The Return of the Pink Ranter

[Darnell 8,478]

Question: Home thermostat (ca. 3 years old), when turned on or off, sometimes flashes random numbers before settling where it should. Replace thermostat?

Take it apart.

1. reseat all electrical connections and

2. replace the battery .

[N-o-l-a 7,168]

Grrr, man.

Grrr on both his front and the OP's a little. I think these type of threads should be country specific like "the petitioner should be there in Jamaica" or something. Comparing a Jamaican CR1 interview with one in Germany or Canada is like apples and oranges. I was the only American in the embassy at Stockholm that day despite there being multiple CR1/K1 interviews. I'd say my husband might have been quizzed more so than what I heard of the other interviews and read on the reviews here.

[KayDeeCee 4,893]

Grrr, man.

I concur! Blanket statements of incorrect assurances are always lovely, aren't they?

[TBoneTX 45,469]

Share!

One Americana spent the entire evening cheerily telling me stories of how she denigrated and abused her employees, justifying it all with "It makes them respect me as a strong boss." What she related was genuinely horrifying, even if only a fraction of it were true. After extricating and trying to compose myself at home, I held my usual private ceremony of tearing up her phone number and watching it flutter into the trash. The next eve, she phoned me to say that she wanted to see me again. Although stunned, I managed to say, "You've got to be kidding," and hung up, c u man.

Another Americana agreed to meet me at the beach. We were talking, and I told her that one firm, inviolable tenet of mine was that if anyone raised her hand against me in anger or committed one act of physical violence, the relationship was immediately and permanently over. She slugged me very hard on the arm with her fist, saying "Like this?" I said, "Why did you do that?" She said, in complete seriousness, "Sometimes, men have to be kept in line, and this is how to do it." Fortunately, we had taken separate cars, or I would have found a way to abandon her there, c u man.

I met yet another Americana on a dating site. She offered to have me come over to her house to cook me "a wonderful lunch -- it'll be so-o-o goooood." I agreed and showed up at 11 a.m. as she suggested. For over 3 hours, she made a big deal of going into the kitchen, spending a lot of time there, and coming out and saying, "It'll be so-o-o goooood." I was left to chat chiefly with her teenage son. Two sets of neighbors came by for different reasons, and this chick invited them for lunch. They declined in great haste, which I noticed. By 2 p.m., I was ready to eat the tablecloth. At 2:45, the chick came out of the kitchen with a plate, which held a sprig of parsley and a speck of meat about an inch in diameter. She delightedly gave it to me and said, "It'll be so-o-o goooood!" I wolfed it and excused myself as fast as I could. The nearest restaurant made its entire weekly budget from one customer shortly thereafter, sigh man.

I went out with still another Americana a few times and told her that I didn't think that anything could develop. A couple of months later, she phoned, said that she definitely wanted to see me again and to give her another chance, so I did. The first re-meeting wasn't great but wasn't bad, and she reiterated her interest in me, so I suggested a Saturday day-trip to a fairly interesting small town. While there, she refused to walk holding my hand, she showed zero signs of physical affection or even much conversational interest, and she made a point of saying that she had to be back in town by a certain time because of another obligation. On the drive home, she said that she was completely in love with her 16-year-old son and planned to keep him with her always. "He's my baby," she said. I asked, "Even when he's an adult and married himself, or if you're remarried?" "Yes!" she said. She had parked by my house, and when we got back, she said, "I want to come in." I said, "Well, look -- you said that you had to be across town very shortly now, and if we go in, it would take at least half an hour to interact with the cat, and you'd have to go anyway." She got in her car in normal fashion and drove off. I was left shaking my head. She never contacted me again. This was 1 April 2006 (no foolin'), the very day that I permanently swore off Americanas and resolved to look overseas, sea man.

The above are only a minute percentage of similar stories. The details of these meetings are less important than the psychological impact. Of course, grizzled veterans of dating need to have their antennae up for weirdness, liars, etc., and to be outstanding "screeners" before offering or agreeing to meet. However, some behavior from seemingly normal people is so bizarre that it stretches the limits of belief or defies it altogether. Could there truly be so many refugees from the insane asylum? I'll always remember how very rattled I was after each of these experiences, and many others besides. A lingering question is how anyone could have been married to these complete psychos in the first place.

Satisfied, Nola, huh man?

Take it apart.

1. reseat all electrical connections and

2. replace the battery .

Thank you, D man.

Edited December 16, 2013 by TBoneTX

[TBoneTX 45,469]

I concur! Blanket statements of incorrect assurances are always lovely, aren't they?

"Si, ma'am" to both of you. Kay-Bonette, your +1 meant a lot to me, si ma'am. You love these "genius-come-latelies" as much as I, si man.

[N-o-l-a 7,168]

Tbone - Actually, I enjoy reading them because I've never dated in that traditional sense (crazy, I know).

[NikLR 13,227]

I dated a crazy guy who tried to leave my car going over an overpass of a major highway. He also threw his dead best friends cowboy hat band out a same said car window when I wouldnt say something mean I had thought of and "said ya know what, nevermind" instead. I dated a few more crazy mofos... I think I prefer being the crazy one, which thankfully only happens once a month.

[TBoneTX 45,469]

Tbone - Actually, I enjoy reading them because I've never dated in that traditional sense (crazy, I know).

Are you the happiest sadist then, huh ma'am?

[TBoneTX 45,469]

I prefer being the crazy one, which thankfully only happens once a month.

Just wait till The First Trimester, wow ma'am.

[N-o-l-a 7,168]

Are you the happiest sadist then, huh ma'am?

Actually I'm a switch!

Nah, I'm not delighting in your pain or anything, but I like to learn about people's experiences.

I got an amazing first hand experience in how not to go about being a relationship from my parents' many marriages, so I count myself lucky with that.

[KayDeeCee 4,893]

"Si, ma'am" to both of you. Kay-Bonette, your +1 meant a lot to me, si ma'am. You love these "genius-come-latelies" as much as I, si man.

The are, um, fun?

Haha, your dating stories are interesting. I cannot really think of any crazy dating stories, but I have several controlling, abusive, crazy ex-husband tidbits. They are just not the same.

Oh, I sort of have one. I was dating this guy, I guess he was the rebound guy, since he was the first one since I split from my ex. We got in an argument about something and he punched the wall next to my head. He was promptly told to get out. He came back the next day with flowers to apologize and let me know how it was a good thing he punched the wall because he wanted to hit me, but did not. He went on to explain more about how hitting the wall instead of me was a good thing and made him a non-abusive, 'good guy'. After the crazy abusive ####### I went through with my ex, I sure felt like I could really pick the glorious winners of the world.

[TBoneTX 45,469]

I count myself lucky with that.

Triple si, ma'am.

[TBoneTX 45,469]

I sure felt like I could really pick the glorious winners of the world.

My "fraud alert" antennae were always sharper than those of the most ####### consulate. In fact, I pre-date-grilled myself out of several potential rendezvouses (is that the plural, oui man?) before they even eventuated. I was so particular that I'd sometimes go months between dates. This is why the "double-crossers" rattled me so.

Oh -- here's another, sigh man: On a Monday, I set up a restaurant date for a Friday with someone who genuinely seemed like a good prospect. We very carefully confirmed the location, time, and place in the lobby where we'd meet. I ended the call with "I'll be there, and I greatly look forward to seeing you." I showed up as promised, waited and waited and waited, and no sign of her. I was eventually seated and kept looking around and going to the entrance to search. I finally called her. She said, "Well, you didn't call to say that you'd be there, so I figured that you were going to stand me up." Well, thank you, gee ma'am. I was dressed, I was starving, and I was there, so I decided to eat by myself. The restaurant was packed, and everybody else was coupled. I was feeling bad enough already, and the waitress asked, "Just one, sir?" I said, "What do you mean, 'just' one? I was stood up tonight! Does that mean that I have to leave?" The waitress was most apologetic, and in fact she and one of her colleagues gave me a lot of attention. That helped but still didn't remove the sting and the disappointment, which actually lasted for days afterwards.

To her and to all others like her: Honey, don't waste my time, and don't trifle with my hopes and emotions. I'm a real, live human being whose greatest distastes are to be disrespected and disregarded.

Rant: Being greeted at any restaurant with "Just one, sir?" What the dickens -- isn't my money just as good as if I were twins? I could spend less and stick entirely with fast food and not have to be abused like that.

It took too long for me to get this through my skull, but eventually I kept to the practice of not waiting longer than half an hour for anyone, even if it were the president of General Motors.

Deciding to forswear Americanas and search internationally was right to do, si man. After about 6 months, I connected with the small agency that introduced me to Mrs. T-B.-to-be 2 months later. At the end of my first phone call with her, she said, in her rusty English, "T-B., whatever happens between us, please promise me one thing: Please don't ever lie to me." How refreshingly different this was from the confused, psycho Americanas against whose wall I'd been beating my head, gee man.

[TBoneTX 45,469]

The usual minus de-dishwarshering, si man: Minister to cat, prep for bed, and go there, zzz man.

Edited December 16, 2013 by TBoneTX

[Vanitas 310]

"Si, ma'am" to both of you. Kay-Bonette, your +1 meant a lot to me, si ma'am. You love these "genius-come-latelies" as much as I, si man.

The are, um, fun?

Haha, your dating stories are interesting. I cannot really think of any crazy dating stories, but I have several controlling, abusive, crazy ex-husband tidbits. They are just not the same.

Oh, I sort of have one. I was dating this guy, I guess he was the rebound guy, since he was the first one since I split from my ex. We got in an argument about something and he punched the wall next to my head. He was promptly told to get out. He came back the next day with flowers to apologize and let me know how it was a good thing he punched the wall because he wanted to hit me, but did not. He went on to explain more about how hitting the wall instead of me was a good thing and made him a non-abusive, 'good guy'. After the crazy abusive ####### I went through with my ex, I sure felt like I could really pick the glorious winners of the world.

Agreed with both of you. He reminds me of that fellow who keeps using caps, bright colours and weird fonts and thinks he's a know-it-all/genius about the visa process and the US Government's inner workings when actually he's been spreading massive amounts of misinformation which I've had to counter at times, especially when we had the switch from paper forms > DS-260 > DS-160.

If only you could shut someone down for spreading misinformation constantly. If it were information or instructions on fraud, sure. But "just" misinformation? Don't think that's allowed, unfortunately.

Edit: What also bugs me are those that put their topic titles/posts in all caps as if to try and catch people's eyes. If it were me, I'd lock the thread clearly stating that kind of behaviour is frowned upon on the internet at large and instruct them to post more like a "normal" person. But then I'm zero tolerance and I'm also biased as I said it bugs me.

Edited December 16, 2013 by Wheatley