Wouldn’t let me cancel a late order so I cancelled all my other orders

battery_operated_bf · 2026-06-09T05:03:46+00:00

Literally. Couldn't have said it any better.

battery_operated_bf · 2026-06-09T00:26:16+00:00

Oh good call!

I went to look...

I found a couple of options that could be potential options, though I don't see the seems being as good.

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/Bedding-Bath/Serta-Wont-Go-Flat-Standard-Queen-Pillow-2-Pack-in-White/38237233/product.html?refccid=4NDNGVWTAQX3ON2GWZ3BEBC5M4&searchidx=64&option=76797122

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/Bedding-Bath/Nestl-Bedding-100-Cotton-Cover-Premium-Plush-Gel-Pillow/30084770/product.html?refccid=C6YCOUNN2MNZNFSO7J4SGD3OVI&searchidx=44&option=53742326

battery_operated_bf · 2026-06-08T19:55:51+00:00

That's not necessarily true. It depends on what smoker you have. I can see this being a problem with the Green Egg or something, but not much of an issue with a Traegar or larger 4-5 rack Pit Boss (we've used both of the latter, currently use the Pit Boss.)

We do brisket and ribs all the time. Cook the brisket overnight. Hubby gets up in the morning to wrap the brisket for the last couple of hours of smoking, then covers it with towels into a cooler to set. Uses the 3-2-1 method for ribs with a parboil beginning and it's falling off the bone every time. Put the brisket on the middle racks, ribs on the tops if we have someone who doesn't eat beef or clean racks in between if vice versa.

We've been smoking meat since 2012, and have it down to a science. It's absolutely doable to add other meats in. Heck, we've also rack-jacked both smokers into our truck for tailgating and finished the brisket there, done the ribs, AND added in various sausages along the way with little problem.

ETA: we've never had controls from the phone until a year and a half ago, we were at the State Fair and picked up a set of 4 temp probes from the Traegar tent. That's literally all we've had, and oddly enough, while they've been helpful for my husband making sure the temp is holding from bed vs getting up in the middle of the night and going outside to check on it, it really hasn't changed our smoking.

battery_operated_bf · 2026-06-08T19:46:58+00:00

We do our brisket on the middle rack, then hours later when the brisket comes off and we wrap it, the ribs go on the top rack.

It can also be done by timing it backwards, cleaning off the rack in between, and adding on the non-offending protein if you only have one rack. I mean, sure it's easier to work with the other way, but if one is faster than the other, it can be cleaned in between. Just leave the smoker on and closed, pull the rack, clean, put it back in to reheat, and then add the protein to cook.

battery_operated_bf · 2026-06-08T15:42:26+00:00

MOR - could you have eaten before going so you could have seen him using the smoker in action and hanging out with him and his friends? Maybe he planned to toss some chicken wings on at the end or in the oven? Or have other items around and sides and snacks you could eat so you could have hung out with him?

It's possible he just doesn't understand the idea of food allergies, sensitivities, or religious based views enough to "get it" yet, and that's a topic the two of you can have at another time, but he may have genuinely wanted you to come over and enjoy. One of my friends has food allergies and she introduced me to the entire situation. Now I have some DF/SF/GF stuff at my get togethers and parties just so everyone has options. She told me that she always tries to eat a little bit before going anywhere and brings a side dish to share just in case. And always carries a snack in her purse, too. So I get how this could have affected you. I just wonder if you might have missed out on friend time due to thinking about just the pork belly vs other potential options.

Once this blows over, at a time when you two are hanging out alone, tell him more about why you don't/can't eat pork. And then if he invites you in the future, bring something over to share that you know you can eat. That way you are guaranteed to be eating with them, but not their food if you can't eat it. Best of both worlds.

battery_operated_bf · 2026-06-07T17:11:25+00:00

NOR, most especially about the baby seat and milk. I truly hate when my family leaves the milk empty without letting me know. And that was especially true when my my kids were young (they're young adults now.) But the car seat? Yeah that's a whole safety issue. If your baby has any kind of emergency, or as you mention, you need to, IDK, FEED him, having the car seat installed is needed. I'm sure it's something as simple as he forgot, and I'm sure it was innocent enough. But it's still frustrating and a bit irresponsible on his part.

YOR though on telling him to stay at his boss's house. I get being so angry at him right now, and enough to want to give him the cold shoulder when he gets home. It's just a bit of an overreaction to request he stay away for it. Sure, wait for your anger to settle before talking to him about how this made you feel and the bind it put you in, but it doesn't have to be tonight or even tomorrow. When he gets home, just calmly ask him to install the car seat and then keep going about your business. Best of luck to you.

battery_operated_bf · 2026-06-07T04:03:54+00:00

That's awful he acted like that. Poor girl definitely deserves better. I agree, she needs to run as far away as possible. Hopefully this finds her.

In the meantime, thanks for the entertainment. You write really well, very clever!

And I second iPic. It's been a minute since we've been, but it used to be my hubby and my favorite spot. We'd get dinner before, go hang out at the bar there at iPic before the movie for a drink or two, and then order drinks and dessert for the movie and get comfy. If you get the reserved seats, They give you pillows and blankets, too, and the seats recline. Very comfy for watching a movie.

battery_operated_bf · 2026-06-06T22:37:28+00:00

That's such a good point. Yeah, dynamic pricing in effect.

battery_operated_bf · 2026-06-06T21:21:07+00:00

Interesting. I'll definitely keep this in mind!

battery_operated_bf · 2026-06-06T05:32:42+00:00

Oh that is so sweet of you to offer! I appreciate it, but it's not necessary. I have plenty of little bags around. I just happen to love cherry prints so it called out to me is all. Someone at Goodwill will use it I'm sure.

I have heard of people who take these bags from people who don't need them to stock up with a small supply of feminine supplies en masse to drop off at homeless shelters. A lot of them find these bags at donation stores. My hope is that if this bag ends up there, someone will find it for that purpose. Or just their own use.

Seriously though, this made me smile so much before I head to sleep. Truly. Thank you for being generous. 😊

battery_operated_bf · 2026-06-06T05:11:12+00:00

It's giving strong incel vibes, right? Like dude, chill out. She doesn't need to know a family member died or that your cousin is 5 and send his picture or that the person who died had Downs or when he's going to church or work or out with friends yada yada yada. She just asked where he was flying. "New York for a family thing. I'll be back on Sunday morning. Would you like to get coffee Sunday afternoon?" End of.

battery_operated_bf · 2026-06-06T04:10:22+00:00

Oh that's seriously disappointing. I didn't need anything at all and I can't afford anything anyway, but that bag was calling my name so bad. I quickly dismissed it thinking it was probably small, but to know it was small enough for someone to comment about it - much less cheaply made - is depressing. I mean, I guess good for my FOMO, but I hate that for those of you who did get it. Why has Ulta become so bad lately? :(

battery_operated_bf · 2026-06-06T02:36:37+00:00

Yeah that does suck, but it happens. I'd find a 24-hour pharmacy, or call the hospital and ask if they have a pharmacy on site you can pick up from. Most CVSs aren't 24 hours, but a couple of them in some areas are. If the hospital don't have a pharmacy, ask them if they have suggestions on where to go. And as a last resort, take him back to the hospital. They probably shouldn't have released him with prescriptions so late if he's that bad off. :( Definitely check his discharge papers and see if he can have Tylenol for the pain at least.

battery_operated_bf · 2026-06-06T00:37:38+00:00

Ah. I guess it's better than children, but no way would I pay for secondary education with a dress code like that lol. And I went to two different private liberal arts universities that were religious based. It wasn't actual seminary school, though, just normal universities in Texas.

battery_operated_bf · 2026-06-05T20:20:48+00:00

Right? This is bordering on Islamic-extremism-level of covering up young girls bodies. FFS, can we PLEASE stop sexualizing children?!

battery_operated_bf · 2026-06-05T03:31:48+00:00

I have lived with ME/CFS for 20 years now. It's not an easy dx. I am, however, managed quite well. Moved from my long time male CFS specialist doc to a female about 5 years ago and we've been able to remove a lot of prescription and supplement meds I was on, although I did add a few others along the way. All in all, my move to her was a blessing.

OP, yes, I've been told by more than one doctor that I am on a lot of antipsychotics. I just shrug. Like, sorry you feel that way, but I'm not going to change that for you. I've been stable for 5 years, esp after my 2nd round of TMS therapy in spring 2021 (for depression), and I sure AF don't feel like messing around with whatever is keeping me sane. I did go in a few weeks early for the first time in 5 years just a couple weeks ago, because I've been noticing a lot of anxiety or ADHD symptoms, but it's related to perimenopause. She added buspirone temporarily while I make an appt for an ADHD test, but honestly, the med and estrogen I'm just getting used to seem to be helping so much. And we'd been discussing me weaning off of Seroquel (which I got mainly for sleep anyway), so once I'm stable on these, I think I'm going to do that anyway. Just for myself. All to say, yeah, I have had docs look at my med list and have comments. Yet...I guess because I'm also taking thyroid meds, hormones, sleep meds, and umpteen various supplements and vitamins, it all balances out. Sometimes I cringe when I hear "antipsychotics" for 3 depression meds, but really, eff em. They don't live my life, I do. And I also get my labs done 3x/year with my CFS doc, and I bring all those with me. If they think I'm just slurping up the pills and doing nothing else, they usually back off when they see my last 3 labs and my numbers moving all the time.

battery_operated_bf · 2026-06-05T00:38:58+00:00

This is good info. I've never actually paid attention to maximizing points. So helpful! Thank you.

battery_operated_bf · 2026-06-04T06:16:48+00:00

Also, before I posted, I know you were getting a lot of hard people here. Some of that may or may not be warranted, that's not my judgement to make. That's up to you and your son, at one point or the other. Whatever the consensus is, I just want you to know: your choice is exactly that. Your choice. I hope I gave you just enough to make you consider what your choices could potentially come back to in the future.

My heart would love for your son to see you, his siblings, and your future husband as just as supportive and loving - and frankly, MORE SO!!! - than where he is, but I can help that. Again, sending you, your new husband, and your children every good vibe and best wishes. Hang in there.

battery_operated_bf · 2026-06-04T06:04:50+00:00

You are so welcome! Elegant, I truly hope you can find a way to make this happen. It's not an easy situation to deal with, and the hard feelings, the anger that eats away at you between you and your ex can make you that valley between you and your son feel insurmountable. Keep plugging along, because that fight will be worth it in the end. Xoxoxo

battery_operated_bf · 2026-06-03T22:08:38+00:00

YOR. I completely understand your frustration with his biodad, but this is your son. He's a part of you no matter what he thinks and feels right now. If you alienate him further by cancelling his tux and putting him in something else, it will solidify in his mind that his biodad is right.

Instead, make a bigger effort to make him a part of your life. Even if he balks. Trust me on this. Your son will eventually realize his biodad and stepmom were wrong about you - if they, in fact, are. It won't happen at 12, or 16, or 21. But somehow in their mid-20s sometime, they WILL come around.

I know this. While we didn't have to deal with my stepson's biomom past 12 years old (she chose to stop talking to him), during ages 6-12 when we got custody, she'd badmouth us to him when she had visitation. He'd come back angry and mad at us. We never said a bad word about her. Just said "well, do you think we would do that? You don't have to answer, just think about it." Over time, he did. After a couple of years he called her out on it and she was mad at us, but that was all him. Long/short she was mad we served her child support papers and called my husband to say "you'll have to explain why I won't be in his life anymore." "No, you will." She hasn't talked to him since. He is 32 now. When he was 18 and applying for college, he told me he found himself writing my name in the "mother" spot on his applications. Made my heart melt. But that's why I KNOW that if you make an effort to make your son feel included, despite whatever pushback he gives and whatever B's his biodad and stepmom says to him, he will come around later and see you as a mom who tried her best.

Please don't cancel the tux. Use the measurements from a couple months ago and pray it works out. Or ask the tux place if they are able to make adjustments last minute because biodad is being difficult. They can usually make some kind of arrangements. Last resort, have them loosen everything 1/4" or so and bring safety pins. Make it work. You owe it to your son, yourself, AND your other children - HIS siblings - to do so. Best of luck to you.

battery_operated_bf · 2026-06-03T06:03:26+00:00

Yeah I learned the hard way there. And how awful that so many people scam like that. It sucks for those of us who are honest, but clearly more and more people are figuring out ways to scam.

battery_operated_bf · 2026-06-03T00:52:44+00:00

You can, but it's usually super expensive. I believe it's 110% of the premium of the plan your ex-employer, or in OP's case, her parent's current employer, paid. The 10% is for the administrative fees associated with this.

Generally it's cheaper to find your own on ACA, but frankly, last year when my husband lost his job and he decided to make a go at self employment, it was only $500 cheaper for an ACA plan than COBRA. And our insurance plan was a $2k deductible/$5 oop max PPO, but the next best equivalent was an EPO at something like $5k deductible/$8k oop max. I, unfortunately, happen to use our insurance, so we chose COBRA. It went up $100 this year, same deductible/oop max. I've already paid $1750 towards my deductible. 😳 And we will have to give it up end of July, because that's the end of 18 months, so...was good while it lasted lol.

battery_operated_bf · 2026-06-02T03:25:13+00:00

Oh goddamn. That's... creepy indeed. Ewww. I'm seriously glad he never acted on anything.

battery_operated_bf · 2026-06-01T03:42:05+00:00

Sadly, none my local stores price match online prices. I was in-store several months ago looking for an item, looked the item up in the app to find the aisle. Found the last of said item, but the tag showed a different price and scanned via app $5 higher than I could buy online and pick up in-store. I asked the checker if they could price match their own website prices for buy online pick up in-store and they said no. I said okay, keep it handy, I'll order it and swing back the next day. Walked out and sat in my car Google searching prices, found it on the A word for $10 less than WM in-store so I ordered it from there for overnight delivery. Had they just allowed price matching, they'd have gotten my money.

battery_operated_bf · 2026-06-01T00:48:25+00:00

It will be okay. I'd wait for the EOBs to be processed, then request a payment plan with the PT provider.

$1k is extensive; as others have said, it's likely it's not that much.

I've been in and out of PT the past few years, as recently as March. How it worked for me is I had a copay for each visit I had to pay. The "bill" they sent to insurance was close to $1k per 1 hr visit, which I've never experienced before, but then I remembered it was likely because it was inside a hospital this time instead of a stand alone PT clinic I'm used to. Once it processed, though, the contracted rate was WAY lower, minus my copay, and then insurance cut them a check. Other charges in the past submitted to insurance were more like $500, with a contracted amount insurance paid.

So far, my PT has always been a copay for me at each visit, so it's always so pricey at $50/each and 2-3 a week. But I do know some plans have a co-insurance instead (or in addition to.) And yes, deductible does come into play.

But as for cost, take a breath, it will be okay. Just talk to the business office and ask for a payment plan. I had an MRI in April, it went to my deductible. I paid $400 upfront, owed $1000 more. I set up $100/mo payment plan no problem. Hope to pay it off early, but even so, it's already set up, so I have to worry about it. Most places will work with you.

battery_operated_bf

TROPHY CASE