Author Topic: Relatives who just don't get it  (Read 3478977 times)

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3950 on: November 22, 2017, 02:44:19 PM »
My dad drives to the dentist. His house is 1/7 of a mile (220 meters) away from the dentist's office.

My car is further away than that from my home.

Love it!

kayvent

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3951 on: November 22, 2017, 05:15:37 PM »
My dad drives to the dentist. His house is 1/7 of a mile (220 meters) away from the dentist's office.

Is traffic and the dentist’s parking that good that driving is faster?

marielle

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3952 on: November 22, 2017, 06:38:19 PM »
I used to live in an apartment where it was a <10 minute walk door to door. I had a classmate that would drive from the same apartment. I'm 95% sure driving took longer. Also, parking passes were $450.

Just Joe

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3953 on: November 26, 2017, 12:52:17 PM »
Got my big dose of holiday cable TV watching during our Thanksgiving visit to out of town relatives.

The volume of advertising seems to have gone way up.

Also it struck me how "Reality TV" seems to be all about spending money. Customize your house, wardrobe, car, RV, whatever. Vacation! Shopping! wired just like smartphone and social media triggers that dopamine release every so often.

Otherwise easiest holiday in years. No drama.

emduck

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3954 on: November 26, 2017, 01:01:48 PM »
Got my big dose of holiday cable TV watching during our Thanksgiving visit to out of town relatives.

The volume of advertising seems to have gone way up.

Also it struck me how "Reality TV" seems to be all about spending money. Customize your house, wardrobe, car, RV, whatever. Vacation! Shopping! wired just like smartphone and social media triggers that dopamine release every so often.

Otherwise easiest holiday in years. No drama.

Maybe it was because the "regulars" were on vacation, but there were even infomercials on the news.  The news!  Including this one super long one about buying a mansion in Arizona or something.

I can't say mine was dramaless, but there was less political ranting from my father than expected. 

Just Joe

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3955 on: November 26, 2017, 06:45:15 PM »
Hear! Hear!

Most of our extended family are Trump supporters. Maybe they are less enthusiastic about his team this year? Not a single mention of him.

The few non-Trump supporters universally and discretely had the "can you believe the news lately" attitude.

Did witness some Black Friday shopping planning. People buying things I remember them buying just a few years ago. Expensive things that made me wonder if the new thing would be any better than the old version. Same people complaining about money from time to time.

Why not buy something of good quality, take care of it and get a decade or more from it?
« Last Edit: November 26, 2017, 06:49:49 PM by Just Joe »

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3956 on: November 26, 2017, 07:24:16 PM »
... People buying things I remember them buying just a few years ago. Expensive things that made me wonder if the new thing would be any better than the old version. Same people complaining about money from time to time.

Why not buy something of good quality, take care of it and get a decade or more from it?

I have an associate (former friend who I no longer have much to do with but still observe the drama from a distance) who is like this at tax time every year.

Brags on Facebook (and previously to me personally) about "needing" to buy a new TV, HDD, digital camera and laptop for him and/or his wife. Every year.

This is someone who grew up in a housing commission estate in a poor area, then suffered with unemployment due to illness as a young adult, so I think when he finally got full-time work and started making decent money he went a bit overboard with spending.

But he's over 60 now, doesn't have kids, lives in an affordable area, and still has a mortgage because he spends every dollar on toys.

marielle

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3957 on: November 27, 2017, 06:59:06 AM »
Man, this week I really regretted not overnighting my shiny new Chase Sapphire Reserve card before the holidays. My (future) in-laws spent over $2k on black Friday. That would have been a sizable dent in my minimum spend if they gave me cash for all those purchases. To be fair though, $1500 of that was for some golf clubs that will probably never be replaced again. I'm not judging (too) much...
Edit: I also got the CSP on the same day, so I have to spend $8k in 3 months which makes this a little harder without some manufactured spending.

Retirement came up as a topic a couple times. SIL quoted one of her professors that said you need $4-8 million for retirement because of how many people go bankrupt from medical bills. I should have asked her how much she's saving to reach that number...

Also, according to the in-laws, being a millionaire means nothing and they reached that number a "long time ago". They're not planning on retiring any time soon because of healthcare costs, supposedly. It has nothing to do with the beach house they just built or the next house they've mentioned buying in an unknown location. Or the two SUVs they drive.
« Last Edit: November 27, 2017, 07:32:52 AM by marielle »

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3958 on: November 27, 2017, 07:17:38 AM »
Got my big dose of holiday cable TV watching during our Thanksgiving visit to out of town relatives.

The volume of advertising seems to have gone way up.

Thanksgiving was at our place this year so we were spared having the TV on non-stop, never muted. However the in-laws have figured out how to watch sports on their iPads... I'll never understand why football is so important that you can't even go four days without it on a holiday break with family.

Even the online app version of TV has advertisements and the in-laws were complaining about certain ones that come up all the time. It didn't occur to them that they could at least mute the ads. Nor did they do so after I suggested it...

kaypinkHH

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3959 on: November 27, 2017, 07:30:01 AM »
Living with my in-laws the past month or so, I have NO IDEA why people love to have the TV on from dawn until dusk. Currently we are watching all the crappy Christmas movies. Back when we cut cable in 2014, Mr.HH was more hesitant than me...but now after living with crappy tv again he has 0 regrets!

(We still watch a ton of netflix and youtube videos, but it isn't 24/7)

Imma

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3960 on: November 27, 2017, 07:42:41 AM »
Living with my in-laws the past month or so, I have NO IDEA why people love to have the TV on from dawn until dusk. Currently we are watching all the crappy Christmas movies. Back when we cut cable in 2014, Mr.HH was more hesitant than me...but now after living with crappy tv again he has 0 regrets!

(We still watch a ton of netflix and youtube videos, but it isn't 24/7)

Some people hate the silence so much they'll take any kind of noise just to not have silence. I have a coworker who goes half crazy when the radio doesn't work. Good friends of ours have cartoons on 24/7. They were away for a weekend a while ago and I watched their toddler. First thing he does in the morning is to go up to the TV to turn it on. Kid can't even talk yet. I tried to turn it off and keep it off for a few hours, but it unsettled him so much I eventually turned it on. It's not like they're actually watching it, it's just background noise.

kelvin

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3961 on: November 27, 2017, 07:53:50 AM »
Man, this week I really regretted not overnighting my shiny new Chase Sapphire Reserve card before the holidays.

Edit: I also got the CSP on the same day, so I have to spend $8k in 3 months which makes this a little harder without some manufactured spending.

Anyone with this problem is welcome to make a donation to my student loans! [/sarcasm]

Seriously tho, most charities take credit card, and it might be worth a tax write-off where you live.

marielle

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3962 on: November 27, 2017, 08:22:59 AM »
Man, this week I really regretted not overnighting my shiny new Chase Sapphire Reserve card before the holidays.

Edit: I also got the CSP on the same day, so I have to spend $8k in 3 months which makes this a little harder without some manufactured spending.

Anyone with this problem is welcome to make a donation to my student loans! [/sarcasm]

Seriously tho, most charities take credit card, and it might be worth a tax write-off where you live.

Can you make a student loan payment with a credit card? I'm pretty sure I can't on mine.

I would have to donate a lot to be able to write off more than the standard deduction of $6k. I don't have a mortgage or anything else major to write off on my taxes. I will donate a decent amount of the minimum spend just through the monthly donations I already have set up.

ysette9

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3963 on: November 27, 2017, 12:01:37 PM »
I don’t understand the television as background noise thing. I find it incredibly stressful to have that noise going. When I visited my SIL and they had the television going all the time I found myself hiding in the guest room to escape it.

pachnik

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3964 on: November 27, 2017, 12:11:16 PM »
I don’t understand the television as background noise thing. I find it incredibly stressful to have that noise going. When I visited my SIL and they had the television going all the time I found myself hiding in the guest room to escape it.

+1  I find it an odd thing to do too.  If we aren't watching the tv, we just shut it off. 

marielle

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3965 on: November 27, 2017, 12:22:02 PM »
I don’t understand the television as background noise thing. I find it incredibly stressful to have that noise going. When I visited my SIL and they had the television going all the time I found myself hiding in the guest room to escape it.

+1  I find it an odd thing to do too.  If we aren't watching the tv, we just shut it off.

+2 Yep, noticed this with my in-laws too. They had the huge TV on all day, but at least sometimes muted. I wasn't going to bring up how the 60+ inch TV is an energy hog but it's all I could think about. They also tried to turn on some random crap on cable after spending 10 minutes looking for something that was the least shitty. Boyfriend and I just went to bed shortly after because we got bored. Sorry, watching mostly ads on TV while everyone flips through their phones or iPads isn't my ideal way of spending time with someone. SIL also flipped out that she was missing part of a football game on Sunday and ran over to turn it on and watch it by herself.

They don't understand how we don't have cable, and tried to prove a point by asking what we do when our friends talk about what's on TV. They uh...don't talk about what's on TV? I also found out Jersey Shore apparently hasn't aired in 10 years because I mentioned it as an example of something I'm not interested in watching or talking about.

Edit: Forgot to mention that they refused to turn on subtitles for me and were rude about it, for a movie they had all seen countless times and insisted I have to watch because I haven't seen it. Sigh. I don't necessarily expect it, but English is my 3rd language and I miss a lot of dialogue.
« Last Edit: November 27, 2017, 12:34:49 PM by marielle »

Shinplaster

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3966 on: November 27, 2017, 01:01:33 PM »
I don’t understand the television as background noise thing. I find it incredibly stressful to have that noise going. When I visited my SIL and they had the television going all the time I found myself hiding in the guest room to escape it.

Mr. SP fully retired 2 years ago.  I'm pretty much living in our den (with doors!)  to escape the damn TV being on all day.  The same things over, over, and over again.  He promises to turn it off, but like a moth to a flame, half an hour later it's on again. 

I'm slowly losing my mind. 

DTaggart

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3967 on: November 27, 2017, 02:35:03 PM »
I've never been a fan of TV noise, preferring silence when possible. However lately our neighbors have had large swarms of shrieking children loose in their yards for hours on end, and I'd honestly rather hear non-stop infomercials than screeching spawn, so our tv is on as background noise a lot these days. Pretty sure I'm going to eventually end up a hermit living in a shack in the woods just to get some peace and quiet :)

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3968 on: November 27, 2017, 03:28:18 PM »
One of the things I never got around to acquiring was a TV or a stereo system. Since I have a smaller house and one of those dreadful "open" floor plans I have to use the same space for living that I do for entertaining. I grew up in a culture where, if there was a television in the house at all, it was generally in a different part of the house from where people got together to eat or socialize. I greatly fear that, because of this architectural trend, it's becoming harder to separate dining from electronic activities.

Not having conflicting music or TV sounds makes dinner parties much nicer, because people aren't having to shout over noise to have an intelligent conversation, and people with hearing impairments aren't excluded due to their inability to hear over the din or pick out which of the conflicting speech sounds are coming from the person who's talking. It makes it easy to figure out who's feeling left out or uncomfortable, and to fix that discomfort so that the person feels relaxed and comfortable instead of anxious.

I find that if I can get at least half a dozen guests, we can usually get two to three conversations going at a time around a decent sized table. Nobody's tempted to pull out a phone and people are very seldom in a hurry. Cocktails (not always alcoholic) followed by dinner and then after-dinner drinks (again, not always alcoholic) makes for a nice evening where people actually get to know each other and sometimes form friendships or other attachments that take on a life of their own afterwards.

My Thanksgiving was a blast even though seven of my guests didn't make it. I had a small group, only eight plus myself, but we had a great time and I did the send-a-dish-home-with-everyone thing. The topics of conversation were varied, and although my guests don't self-censor much they tend to find topics unrelated to what's being advertised or discussed on TV. It seems to me that, if people are in the presence of ads or political commentary from an electronic source, they are just as likely to pick up on them as if the ideas were coming from a conversation next to them.

With This Herring

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3969 on: November 27, 2017, 06:14:23 PM »
Edit: Forgot to mention that they refused to turn on subtitles for me and were rude about it, for a movie they had all seen countless times and insisted I have to watch because I haven't seen it. Sigh. I don't necessarily expect it, but English is my 3rd language and I miss a lot of dialogue.

Oh, that stinks.  I have a hard time catching the dialogue in movies when there is too much background music or conversation in the room, so I prefer to always use subtitles even though English is my only language.  One of the members of my group of friends has been dating a someone whose primary language isn't English, so now with two of us preferring it, subtitles are default on everything we watch as a group.  :)

I don’t understand the television as background noise thing. I find it incredibly stressful to have that noise going. When I visited my SIL and they had the television going all the time I found myself hiding in the guest room to escape it.

Mr. SP fully retired 2 years ago.  I'm pretty much living in our den (with doors!)  to escape the damn TV being on all day.  The same things over, over, and over again.  He promises to turn it off, but like a moth to a flame, half an hour later it's on again. 

I'm slowly losing my mind.

TV as background noise is helpful for some people with tinnitus.

Would Mr. SP be willing to listen to music instead (if the TV is just to create noise)?  Or use headphones for the television?  Or move the television to the den so that the rest of the house is free of it?

Shinplaster

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3970 on: November 27, 2017, 07:00:07 PM »
I don’t understand the television as background noise thing. I find it incredibly stressful to have that noise going. When I visited my SIL and they had the television going all the time I found myself hiding in the guest room to escape it.

Mr. SP fully retired 2 years ago.  I'm pretty much living in our den (with doors!)  to escape the damn TV being on all day.  The same things over, over, and over again.  He promises to turn it off, but like a moth to a flame, half an hour later it's on again. 

I'm slowly losing my mind.

TV as background noise is helpful for some people with tinnitus.

Would Mr. SP be willing to listen to music instead (if the TV is just to create noise)?  Or use headphones for the television?  Or move the television to the den so that the rest of the house is free of it?

He's not a fan of music playing, and won't wear headphones.  We have a TV in the basement, but he doesn't like basements either.  I think part of it is that he didn't get to watch much TV while he was working, and is "catching up" now.  I've been willing to let it go for a while, but I've about reached the end of my rope. We have an open concept house - noise goes everywhere.  I'll give it until after Christmas, and then we will have the conversation about limiting TV again.  If cutting cable totally is the solution, I'm about ready to go there.

He's a good guy, and not as rigid as ^ makes him sound.  I just don't want to end up as the 'old people watching TV all day' cliche as already referenced by other posters. 


nwhiker

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3971 on: November 27, 2017, 08:33:53 PM »
I worry that my sister and husband  are in for a huge failure in the future. They are looking to buy a home but needed to save money for a down payment. Neither of them lived on their own before marrying and they were given a house by family so they have no mortgage. They make over $100k per year in a very LCOL area where an expensive house is around $200k. How do you not already have the down payment? Then I learned they aren't contributing to retirement. The husband's income derives from traveling for O&G and if he were have to find a local job would take a 70% pay cut. Money comes in and goes right back out.

Just Joe

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3972 on: November 28, 2017, 10:43:35 AM »
... People buying things I remember them buying just a few years ago. Expensive things that made me wonder if the new thing would be any better than the old version. Same people complaining about money from time to time.

Why not buy something of good quality, take care of it and get a decade or more from it?

I have an associate (former friend who I no longer have much to do with but still observe the drama from a distance) who is like this at tax time every year.

Brags on Facebook (and previously to me personally) about "needing" to buy a new TV, HDD, digital camera and laptop for him and/or his wife. Every year.

This is someone who grew up in a housing commission estate in a poor area, then suffered with unemployment due to illness as a young adult, so I think when he finally got full-time work and started making decent money he went a bit overboard with spending.

But he's over 60 now, doesn't have kids, lives in an affordable area, and still has a mortgage because he spends every dollar on toys.

Yeah, I see it with TVs, cars and computers. Their needs have not changed. The user experience will likely be nearly the same. Just shinier.

Don't ya love a murder on the TV in the family room while you're celebrating the holiday? It brings so much cheer to the occasion.

We got another dose of couple specific "reality TV" shows that we have under a minute's worth of patience for. DW says it was the same episodes as last year on Thanksgiving. I just drifted out of the room. Maybe I'll go walk the dog and enjoy the crisp night air. 
« Last Edit: November 28, 2017, 10:55:18 AM by Just Joe »

Cassie

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3973 on: November 28, 2017, 12:36:32 PM »
We keep the TV off when we have company.  It is rude to have it on.

MgoSam

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3974 on: November 28, 2017, 01:33:38 PM »
Sadly I have so little in common with my family that I look forward to the TV being on when there's the inevitable Christmas day get together. At least then they'll be sports on. Nothing against the people in my family it's just that I can get through all the small talk in 10 minutes before they start trying to get into the whole, "When will you grow up and let your mother pick you a women to marry so that you can pop out 2 or 3 kids before you get any older."

ketchup

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3975 on: November 28, 2017, 01:40:17 PM »
We keep the TV off when we have company.  It is rude to have it on.
+1.  It's very distracting.  I was at a friend's family's house over the weekend (three generations roaming the house) and they had the TV blaring with nobody watching, or maybe one or two people half-watching. 

If I decide to watch TV, I'll watch TV.  It's a conscious action, not a background.  I really don't get it.  Music, fine, but TV?

Cassie

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3976 on: November 28, 2017, 02:15:53 PM »
Sam, your mom needs to mind her own business. I have 3 adult kids and would never tell them what to do.  I am really amazed at the number of people on this forum who get told what to do by their parents.  I enjoy talking with my kids and how they live their lives is up to them.

Shinplaster

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3977 on: November 28, 2017, 02:26:57 PM »
Sam, your mom needs to mind her own business. I have 3 adult kids and would never tell them what to do.  I am really amazed at the number of people on this forum who get told what to do by their parents.  I enjoy talking with my kids and how they live their lives is up to them.

Oh yes.  Part of the fun of having grown up children is you don't have to tell them what to do any more.

With This Herring

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3978 on: November 28, 2017, 03:01:25 PM »
Sadly I have so little in common with my family that I look forward to the TV being on when there's the inevitable Christmas day get together. At least then they'll be sports on. Nothing against the people in my family it's just that I can get through all the small talk in 10 minutes before they start trying to get into the whole, "When will you grow up and let your mother pick you a women to marry so that you can pop out 2 or 3 kids before you get any older."

You are missing a golden opportunity.  Just marry a lady who already has a few young kids.  Super efficient!

Cookie78

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3979 on: November 28, 2017, 04:04:11 PM »
We keep the TV off when we have company.  It is rude to have it on.

I'll never forget the time when we were camping and it was rainy my cousins and their kids and I (ranging in ages from 4-30) piled in a camper to play dice. There were at least 10 of us and we were very loud and having a grand time. Another cousin came in and plopped her youngest (3ish) down beside us with some portable loud tv blaring device. I was incredulous. So irritating. The kid watched it for all of 10 seconds before the game we were playing was more interesting.

Goldielocks

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3980 on: November 28, 2017, 05:59:21 PM »
Sadly I have so little in common with my family that I look forward to the TV being on when there's the inevitable Christmas day get together. At least then they'll be sports on. Nothing against the people in my family it's just that I can get through all the small talk in 10 minutes before they start trying to get into the whole, "When will you grow up and let your mother pick you a women to marry so that you can pop out 2 or 3 kids before you get any older."

So... When do you plan to have kids?


<ack>

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3981 on: November 28, 2017, 07:55:17 PM »
We keep the TV off when we have company.  It is rude to have it on.

I'll never forget the time when we were camping and it was rainy my cousins and their kids and I (ranging in ages from 4-30) piled in a camper to play dice. There were at least 10 of us and we were very loud and having a grand time. Another cousin came in and plopped her youngest (3ish) down beside us with some portable loud tv blaring device. I was incredulous. So irritating. The kid watched it for all of 10 seconds before the game we were playing was more interesting.

What dice game?  My family really enjoys Farkle, and sort of enjoys Yahtzee.  I'd love to get another recommendation.

Cookie78

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3982 on: November 28, 2017, 09:54:41 PM »
We keep the TV off when we have company.  It is rude to have it on.

I'll never forget the time when we were camping and it was rainy my cousins and their kids and I (ranging in ages from 4-30) piled in a camper to play dice. There were at least 10 of us and we were very loud and having a grand time. Another cousin came in and plopped her youngest (3ish) down beside us with some portable loud tv blaring device. I was incredulous. So irritating. The kid watched it for all of 10 seconds before the game we were playing was more interesting.

What dice game?  My family really enjoys Farkle, and sort of enjoys Yahtzee.  I'd love to get another recommendation.

We just call it 'dice', but it looks like there are many names, including Farkle. :)

http://www.dice-play.com/Games/TenThousand.htm

Linea_Norway

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3983 on: November 29, 2017, 01:24:59 AM »
We keep the TV off when we have company.  It is rude to have it on.

I'll never forget the time when we were camping and it was rainy my cousins and their kids and I (ranging in ages from 4-30) piled in a camper to play dice. There were at least 10 of us and we were very loud and having a grand time. Another cousin came in and plopped her youngest (3ish) down beside us with some portable loud tv blaring device. I was incredulous. So irritating. The kid watched it for all of 10 seconds before the game we were playing was more interesting.

Of course the TV is off when you have company. But when company is there for a longer time (family staying over), you can decide to watch TV together.
But I agree that someone having the TV on i a blaring way without asking others whether this was okay is very disturbing. I even think that in my own house when DH turns on the TV without asking me. Unfortunately we don't really have a nice other place to sit comfortably that is not close to the TV. But it least I ask him to turn it off when his program is finished and there isn't anything interesting starting afterwards.

Dave1442397

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3984 on: November 29, 2017, 05:39:27 AM »
We keep the TV off when we have company.  It is rude to have it on.

I'll never forget the time when we were camping and it was rainy my cousins and their kids and I (ranging in ages from 4-30) piled in a camper to play dice. There were at least 10 of us and we were very loud and having a grand time. Another cousin came in and plopped her youngest (3ish) down beside us with some portable loud tv blaring device. I was incredulous. So irritating. The kid watched it for all of 10 seconds before the game we were playing was more interesting.
I can't stand having a TV as background noise, especially American "news" programs. Just being around that crap makes my brain cells curl up and die.

I've kept the den/office in our house TV-free, and I love being able to sit there and read my book in peace and quiet.

Of course the TV is off when you have company. But when company is there for a longer time (family staying over), you can decide to watch TV together.
But I agree that someone having the TV on i a blaring way without asking others whether this was okay is very disturbing. I even think that in my own house when DH turns on the TV without asking me. Unfortunately we don't really have a nice other place to sit comfortably that is not close to the TV. But it least I ask him to turn it off when his program is finished and there isn't anything interesting starting afterwards.
« Last Edit: November 29, 2017, 11:14:02 AM by Dave1442397 »

zolotiyeruki

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3985 on: November 29, 2017, 06:05:49 AM »
We keep the TV off when we have company.  It is rude to have it on.

I'll never forget the time when we were camping and it was rainy my cousins and their kids and I (ranging in ages from 4-30) piled in a camper to play dice. There were at least 10 of us and we were very loud and having a grand time. Another cousin came in and plopped her youngest (3ish) down beside us with some portable loud tv blaring device. I was incredulous. So irritating. The kid watched it for all of 10 seconds before the game we were playing was more interesting.

What dice game?  My family really enjoys Farkle, and sort of enjoys Yahtzee.  I'd love to get another recommendation.
Here's another one my in-laws love:  everyone has a piece of paper.  There's one die and one pen.  The first person rolls the die until a 6 comes up.  When that happens, they grab the pen and start writing the numbers 1-100, while the next person starts rolling the die.  As soon as person #2 rolls a 6, they grab the pen from #1 and start writing their own sequence, while person #3 starts rolling the die.  This continues around the circle until someone gets to 100.  It's noisy, chaotic, frenetic, and lots of fun.

kaypinkHH

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3986 on: November 29, 2017, 06:41:30 AM »
Glad I'm not the only one who finds the TV on 24/7 annoying. Totally ok with morning news as people are grabbing breakfast, or the evening "prime time shows"..but the constant crappy made for TV movies from the hours of 8 am -5 pm!! It is madness. I calculated how much running their GIANT TV 14 hours a day, most days of the year, and it would cost them per year: ~$900. THAT IS A TRIP SOMEWHERE!

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3987 on: November 29, 2017, 07:06:39 AM »
Glad I'm not the only one who finds the TV on 24/7 annoying. Totally ok with morning news as people are grabbing breakfast, or the evening "prime time shows"..but the constant crappy made for TV movies from the hours of 8 am -5 pm!! It is madness. I calculated how much running their GIANT TV 14 hours a day, most days of the year, and it would cost them per year: ~$900. THAT IS A TRIP SOMEWHERE!

I think you're doing some math wrong here. 14 hours per day is 5,110 hours in the year. Average electricity cost in the US is $0.12/kWh. So $900 of electricity gets you 7,500 kWh. A TV using 7,500 kWh over 5,110 hours would be averaging a power draw of 1,468 watts! That's about 12 times as much as an 86-inch LG TV.

kaypinkHH

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3988 on: November 29, 2017, 07:16:06 AM »
Herm, interesting, I found a website that quoted 37c/hr assuming a cost of electricity of 27c/kwh. I'm at 13c/kwh, so I just divided the 37c/hr by 2, then x14x360 = ~$900...

But then with the energy cost guideline for TVs most TVs come with an estimated cost for running a TV for 5hours a day per year. Max is $38..so factored for 14 hours a day is only $106. That seems more reasonable...

THAT IS A ROAD TRIP some where.

AlanStache

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3989 on: November 29, 2017, 07:22:17 AM »
I thought I remembered some story about how TV manufacturers were gaming the energy tests.  Like the TV's computer would identify the standard test video and put the TV into a low power/low brightness mode that most everyone does not actually use so the TV would use less power for the auditor.  I am to lazy to google for this now.

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3990 on: November 29, 2017, 07:32:31 AM »
I thought I remembered some story about how TV manufacturers were gaming the energy tests.  Like the TV's computer would identify the standard test video and put the TV into a low power/low brightness mode that most everyone does not actually use so the TV would use less power for the auditor.  I am to lazy to google for this now.

Perhaps, but it's not going to be off by a whole order of magnitude.

Just Joe

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3991 on: November 29, 2017, 08:05:36 AM »
Sadly I have so little in common with my family that I look forward to the TV being on when there's the inevitable Christmas day get together. At least then they'll be sports on. Nothing against the people in my family it's just that I can get through all the small talk in 10 minutes before they start trying to get into the whole, "When will you grow up and let your mother pick you a women to marry so that you can pop out 2 or 3 kids before you get any older."

Yeah, that's true. The TV can be a savior in times like those. When possible we try to organize a walk or some other activity to avoid sitting and talking if talking is hard with certain family. Mixed success. A warmish clear day on family gatherings is a godsend.

zolotiyeruki

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3992 on: November 29, 2017, 09:03:09 AM »
I thought I remembered some story about how TV manufacturers were gaming the energy tests.  Like the TV's computer would identify the standard test video and put the TV into a low power/low brightness mode that most everyone does not actually use so the TV would use less power for the auditor.  I am to lazy to google for this now.

Perhaps, but it's not going to be off by a whole order of magnitude.
Actually, since the backlight is the bulk of the power consumption, an order of magnitude is entirely possible.

shelivesthedream

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3993 on: November 29, 2017, 10:39:33 AM »
My father is into sports (mainly cricket and athletics and higher-level football, but he'll give most things a go) and he almost does the opposite in that he'll have the TV on and tuned to whatever match or fixture is going on, but have it muted. So he'll be cooking or reading or whatever, but the TV is silently going in the background. It's better than constant noise but I do find it oddly disconcerting.

ketchup

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3994 on: November 29, 2017, 10:46:55 AM »
My father is into sports (mainly cricket and athletics and higher-level football, but he'll give most things a go) and he almost does the opposite in that he'll have the TV on and tuned to whatever match or fixture is going on, but have it muted. So he'll be cooking or reading or whatever, but the TV is silently going in the background. It's better than constant noise but I do find it oddly disconcerting.
This I'd view as similar to checking the score of "the game" every half hour on your smartphone, except less polite/efficient.  Sports aren't my thing, but that's a semi-decent way of doing it if you don't just want to park on the couch and watch three hours of sportsball.

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3995 on: November 29, 2017, 11:12:10 AM »
My father is into sports (mainly cricket and athletics and higher-level football, but he'll give most things a go) and he almost does the opposite in that he'll have the TV on and tuned to whatever match or fixture is going on, but have it muted. So he'll be cooking or reading or whatever, but the TV is silently going in the background. It's better than constant noise but I do find it oddly disconcerting.

My husband used to do that before we cut satellite TV.  He would watch basically any sport including darts, table football and curling. 

shelivesthedream

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3996 on: November 29, 2017, 11:18:28 AM »
My father is into sports (mainly cricket and athletics and higher-level football, but he'll give most things a go) and he almost does the opposite in that he'll have the TV on and tuned to whatever match or fixture is going on, but have it muted. So he'll be cooking or reading or whatever, but the TV is silently going in the background. It's better than constant noise but I do find it oddly disconcerting.
This I'd view as similar to checking the score of "the game" every half hour on your smartphone, except less polite/efficient.  Sports aren't my thing, but that's a semi-decent way of doing it if you don't just want to park on the couch and watch three hours of sportsball.

But...if you want to be updated on the score while the match is going on, why don't you watch it? Otherwise, why not wait til it's over to get the final score? As you can probably tell, I'm not into any form of sportsball. :)

ketchup

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3997 on: November 29, 2017, 11:54:04 AM »
My father is into sports (mainly cricket and athletics and higher-level football, but he'll give most things a go) and he almost does the opposite in that he'll have the TV on and tuned to whatever match or fixture is going on, but have it muted. So he'll be cooking or reading or whatever, but the TV is silently going in the background. It's better than constant noise but I do find it oddly disconcerting.
This I'd view as similar to checking the score of "the game" every half hour on your smartphone, except less polite/efficient.  Sports aren't my thing, but that's a semi-decent way of doing it if you don't just want to park on the couch and watch three hours of sportsball.

But...if you want to be updated on the score while the match is going on, why don't you watch it? Otherwise, why not wait til it's over to get the final score? As you can probably tell, I'm not into any form of sportsball. :)
I'm not defending the practice; I just know people do that.  Maybe so they can actually tune in and watch it if they can tell by the score that it's going to be particularly close/interesting?

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3998 on: November 29, 2017, 02:01:18 PM »
Sadly I have so little in common with my family that I look forward to the TV being on when there's the inevitable Christmas day get together. At least then they'll be sports on. Nothing against the people in my family it's just that I can get through all the small talk in 10 minutes before they start trying to get into the whole, "When will you grow up and let your mother pick you a women to marry so that you can pop out 2 or 3 kids before you get any older."

So... When do you plan to have kids?


<ack>

Oh boy, I can sympathize.  I grew up in an era and area where you had kids in your 20s.  I got married at 26, the same year my husband's sister got married.  They had kids right away.  Ahem.

I didn't really want kids, honestly.  It took a few years before the questions started...at one point, at 32, SIL took me aside and said "you know you aren't getting any younger".  Hubs had to call her later and say "YOU ARE  NOT HELPING!!"  I tend to dig in my heels when someone tells me what to do.  Ask my ex-boyfriend about that and a haircut.

The good thing is that I was almost 36 when I had my first kid, and by then everyone had given up and stopped bugging me!  It was a long 10 years in the meantime.

MgoSam

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Re: Relatives who just don't get it
« Reply #3999 on: November 29, 2017, 03:15:15 PM »
Sadly I have so little in common with my family that I look forward to the TV being on when there's the inevitable Christmas day get together. At least then they'll be sports on. Nothing against the people in my family it's just that I can get through all the small talk in 10 minutes before they start trying to get into the whole, "When will you grow up and let your mother pick you a women to marry so that you can pop out 2 or 3 kids before you get any older."

So... When do you plan to have kids?


<ack>

HAHA! Well that's the rub as I'm childfree and so don't plan on having any.