The Nice People Thread, No.16: A Universe of Niceness.

PasturesNew

chris_m wrote: »

Going by the volume of stuff you've been doing in your recent narratives, it could be worth you trying that one :rotfl:

Going on my past "luck" .... I'd get the fat, gormless dud pestering me.

LydiaJ

Pyxis wrote: »

It's the same with those awful tick boxes that ask you to tick what your ethnic origin is.

Should I tick the correct box, or tick 'Other' and then write in 'Human Being'?

When officialdom persists in emphasising the differences between us, what hope is there that ethnic origin not be important in the grand scheme of things?

There should be a box for "prefer not to say", and if there isn't, you can write in "prefer not to say".

I don't mind those boxes myself, but I understand they can be self-defeating. There's some evidence (from America, where as we've acknowledged, these things are a bit different) that just being asked to tick a box before taking an exam can remind non-white students that they belong to a disadvantaged group, and the little subconscious knock to the confidence can make them not do as well on the test. So the boxes may be self-defeating, but that's not my decision to make. I tend to take the view that to the extent white privilege exists, I benefit from it, so if they want to monitor it, then I don't want to be obstructive.

However, I was appalled the other day by the suggestion that everything should be monitored for being fair to LGBTQ people and we should be asked at every doctor's appointment which box they should tick for us. How intrusive! Especially if you have only gone there to see a dermatologist or something like that where your sexuality is irrelevant. How uncomfortable for people who haven't chosen to come out yet. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm all in favour of things being fair for everyone regardless of sexuality, but I don't think that's the way to accomplish that.

SingleSue wrote: »

I am going to be given one of those tick box things today but this time to do with my mental health.

I've had to call the doctors as things are getting on top of me a tad, the health issues are piling up and I want to try to get some of those sorted as I am not coping so well but I fear the appointment will turn into a 'let's look after your mental health' thing rather than a 'let's sort out some of those things which are having an impact on your mental health' appointment.

I am going to hope you get both. Some of the things you mention may be reason to see an OT. You could try asking to see one of them. They did a grand job with my mum and her Parkinsonism.

SingleSue wrote: »

More than anything though, I just want to hide with my head under the duvet until it all goes away.

I feel for you. I felt like that mentally yesterday after overdoing things on Thursday and Saturday at Aged P's house. Sending thoughts and hugs and prayers.

PasturesNew wrote: »

...<list of various stuff you'd kept> "in case they come in handy"...

Aged P's house is full of stuff he's kept "in case". Two of my brothers, both my kids, and one of my grown up nephews spent Saturday getting everything down out of his loft. I won't list all the stuff, but I'll just mention the 6 thin mattresses (rolled up and tied with string) and 8 trunks for travelling with, many with initials on of various long dead relations (and one or two more recently dead ones).
Still, the loft is empty now. But the house is still very full. :eek:

PasturesNew

LydiaJ wrote: »

...the loft is empty now. ...

I have a rule: Nothing in the loft. This is for a variety of reasons, including being scared of lofts, scared "things" might find what's up there and live/breed in the box, scared of finding things covered in cobwebs and dead spiders, scared of getting up there/falling out, scared of putting a foot through the ceiling.

If you can/do put stuff up there it's easy to just keep putting things there "because you can", but all you're doing is creating a big future dilemma as it does all have to come down/out at some point!

For me... I'm happy to live with my "nothing in the loft" rule!

Jackmydad

PasturesNew wrote: »

Trouble is, you don't possess things until you've needed them once and gone out and bought them and kept them

I have none of those things .... except soap and detergent.

I've tried wet wipes and soap (twice).... and washing up liquid.

Might give soap/detergent mix a go in a bit.

Command strips were mentioned the other day, for hanging .... I said I've got some, but need some sort of alcohol to clean the wall... I googled it last night, it's surgical spirit, £1.79 from Superdrug, so I'll get some of that this week. They said you need Isopropyl alcohol ... why didn't they say "surgical spirit" to start with??

I'd be careful about using "surgical spirit" as a degreaser. "Surgical spirit" seems to be a loose term for an alcohol based preparation, and it could have additives that'd cause problems.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubbing_alcohol
I get 99% pure isopropyl off eBay. Something like this
https://!!!!!!/2s00vPt

chris_m

LydiaJ wrote: »

There should be a box for "prefer not to say",

No, the box should be "mind your own ***** business!" :rotfl:

PasturesNew

Jackmydad wrote: »

...

That's the trouble with modern life...nothing's easy, nothing's straight forward is it.

Cheers for the heads up, I'd have definitely bought the wrong stuff, because that's the way my life goes

chris_m

PasturesNew wrote: »

To put a figure to it, today I've painted an area 2 foot square (not a typo).

Be positive - you've painted four square feet

Pyxis

This might not help, but I've often stood on my worktop, and I bet I'm heavier than you, Pastures.

I just have to remind myself not to step into the sink.

And to be careful stepping off the worktop and back onto the small stepladder needed to get on the worktop in the first place.

Slow, deliberate movements, plus look, look again, step while holding on, and keep looking.




Woah! Thunder and pelting rain! Didn't expect that, but then haven't seen the forecast today.
Thought it was getting a bit dark!

silvercar

PN, I applaud the work you are doing, but do think that eg you bought the house without worrying about the little holes left by floating shelves, I'm sure it won't put the next buyer off.

Pyxis, I've nearly slipped off kitchen worktops, they can be very shiny and slippy.

Pyxis

silvercar wrote: »

PN, I applaud the work you are doing, but do think that eg you bought the house without worrying about the little holes left by floating shelves, I'm sure it won't put the next buyer off.

Pyxis, I've nearly slipped off kitchen worktops, they can be very shiny and slippy.

Well, you do have to be very careful.

I either have bare feet, or I wear my house shoes which are very nonslip.
Getting up there in socks is a no-no.


I don't do it very often, but there is one place in the kitchen where the sink/worktop makes a right-angled corner, and right up in that corner is an access into the ceiling space for the shower above, above some wall cupboards, and you simply can't get a tall stepladder close enough to be able to get into that access. Not without leaning very precariously. It's actually safer to get onto the worktop so that I'm right under the access hatch, rather than lean into it from a stepladder.
Plus, I can hold onto one of the wall cabinets if necessary.

You then get the bleach out to clean the worktop, natch!:D



Please don't worry...... I don't like heights, and if I felt at all unsafe, I wouldn't get up there, plus I am very, very careful.

I am more wobbly up a stepladder needing both hands to change a ceiling lightbulb.:(