Octopus Overlords

Kraken wrote: ↑Wed Sep 25, 2019 9:05 pm I am happy to learn that I'm not the last man in America who sits down with a calculator and a pen and balances his checking register every month. Although I will confess: I don't have to account for every dime. If I'm off by a wee bit, I take the bank's word for it. They virtually always turn out to be right in the end anyway. When I do find a substantial difference, it's always because I forgot to record something or flubbed the arithmetic.

My wife does it, although she uses Excel and requires us both to enter withdrawals and deposits accurately as they happen.

We even have a "monthly expenses" spreadsheet where we're expected to record *every* monetary transaction. (I am marriage-threateningly shitty at this.)

Holman wrote: ↑Fri Sep 27, 2019 8:16 pm

Kraken wrote: ↑Wed Sep 25, 2019 9:05 pm I am happy to learn that I'm not the last man in America who sits down with a calculator and a pen and balances his checking register every month. Although I will confess: I don't have to account for every dime. If I'm off by a wee bit, I take the bank's word for it. They virtually always turn out to be right in the end anyway. When I do find a substantial difference, it's always because I forgot to record something or flubbed the arithmetic.

My wife does it, although she uses Excel and requires us both to enter withdrawals and deposits accurately as they happen.

We even have a "monthly expenses" spreadsheet where we're expected to record *every* monetary transaction. (I am marriage-threateningly shitty at this.)

It's an ingrained, lifelong habit with me. My mom taught me how to balance before I got my first checking account in my mid-teens, because you may only have one if you feed it regularly and take it for a walk every month. I always know how much money I have right to the penny, and back in the day those pennies mattered.

I tried to train Wife in this many years ago, and it was, as you say, marriage-threatening. Then I just started doing it for her, which was just as bad thanks to her haphazard record-keeping. Once a month I imposed The Reckoning, balancing her account and writing a budget that she promptly lost or ignored. We both hated The Reckoning. Eventually I walled things off so that she could live in chronic chaos without dragging us both down. After the invention of online banking, she finally figured out how to keep herself afloat. She still thinks balancing a checkbook is voodoo, but it isn't necessary anymore.

So, I'm sitting around on death watch. My oldest dog has seemingly lost it but he doesn't seem to be in pain. I really hate putting down my dogs so I'll just wait. It's been about 7 hours since he started acting this way.
<sigh>

I still use my checkbook, and pay all of my bills (except electric) by mail. I do not want to have to remember to go online to pay anything, and I sure AF don't want any automatic debits. I want to know exactly what I am paying and when. I almost never use my debit card. I use a credit card all month then pay it off in full.

Sorry about your dog, Dave.

Good luck with the doggy. Hope it turns out ok for him.

He seems to be better this morning but that's a long way from being okay.

Kraken wrote: ↑Fri Sep 27, 2019 10:50 pm

Holman wrote: ↑Fri Sep 27, 2019 8:16 pm

Kraken wrote: ↑Wed Sep 25, 2019 9:05 pm I am happy to learn that I'm not the last man in America who sits down with a calculator and a pen and balances his checking register every month. Although I will confess: I don't have to account for every dime. If I'm off by a wee bit, I take the bank's word for it. They virtually always turn out to be right in the end anyway. When I do find a substantial difference, it's always because I forgot to record something or flubbed the arithmetic.

My wife does it, although she uses Excel and requires us both to enter withdrawals and deposits accurately as they happen.

We even have a "monthly expenses" spreadsheet where we're expected to record *every* monetary transaction. (I am marriage-threateningly shitty at this.)

It's an ingrained, lifelong habit with me. My mom taught me how to balance before I got my first checking account in my mid-teens, because you may only have one if you feed it regularly and take it for a walk every month. I always know how much money I have right to the penny, and back in the day those pennies mattered.

I tried to train Wife in this many years ago, and it was, as you say, marriage-threatening. Then I just started doing it for her, which was just as bad thanks to her haphazard record-keeping. Once a month I imposed The Reckoning, balancing her account and writing a budget that she promptly lost or ignored. We both hated The Reckoning. Eventually I walled things off so that she could live in chronic chaos without dragging us both down. After the invention of online banking, she finally figured out how to keep herself afloat. She still thinks balancing a checkbook is voodoo, but it isn't necessary anymore.

I hear ya. I might not have been totally clear.

We have a dual system that involves (A) any check or ATM withdrawal or deposit and (B) every single expense from the biggest power bill or grocery charge or phone bill to the smallest gum or coffee purchase.

A is easy. B is a pain until you admit it's necessary, and then it's still a pain.

Explaining the financial system we have erected against one another over the decades would require 27 8x10 color glossy photographs with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what each one was. Somehow this web of accounts and responsibilities gives us each substantial independence while also cooperating to cover our joint bills and achieve modest mutual goals. If you examined those 8x10s you'd think we were nuts. I know I am.

Kraken wrote: ↑Sun Sep 29, 2019 12:14 am Explaining the financial system we have erected against one another over the decades would require 27 8x10 color glossy photographs with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what each one was. Somehow this web of accounts and responsibilities gives us each substantial independence while also cooperating to cover our joint bills and achieve modest mutual goals. If you examined those 8x10s you'd think we were nuts. I know I am.

Maybe nuts, but you get a for invoking Alice.

Why is Mac & Cheese universally bad now days? As a kid I loved the stuff. Kraft was the best followed by Velveeta. But I cant find any at all thats good. Some are edible because Im dang hungry but its never really even good. Kraft ruined most of everything with their name on it around 10 -14 years ago. Ive tried a LOT of store bought....brand name and generic store brands. All suck. Frozen dinner ones suck. Even the fast food M&C sucks like Captain D's and KFC. No matter who makes it or sells it I just cannot find a good tasty mac & cheese. Ive made the boxed stuff with whole milk, 2% milk, evaporated cream milk, and even added real cheeses to them. Never helps.

Whats going on with the Mac & Cheese world??? Why have they done this to us!!??

Is it possible your taste buds have changed?

I still enjoy the Stouffers frozen version.

I usually make this recipe in a crock pot. Except I substitute the cheeses with whatever I have on hand.

The frozen ones are palatable if you bake them instead of microwaving -- gotta thicken them up and get a bit of crust on top. I think the boxed mixes are for children. (I just threw away the one in our pantry because it expired in 2002...even though it was probably still as good as the day it was boxed. Pasta and powder forever!)

I just swore off KD this week, after discovering that I can make a perfectly good cheese sauce from scratch in the amount of time that it takes to boil the water to cook the macaroni.

I need to get in the habit of reviewing my ISP's service packages on a more regular basis. I just noticed yesterday that they had revised their offerings slightly, and the rate for the package with my current level of service (150/15/unlimited) had dropped from CAD$100.99 to CAD$79.99. I just finished chatting with their customer support this morning, and in addition to switching me to the new rate (which is technically a "new" package) they also threw in a CAD$25/month discount for the next year, as their way of saying "Sorry (not sorry) for hosing you on this until you noticed the price drop on your own." This is the second time in less than a year that I've had to contact them because they keep revising the plans downward in price in order to remain competitive.

Edit: I just did a speed test, and apparently the support agent also bumped my DL rate up to 300Mbps. I checked and the account shows that I'm signed up for 150/15, so that's a nice free bonus, for as long as it lasts. Maybe it's my reward for being polite instead of angry.

Jaymann wrote: ↑Sun Sep 29, 2019 9:17 pm

Daehawk wrote: ↑Sun Sep 29, 2019 7:53 pm Whats going on with the Mac & Cheese world??? Why have they done this to us!!??

Is it possible your taste buds have changed?

It is true that the Kraft mac & cheese recipe has changed though. A few years back they removed all artificial flavors, preservatives, and colors from the ingredients and replaced them with natural alternatives. I remember noticing the change in taste at the time, but now I'm used to the new version.

I eat Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (aka 'nature's butt plug') once a year or so. I used to really enjoy it, but the last couple of times I've noticed it was just... bland.

Whatever you do, avoid Costco's boxed mac. It's not good at all. Just buy a big tray of it out of their deli department.

I hear they have a 5-gallon drum of premade available.

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Mon Sep 30, 2019 12:16 pm I eat Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (aka 'nature's butt plug') once a year or so. I used to really enjoy it, but the last couple of times I've noticed it was just... bland.

I always add a fuckton of Kraft Extra Sharp Shredded Cheddar when I make mine.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Mon Sep 30, 2019 12:38 pm I hear they have a 5-gallon drum of premade available.

Sorry, 23 lb 6 oz bucket.

That should last a good sized tail gate party.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Mon Sep 30, 2019 1:21 pm

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Mon Sep 30, 2019 12:38 pm I hear they have a 5-gallon drum of premade available.

Sorry, 23 lb 6 oz bucket.

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Mon Sep 30, 2019 12:16 pm I eat Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (aka 'nature's butt plug') once a year or so. I used to really enjoy it, but the last couple of times I've noticed it was just... bland.

I usually go for the Annie's White Cheddar Mac & Cheese, then I add a slice of American (not the plastic stuff in saran wrap) and sprinkle in some curry powder to taste (maybe 1tsp per box) along with the obligatory butter and (soy/almond) milk. It seems to help.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Sun Sep 29, 2019 7:53 pm Why is Mac & Cheese universally bad now days? As a kid I loved the stuff. Kraft was the best followed by Velveeta. But I cant find any at all thats good. Some are edible because Im dang hungry but its never really even good. Kraft ruined most of everything with their name on it around 10 -14 years ago. Ive tried a LOT of store bought....brand name and generic store brands. All suck. Frozen dinner ones suck. Even the fast food M&C sucks like Captain D's and KFC. No matter who makes it or sells it I just cannot find a good tasty mac & cheese. Ive made the boxed stuff with whole milk, 2% milk, evaporated cream milk, and even added real cheeses to them. Never helps.

Whats going on with the Mac & Cheese world??? Why have they done this to us!!??

Best mac and cheese on the planet from BBQ place a mile from my house. They shared their recipe because they are awesome.

https://www.food.com/recipe/dave-robert ... ese-385126

That does look good. I can almost smell it.

Just found out Johnny Crawford is battling Alzheimers . He doesn't look so good. Poor guy. We loved him in The Rifleman . My wife was a big fan of his.

I was in an airport security line right in front of Kevin Conroy, voice of Batman, yesterday. I would never have recognized him, but someone else in line did and asked "Are you Batman?" He was very gracious and took a selfie with them. I had to Google afterward to figure out who he was, since they never said his name.

I was testing out some sauces and spices I had on hand to try and improve my crappy mac&cheese today and found adding a dash of Soy Sauce to a bowl of M&C helped a lot.

Liquid salt will do that.

Just noticed The History Channel has a new In Search Of show. I remember watching the original as a kid. Whats weird is Leonard Nimoy who was Spock hosted the original show and now Zachary Quinto hosts the new one who was also Spock

Believe it or not (did you see what I did there?) it's actually the second season of the new In Search Of...

S1 was enjoyable. Nothing fantastic. Zachary Quinto is easily impressed, at least, that was my impression from the first season. I watch the second season, for sure.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Mon Sep 30, 2019 6:45 pm I was testing out some sauces and spices I had on hand to try and improve my crappy mac&cheese today and found adding a dash of Soy Sauce to a bowl of M&C helped a lot.

Tony Chachere's is pretty awesome on mac & cheese.

morlac wrote: ↑Mon Sep 30, 2019 4:14 pm Best mac and cheese on the planet from BBQ place a mile from my house. They shared their recipe because they are awesome.

https://www.food.com/recipe/dave-robert ... ese-385126

That looks really good, I might have to make that...

gilraen wrote: ↑Tue Oct 01, 2019 3:03 pm

morlac wrote: ↑Mon Sep 30, 2019 4:14 pm Best mac and cheese on the planet from BBQ place a mile from my house. They shared their recipe because they are awesome.

https://www.food.com/recipe/dave-robert ... ese-385126

That looks really good, I might have to make that...

I agree. You should make that.

gilraen wrote: ↑Tue Oct 01, 2019 3:03 pm

morlac wrote: ↑Mon Sep 30, 2019 4:14 pm Best mac and cheese on the planet from BBQ place a mile from my house. They shared their recipe because they are awesome.

https://www.food.com/recipe/dave-robert ... ese-385126

That looks really good, I might have to make that...

It really is the best i have ever had and easy to make. It's healthy too because no butter

morlac wrote: ↑Tue Oct 01, 2019 4:38 pm

gilraen wrote: ↑Tue Oct 01, 2019 3:03 pm

morlac wrote: ↑Mon Sep 30, 2019 4:14 pm Best mac and cheese on the planet from BBQ place a mile from my house. They shared their recipe because they are awesome.

https://www.food.com/recipe/dave-robert ... ese-385126

That looks really good, I might have to make that...

It really is the best i have ever had and easy to make. It's healthy too because no butter

2 cups of heavy cream would like to file a complaint.

I'm sorry but that's not even a recipe. I guarantee that will break into a greasy mess of a dish.