Overheard at Work

[sheepstache]

This confusion does not get better when you can read "loctose free and gluten free" on an ever growing number od products. I especially "like" it on meat. It's a bit like calling ice heat free.

Well a bit better because normal earth ice does have heat in it.

[Pooperman]

This confusion does not get better when you can read "loctose free and gluten free" on an ever growing number od products. I especially "like" it on meat. It's a bit like calling ice heat free.

Well a bit better because normal earth ice does have heat in it.

Well, maybe more like calling ice "liquid free*"

*Containes trace amounts of liquid less than 0.5g/serving

[golden1]

It blows my mind why people would want a pool. I lived in a house where we had an in-ground pool for about 15 years (we bought it foreclosed). God bless my father. He did all the maintenance himself. It took so much time and money to upkeep. What a waste. There is literally a beach 10 minutes drive in Mass where they live. Not a "nasty lake beach" but the ocean beach. I far prefer lakes, but maybe that's because I grew up in Minnesota.

I live in MA and when I moved into my house, it had an inground pool.  After 3 years of dealing with the upkeep, I filled it in.  It was one of the best decisions I ever made.  In MA, you can only use it for 3-4 months tops, and I only swam in it maybe 3-5 times each summer.  For the money I spent on chemicals plus the time, I figured if I really wanted to swim I'd pay for a gym or YMCA membership.  Plus, our town has a really nice free wading pool that I took the kids to on hot days when they were little.   

[Hall11235]

Regarding the whole gluten thing you have to differentiate between the "radioactive explosion" type of illness - that is a very low  percentage of persons who suffers this, its actually way under one percent, ranging from 1:10000 to 1:100 depending on country and a bit on test method.

If people call gluten intolerance bullshit it is because that gets mixed up with other types of illnesses like allergies and most infamously with lactose intolerance, which has a wide spread of symptons and percentages of people who have it in different contries.
Being intolerant often does not mean you have problems - you can eat your sliver of cheese without problems, you should just not drink a liter of milk. But people often put a bad diet on lactose intolerance, because then they dont have to question their weight or their habit of eating a burger every day.

This confusion does not get better when you can read "loctose free and gluten free" on an ever growing number od products. I especially "like" it on meat. It's a bit like calling ice heat free.

My mama always told me I was special...

Well, I don't do lactose either, lol. It makes me stuffy as hell, even if I eat "just a sliver" of cheese (plus I always break out in brutal Acne after a dairy binge). Full fat Greek yogurt is about all I can handle, and even that has to be in really small doses.

[sheepstache]

This confusion does not get better when you can read "loctose free and gluten free" on an ever growing number od products. I especially "like" it on meat. It's a bit like calling ice heat free.

Well a bit better because normal earth ice does have heat in it.

Well, maybe more like calling ice "liquid free*"

*Containes trace amounts of liquid less than 0.5g/serving

*Manufactured at a facility that contains liquid.

[I'm a red panda]

This confusion does not get better when you can read "loctose free and gluten free" on an ever growing number od products. I especially "like" it on meat. It's a bit like calling ice heat free.

I bought cholesterol free carrots the other day.

That was some useful labeling!

[Hall11235]

I, for one, sure am glad that my eggs are "naturally gluten free."

[zephyr911]

I attended a mandatory presentation at work on the topic of "personal financial management." I'm in the military so mandatory training of this kind is standard.

I was very surprised that the presenter was able to talk for 30 minutes and never once mention credit, debt, recommended savings rates, net worth, retirement plan withdrawal rates, the value of index funds, and management fees.

It was essentially an infomercial for how to understand how a military retirement pension can fit in to your total retirement portfolio.

Not too helpful for the portion of the audience that will be forced out early and not have the option to serve the requisite  number of years.

Oh, and the only example of how compounding works involved saving $200/month for 40 years at 10% interest. Cute.

Huh. When I was halfway through college, and doing my AFROTC summer field training, we had a USAA guy come for an hour one day. I'll never forget the example of a mid-career bonus - one guy spent it on a sports car, the other put the money in the stock market and had some fabulous six-figure nest egg a decade later. That was one of the early experiences that got me thinking about how to have my cake and eat it too.

For those who wish to get on the gluten bandwagon, this video has some good tips:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oht9AEq1798

Watching right now. LOVE IT

Gluten-free meat
Sugar-free oil
Fat-free corn syrup
etc

Yeah, nutritional labels have gotten completely f*cking out of hand.

[Hall11235]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oht9AEq1798

Watching right now. LOVE IT

Gluten-free meat
Sugar-free oil
Fat-free corn syrup
etc

Yeah, nutritional labels have gotten completely f*cking out of hand.

The video is hilarious and is completely representative of a certain cohort of my college class.

[zephyr911]

CW in next cube is showing a visitor pics of a $39K SUV financed for his dainty 90lb wife a few months ago.

CW: "Cause every soccer mom needs a winch, right? lol"
Visitor "Ooh, that's badass".
CW: "We don't do much outdoor stuff"
Me: *rolls eyes so hard, optic nerve damage may ensue*

[Pooperman]

CW in next cube is showing a visitor pics of a $39K SUV financed for his dainty 90lb wife a few months ago.

CW: "Cause every soccer mom needs a winch, right? lol"
Visitor "Ooh, that's badass".
CW: "We don't do much outdoor stuff"
Me: *rolls eyes so hard, optic nerve damage may ensue*

[Hall11235]

The same future-pool owning coworker got a call last week from his wife who, without telling him, went out and bought a used car. Apparently they had talked about eventually doing that, but she just went out on her own and did it.

This poor family.

[zephyr911]

CW: I wanna do (XYZ $$$) but our deal has always been DW gets to spend the same amount on whatever she wants.
Me: *says nothing, still struggling to find a diplomatic way to express how fucked this is*
Inwardly: You do realize you're just fucking yourselves twice as hard with that strategy, right???

CW still had five figures on CC's after last paydown (via cashout refi) and who knows what it is now...

[benjenn]

Let me get the logic straight here. A bunch of coworkers go out to try and do something nice for me (when they have no obligation to), randomly picks a restaurant/food which I happen to dislike (I am assuming this was not done intentionally), and you're telling me that I should be angry at the fact that they didn't do it right.

Were my coworkers and CEO... all of whom know I don't eat meat, fish, dairy, eggs, etc... really trying to do something nice for me by celebrating my retirement with a fish fry?  I'm not angry that they had a fish fry, it just doesn't seem like much of a way to "honor" someone who has worked here for 26 years.  I didn't feel honored by it.

[zephyr911]

The same future-pool owning coworker got a call last week from his wife who, without telling him, went out and bought a used car. Apparently they had talked about eventually doing that, but she just went out on her own and did it.

This poor family.

This jogged my memory of the other thing I just posted, FTR (it's a paraphrase of something I've heard several times but don't think I ever shared)
I just don't understand how people in a committed relationship could basically function as adversaries, which is what's happening in both cases. It's the classic tragedy of the commons writ small - marital finances are a free-for-all where nobody thinks about the endgame and all they do is fight for whatever they can get, right now, regardless of the long-term impact.

I had a class on effective negotiation where they illustrated many cases in which two people get locked into a battle of wills over something without realizing there's a way for all parties to get what they need, if only they take a creative and collaborative problem-solving approach. That was really an eye-opener for me.

The example was two people arguing over an orange and never discovering that one only wants the zest for baking while the other wants a glass of juice. Real-life examples might be a little more nuanced, and obviously a dollar is just a dollar, but we could all do a better job of looking at the big picture to maximize utility for everyone involved. These examples here are pretty much the opposite end of the continuum.

[Hall11235]

The same future-pool owning coworker got a call last week from his wife who, without telling him, went out and bought a used car. Apparently they had talked about eventually doing that, but she just went out on her own and did it.

This poor family.

This jogged my memory of the other thing I just posted, FTR (it's a paraphrase of something I've heard several times but don't think I ever shared)
I just don't understand how people in a committed relationship could basically function as adversaries, which is what's happening in both cases. It's the classic tragedy of the commons writ small - marital finances are a free-for-all where nobody thinks about the endgame and all they do is fight for whatever they can get, right now, regardless of the long-term impact.

I had a class on effective negotiation where they illustrated many cases in which two people get locked into a battle of wills over something without realizing there's a way for all parties to get what they need, if only they take a creative and collaborative problem-solving approach. That was really an eye-opener for me.

The example was two people arguing over an orange and never discovering that one only wants the zest for baking while the other wants a glass of juice. Real-life examples might be a little more nuanced, and obviously a dollar is just a dollar, but we could all do a better job of looking at the big picture to maximize utility for everyone involved. These examples here are pretty much the opposite end of the continuum.

+ some power of ten greater than one

[PencilThinStash]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oht9AEq1798

Watching right now. LOVE IT

Gluten-free meat
Sugar-free oil
Fat-free corn syrup
etc

Yeah, nutritional labels have gotten completely f*cking out of hand.

The video is hilarious and is completely representative of a certain cohort of my college class.

There was a girl at my last job who came in all excited one day because "Guys, they finally make gluten-free Skittles! They taste so much better than regular Skittles!"

I about choked from laughing so hard. Another coworker argued with her for a solid 10 minutes about what gluten was and why Skittles have never had it... but couldn't convince her. She still thought the ones with the gluten-free label tasted so much better, there was just no way they could be the same candy.

Still makes me chuckle.

[trailrated]

I have a friend that still lives at his parents who is almost 30. He currently works at starbucks 100 yards from his house but he drives his f150 every day.

On a crazy note, he is overweight and broke despite not paying rent for a few years... I wonder why?

[I'm a red panda]

The same future-pool owning coworker got a call last week from his wife who, without telling him, went out and bought a used car. Apparently they had talked about eventually doing that, but she just went out on her own and did it.

This poor family.

Oh, I can beat that. My cousin-in-law bought a new HOUSE in a DIFFERENT state without telling her husband. She wanted to move, he didn't; so she just did it.

They did end up moving, but SHOCKINGLY, the marriage didn't last much longer.

They have kids in college, so it isn't like they were strangers who didn't know each other; they had been married a LONG time.

[Hall11235]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oht9AEq1798

Watching right now. LOVE IT

Gluten-free meat
Sugar-free oil
Fat-free corn syrup
etc

Yeah, nutritional labels have gotten completely f*cking out of hand.

The video is hilarious and is completely representative of a certain cohort of my college class.

There was a girl at my last job who came in all excited one day because "Guys, they finally make gluten-free Skittles! They taste so much better than regular Skittles!"

I about choked from laughing so hard. Another coworker argued with her for a solid 10 minutes about what gluten was and why Skittles have never had it... but couldn't convince her. She still thought the ones with the gluten-free label tasted so much better, there was just no way they could be the same candy.

Still makes me chuckle.

I would probably have peed myself at that one. I would have used my homemade standing desk to facepunch her.

[Hall11235]

The same future-pool owning coworker got a call last week from his wife who, without telling him, went out and bought a used car. Apparently they had talked about eventually doing that, but she just went out on her own and did it.

This poor family.

Oh, I can beat that. My cousin-in-law bought a new HOUSE in a DIFFERENT state without telling her husband. She wanted to move, he didn't; so she just did it.

They did end up moving, but SHOCKINGLY, the marriage didn't last much longer.

They have kids in college, so it isn't like they were strangers who didn't know each other; they had been married a LONG time.

I am always so confused when couples don't talk. I'm an extreme INTJ and even I know that I have to at least talk to my SO every once in a while. Especially about money things.

[I'm a red panda]

The same future-pool owning coworker got a call last week from his wife who, without telling him, went out and bought a used car. Apparently they had talked about eventually doing that, but she just went out on her own and did it.

This poor family.

Oh, I can beat that. My cousin-in-law bought a new HOUSE in a DIFFERENT state without telling her husband. She wanted to move, he didn't; so she just did it.

They did end up moving, but SHOCKINGLY, the marriage didn't last much longer.

They have kids in college, so it isn't like they were strangers who didn't know each other; they had been married a LONG time.

I am always so confused when couples don't talk. I'm an extreme INTJ and even I know that I have to at least talk to my SO every once in a while. Especially about money things.

I have no doubt they talked about money. Things like "I know you miss your friends in (state 2), but there is a recession right now (this was 2008), and my job is here in (state 1). I tried to transfer, I couldn't. We can't move without one of us having a job. Our child is about to enter college, we have a house here that likely isn't going to sell because the market has completely tanked and we are underwater. We have to ride it out."

It was a passive aggressive, I'm a baby who wants to get my way move; not a no communication issue.

(I remember our realtor telling us in a married couple it takes 1 to buy a house, but 2 to sell. Laws are apparently weird.)

[BlueHouse]

Y'all is always plural; "all y'all" is reflexive or emphatic. :-)

Man how did I miss the y'all conversation?

I agree- y'all is NEVER singular. It is always plural.
All y'all is more plural.

Oh boy, now I'll have to try and sneak "all y'all" into daily conversation and see if anyone notices!

I would love to hear such a robust southernism pulled off in a British accent.

I had a coworker previously who was from rural NC but lived in London for 5+ years - fabulous accent!

And while I'm here, we also say y'all in Kansas, where I'm from though not all y'all, I've only heard that in NC. Another NC favorite of mine is "might could" as in:
You might could do that but instead maybe you should do this.

Love it.

Or else "fixin' to" - I'm fixin' to go to the store, can I borrow your credit card?

"Fixin' to" is a popular expression in Kentucky as well, followed shortly with the standard confirmation query, "Ya-un-to?"

Ever heard "of the night"? Its been a while since I heard anyone use it in a sentence but I recall it being used in place of tonight or last night. Might have been a one man linguistic malfunction but that's what a fellow I knew two decades ago would say.

The brits in this forum might be interested to know that the only place in America that "I reckon" is commonly heard is from very rural country folk.  I think this might start to change as we are exposed to more British television, but I know anytime I ever heard the term, it was used as part of a joke about "dumb southerners". 

[mm1970]

It blows my mind why people would want a pool. I lived in a house where we had an in-ground pool for about 15 years (we bought it foreclosed). God bless my father. He did all the maintenance himself. It took so much time and money to upkeep. What a waste. There is literally a beach 10 minutes drive in Mass where they live. Not a "nasty lake beach" but the ocean beach. I far prefer lakes, but maybe that's because I grew up in Minnesota.

I know.

For me, I think I'd love a pool, except for the work.  But then, I swim.  I know people who have pools.

But I also have a 3 year old.  Who has no fear.  So every time I look at a house (I'm not house hunting, just curious), my first instinct on the pool is "no way".

[mm1970]

CW: "Hey, we're throwing a party for you! We're going to [steakhouse].
You: "I'm vegan."
CW: "Sure, but everyone else picked [steakhouse] and we already booked a table.
You: "But I don't eat steak. Why didn't you ask me?"
CW: "Oh, the whole office wanted to go to [steakhouse] so we thought you wouldn't mind."
You: "But it's supposed to be my party..."

Result: Asshole

This happened to my vegetarian friend a LOT.  They always took her to Outback Steakhouse.

[jinga nation]

The same future-pool owning coworker got a call last week from his wife who, without telling him, went out and bought a used car. Apparently they had talked about eventually doing that, but she just went out on her own and did it.

This poor family.

This jogged my memory of the other thing I just posted, FTR (it's a paraphrase of something I've heard several times but don't think I ever shared)
I just don't understand how people in a committed relationship could basically function as adversaries, which is what's happening in both cases. It's the classic tragedy of the commons writ small - marital finances are a free-for-all where nobody thinks about the endgame and all they do is fight for whatever they can get, right now, regardless of the long-term impact.

I had a class on effective negotiation where they illustrated many cases in which two people get locked into a battle of wills over something without realizing there's a way for all parties to get what they need, if only they take a creative and collaborative problem-solving approach. That was really an eye-opener for me.

The example was two people arguing over an orange and never discovering that one only wants the zest for baking while the other wants a glass of juice. Real-life examples might be a little more nuanced, and obviously a dollar is just a dollar, but we could all do a better job of looking at the big picture to maximize utility for everyone involved. These examples here are pretty much the opposite end of the continuum.

This brings back hilarious memories of my wife's sister and her husband. They were visiting us and went shopping to the malls and factory outlets. My wife's sister bought 6 pairs of footwear at Skechers, as they were Buy One Pair Get Half off the 2nd pair. Her husband was irked he had only 4 pairs, so he forced himself to buy 2 more pairs which he didn't like just to "even up" with his wife. This scenario repeated when they bought sweaters/sweatshirts/jackets/outerwear. At some point my wife and I didn't want to hang out with them anymore as all they did was shop and my wife and I got really bored since we're happy with what we have. We decided there and then that when relatives came to visit, we wouldn't take them shopping.

[Beaker]

CW: "Hey, we're throwing a party for you! We're going to [steakhouse].
You: "I'm vegan."
CW: "Sure, but everyone else picked [steakhouse] and we already booked a table.
You: "But I don't eat steak. Why didn't you ask me?"
CW: "Oh, the whole office wanted to go to [steakhouse] so we thought you wouldn't mind."
You: "But it's supposed to be my party..."

Result: Asshole

This happened to my vegetarian friend a LOT.  They always took her to Outback Steakhouse.

I just remembered that we actually did that to a friend of mine once. It was his birthday, after a longish round of negotiations we end up at a Brazilian steakhouse. He had phenylketonuria (for real, not self-diagnosed or anything), which in short means extremely limited protein intake regardless of source. It was a pretty thoughtless thing to do.

But that place had a fantastic salad bar, so it worked out.

[MgoSam]

CW: "Hey, we're throwing a party for you! We're going to [steakhouse].
You: "I'm vegan."
CW: "Sure, but everyone else picked [steakhouse] and we already booked a table.
You: "But I don't eat steak. Why didn't you ask me?"
CW: "Oh, the whole office wanted to go to [steakhouse] so we thought you wouldn't mind."
You: "But it's supposed to be my party..."

Result: Asshole

This happened to my vegetarian friend a LOT.  They always took her to Outback Steakhouse.

I just remembered that we actually did that to a friend of mine once. It was his birthday, after a longish round of negotiations we end up at a Brazilian steakhouse. He had phenylketonuria (for real, not self-diagnosed or anything), which in short means extremely limited protein intake regardless of source. It was a pretty thoughtless thing to do.

But that place had a fantastic salad bar, so it worked out.

Yeah, if I am ever in Fogo de Choa, I likely would just get the salad bar. It looks insanely impressive and full of enough things and at half the price. Plus, if I ever wanted to a eat a few nibbles of the cooked meats, I'm sure that someone I went with would slip me a few chunks. That said, I don't think I would ever spend $60 for a dinner except as a special occasion or a work dinner.

Heck, our work Christmas party was just going to a local Chinese buffet for dinner.

[MgoSam]

CW: "Hey, we're throwing a party for you! We're going to [steakhouse].
You: "I'm vegan."
CW: "Sure, but everyone else picked [steakhouse] and we already booked a table.
You: "But I don't eat steak. Why didn't you ask me?"
CW: "Oh, the whole office wanted to go to [steakhouse] so we thought you wouldn't mind."
You: "But it's supposed to be my party..."

Result: Asshole

This happened to my vegetarian friend a LOT.  They always took her to Outback Steakhouse.

I just remembered that we actually did that to a friend of mine once. It was his birthday, after a longish round of negotiations we end up at a Brazilian steakhouse. He had phenylketonuria (for real, not self-diagnosed or anything), which in short means extremely limited protein intake regardless of source. It was a pretty thoughtless thing to do.

But that place had a fantastic salad bar, so it worked out.

Yeah, if I am ever in Fogo de Choa, I likely would just get the salad bar. It looks insanely impressive and full of enough things and at half the price. Plus, if I ever wanted to a eat a few nibbles of the cooked meats, I'm sure that someone I went with would slip me a few chunks. That said, I don't think I would ever spend $60 for a dinner except as a special occasion or a work dinner.

Heck, our work Christmas party was just going to a local Chinese buffet for dinner.

I used to do the finances for a few restaurants in midtown Manhattan and I'd walk between them, passing Fogo de Chao. I've been meaning to go there ever since. Maybe for my birthday...

It's good food and I would argue that it's price isn't terrible for what you get, but it's generally more than I want to spend on a dinner. I would recommend considering going for lunch, it's usually nearly half off the dinner price. I'm guessing it's because during lunches, people are most cost-conscious, eat less, and generally don't have as much time to sit as with dinner.

I think their location here in Minnesota costs $40 for dinner and $25 for lunch, but I could be mistaken as I haven't been to it.

I recommend going if you want to. We only live once.

[MgoSam]

Oh man, they're part of Restaurant Week here...

http://www.nycgo.com/venues/fogo-de-chao-churrascaria-brazilian-steakhouse

Now to find someone to watch the baby.

Yeah, restaurant week was last week here. I went to Smack Shack with a good friend, had been wanting to go because I love lobsters and generally don't want to spend the money.

For $30 (before tax and tip) I got oysters and shrimp ceviche as an appetizer. The main course was lobster mac and cheese and a lobster roll, and a slice of keylime pie for dessert. Money well spent!

[maco]

As an Indian person, born in Canada, but lived in Atlanta for 20+ years I can't help but use y'all and find this comment more offensive than a lot of the recent race discussions from the Facebook thread.

Don't worry, I'm not mad over it just think it's interesting how American it is to throw around labels and classify people....

I grew up with "you guys" and TBH, after years of migrating around and using/hearing both, I think "y'all" is more functional. Also find it amusing that the more liberal/PC regions prefer the inherently sexist version of the second-person plural... ahaha xD

I run in feminist circles, and "y'all" and "folks" have become standard parts of the vocabulary in those circles for their gender neutrality.

[maco]

For a non native english speaker, what does "massa" means? couldn't find on google =(

It's a colloquial or phonetic spelling of master, which draws on the terrible history of the enslavement of black people in the US.

I've been called "master" exactly once in a non-bdsm setting that was the correct use of the term. I was about 13 at the time, and "master" is the male equivalent of "miss".

I'm part of a historical recreation group. Within that group, I am apprenticed to a woman who is a master weaver. As a female master weaver, she uses the title "mistress" within the group. Imagine my confusion when I got a voicemail late at night (she was overseas at the time) from an unknown number (because overseas) that started out with "this is your mistress"!

[zolotiyeruki]

I used to do the finances for a few restaurants in midtown Manhattan and I'd walk between them, passing Fogo de Chao. I've been meaning to go there ever since. Maybe for my birthday...

IMHO, it's definitely a worthwhile experience to do once in a long time.  My wife and I go there (or to Chama Gaucha, which is similar) once every couple years. The service is fantastic, the salad bar is just as good as you might imagine, and the meat... oh, the meat!  And the side dishes!  Oh, it's making my mouth water, just thinking about it!

Yes, it's expensive, so we only do it on very special occasions.  If we did it more often, it probably wouldn't be as special.  But we love it every time.  Especially the bacon-wrapped filet mignon.

[maco]

Your car gets hit by a deer and insurance doesn't fully cover the cost of the repair.

So there I was, at a red light, just minding my own business when ALL OF A SUDDEN my car gets HIT BY A DEER!!!!  I mean, it was like it just fell from the sky and HIT MY CAR!!!!

*** This was written in jest by someone whose father and sister hit a combined 4 deer in a two-year span (including a nice 10-point a week before season opened that my neighbor had been watching/dreaming about), our insurance threatened to drop the whole family if another deer was hit, and who once had the side of his car run into by a deer...I know it can happen.

No joke, I was driving home, having just bought my first car. As I'm coming to a stop behind a line of cars at a red light, a deer bolts out of the woods, crosses in front of my car, and when it reaches the car in the next lane to my left, just a bit in front of me, it rears on its hind legs and punches the other car (a good 1, 2). Then it turns around and runs back into the woods.

[Beaker]

Your car gets hit by a deer and insurance doesn't fully cover the cost of the repair.

So there I was, at a red light, just minding my own business when ALL OF A SUDDEN my car gets HIT BY A DEER!!!!  I mean, it was like it just fell from the sky and HIT MY CAR!!!!

*** This was written in jest by someone whose father and sister hit a combined 4 deer in a two-year span (including a nice 10-point a week before season opened that my neighbor had been watching/dreaming about), our insurance threatened to drop the whole family if another deer was hit, and who once had the side of his car run into by a deer...I know it can happen.

No joke, I was driving home, having just bought my first car. As I'm coming to a stop behind a line of cars at a red light, a deer bolts out of the woods, crosses in front of my car, and when it reaches the car in the next lane to my left, just a bit in front of me, it rears on its hind legs and punches the other car (a good 1, 2). Then it turns around and runs back into the woods.

I was once in a traffic jam on Trail Ridge Road, through Rocky Mountain National Park. After a few minutes I got out to see what the holdup was. Turned out that an elk was standing in the middle of the road, kicking the hell out a car. Just standing there kicking the same spot on the front quarter over and over. The driver was totally stuck - nowhere to go off the sides, line of cars behind him, and the elk blocking the front. That went on for several more minutes, until the elk decided he had adequately asserted his dominance, bellowed at the car once more for good measure, and walked off.

I imagine that was a fun conversation with the insurance and/or body shop.

[ohyonghao]

Y'all is always plural; "all y'all" is reflexive or emphatic. :-)

Man how did I miss the y'all conversation?

I agree- y'all is NEVER singular. It is always plural.
All y'all is more plural.

Oh boy, now I'll have to try and sneak "all y'all" into daily conversation and see if anyone notices!

I would love to hear such a robust southernism pulled off in a British accent.

I had a coworker previously who was from rural NC but lived in London for 5+ years - fabulous accent!

And while I'm here, we also say y'all in Kansas, where I'm from though not all y'all, I've only heard that in NC. Another NC favorite of mine is "might could" as in:
You might could do that but instead maybe you should do this.

Love it.

Or else "fixin' to" - I'm fixin' to go to the store, can I borrow your credit card?

"Fixin' to" is a popular expression in Kentucky as well, followed shortly with the standard confirmation query, "Ya-un-to?"

Ever heard "of the night"? Its been a while since I heard anyone use it in a sentence but I recall it being used in place of tonight or last night. Might have been a one man linguistic malfunction but that's what a fellow I knew two decades ago would say.

The brits in this forum might be interested to know that the only place in America that "I reckon" is commonly heard is from very rural country folk.  I think this might start to change as we are exposed to more British television, but I know anytime I ever heard the term, it was used as part of a joke about "dumb southerners".

I work with a lot of Indians in high tech.  Quite often I'll get emails of someone going home early, or coming in late, and they'll say it like, "Coming in late today afternoon." or "Going to remote office today evening."  I've never heard that before, I've always heard "this afternoon" or "this evening".  Then there is their British influence with anti-clockwise and holiday.

[ducky19]

This one is from about a year ago. Had a guy working in my group that was working through an agency. He was pretty fresh out of college with around $100k in student loans, and shortly after he started went out and bought a brand new 2015 Juke. He was showing it off over our lunch break and made the comment, "it's nice to finally be able to invest in a good set of wheels". I inwardly cringed and gave him a mental facepunch. At the time he was making about a third of what I do (I drive a 2007 Vibe). Unfortunately for him, he dicked off too much and found himself out on his ass a couple of weeks ago. Hope he's enjoying that "investment". SMH

[MoonShadow]

As an Indian person, born in Canada, but lived in Atlanta for 20+ years I can't help but use y'all and find this comment more offensive than a lot of the recent race discussions from the Facebook thread.

Don't worry, I'm not mad over it just think it's interesting how American it is to throw around labels and classify people....

I grew up with "you guys" and TBH, after years of migrating around and using/hearing both, I think "y'all" is more functional. Also find it amusing that the more liberal/PC regions prefer the inherently sexist version of the second-person plural... ahaha xD

I run in feminist circles, and "y'all" and "folks" have become standard parts of the vocabulary in those circles for their gender neutrality.

I have always used 'guys' as a gender neutral phrase, but lately a lot of women have subtly mentioned they would like to be included as well. When dude says "C'mon guys, lets get started!"  doesn't it generally mean everyone within earshot?

Apparently not. I need to find a new word.

Have you not been reading this thread?  The word you are looking for is "y'all".  Say it with a fake southern accent.

[seanc0x0]

As an Indian person, born in Canada, but lived in Atlanta for 20+ years I can't help but use y'all and find this comment more offensive than a lot of the recent race discussions from the Facebook thread.

Don't worry, I'm not mad over it just think it's interesting how American it is to throw around labels and classify people....

I grew up with "you guys" and TBH, after years of migrating around and using/hearing both, I think "y'all" is more functional. Also find it amusing that the more liberal/PC regions prefer the inherently sexist version of the second-person plural... ahaha xD

I run in feminist circles, and "y'all" and "folks" have become standard parts of the vocabulary in those circles for their gender neutrality.

I have always used 'guys' as a gender neutral phrase, but lately a lot of women have subtly mentioned they would like to be included as well. When dude says "C'mon guys, lets get started!"  doesn't it generally mean everyone within earshot?

Apparently not. I need to find a new word.

I'd recommend 'folks'.  "C'mon folks, let's get started."   Gets the same meaning across and no gender whatsoever.

[dragoncar]

CW: "Hey, we're throwing a party for you! We're going to [steakhouse].
You: "I'm vegan."
CW: "Sure, but everyone else picked [steakhouse] and we already booked a table.
You: "But I don't eat steak. Why didn't you ask me?"
CW: "Oh, the whole office wanted to go to [steakhouse] so we thought you wouldn't mind."
You: "But it's supposed to be my party..."

Result: Asshole

This happened to my vegetarian friend a LOT.  They always took her to Outback Steakhouse.

I would order two bloomin' onions and call it a good day.

As an Indian person, born in Canada, but lived in Atlanta for 20+ years I can't help but use y'all and find this comment more offensive than a lot of the recent race discussions from the Facebook thread.

Don't worry, I'm not mad over it just think it's interesting how American it is to throw around labels and classify people....

I grew up with "you guys" and TBH, after years of migrating around and using/hearing both, I think "y'all" is more functional. Also find it amusing that the more liberal/PC regions prefer the inherently sexist version of the second-person plural... ahaha xD

I run in feminist circles, and "y'all" and "folks" have become standard parts of the vocabulary in those circles for their gender neutrality.

I have always used 'guys' as a gender neutral phrase, but lately a lot of women have subtly mentioned they would like to be included as well. When dude says "C'mon guys, lets get started!"  doesn't it generally mean everyone within earshot?

Apparently not. I need to find a new word.

I'd recommend 'folks'.  "C'mon folks, let's get started."   Gets the same meaning across and no gender whatsoever.

A good generic phrase for "you all" is "you assholes."  Because an asshole is like an opinon: everyone has one!

[grantmeaname]

How many assholes are on this ship?

[Pooplips]

CW: I wanna do (XYZ $$$) but our deal has always been DW gets to spend the same amount on whatever she wants.
Me: *says nothing, still struggling to find a diplomatic way to express how fucked this is*
Inwardly: You do realize you're just fucking yourselves twice as hard with that strategy, right???

CW still had five figures on CC's after last paydown (via cashout refi) and who knows what it is now...

This logic was rampant on a knitting forum I used to frequent. "Well, DH spends $X on his hobby, so I'm entitled to spend an equal amount on mine!"

I started doing this with my SO on small things. She would buy a coffee. I get $4.XX. The only difference is I would same my money. After a month or so she realized the mistake.

[forummm]

CW: "Hey, we're throwing a party for you! We're going to [steakhouse].
You: "I'm vegan."
CW: "Sure, but everyone else picked [steakhouse] and we already booked a table.
You: "But I don't eat steak. Why didn't you ask me?"
CW: "Oh, the whole office wanted to go to [steakhouse] so we thought you wouldn't mind."
You: "But it's supposed to be my party..."

Result: Asshole

This happened to my vegetarian friend a LOT.  They always took her to Outback Steakhouse.

What? They have that bloomin' onion and wedge salad and baked potatoes. Totally vegan. Also water.

[Hall11235]

As an Indian person, born in Canada, but lived in Atlanta for 20+ years I can't help but use y'all and find this comment more offensive than a lot of the recent race discussions from the Facebook thread.

Don't worry, I'm not mad over it just think it's interesting how American it is to throw around labels and classify people....

I grew up with "you guys" and TBH, after years of migrating around and using/hearing both, I think "y'all" is more functional. Also find it amusing that the more liberal/PC regions prefer the inherently sexist version of the second-person plural... ahaha xD

I run in feminist circles, and "y'all" and "folks" have become standard parts of the vocabulary in those circles for their gender neutrality.

I have always used 'guys' as a gender neutral phrase, but lately a lot of women have subtly mentioned they would like to be included as well. When dude says "C'mon guys, lets get started!"  doesn't it generally mean everyone within earshot?

Apparently not. I need to find a new word.

I'd recommend 'folks'.  "C'mon folks, let's get started."   Gets the same meaning across and no gender whatsoever.

I mentioned this thread to my 18 yr old daughter... apparently the word to use is 'Bro' :)

I just graduated with a degree in teaching and is my ed classes we discussed at length to NEVER use the term "guys" when addressing mixed gender groups. We were encouraged to use y'all, folks, ladies&gentlemen, etc. The habit has been ingrained in me, and, even though I am not in a teaching career, I use y'all enough that people sometimes ask where I grew up in the South.

[dandarc]

How many assholes are on this ship?

I knew it.  I'm surrounded by assholes.

[HairyUpperLip]

Your car gets hit by a deer and insurance doesn't fully cover the cost of the repair.

So there I was, at a red light, just minding my own business when ALL OF A SUDDEN my car gets HIT BY A DEER!!!!  I mean, it was like it just fell from the sky and HIT MY CAR!!!!

*** This was written in jest by someone whose father and sister hit a combined 4 deer in a two-year span (including a nice 10-point a week before season opened that my neighbor had been watching/dreaming about), our insurance threatened to drop the whole family if another deer was hit, and who once had the side of his car run into by a deer...I know it can happen.

No joke, I was driving home, having just bought my first car. As I'm coming to a stop behind a line of cars at a red light, a deer bolts out of the woods, crosses in front of my car, and when it reaches the car in the next lane to my left, just a bit in front of me, it rears on its hind legs and punches the other car (a good 1, 2). Then it turns around and runs back into the woods.

Wow, this happened to me as well.

I was driving down a pretty normal road in a decently populated area. I crossed over an intersection and a deer runs out in front of me, so I stop and wait a second because they are usually in pairs. Then the second deer comes out a moment later runs up to my car "snorts" at it, turns around and kicks my passenger side fender before running off.

lol - a lot of people didn't believe me when I would tell them the story. I had a passenger with me at the time, but she wasn't always by my side when I would tell the story.

[HairyUpperLip]

My boss sometimes says, "Ok fellas...blahblah," to address a majority female group. I'm not that sensitive, but that one drives me nuts. One time I answered him (cheerily), "Ok gal!" and the fella stuff tapered off a bit.

When I was a kid one time we were at a party and playing cards with a bunch of kids. Didn't know everyone's names.

When it was the girls turn beside me to go she wasn't paying attention

I said "hey dude, it's your turn"

her and her sister both looked disgusted and responded with some crap like
"she's not a dude, she's a girl"

"ahh okay, dudette" -me


And I remember thinking as a kid - wtf, what a cry baby thing to cry about. Like the fuck if I was trying to imply anything negative.

So, just curious, what bothers you about him saying fellas? I can't imagine it's to degrade women?

[grantmeaname]

You wouldn't be a very good misogynist if you woke up every morning and vowed to use "guys" or "fellas" to address third-person mixed groups.

[Basenji]

My boss sometimes says, "Ok fellas...blahblah," to address a majority female group. I'm not that sensitive, but that one drives me nuts. One time I answered him (cheerily), "Ok gal!" and the fella stuff tapered off a bit.

And I remember thinking as a kid - wtf, what a cry baby thing to cry about. Like the fuck if I was trying to imply anything negative.

So, just curious, what bothers you about him saying fellas? I can't imagine it's to degrade women?

I loathe him so anything he says annoys me. I'm usually cool with whatever, but this subject reminds me of a guy who heard me call a close girlfriend, "Bitch" in an ironic and playful way. It was a term of endearment between two close women. He complained, " How come you can use that word and it's ok?" And we just laughed. There's a Chris Rock bit, and I'm sure lots of others comedians have taken on the topic, on in-group use of terms, like the n-word. But, true dat, if I liked and respected my boss, I'm sure I would barely notice it. On the other hand, what is so difficult in a non-social, work environment about choosing, e.g., everyone, everybody, all, y'all, my dear subordinates, team, teammates, [plural of our shared job title], ladies and gents, people, youse...?

ETA: why do I post this shit? Ugh. I swore I would stay out of this stuff having watched threads derail over it many times here, and now I'm doing it.

ETA 2: I said Ni!

[forummm]

"ahh okay, dudette" -me

I always thought that was a pretty fun term.