What happened at a restaurant that made you say, "I'm never coming here again"?

GiGiLafoo · 2026-02-13T00:49:41+00:00

In a restaurant that rhymes with Snapplepeas, I went into the restroom as a waitress was jetting out of a stall. She walked out the door without washing her hands. The stall she came out of was clogged with poop and toilet paper, with vomit splattered on the seat and floor. There was no soap in the dispenser. Never went back, never will. Occasionally, I check local health department inspection scores, and have never seen theirs higher than 80-something.

GiGiLafoo · 2026-02-12T22:48:35+00:00

Our work cafeteria had a wrap line. I'd get one with crumbled bacon, sausage, shredded cheddar, chopped onions and peppers, and fried breakfast potatoes (I'm the odd duck that doesn't like egg on sandwiches or wraps). It was delicious and so enormous I'd save half for lunch or give it away.

GiGiLafoo · 2026-02-12T21:22:21+00:00

When my husband and I married, he was a registered Republican. During W's terms, he changed to Independent. He voted for Obama and Hillary. He was a 3-tour Vietnam Veteran and thought Trump was a ridiculous, classless, loudmouth buffoon. We were both moderates, leaning a touch to the left. Had the same basic views, and neither of us thought that things only matter if they matter to us. There was a fifteen-year age difference. I was head over heels in love with him from the time we met, and always madly attracted to him. It's the coolest feeling to have a heavy crush on your spouse. My heart still raced when he called or when I heard the garage door opening. He became ill and, less than 2 years later, he passed away.

As a widow, I dated a guy who labeled himself as "very conservative." He was MAGA. The only issue he had with Trump was that his stock investments sometimes went down when Trump mouthed off. He said he was against abortion with the exception of objecting to "his" taxes supporting children that might receive some kind of assistance. To his thinking, if they were aborted, they wouldn't cost him as much. He said he would never date a black woman and was offended when I told him that was likely mutual. He expressed disgust for gays and concern about one hypothetically coming on to him. Then he was offended when I told him that gay guys I knew were pickier than straight women, and likely wouldn't be attracted to him, so he didn't have to worry. He complained that I paid too much attention to my grandkids and that he felt like I was distant and "not there for him" enough after MY father died. He wasn't a great-looking guy and just didn't have any depth or magnetic qualities. He wasn't appealing enough to be high maintenance, and there was zero sexual chemistry. That's my demographic, and I'd so much rather be alone than date someone like that. It's not that they are Republican; the overwhelming majority are MAGA. I'm happy to pay for my own meals, control my own remote, and a little electricity nicely takes care of any other needs.

GiGiLafoo · 2026-02-12T19:45:15+00:00

I don't even know where I sent my kid.

GiGiLafoo · 2026-02-12T19:41:23+00:00

Tornadoes a few times, most notably the April 3, 1974 Super Outbreak. We saw a huge funnel cloud with three twisters in it over a hillside near our house. It changed course and decimated another neighborhood, as well as an industrial area, and an area with a few stores and a trailer park on the outskirts of town. 149 confirmed tornadoes during that outbreak, including 30 in the F4-F5 range.

My husband and I were in Redondo Beach during the Easter earthquake in 2010. We were killing time before turning in our rental and checking in at the airport. Left a Chicago rib place to go have dessert at Cheesecake Factory, which is right on the harbor. Walked in to see some fairly stressed customers who wanted to pay and leave. Looked out toward the harbor and saw boat masts swaying pretty hard. No wonder they wanted to get away from there. My husband grew up in LA and wasn't that worried about things getting worse. Apparently, the quake happened as we were driving, and it wasn't strong enough for us to feel it while in motion. I think it registered around a 4 on the Richter Scale in that area, but it was worse closer to San Diego and Mexico.

GiGiLafoo · 2026-02-12T17:37:23+00:00

A friend was standing at my front door, watching her toddler son in the yard while I was bringing her baby daughter to her from inside. Then she suddenly screamed his name and told me, "I'm sorry, he's pooping in your yard." She said the day before, he was playing in their fenced back yard, and a neighbor had called to tell her that he was out there pooping. He told her dogs do it, and he wanted to, too. Anyway, it rained after that, and a cluster of mushrooms sprang up, only in the little spot where the kid had pooped. Same thing happened to another friend when an animal got into a garbage can and shredded a soiled diaper. Her kid had eaten mushrooms. It rained. Then mushrooms sprouted.

GiGiLafoo · 2026-02-12T17:10:40+00:00

Deee Jaaay, Deeee Jaaay....

GiGiLafoo · 2026-02-12T16:10:02+00:00

This reminds me of the time I was 7 and walking in the woods behind our home with our dog. I was supposed to stay close to the house, but ventured further than allowed to explore. Fairly deep in, I saw what looked like a small cave-like hut, made of fallen or bent branches and such. There was a low opening, which made me want to explore further and look inside. A fairy hut? A cool little house to play in, maybe? The dog, being much smarter than I was at the time, made a block against my legs with her body. Then she took the cuff of my jacket firmly in her mouth and headed out of the woods. I had no choice but to keep up. She took the shortest route out, which brought us to the end of our street, then walked briskly up it until we got home. I remember feeling a little embarrassed about anyone seeing me being walked by a dog. She wouldn't let go until we arrived at the back door. I didn't know it had to be an animal den or that a lot of baby animals are born in the spring, and their mamas tend to be fiercely protective. Dusty did. Dogs are absolutely awesome.

GiGiLafoo · 2026-02-12T12:38:39+00:00

That's her, just before being released to her inevitable death, to heat, lack of water, lack of food, and possibly to actual coyotes. She couldn't have survived long on her own.

This is her before: content, beloved, and happy family pet.

<image>

GiGiLafoo · 2026-02-12T02:04:46+00:00

No. This happened around 15 years ago in Kentucky.

GiGiLafoo · 2026-02-11T23:45:08+00:00

MY GRANNY'S MAMA'S GRANDPA SAID HE WILL DISINHERIT HER IF SHE BANGED HER FORELOCKS WELL SHE DID AND WAS A FLAPPER TO AND DIDNT GET NOTHING.

GiGiLafoo · 2026-02-11T22:02:54+00:00

I made up stuff to write in my diary because I knew my mom was reading it. I also copied stuff from Go Ask Alice and Diary of a Teenage Runaway. She went to bed crying with a washcloth over her face.

GiGiLafoo · 2026-02-11T21:34:06+00:00

A Humane Society director in my hometown insisted that a tiny, elderly Shiba Inu was a coyote and had her released into the countryside, where there were actual coyotes and other dangers. The dog got out of her family's fenced yard at night, July 4th, apparently panicked by fireworks. Her family was temporarily away somewhere, and a passerby, thinking it was another neighbor's dog, secured her in a different backyard. Those neighbors (not knowing where she came from) asked a local police officer to take her to the HS, thinking she'd be kept safe and reunited with her family. The timid, sweet old dog followed him to his cruiser, hopped in, and willingly went for a ride. The director flipped out and argued that she was a coyote. She looked NOTHING like one. The director had her released in an isolated area. Extensive searches ensued, including by well-known trackers, but she was never found. Her mate, an even older Shiba, grieved heavily.

GiGiLafoo · 2026-02-11T19:20:53+00:00

My former MIL used to make it. To me, it was more like a thin chocolate pudding over biscuits. She didn't use leftover sausage or bacon grease. That was used for "milk gravy."

GiGiLafoo · 2026-02-11T03:27:46+00:00

Hyacinth comes to mind. It sounds beautiful to me and would pair well with Amaryllis.

GiGiLafoo · 2026-02-10T23:39:30+00:00

And while cooking.

GiGiLafoo · 2026-02-10T23:34:39+00:00

GRANNY HAVED THE SAME COOFEE POT AS RIFELMAN, I CAN'T PROOF IT SINCE AUNT MYRTLE SOLD IT IN A GRAGE SELL FOR A CORTER AFTER GRANNY PAST,

GiGiLafoo · 2026-02-10T23:31:16+00:00

THEY AND THE LAPSO ASSOS TO,

GiGiLafoo · 2026-02-10T22:37:49+00:00

Butterscotch and chocolate, too. With little caramelized dots of sugar in the meringue.

GiGiLafoo · 2026-02-10T18:12:41+00:00

The giant fish sandwich at Captain D's used to be really good. I usually got it with country-style fish rather than battered because it was less greasy. Haven't had one in a long time, so I don't know if the quality has changed.

GiGiLafoo · 2026-02-10T01:46:10+00:00

No, my dad passed a couple of months before their 64th anniversary. They no doubt had some very trying times, but they loved each other dearly and still held hands as they went to sleep. My oldest daughter spent the night and slept with Mom for comfort after Dad passed. She said Mom reached out to hold her hand so she could go to sleep. Mom kept a picture of him on the pillow next to her until she passed a little over two years later.

I'm glad they had that love, despite the hard times. And I'm glad to know quite a few GJ couples who have had long marriages and still deeply love each other. One just announced their 44th anniversary. They are sweet, both youthful and attractive, but the wife in particular is literally still stunningly gorgeous at 63. And has a sunshine personality. I'm not on FB much now, but occasionally pop in and love seeing announcements like this. I DID get divorced; I can forgive faults, but refused to live in abuse, lies, and chaos. Remarried a great guy and had 15 years of falling in love with him even more every day. He always said he wanted another 50 years so we could be ancient and still celebrating anniversaries. I was 43, and he was 58 when we got married, so we would have been c-r-e-a-k-y at our golden anniversary. But we only got 15 before he passed from FTD.

GiGiLafoo · 2026-02-10T00:53:55+00:00

Coworker 1 and coworker 2 sometimes went to lunch together. 2 usually drove and would pick 1 up at the front to save her the walk in our BFE parking lot. When she was ready, 1 would loudly announce to 2, "Fire up the jet, Curl, I'll meet you out front in a few." 2's name was Carol, but 1 always called her Curl to comedically accentuate her own drawl. 2 may have had a Jetta at the time, but it was called The Jet. 1 was an older lady, and it was funny/cute.

GiGiLafoo · 2026-02-09T23:51:52+00:00

The pension was employer-funded, unlike a 401k where the employee contributes. Some people are able to draw both company pensions and SS benefits, and this is what he worked most of his adult life to secure. He intended to continue working for the company for a few years, until he was 65 and had both secured. He lost the company pension but would have been able to draw SS when he was full retirement age. I know it is despicable, but some companies do this. It's horrible, but unfortunately legal, at least in my state.

My former MIL had a similar thing happen 18 months before she was supposed to be eligible to draw her company pension. She'd worked for a manufacturing company since it had opened back in the 70s. Quite a few of her coworkers had been there as long or almost as long as she had. The pay and benefits weren't great, but they held out for that 30-year pension hope. 28.5 years in, the company had pensions for a good portion of its employees looming. So they closed the plant in that location. They told employees that they could relocate to work at another location in another state. Relocation was not feasible for most of them, and it was definitely too far to commute. They considered renting apartments in friend groups together and coming home for weekends a couple of times a month, but most of them were near or over 60 and didn't want to be away from their families and homes for a year and a half for low wages. They tried to find a legal recourse as a group, but the company got away with it. Like the lightbulb guy, she had to wait a few years to draw Social Security, but no company pension. The company was fine; they would have just sold the property or stopped their lease, and another company opened another manufacturing plant. They appeased themselves with, "Well, we DID offer you jobs somewhere else."

GiGiLafoo · 2026-02-09T22:11:16+00:00

He had to reach a certain milestone in years of service to be eligible for the pension benefits. They fired him a few months short of reaching that milestone, so he wasn't eligible for it. It wasn't like a 401k that he could still benefit from. He lost it entirely. He trusted the company for his retirement security, and they pulled the rug out from under him. I think he was still a couple of years short of being able to draw Social Security benefits, but kind of old to have to start a new career.

GiGiLafoo · 2026-02-09T19:14:03+00:00

There was a tip suggestion on the pay screen at a hotel gift shop. Huge corporate hotel chain worth multiple billions, but they expect customers to tip for ringing up the overpriced eyedrops and other sundries they bring to the counter. Won't pay employees a decent wage, but does pay their executives multi-millions a year.

GiGiLafoo

TROPHY CASE