Let's Babble Our Way to Post #4,000,000 And Win Prizes Too!

[foxxycat]

 

 
I think soda companies add stuff to their products that we never see on the label. I used to have the same problem with Coke Classic, but managed to stop drinking it altogether anyway. I've felt a lot  better after I stopped drinking it, and if it helps: there are places in the world that use coca-cola as an insecticide because it works just as well and is cheaper than the marketed stuff. Think about that for a moment. Here's the link to the story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3977351.stm

(Mainly because I  couldn't believe it without evidence.)

We gave up soda pop about 5 years ago. While we still get a small six pack once in a while because some foods just demand a soda it's about a once a month thing if that.

I quit Diet Coke in August last year. I cut back half of what I drink to 1 liter a day for 4 days then another 4 days half of that. I used to drink a 2 liter bottle and another half of one along with water and gaterade. I don't remember the headaches but it was summer out and I was trying a new herb to take for in place of coffee so maybe that's why I never got headaches. I do get them now though if I don't drink enough water before I workout or work in the sun.

I have a friend who took a trip to a part of Norway where it's daylight almost 24 hours a day right now. He took pictures at 3:30am and 11:00pm and it was as light out as it is at 7:00pm here.

Made a lovely mistake this morning. Thought I hit snooze, when I actually turned my alarm off. At some point, some little bell went off in my head telling me I hit the wrong one. My eyes snapped open and I looked at the time. Yep, definitely turned the alarm off! - d'oh! Thankfully it was not TOO late at that point.

And our hot water heater is out. We have to have someone come over and I really can't afford this. I need a break, really. I mean, I can afford this, but then I can't afford to pay the lot fee which is due (for all intents and purposes) tomorrow. I swear, I can't wait till the end of the month when I cash in the next set of stocks that I can cash in. I take part in my company's ESPP but I have to have the stocks for a year before cashing them in, and they get bought every six months. So, at the end of June I can cash those suckers in.

I hope you can find someone to replace it. Are you in an apartment or a home? Mine went out last winter in Feb and it was 8 degrees. I don't have a basement so had to crawl under the house in cold water from the water heater leaking to shut off the water. Luckily Lowes had a similar model but now the government has made some changes to these water heaters which need bigger closets. I hope you can locate one that is the same size. I have a guy at work who does the plumbing contract for here-ask your maintenance group at work if they know of someone. This guy was very reasonable. Otherwise it would have cost more money. The nice thing about mine is its screw in connectors-no brazing of copper pipes. So it was really easy to replace but need muscles to get it in. I have a furniture mover-that frame with wheels-we put that on there and wheeled it into the house after wheeling the old one out. The old one still had water but the insulation was all wet in it so it weighed over what an empty one weighs.

Can you do a loan against your 401K? maybe you can figure something out that way. That's my reserve money if something major goes wrong. Also last year with the disaster of my roof I got a loan from prosper dot com for 6% and its 3 years. You can see if they will give you a loan. But the min to loan I think is $3000? Its a nice cushion to have and this one is repaid monthly direct deduction=I just have a big note in my check book register to not forget about that one in the middle of the month.

Money. Its such a pain!

 

[DreamerRose]

@Rhondalee

You could add a couple of black mollies. They are nice fish and will have babies, too.

 

[camillel]

OK here is my delema. Yes, I have three cats and for the past 6mos all three have been using the same potty. This potty is huge. Well, now my little princess decides at 9mos old she wants her own potty. She told me this in her own nasty way.  You got ; by peeing and dumping on the bed. Not only when I am not home but right in front of me and also when I am sleeping. My KIDS never did this. Sooo tonight she gets her own potty and I get to do laundry Not just a little but 2 sets of sheets and the mattress cover. WHAT A PRINCESS

 

[rhondalee]

@Rhondalee



You could add a couple of black mollies. They are nice fish and will have babies, too.

I do like mollies. I'm not so sure I want them having babies though . That got me into trouble when I was younger.

I started out with a 10 gallon and had pregnant mollies. So I got a 20 gallon tank and kept the mollies in the 10 gallon until they had their babies. Then I had so many fish that when I was offered a 35 gallon tank at a great price, I bought it. Then I had lots of room for fish and ended up getting more pregnant fish, I don't remember what they were. So I bought a 50 gallon tank. So, I had one for babies, one for pregos, one for adults and one for not so nice, but beautiful fish. After a while, I was spending more time and money on aquariums than my children. So out they went.

This is my first tank in 28 years, but I still remember the addiction that begins with a pregnant molly! Lol

 

[DreamerRose]

I do like mollies. I'm not so sure I want them having babies though . That got me into trouble when I was younger.

I started out with a 10 gallon and had pregnant mollies. So I got a 20 gallon tank and kept the mollies in the 10 gallon until they had their babies. Then I had so many fish that when I was offered a 35 gallon tank at a great price, I bought it. Then I had lots of room for fish and ended up getting more pregnant fish, I don't remember what they were. So I bought a 50 gallon tank. So, I had one for babies, one for pregos, one for adults and one for not so nice, but beautiful fish. After a while, I was spending more time and money on aquariums than my children. So out they went.

This is my first tank in 28 years, but I still remember the addiction that begins with a pregnant molly! Lol

I forgot to mention that they also eat their babies, which would solve your problem. A couple of angel fish would be nice, too. I had a pair of marble veil angel fish that were just gorgeous, and tame to boot. If you bent down close to the aquarium, they would come over to you.

 

[kntrygrl256]

I bought a mobile home and it is being moved into the park today. I will be so glad to finally be in my own home again. My DD is already making a list of animals she wants.

 

[donutte]

I hope you can find someone to replace it. Are you in an apartment or a home? Mine went out last winter in Feb and it was 8 degrees. I don't have a basement so had to crawl under the house in cold water from the water heater leaking to shut off the water. Luckily Lowes had a similar model but now the government has made some changes to these water heaters which need bigger closets. I hope you can locate one that is the same size. I have a guy at work who does the plumbing contract for here-ask your maintenance group at work if they know of someone. This guy was very reasonable. Otherwise it would have cost more money. The nice thing about mine is its screw in connectors-no brazing of copper pipes. So it was really easy to replace but need muscles to get it in. I have a furniture mover-that frame with wheels-we put that on there and wheeled it into the house after wheeling the old one out. The old one still had water but the insulation was all wet in it so it weighed over what an empty one weighs.

Can you do a loan against your 401K? maybe you can figure something out that way. That's my reserve money if something major goes wrong. Also last year with the disaster of my roof I got a loan from prosper dot com for 6% and its 3 years. You can see if they will give you a loan. But the min to loan I think is $3000? Its a nice cushion to have and this one is repaid monthly direct deduction=I just have a big note in my check book register to not forget about that one in the middle of the month.

Money. Its such a pain!

We need an electric hot water heater and it seems harder to find them for some stupid reason. I'm in a big office building so pretty sure no one would know who the maintenance people even are. We USED to go through a guy we knew until so many things he did ended up being mucked up... so we're going through a company we started using a few years ago. They're pretty decent, I just literally have no extra funds for this right now.

I can't take a loan against my 401k till I pay back the last one. Which is another two paychecks from what I read. I feel so pathetic, can't go a year without taking a stupid loan. I think our minimum loan is $1,000 but will definitely be taking more if I do take one. We also need to have our porches replaced - and I do mean need. Our porch fund (among other things) ended up going to Sara's care. It's literally rotting as we watch and I keep expecting to fall through it one of these days. Or worse, someone ELSE to fall through it. I hate HAVING to take it out. I really do. But I just have to. Doesn't help me to struggle to retirement (which is a good 25+ years away) when my stuff is falling apart around me now.

 

[segelkatt]

@Raina21 Just wanted to give you an update on my aquarium. I bought four more zebras, and 4 died so I'm back to 2. [emoji]128533[/emoji] So that didn't work out too well for Me.

Anyway, I was wondering if you could give me some advice on what the best scenario would be for a 10 gallon tank. I still have 2 zebras, 2 guppies, 2 of the orange fish (can't remember the name) and the little cat fish. I don't think I want anymore zebras. I can give the 2 I have to my grandaughter. Which will leave me with 5 fish. What should I get to make my tank better?

Any advise will be very appreciated.

You have plenty of fish for such a small tank. I had an aquarium for small tropical fish for 20+ years and when there are too many fish in a tank some of them will die. You should do some research on the internet or get a book from the library.

Without a picture I can't tell what the orange fish are, they may have been the ones that nibbled on your other fish's tail or fins and caused their demise. You need to find out which fish are compatible, some are really aggressive. Zebras are fast and hardy fish, guppies are peaceful, so are head-and-taillights which appear to be glowing, and then there are those that look like they have a glowing strip the length of their body. Most fish don't like to be by themselves but like to have at least 2 more of their own kind with them. But with such a small tank you are really limited.

You could introduce a Betta, those are the ones you see in a small jar by themselves, the males are more showy. They do well in a community tank as long as you have only one Betta. They are called Japanese fighting fish because they fight each other to the death but they are fine with other kinds of fish. Their mating rituals are difficult as the males and females also fight each other.

 

[rhondalee]

I forgot to mention that they also eat their babies, which would solve your problem. A couple of angel fish would be nice, too. I had a pair of marble veil angel fish that were just gorgeous, and tame to boot. If you bent down close to the aquarium, they would come over to you.

Awww. That's sweet. That would be fun. I've heard they, angelfish, they can be kind of aggressive though. Did you have any problems with yours?

You have plenty of fish for such a small tank. I had an aquarium for small tropical fish for 20+ years and when there are too many fish in a tank some of them will die. You should do some research on the internet or get a book from the library.
Without a picture I can't tell what the orange fish are, they may have been the ones that nibbled on your other fish's tail or fins and caused their demise. You need to find out which fish are compatible, some are really aggressive. Zebras are fast and hardy fish, guppies are peaceful, so are head-and-taillights which appear to be glowing, and then there are those that look like they have a glowing strip the length of their body. Most fish don't like to be by themselves but like to have at least 2 more of their own kind with them. But with such a small tank you are really limited.
You could introduce a Betta, those are the ones you see in a small jar by themselves, the males are more showy. They do well in a community tank as long as you have only one Betta. They are called Japanese fighting fish because they fight each other to the death but they are fine with other kinds of fish. Their mating rituals are difficult as the males and females also fight each other.

Hmmmmm. Didn't know that about bettas. I've been researching a lot. It gets so confusing after a while. A lot of things are coming back to me, but I didn't have the best advice years ago. A betta would be beautiful in the tank.

 

[kittens mom]

We need an electric hot water heater and it seems harder to find them for some stupid reason. I'm in a big office building so pretty sure no one would know who the maintenance people even are. We USED to go through a guy we knew until so many things he did ended up being mucked up... so we're going through a company we started using a few years ago. They're pretty decent, I just literally have no extra funds for this right now.

I can't take a loan against my 401k till I pay back the last one. Which is another two paychecks from what I read. I feel so pathetic, can't go a year without taking a stupid loan. I think our minimum loan is $1,000 but will definitely be taking more if I do take one. We also need to have our porches replaced - and I do mean need. Our porch fund (among other things) ended up going to Sara's care. It's literally rotting as we watch and I keep expecting to fall through it one of these days. Or worse, someone ELSE to fall through it. I hate HAVING to take it out. I really do. But I just have to. Doesn't help me to struggle to retirement (which is a good 25+ years away) when my stuff is falling apart around me now.

 I use Home Advisor instead of Angies List. It just works better. Electric water heaters are a pain. Hopefully it's just the element. We spent all our fix up money on Kitten, Then my paranoia over having the same bad vet touch Mook cost us another 450 dollars, Then her dental. Now Mercy needs dental work. We've always saved and paid cash for home purchases. I can put Mercy's dental work on the care credit.

I had / have the papers printed out to take a 401K loan and I'm sitting on them. If nothing else happens this month we will be back on track. Just hang in there. I feel your pain.

 

[donutte]

 I use Home Advisor instead of Angies List. It just works better. Electric water heaters are a pain. Hopefully it's just the element. We spent all our fix up money on Kitten, Then my paranoia over having the same bad vet touch Mook cost us another 450 dollars, Then her dental. Now Mercy needs dental work. We've always saved and paid cash for home purchases. I can put Mercy's dental work on the care credit.
I had / have the papers printed out to take a 401K loan and I'm sitting on them. If nothing else happens this month we will be back on track. Just hang in there. I feel your pain.

I may have to just stay with my job though because I'm not sure I can justify taking a lesser pay at this point. Just take on the part-time in addition to it, although that's not my long-term goal by any means. I want so bad to just not have to worry about that aspect of it, but I do.

I still have to take my car in. And I still have to get Sugar in for her rabies shot. My head is going to explode over this stuff pretty soon.

 

[foxxycat]

I totally understand about porches needing replacing. my deck is very bad shape=I don't let anyone walk on it. its safe for the cats but not humans unless you step where the boards are screwed into the wood underneath. I just don't have the money.

last year I spent over $17000 to fix the roof mess.actually had to pay to have them rip off a new roof and fix the broken skylights then buy new skylights since they broke the plastic bubble type. I took out a loan but I also didn't update my truck. its got over 200,000 miles on it so I know any day I will need to replace it if the engine blows up or something else breaks. This summer trying to work some overtime but I am getting burned out. Just sat down at lunch and cried because we are loosing two more people. And realized I really need to get my finances in order so I can escape this place. But on the other hand I really don't want to leave a good paying job. I admire those who do so either way.

Just got my bill for car insurance. Went up $200! I will be shopping for a better deal. I shouldn't be paying more than $700 a year. Especially now that I am past the age of silliness in the youth. When I see a bill for $1050 and the truck is worth $8000 then I start to think why did it go up? I have not had any accidents in all the years I have been using this company. So yeah I am feeling under the weather. Got to go pay a bill tonight, more money gone. Never ends.

 

[kittens mom]

I may have to just stay with my job though because I'm not sure I can justify taking a lesser pay at this point. Just take on the part-time in addition to it, although that's not my long-term goal by any means. I want so bad to just not have to worry about that aspect of it, but I do.

I still have to take my car in. And I still have to get Sugar in for her rabies shot. My head is going to explode over this stuff pretty soon.

I have a written, hard copy of my budget. And sometimes things just have to wait. We took out a new bank card that has 18 months zero interest and transferred most of our extra bills there. I hate taking 401 loans because the money doesn't grow if it's not in there. It seems like the only budget that doesn't get cut here is the cat budget.

 

[Margret]

 
 I use Home Advisor instead of Angies List. It just works better. Electric water heaters are a pain. Hopefully it's just the element. We spent all our fix up money on Kitten, Then my paranoia over having the same bad vet touch Mook cost us another 450 dollars, Then her dental. Now Mercy needs dental work. We've always saved and paid cash for home purchases. I can put Mercy's dental work on the care credit.

I had / have the papers printed out to take a 401K loan and I'm sitting on them. If nothing else happens this month we will be back on track. Just hang in there. I feel your pain.

It's not paranoia if they really are out to get you, or your cat.

I've had to put the first check from my mother's estate into the bank to pay off the bills that had built up.  This is on top of the money we took out of the reverse mortgage for a new furnace and water heater, which we still need.  I had been planning to put all of the money from my mother's estate into investments, and every bit we take out of the reverse mortgage now is money that I won't have available for my old age.  Sigh.

I just got an email; the coroner has announced that Prince's cause of death was an accidental overdose of fentanyl, which is a prescription opiate.

Margret

 

[kittens mom]

 
It's not paranoia if they really are out to get you, or your cat.

I've had to put the first check from my mother's estate into the bank to pay off the bills that had built up.  This is on top of the money we took out of the reverse mortgage for a new furnace and water heater, which we still need.  I had been planning to put all of the money from my mother's estate into investments, and every bit we take out of the reverse mortgage now is money that I won't have available for my old age.  Sigh.

I just got an email; the coroner has announced that Prince's cause of death was an accidental overdose of fentanyl, which is a prescription opiate.

Margret

It becomes overwhelming. I hope that Mercy's dental is the last bill out of the blue for about 6 months. We need a new furnace. While the old one works it's really inefficient. A new one would pay for itself in a less than 5 years. it's just not in the cards. Same with the AC unit. They are both working so they are both staying. the idea of some new energy efficient windows.  nope. I can still paint because I bought the paint and the sprayer last year.

For what it's worth. I'd do it all over again for a chance to save Kitten and to keep Mook healthy and give Mercy the chance for a long happy life.

 

[raina21]

raina21 Just wanted to give you an update on my aquarium. I bought four more zebras, and 4 died so I'm back to 2. [emoji]128533[/emoji] So that didn't work out too well for Me.

Anyway, I was wondering if you could give me some advice on what the best scenario would be for a 10 gallon tank. I still have 2 zebras, 2 guppies, 2 of the orange fish (can't remember the name) and the little cat fish. I don't think I want anymore zebras. I can give the 2 I have to my grandaughter. Which will leave me with 5 fish. What should I get to make my tank better?

Any advise will be very appreciated.

rhondalee

Okay. The reason why your fish died is because you've got too many fish in there for a 10 gallon tank (I dont think you ever specified the size when I asked what size it was) , and the tank is likely not cycled (I can PM you about how to cycle the tank in order to make the water safe for your fish).

please DO NOT GET ANGELFISH ( I know dreamerRose mentioned getting angelfish, but please dont, you do not have room for them, and they will be stunted and die). your tank is much too small for angelfish. Angelfish need at least 30 gallons and you have to have a tall tank (18-24 inches tall).

What you can do is return the Surpae tetras and get a few more guppies (male only recommended as they breed like crazy). The corycat (the catfish you mentioned) could be fine, but they do better in groups of 5 or more. So you could keep the corycat and see how that goes, but it might not work out.

Or another option would be returning the guppies and the surpae tetras and getting a betta and a couple more corycats. I know that Segelkatt suggested adding a betta to the community tank, but Bettas shouldn't be kept with nippy fish like surpae tetras and guppies. Their long beautiful fins would get destroyed by the other fish, and some bettas are quite agressive toward any fish that is in their territory.

I forgot to mention that they also eat their babies, which would solve your problem. A couple of angel fish would be nice, too. I had a pair of marble veil angel fish that were just gorgeous, and tame to boot. If you bent down close to the aquarium, they would come over to you.

DreamerRose

She does not have room for angelfish in a 10 gallon tank!

You have plenty of fish for such a small tank. I had an aquarium for small tropical fish for 20+ years and when there are too many fish in a tank some of them will die. You should do some research on the internet or get a book from the library.
Without a picture I can't tell what the orange fish are, they may have been the ones that nibbled on your other fish's tail or fins and caused their demise. You need to find out which fish are compatible, some are really aggressive. Zebras are fast and hardy fish, guppies are peaceful, so are head-and-taillights which appear to be glowing, and then there are those that look like they have a glowing strip the length of their body. Most fish don't like to be by themselves but like to have at least 2 more of their own kind with them. But with such a small tank you are really limited.
You could introduce a Betta, those are the ones you see in a small jar by themselves, the males are more showy. They do well in a community tank as long as you have only one Betta. They are called Japanese fighting fish because they fight each other to the death but they are fine with other kinds of fish. Their mating rituals are difficult as the males and females also fight each other.

segelkatt

Male bettas really shouldn't be kept with nippy fish like guppies and surpae tetras (which are the "orange fish" she was talking about). Their fins would get nipped to shreds. Plus bettas are much slower swimmers (due to those long beautiful fins) so it would be hard for him to escape the constant harrassment of nippy fish. Some bettas can be docile toward other fish, but there are many that will attempt to kill anything that gets into their territory. It really does depend on the betta though. They still shouldn't be kept with nippy fish though.

 

[rhondalee]

raina21 when you mention cycling the water, are you talking about exchanging some each week? If so, I syphon about 15-20% out as I vacuum the gravel and add clean water every Thursday. I also add aquarium salt and start zyme to it. I have well water, so no chlorine to worry about, and it has a very low hardness to it. Mainly calcium.

 

[raina21]

raina21 when you mention cycling the water, are you talking about exchanging some each week? If so, I syphon about 15-20% out as I vacuum the gravel and add clean water every Thursday. I also add aquarium salt and start zyme to it. I have well water, so no chlorine to worry about, and it has a very low hardness to it. Mainly calcium.

No. Its the natural nitrogen cycle that has to be established in the tank before it is truly safe for the fish. I will PM you about it when I get home.

 

[DreamerRose]

My angelfish did just fine in a 10-gallon tank.

 

[tallyollyopia]

Okay, so Ra had a nightmare last night. Here's how I know this: he tucked me in, climbed to the top bunk, and went to sleep. (I went to sleep too.) Next thing I know Ra's impacting with my head so hard that two of his sheathed  claws (and I know they were sheathed or the damage would have been much greater) puncture the skin right over my temple. That's a lot of cat for a sudden temple impact, and my head still  hurts. His eyes were so wide that even in the limited light of my room I could still see they were open and he was desperately kneading my torso as he purred so loudly that Rose--the cat sleeping at the foot of the bed--woke up and left. It took a long time to soothe him, and then I  wanted soothing this morning when I woke up with blood down half my face. (Head wounds bleed a lot.) I don't know what he had a nightmare about, but he was back to normal this morning. So--did I do the right thing? I think I did, since I soothed him enough that he was finally  able to go back to sleep (and let me  get back to sleep). Never mind; I know I did. The only reason I wondered is because my head still hurts. Blah.

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Here is a picture of Ra, just taken a few moments before this post. See? You'd never know to look at him that he had such a rough night.