, and she apparently was in trouble for doing drug deals.

The surprising-looking hugs I've sometimes seen here and there may all have been drug deals. While hugging someone a person can pass drugs surreptitiously without anybody noticing.

I'm just saying I'd never assume anything about people I saw hugging.

[flatcap]

And I was just saying even an old cynic like me can look at a situation like that and assume the best, rather than the worst, in people.

And I also have to say, I just don't get it.

If the first thing that popped into your mind and Virginia's was whether the ladies involved in the accident knew each other, why not just keep it to yourself? Why ruin a good story? What could possibly be the point of that? Moreover, what makes you think I know whether the ladies knew each other? I was driving down the street. It's ridiculous.

I will be sure to keep all such stories to myself in the future. True or not, their wonderfulness is clearly lost on this audience. There is no point in posting them.

I apologize for posting this one. In addition to being cynical, I am, perhaps ironically, pretty naive. I should have deleted it while I still could, but now it's too late.

[agate]

And I was just saying even an old cynic like me can look at a situation like that and assume the best, rather than the worst, in people.

And I also have to say, I just don't get it.

If the first thing that popped into your mind and Virginia's was whether the ladies involved in the accident knew each other, why not just keep it to yourself? Why ruin a good story? What could possibly be the point of that? Moreover, what makes you think I know whether the ladies knew each other? I was driving down the street. It's ridiculous.

I will be sure to keep all such stories to myself in the future. True or not, their wonderfulness is clearly lost on this audience. There is no point in posting them.

I apologize for posting this one. In addition to being cynical, I am, perhaps ironically, pretty naive. I should have deleted it while I still could, but now it's too late.

I'm sorry if I seem to have ruined a good story. I'm unfortunately entirely too busy lately and I'm not always reading posts carefully enough. I'll try to be more careful in the future.

Virginia, I found the segment about financial resources and have tried to put it in the Useful Websites sticky thread, along with a link. I'm not sure why it's showing up with a green shading and labelled "unapproved." It means that the post has to be approved by a moderator first, and I've never seen that happening here. Maybe some policy has changed, or maybe there is something about that post that sparked a need for moderator approval. I'm not sure anyone else can even see that post until it has the moderator's OK. Anyway, if you can see it, please do let me know if it's not the content you had in mind.

[Virginia]

Flatcap, I did not mean to spoil a good story. Being extremely sensitive myself, I would be the last one to do that. What I really meant to be saying was that in Raleigh, N.C. I think you would find people afraid to do that. When we were a smaller city that was not true, but now I see on Nextdoor Neighbor post that are so scary that are taking place here now. I have got to the point that I don't like to read Nextdoor Neighbor much anymore because of the bad news.

A couple of weeks ago my brother called and was laughing. He said he had done his good deed for the day. He was at a service station pumping gas and a van with tinted windows was also there. When the van pulled away someone dropped a credit card on the ground. He picked it up and headed out after the van. The van turned around and was going back in the direction it had come. It just so happened when they got almost even with each other traffic was so heavy that they came to almost a halt. He jumped out of his car and crossed over to the van and motioned that he had their credit card. It turned out to be a lady driving, but he didn't know that because of the dark tinted windows. It scared me because of the amount of crime that we have seen in our city along with the growth. If I am not mistaken, you live in a smaller city and believe me that is a good thing. You certainly are more apt to see things like you saw than you would be here, or any larger city for that matter. It isn't that a lot of people don't want to be really nice and kind, they are scared when they didn't use to be.

Agate, I do not see the sticky, so I guess it just isn't going to take it.

[agate]

Virginia, about the post in the Useful Websites sticky that you're not seeing, it probably will show up if/when a moderator approves it. There are boards that have that policy, and that's how it works. I haven't ever known that to happen here though. It might just be a glitch in the system somewhere.

[Virginia]

Thanks for putting it in Agate. We'll see what happens when a mod comes along.

Big news in our family. My youngest nephew got engaged last night. He and his girl friend both live in Florida. He told her he wanted to take her to Nashville, Tn. for a few days. What he didn't tell her was that he had also asked his parents from here in North Carolina and had invited her parents from Palm Springs, Calif. He just told them he didn't want her to know they were there. It was to be a big surprise. He walked her around the golf course about sundown and there was a spot where large buckets of flowers had been put out and it looked in the pictures to be candle holders.

The two sets of parents were standing on a balcony over looking the golf course, but she didn't know and didn't know he was going to ask her. He got down on one knee. My brother said it was very romantic. She cried and her mother cried. Now the hard work comes. As both sets of long time married parents said it takes work to keep a marriage strong.

I have met this young lady once and guess I will see her again Christmas.

[agate]

What an event that must have been, Virginia! And it's certainly time for your family to have a happier occasion to observe. Is that the nephew who is such an expert golfer?

I see that the post in the sticky thread is now viewable, and so it must have passed through whatever hoops it had to go through to get there.

[Virginia]

Thanks Agate for the sticky.

Yes that is the nephew who just got engaged, the golfer. I hope they elope. I am not a fan of big weddings. They cost exorbitant amounts of money now. I saw a picture of the ring on her finger and that should be enough. LOL

[agate]

My nephew's son eloped recently, just after his sister had a big bash of a wedding. I wasn't there but it was well attended and certainly must have been costly.

The new couple could use the money more constructively, I'm sure, but some take great delight in throwing a big party for their friends and family, or at least that's my impression. I

[Virginia]

I have a great niece who is getting married later this month. She is the oldest daughter of my Nephew who died in May. She has known her fiance since middle school and started dating him in high school. She changed where she was going to college so they could be in college together. We like him. He is just a down to earth really nice guy. My brother said he is a person who is "comfortable in his own skin". He likes to play the guitar. I think he told me he plays another instrument too. They are going to Key West for the wedding and will have a small reception later here. I think that is good since her Daddy will not be giving her away. Her Mother and younger sister are going and she has an uncle who is going from someplace else. He will be taking his family.

Then my oldest niece's son says he is getting married New Year's Eve. He is 40 years old and real good looking. He could always talk his way in or out of anything. He was my oldest brother's favorite grandson. He is dead and I wish he was here so we could tell him Jason is finally going to do it. He has broken up with more girls. When I saw my niece in October she said she really didn't want to love her. She said you know Jason, she might not be around long. They are getting married in Aspen Colorado. I do hope they are happy. He has always been a free spirit.

[agate]

Reading between the lines, I have the impression that Jason's chances for a lasting marriage might not be the best. I hope he surprises everyone by staying happily married for the rest of his days. (It's been known to happen.)

Jason is my grandson's middle name. I found out only recently that the 5 letters of the name "Jason" are also the first letters of 5 consecutive months.

A few weddings coming up for your family, Virginia.

Sometimes there have been weddings in my family, almost always at times when I couldn't buy much of a gift even though wedding gifts are often supposed to be fairly substantial. I felt really badly about sending just little things as gifts but I do recall that some of the nicest and longest-lasting gifts I had when I got married weren't costly at all. Someone gave me a small pepper mill for instance, and I used it for many years.

[Virginia]

Agate, I don't even want to think about the cost of wedding gifts right now! You read right about Jason. He has always been fun and loving to be around, but would just keep moving when a young lady would want marriage. He was my brother's favorite because he would go see him and many times he would stay for several days. When his grandmother died he was still in his teens. As we were entering the church where her funeral was held the Priest came out and wanted to know if any of us wanted to say anything during the service. Before anyone else had a chance Jason spoke up and said "I will". As young as he was and with no advance notice he got up and gave the best speech you could ever hope to hear at a funeral. That is how he is. He should be a car salesman.

[agate]

Some people do have a gift for public speaking even on the spur of the moment. Maybe Jason has also talked a good line with the ladies.