Special Snowflake Stories

[Craftyone]

Australia has one of the highest usages of EFTPOS worldwide which means less loose change plus our smallest coin is 5 cents, which people tend to pick up if they drop it. It's rare to see coins lying around on the pavement here these days.

[siamesecat2965]

I hate change in my wallet, so I bought one of those jars that counts it ( on clearance). I cash it in about every 6 months or so, and use it for "fun" Whether it be girl's weekend away, or something else, and then I start all over again. I usually end up with about $50-80 each time.

[Katana_Geldar]

There's also the times when one of my parents will call someone in the living room, while we are watching TV, and expect the TV-watcher to turn the volume down  . I was quick to put my foot down here, you can move and call from somewhere more quiet, I can't just take the TV under my arm and go elsewhere.

My parents are particularly bad at this. When I lived with them they would turn it down and keep talking, I hated that as it meant I listened to their conversation instead of watching the show. But I couldn't ever question them. And of course, if they passed the phone to me I was expected to go into another room!

DH and I rarely watch free to air TV, so we usually can pause it if done calls. If not, person on phone goes away.

And we won't answer it during dinner!

[Miss March]

I believe that I may have already posted about this woman here before, but when I was working at a hotel, we had an elderly woman staying with us who would swing by the front desk and buy something small (say a magazine, or some stamps) and if it came to $3.85, she would hand us three dollars and then wave her hand dismissively and say that she'd get us the change "later." Of course, we weren't allowed to do that. We needed to key in a purchase of $3.85 into the system and our cash drawer needed to reflect that amount taken in at the end of our shift. So the front desk person would need to insist to this woman that she needed to pay the full amount- even if that meant that we needed a nickel, or 17 cents, or 98 cents more from her. She'd huff and sigh and roll her eyes at us like we were being unreasonable and petty. She tried this every single time she made a purchase with us during her stay. I fear that some of the newer employees that she encountered may have been so intimidated by her manner that they just took change from their own pockets to cover the portion she didn't want to pay, which is what I suspect she wanted all along.

[Outdoor Girl]

I think I'd start rounding up!  If it was over $3, I'd tell her it was $4.  Once she gave me the $4, I could give her change.

[Hmmmmm]

There's also the times when one of my parents will call someone in the living room, while we are watching TV, and expect the TV-watcher to turn the volume down  . I was quick to put my foot down here, you can move and call from somewhere more quiet, I can't just take the TV under my arm and go elsewhere.

My parents are particularly bad at this. When I lived with them they would turn it down and keep talking, I hated that as it meant I listened to their conversation instead of watching the show. But I couldn't ever question them. And of course, if they passed the phone to me I was expected to go into another room!

DH and I rarely watch free to air TV, so we usually can pause it if done calls. If not, person on phone goes away.

And we won't answer it during dinner!

I think this is a generational thing.

Growing up, the phone, TV, and most of the family where in one room and you were unable to "take the phone" with you or go to watch TV in a second room with a second TV.  So if the phone rang, the interactive conversation between two people took precendence over someone watching a TV program (unless it was Dad watching the 6pm news, then it took priority  )

Once we had a second phone extension and a second TV, a long conversation would be moved to the other extension in the bedroom area, unless it was Dad talking on the phone. Then anyone watching TV had the option just turning it down or moving to the second TV in my parent's bedroom.

So even after cordless phones became common, my parent's would rarely leave the room where the phone was, they'd instead instintively reach to turn down the TV. 

[jane7166]

There's also the times when one of my parents will call someone in the living room, while we are watching TV, and expect the TV-watcher to turn the volume down  . I was quick to put my foot down here, you can move and call from somewhere more quiet, I can't just take the TV under my arm and go elsewhere.

My parents are particularly bad at this. When I lived with them they would turn it down and keep talking, I hated that as it meant I listened to their conversation instead of watching the show. But I couldn't ever question them. And of course, if they passed the phone to me I was expected to go into another room!

DH and I rarely watch free to air TV, so we usually can pause it if done calls. If not, person on phone goes away.

And we won't answer it during dinner!

I think this is a generational thing.

Growing up, the phone, TV, and most of the family where in one room and you were unable to "take the phone" with you or go to watch TV in a second room with a second TV.  So if the phone rang, the interactive conversation between two people took precendence over someone watching a TV program (unless it was Dad watching the 6pm news, then it took priority  )

Once we had a second phone extension and a second TV, a long conversation would be moved to the other extension in the bedroom area, unless it was Dad talking on the phone. Then anyone watching TV had the option just turning it down or moving to the second TV in my parent's bedroom.

So even after cordless phones became common, my parent's would rarely leave the room where the phone was, they'd instead instintively reach to turn down the TV.

But, it's all still a power play.  My mom would pull the "what I am saying is more important than your TV show" power play.  Until DH and I got a VCR.  Then I would just pause my program, if recorded, or hit the record button while she prattled on and I would just smile at her.  And continue with my program when she ran down. 

[rain]

can we get back to the SS stories please

[EmmaJ.]

can we get back to the SS stories please

I'm puzzled. These all ARE special snowflake stories.

[gramma dishes]

can we get back to the SS stories please

I'm puzzled. These all ARE special snowflake stories.

Thank you, EmmaJ.!  I agree!!

It seems that recently if anyone comes here with a story that involves anything other than driving/traffic/parking issues, there's an immediate reminder that we're getting "off topic".  Some of the stories have been great ones too.  I don't understand either.

[Katana_Geldar]

I also don't appreciate mini-modding.

Viewing your own rights over someone else's isnSS.

[Awestruck Shmuck]

Australia has one of the highest usages of EFTPOS worldwide which means less loose change plus our smallest coin is 5 cents, which people tend to pick up if they drop it. It's rare to see coins lying around on the pavement here these days.

My cousin used to scour the ground everywhere she went (from the age of about 4 till well into her teens), she made $100-200 a year from this habit!! I remember being sooooo jealous when she found a $5 note under a bench in the NSW Art Gallery when we were about 6.

[kherbert05]

The change stories reminded me of this.


I save up my change and once or twice a month go to the coinstar and get an amazon certificate to fund my kindle and instant video habit. i was doing this and a man came up to me ranting how stupid I was to give away my money like that. Now coinstar does take almost 10% if you get cash back - but not if you get a gc.

[Queen of Clubs]

can we get back to the SS stories please

I'm puzzled. These all ARE special snowflake stories.

Rain might be referring to the stories about pennies and other change, as in "I save all my change in a jar and get x amount after x months" that doesn't involve an SS at all.

On topic: I had a friend who lived some way away from me, so we kept in touch via the phone.  I'd never met her flatmate, just spoken to her in passing if she answered when I rang, but she decided that we should be friends too...and informed me that I could ring her x night every week to chat.  Uh, no thanks.

[Lorelei_Evil]

can we get back to the SS stories please

I'm puzzled. These all ARE special snowflake stories.

Thank you, EmmaJ.!  I agree!!

It seems that recently if anyone comes here with a story that involves anything other than driving/traffic/parking issues, there's an immediate reminder that we're getting "off topic".  Some of the stories have been great ones too.  I don't understand either.

Just wanted to say thanks to the person who started the driving stories thread.  Thanks!