~~~SANDBOX 77~~~

sorry to hear about this, tehresa. :-/

i had a feeling, smoove. but it was a diff # than i had for you!

<3

sorry t

sorry about your granddad, t. <3

v sorry to hear teresa

is there a thread to complain abt being home for the holidays this year?

checkin in w/ the sandbox for the holidays from your parents'/relatives'/in-laws' house i think

thanking

got mugged a second time

lol @ life

waht

so sorry, tza, I bet you are the greatest granddaughter ever.

hoos, is that the Duke Ellington Bridge? get a new one, hon.

on the way home last night, was about to walk down the same street where i got mugged 2 months ago and thought "fuck that, i'm gonna go a diff route this time." took a diff route. one dude jumps out behind me with an arm around my neck pulling me backwards, the other in front of me in a ski mask--they take my phone, headphones, debit card & metro card. i shove my glasses into my pocket to protect them & croak out "leave me my house keys, man, leave me my house keys." can't get to the ~personal alarm~ my boss gave me last time i got mugged. they pitch me forward onto the ground.

i feel like if i'd gone looking after they left i probably coulda found my debit card at least, but just wanted to go home.

and yeah morbz i was trying to take a diff route to the ellington

aw, man, hoos :(

Wow, sorry hoos. It's just by luck that some of us haven't been mugged.

love to you both, tza and hoos

I'm so sorry, Hoos.

that is just the worst :/
i hope you're still okay walking around, i know that can be p destabilising
hope you're having good times inside since

some shit, hoos

Oh, shit. And just before Christmas, too.

- just found out i'm an auntie again today

auntie smoove

oh also found out that my stepsister--22 year old college junior not really seeing anybody--is having a kid.

congrats smoove auntie! and congrats stepuncle steen?

dammit, hoos, just saw this. i'm so sorry. was it near shaw again?

Gratz to everyone.

I just dyed my hair a dark scarlet red. More later when it dries.

Damn. Sorry, hoos. All you can do with shit like that is live your way past it.

I sort of did get mugged once.

In 2004, a tourist from Ireland named Joe stole my wallet and cell phone after I didn't have cash for the cab we split.

I met him when he and I and another stranger took shelter from a severe thunderstorm under an awning and smoked cigarettes. After the worst of the storm, we all went to a 4:00 bar and got shitty. When it closed, he and I took a cab to a 5:00 bar. All I remember is that he was pissed because I didn't have cash and when I offered to buy his drinks or go to the ATM, he shoved me against a tree, got in my face, [apparently took my stuff], and then I walked home.

The next day I was without wallet or phone, so I called my voice mail number. I had a message from Joe that said, in a this accent, "Yeh, this is Joe. I have your cell phone, if you want it back. I got in a car accident and I'm upstairs in St. Joseph's Hospital."

I went to the hospital and after much persuasion, the receptionist searched for "Joe" who was "upstairs." She and found him and called him, but he told her he was not accepting visitors.

yarg, i'm having the worst luck with flying recently. my flight on the way out of dc was cancelled, as i whined about a few days ago, and now, upon arrival, my bags are missing. i'm heading to the airport bar. fuck it.

maybe i should just live in the airport. they have everything!

yeah great transport links

As I often boast and tempt fate, I've only had one significant flight delay in my life (~5 hours in Atlanta due to a storm in 1988), and never a canceled flight. And no lost luggage. Once it was delayed b/c it wouldn't fit on the puddle jumper to Key West, but I got it a few hours later.

if you're back in dc, just go home and make them deliver the bags

also f u jesse

Also no significant turbulence. Only some small bumps, like running over a pothole in a car.

You know this means I'm going to die in a heinous aircrash, right?

if you're back in dc, just go home and make them deliver the bags

eh, i thought about it, but my medicine is in there, and also a bunch of my work clothes. i didn't want to mess with them delivering it during the week when i'm at work. and plus it's supposed to arrive in about an hour, now (apparently it's on the next flight from philly?) and i have some work to do on my computer anyway.

my only canceled flight meant i got to delay my holiday by three days hanging out by the pool in a hotel

was that in Orlando? didn't you also watch Mark Ruffalo movies ?

carry-on only over here *brushes dirt off of shoulder*

yes i also watched mark ruffalo movies! also watched the same movie on the flight back too. but they edited out his ass.

Rark! Muffalo!

i know i'm being a fusspot but i would rather deal with the vagaries of checked luggage than go around town with dirt on my shoulder. xp

I will admit it's perhaps an uneven tradeoff *continues brushing dirt off*

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5d/Pig-pen_peanuts.PNG

urgent tipping question: some guys are coming in an hour to clean and fix the gutters on our roof. $260 for the job. should we tip and if so how much??

oh god really?

I know I can't believe I'm sullying the sandbox w/ a tipping question

I wouldn't if they were self-employed builders. If they're guys working for a wage, maybe round up to $300 if you can afford it, as it's Christmas.

Would you tip if you paid somebody to mow your lawn? Or to shovel snow/rake leaves?

I don't know the answers to any of those questions (renter for LIFE!), but they seem like a reasonable guide. I think cleaning gutters is more like cutting grass than, say, fixing your roof, which I would not think would necessitate tipping.

the payment is the tip for those first two cases

I think it's more about fixing the roof - nailing the gutters to the side of the house so it doesn't come loose in a windstorm. so maybe the tip is built into the $260