The Vent - Part Trois

[Krikit 1,163]

Yeah, Vancouver's pretty harsh. Toronto's that way too.

[ValerieA 350]

the fact that pedestrians aren't given the right of way

OK, this still has me bizarred out. Hubby keeps stopping me from crossing the street if there is a car within a block, and he keeps saying this. I used to walk everywhere, now I am getting paranoid!

[Revenesque 2]

Good Lord. I can relate to your friend "breaking up with you", Scooter. I had a friend go a bit crazy on me because of his perception that I didn't spend enough time with him in person and on email. I haven't responded to him, yet, because I am still a bit hurt and angry. Sometimes people say stupid things when they are hurting about other things, and they take it out on the closest target.

I'm glad your friend and her child are okay.

I had to end a friendship with my college best friend (and maid of honor at my wedding) because she was displaying passive-agressive behavior towards me (i.e. unfriended me on facebook TWICE, writing overly friendly wall postings on my other best girlfriend's wall while ignoring mine entirely, didn't invite me to her B-day, etc) and was overly critical with my hubby.

Well, there's more--subtle bickering during girls' vacation to Calgary & Vegas, cuminating to being dis-invited from her Hawaii destination wedding...AFTER I PAID for flights and hotel already. I can pinpoint when her behavior started: around the time hubby and I got engaged back in Summer 2007.

I was so hurt and sad--I grieved for a couple months, then ended the relationship last November. I haven't spoke to her since.

[The_Dude 1,142]

Yeah. That wasn't a dig at Americans. I find a lot of things odd in Europe too. I guess things in Canada aren't odd to me because I'm used to it. I'm getting used to American things now too. Like.... I've stopped being surprised at the American banking system, the way people drive, the fact that pedestrians aren't given the right of way, etc, etc. It's been "normalized" for me. lol

I was being serious. There are many things about Canada that are just weird to me. The arrangements and lack of selection in grocery stores, not to mention not being able to buy beer/liquor at the supermarket. The driving there got me too.

I think that the pedestrian right of way is very regional. In NYC, Boston, or Philly, it's as if you step into the crosswalk, or god forbid the middle of the street, that people's radar goes off in their cars and they target you. Here in L.A., San Diego, and to an extent San Francisco, people cross with impunity. It's as if they are daring a driver to hit them, they have a good lawyer

[Malrothien 6]

Y'know what's weird about grocery stores here, at least to me?

Why do they put all the canned goods in different areas? Like at the Safeway, you have the canned veggies/fruit in one aisle while the canned tomatoes are in another aisle by the canned beans. O.o

[SapphireDreams 71]

Y'know what's weird about grocery stores here, at least to me?

Why do they put all the canned goods in different areas? Like at the Safeway, you have the canned veggies/fruit in one aisle while the canned tomatoes are in another aisle by the canned beans. O.o

They do this at Stop and Shop here in NY. The tomatoes are in a different aisle near the pasta sauces and then the other canned stuf is elsewhere. I don't think its Canada specific!

[Malrothien 6]

I had never seen it until I moved here. Wonder why stores do that.

[The_Dude 1,142]

Y'know what's weird about grocery stores here, at least to me?

Why do they put all the canned goods in different areas? Like at the Safeway, you have the canned veggies/fruit in one aisle while the canned tomatoes are in another aisle by the canned beans. O.o

The thing about the grocery stores here that drives my wife nuts and I never even noticed it was..... ####### do they put dishwashing soap, laundry soap, and body(shower) soap in different aisles?

[Wyatt's Torch 45]

One thing *I* don't understand is why dairy, deli and bakery are usually in opposite corners of the stores! I love how in most U.S. grocery stores I've seen, the deli and bakery are side by side at least. And usually the dairy is with the frozen foods. It just makes sense...cold stuff with cold stuff. Fresh stuff with fresh stuff...

[ValerieA 350]

One thing *I* don't understand is why dairy, deli and bakery are usually in opposite corners of the stores! I love how in most U.S. grocery stores I've seen, the deli and bakery are side by side at least. And usually the dairy is with the frozen foods. It just makes sense...cold stuff with cold stuff. Fresh stuff with fresh stuff...

It's all about selling more stuff...if you have to go all over the store to get your basics, you are going to come across way more stuff that you suddenly realize you need!

[Wyatt's Torch 45]

It's all about selling more stuff...if you have to go all over the store to get your basics, you are going to come across way more stuff that you suddenly realize you need!

Yeah, you're probably quite right.

I've never been an "up and down the aisles" kinda guy though. I CAN be...but typically I know exactly what I'm going to get at the store, and I don't get anything else.

[Revenesque 2]

I was planning a housewarming dinner at hubby's (then fiance) condo in Chicago a few years back and one of the cocktail drinks I wanted to make was lychee sangria. I went all over Chicago looking for Soho Lychee liquor--no one knew what it was, not even the restaurants. I threw a fit and cried.

Not because I couldn't find Soho lychee liquor (because they are abundant in the liquor stores in Vancouver), but because I realized when I move to America, things will be different. I was grieving because of change.

[ScooterMac 2]

I had to end a friendship with my college best friend (and maid of honor at my wedding) because she was displaying passive-agressive behavior towards me (i.e. unfriended me on facebook TWICE, writing overly friendly wall postings on my other best girlfriend's wall while ignoring mine entirely, didn't invite me to her B-day, etc) and was overly critical with my hubby.

Well, there's more--subtle bickering during girls' vacation to Calgary & Vegas, cuminating to being dis-invited from her Hawaii destination wedding...AFTER I PAID for flights and hotel already. I can pinpoint when her behavior started: around the time hubby and I got engaged back in Summer 2007.

I was so hurt and sad--I grieved for a couple months, then ended the relationship last November. I haven't spoke to her since.

Yeah...I mean, I don't know what this guy expected of me. I've been trying to talk to him here and there when I had a few minutes, but he said we weren't talking long enough to "connect" and he's hurt when I have to get off the phone and forget to call him back. It's not like I'm intentionally ignoring him or screening his calls - I don't get cell phone reception at either job (so pretty much from 7am - 7pm), and I don't usually get home until 9 or so, then we eat and I fall asleep on the couch I have to set reminders in my phone to do everything, because I'm so overscheduled and busy. I've tried to explain to him that as people grow, friendships change. We may not be the kind of friends who call each other 47 times a day and talk about OMG EVERYTHING!, but that doesn't mean we're not still friends or even that we're not still close - just that we're grown ups with our own lives to lead.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do about the whole thing. I asked him for times when he would be available where I could carve a half hour or so out of my schedule to call and just talk to him undistracted, but he replied with some snarky comeback about how my life is so busy that he's sure I won't have time. Then he tells me that he misses me and wants me to be his best friend again. I don't understand how those two sentences follow each other.

[Carlawarla 1]

I'm not sure what I'm going to do about the whole thing. I asked him for times when he would be available where I could carve a half hour or so out of my schedule to call and just talk to him undistracted, but he replied with some snarky comeback about how my life is so busy that he's sure I won't have time. Then he tells me that he misses me and wants me to be his best friend again. I don't understand how those two sentences follow each other.

Just sounds like he's really hurt. Sometimes when we're hurting, it's really easy to say nasty things, things we truly regret later. No doubt you're busy with everything going on in your life, and we'd HOPE that our friends would realize that and cut us some slack. Obviously this person is a little insecure, as well as feeling really left out. After the wedding is done and you're back to "normal" (whatever that means eh?) you can try and reconnect, if the relationship is important to you, and while it'll never be the same, you can perhaps forge a new one. He might or might not be interested in that, and if not...if he wants it exactly how it was, then you'll have to decide if you can do that, or if you'll have to let it go...

[Krikit 1,163]

OK, this still has me bizarred out. Hubby keeps stopping me from crossing the street if there is a car within a block, and he keeps saying this. I used to walk everywhere, now I am getting paranoid!

No kidding! I can't tell you the number of times I've been hit (not hard, obviously) by cars when I'm in the crosswalk.

I had to end a friendship with my college best friend (and maid of honor at my wedding) because she was displaying passive-agressive behavior towards me (i.e. unfriended me on facebook TWICE, writing overly friendly wall postings on my other best girlfriend's wall while ignoring mine entirely, didn't invite me to her B-day, etc) and was overly critical with my hubby.

Well, there's more--subtle bickering during girls' vacation to Calgary & Vegas, cuminating to being dis-invited from her Hawaii destination wedding...AFTER I PAID for flights and hotel already. I can pinpoint when her behavior started: around the time hubby and I got engaged back in Summer 2007.

I was so hurt and sad--I grieved for a couple months, then ended the relationship last November. I haven't spoke to her since.

That's terrible.

The thing about the grocery stores here that drives my wife nuts and I never even noticed it was..... ####### do they put dishwashing soap, laundry soap, and body(shower) soap in different aisles?

Not only that!..... but Super Walmart puts them at opposite ends of the store!!!

I was planning a housewarming dinner at hubby's (then fiance) condo in Chicago a few years back and one of the cocktail drinks I wanted to make was lychee sangria. I went all over Chicago looking for Soho Lychee liquor--no one knew what it was, not even the restaurants. I threw a fit and cried.

OMG. That so reminds me of my own learning curve.