The "This Might Be A Stupid Question, But...." Thread

[Mental Magpie]

Ereine, that is not what I meant and all but I definitely see how you read it that way.  My apologies, especially to Dazi.  All I was getting at (and wish I would have thought of before I said anything) was causation and correlation are not the same thing.  Again, my apologies.

[TylerBelle]

Emo is literally short for "emotional" - think unhappy goth who thinks the world wants them to Die Die Die. Unfortunately, most people use the term for just about any display of negative emotion, so it's gotten skewed.

Brony - a male fan of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. A portmanteau of "bro" and "pony". They think they're extra-special because they're fans of a kids' cartoon. Not all of them are bad, but most of them think they're seriously entitled to fandom bowing at their feet because they're MANLY MEN who watch a cute little children's show...

I'd put a slightly different spin on those:

Teens (and it's almost always teens) who consider themselves "emo" aren't necessarily depressed, but generally take that "teenage angst" thing to the extreme.  It's a subculture which glorifies suicide and "cutting" (a self-harming activity some people do, either with or without the intention of actually committing suicide).  In my experience there are just as many emo guys as there are girls and the fashions usually present in similar ways - lots of black, unusually colored/styled hair (often also black), black painted nails for both genders.  Self-identifying as "emo" is a risk sign for depression and suicide, but isn't necessarily an indicator - some kids just enjoy finding an identity.

"Bronies" are guys (teens or adults) who are fans of the show "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic," which is a re-make of the 1980's cartoons.  It's actually a very good show and I'd recommend anyone who has Netflix to give it a try even if you don't have kids.  I don't know where any of Liliane's "entitled" aspect comes from, honestly - several of my friends consider themselves bronies and it's mostly done in good fun.  (There's a definite aspect of "I know I'm not the demographic for this show but I'm embracing it anyway and there's irony in that", but also they just like the show!)

I'd like to add that a good number of female fans of MLP:FiM are identifying as bronies as well. Mostly because "pegasisters" just doesn't sound right. I'm proud to be a brony, and it's actually helped with my anxiety. I carried around a stuffed pony at a convention and the random people who came up to talk to me about it were some of the nicest strangers I've ever had the chance to come across. One of the biggest things that I've learned from the brony subculture is spreading love and tolerance, often a bit forcefully. As in "I will love and tolerate the s**t out of you!"

Oh, wow, thanks!

My thinking of what emo is about was close. And a brony is a new one for me. But cool, like the saying goes, you learn something new every day! I guess I can consider myself to be somewhat a brony for I always enjoyed MLP and used to collect the little pony dolls. I still have one of each (pony/unicorn/pegasis).

[oogyda]

How long should it take a contractor to get back to you?  I met with the contractor on May 30th.  I called him yesterday and left a message to see with what he had come up.  I didn't think it was too soon but it will be 2 weeks on Thursday and I don't know if it has been too long or I'm too early.  He will be putting up a fence, by the way, and we already have all of the materials.  Am I too soon or is he taking too long?

When I had a fence put in, I got 2 estimates.  One company came out, took measurements and gave me the estimate before theyeft. The other company came out, took measurements and said they'd get back to me.  After 3 days, I hired the first company who built our fence in 2 days the following week.  The second company called with their estimate about a week after the fence was built.  And it was for more than what we paid!

[Mental Magpie]

How long should it take a contractor to get back to you?  I met with the contractor on May 30th.  I called him yesterday and left a message to see with what he had come up.  I didn't think it was too soon but it will be 2 weeks on Thursday and I don't know if it has been too long or I'm too early.  He will be putting up a fence, by the way, and we already have all of the materials.  Am I too soon or is he taking too long?

When I had a fence put in, I got 2 estimates.  One company came out, took measurements and gave me the estimate before theyeft. The other company came out, took measurements and said they'd get back to me.  After 3 days, I hired the first company who built our fence in 2 days the following week.  The second company called with their estimate about a week after the fence was built.  And it was for more than what we paid!

I got an estimate in my mail box early yesterday morning...for almost triple what I expected.  He also had typed on it that it would be 4 weeks before he could do it.  Not going with him...I will get another estimate but will probably wind up doing it myself.

[Dazi]

I've noticed an interesting phenomenon that at first I thought was my imagination...

I've lost a considerable amount of weight, though I still have a lot to go to reach my goal.  What I've noticed is that people in general are being much, much nicer to me and a few people who have never been exactly friendly are being so much more friendly it's kind of weird.  I really thought I was imaging the whole thing until a friend asked me about a specific person's 180 behavior towards me.  I'm getting people who've I worked in the same building with for years, who've never even acknowledged my existence congratulating me on my progress.

Has anyone else experienced this?

First of all, congratulations on your weight loss.

There are people who would never admit to being 'sizeist' but they are.  They may see your Progress as an indication that you have will-power. 

Oddly enough, I had the opposite experience.  A while back I dropped about 60 pounds and nobody noticed a thing.

I wouldn't be so quick to judge them. Maybe nothing ever stood out about Dazi but now her hard work and determination are getting her noticed.

That's exactly what Thipu said. Now that she's losing weight, she's suddenly seen as having willpower and being worthy of notice. I would bet she's always been hard-working and determined, but sizeist people don't give fat people credit for those traits. What her body looks like should have no bearing on how others perceive her personality/abilities.

I think Bexx27 nailed how I perceive this now.  If you had asked me a year ago, I probably would have told you that I was not treated differently because of my size.  I would have thought it a ridiculous notion.  The truth is the disparity, now that my eyes are open to it, is GLARINGLY obvious. I've always worked hard at everything...now it's like the proverbial veil was lifted and now I'm actually seen.  Also, while it's not everyone I know, it is a good portion and I just find that kind of sad.

I am by no means saying I was treated badly, but I definitely was not treated as openly. Example: There are people who I previously got nothing more than a nod from in passing that are stopping me and asking how I am, how my family is doing, my plans for the weekend, etc.

I wasn't clear on what I meant and with more information from you, I can see we're talking about 2 completely different things.  I was speaking in generalities so please don't think what I say next is directed at you; it was part of what I meant in general.  What I was trying to say is maybe someone wasn't a hard worker to begin with and now that the person has made a change to work hard THAT is what people are noticing.  Maybe a person was grumpy before, but now the working hard has improved their attitude and THAT is what people are responding to.  All I meant to say was it could be something else other than the weight loss in this situation, ie causation and correlation are not the same thing.

I'm sorry, this is probably due to my not so perfect language skills and not really understanding what generalities means but it did seem to me that you were talking about Dazi in particular and implying that her coworkers didn't have reason to be nice to her before. I actually thought that you meant it sort of like before Dazi was just one of the faceless masses but now that her hair is purple she's standing out and people are remembering who she is, which doesn't seem as unkind.

Ereine, that is not what I meant and all but I definitely see how you read it that way.  My apologies, especially to Dazi.  All I was getting at (and wish I would have thought of before I said anything) was causation and correlation are not the same thing.  Again, my apologies.

No worries, I wasn't offended in the least.  I enjoy discussions and like to hear others input even when our wires get crossed a bit.    

I did get another opinion from a good friend of mine and I found his perspective on the subject very interesting.  He told me that I might think I've not changed other than size, but my personality has shifted a bit more than I was aware.  In his opinion, I am more confident, I've updated my wardrobe with more fashionable clothes since nothing I own fits anymore, I've changed my hair and am taking more time with prettying myself up (I thought that was a fun way to put it).  His theory is some of them might be responding differently just because of size, but he thought it was much more likely that others were responding to my subconscious cues and more confident demeanor. 

I'd say his theory seems valid and it's a nicer way to look at it...so that's what I'm going with.

So thanks everyone for the input.  I feel a lot better about this now.

[Mental Magpie]

That's kind of what I meant, too, as far as something else changing and that's what's being noticed (the grumpy person's attitude changing in my first example).  I'm glad this has otherwise been a positive experience for you, Dazi, and I wish you the best of luck!  I'm glad your friend was much better at phrasing it than I was, and he managed to compliment you to boot!

[jpcher]

New Question -- Why are car dealers closed on Sundays?

I remember many, many, many years ago that a law was passed (in Illinois) that car dealers needed to be closed on Sundays. I remember the hoopla and the outrage . . . but I don't remember the reason.

Any help as to Why?

[Liliane]

Now you got me curious, so I looked it up!

Apparently it's because financial institutions are closed on Sundays. No way to process a loan or do a credit check.

[Xandraea]

Now you got me curious, so I looked it up!

Apparently it's because financial institutions are closed on Sundays. No way to process a loan or do a credit check.

Whatever the reason, it makes Sunday a good day to go browsing car lots .. Often they're open but they can't sell you a car so there's a bit less pressure.

[NyaChan]

Now you got me curious, so I looked it up!

Apparently it's because financial institutions are closed on Sundays. No way to process a loan or do a credit check.

Whatever the reason, it makes Sunday a good day to go browsing car lots .. Often they're open but they can't sell you a car so there's a bit less pressure.

Learned something new today   

[jpcher]

Now you got me curious, so I looked it up!

Apparently it's because financial institutions are closed on Sundays. No way to process a loan or do a credit check.

Whatever the reason, it makes Sunday a good day to go browsing car lots .. Often they're open but they can't sell you a car so there's a bit less pressure.

Learned something new today 

Yup, me too! That does make sense.

Thanks, Liliane, for your google-foogle!

[TootsNYC]

When people talk about losing clothing sizes ("I'm on Awesome WeightLoss Plan, and I lost 10 sizes!"), how do you count it? Is it just by the number, so going from a 12 to a 10 is 2 sizes? Or since clothes are pretty much all done in even numbers (in the US, at least, not sure about elsewhere), should you count it that way? Since I can't actually buy an 11 in most sizes, is going from a 12 to a 10 just one size? Just a random question that occurred to me lately.

Ooh, I never thought of that! I have always assumed 12 to 10 was one size, but then some clothes do occasionally come in in between sizes!

In the U.S., in-between sizes are in a completely different department (juniors, and technically the proportions are supposed to be different--developing breasts, etc.--but it often doesn't make much difference) and are in odd numbers.

[TootsNYC]

I'm thinking of making a craft table for myself by putting a piece of MDF (or wood) on top of some short shelving units.  Can I go to the Home Depot and ask for a piece of MDF (or wood) to be cut to a certain size?

And would wood be easier to work with than MDF?

I built our hobby table out of composite board with a melamine surface. Bought a 4x12 piece from Home Depot and had them cut it in the store (cut a 1' strip the long way and used it as a back splash for the table.) Four pieces of 4x4 for legs and it works great.

You can get iron-on melamine edgebanding to cover the cut edges of the composite board. You can just use your household iron to put it on with.

Thanks. I finished it by screwing a strip of 3/4"x3/4" pine to the front and side edges. We do lots of cutting and it's nice to have a softer spot to do that. I finished the backsplash with some 1/4 round molding. It has three swing-arm lamps and a power strip on top and one underneath. We use it for electronics projects, model building, painting, sculpture. It's not as solid as a real workbench, so for some heavy sawing tasks we have to use a work table we keep outside.

Using a strip of lumber as a finishing edge is also a great way to handle it--but the iron-on edgebanding is good to know about since it's pretty necessary if you're making shelves or something where there's an exposed cut edge that's flush w/ a finished edge (like at a corner).

I wish I had room for a workbench. When I'm rich, I'm going to have a sewing room that has an almond melamine surface.

[Mental Magpie]

I am currently using a TV as a computer monitor.  I plugged in my headphone/mic set into the computer.  I can use the microphone just fine but the sound will only play through the TV.  The TV is plugged into the tower using an HDMI cable.  I am using Windows 8.  How can I get the sound to play through the headphones instead of the TV?

[Slartibartfast]

What exactly is tahini?  I figured I like hummus enough to try to make my own, and I know the recipe calls for tahini, but I couldn't find any at the store because I don't even know whether I'm looking for a solid, liquid, powder, bottle, jar, can, box, or what.