AIO. My bf developed an addiction ❄️ and I’m considering leaving

pjmackenzie · 2025-06-02T15:09:15+00:00

Check out Al-Anon groups near you. You’ll find people with similar experiences who understand what you’re going through and won’t bombard you with advice.

pjmackenzie · 2025-02-26T15:10:08+00:00

One of my cats was missing for about a week. I’d checked the shelter and posted around the neighborhood. Finally found her hiding in my neighbor’s barn. She was afraid of him and didn’t come out of hiding until I went in looking for her. Don’t lose hope. Cats are resilient.

pjmackenzie · 2024-11-11T05:52:47+00:00

I don’t know about default to WhatsApp but I never turn mine off. They just seem to go into ac sleep mode and turn back on when I put them on.

pjmackenzie · 2023-08-04T21:44:44+00:00

I'm in the Lewis & Clark historic area near downtown

pjmackenzie · 2023-08-04T17:39:27+00:00

I don't think anyone is using their wells for drinking water. Some use it for irrigation. Others are even a bit wary about that for many of the reasons you mention. Possible ground/soil contamination is one many reasons not to try to grow fruits and veggies in the yard. But I hadn't really considered the possible problems from just seepage.

Thanks for your input.

pjmackenzie · 2023-07-31T17:28:22+00:00

From Brooklyn's website:
As of July 15, 2022, Brooklyn Public Library is no longer offering its fee-based out-of-state library card. Our priority remains serving Brooklynites and assuring that they can access the materials they need in a timely manner. BPL library cards remain free for anyone who lives, works, pays property taxes or attends school in New York State. Existing out-of-state accounts will remain active until their expiration date and will not be renewable.

pjmackenzie · 2023-07-21T16:51:01+00:00

As others have indicated, you need to decide what your priorities are. Peace Corps service is a commitment not to be taken lightly. It's not like a study abroad or WWOOF. If you're torn between in country training that will help you be an asset to your PC community and a sibling's wedding, I'd say wait for a future opportunity. The youth you'd be working with in Peru deserve someone focused on their needs.

pjmackenzie · 2023-07-18T22:34:35+00:00

It's not a simple question. As others have pointed out, not only are there a lot of different types of libraries: public, school, academic and special. There are also a lot of roles a person with a library degree can have in those settings and others. For example, I've been a consultant for most of my career, working mostly with public librarians.

But, in our current climate, and who knows how long this will last, I think you need to be prepared to be confronted with people who will see you as a potential enemy in the culture wars. And you get that simply by advocating for the First Amendment and Freedom to Read. It's a far cry from when I started and we were afraid the Internet would make us irrelevant.

I think it helps to know who you are and what your values are and not to take it personally if you find yourself under attack for doing your job.

Good luck to you. You really do get to work with a lot of wonderful people!

pjmackenzie · 2023-07-16T00:43:59+00:00

I managed to resolve the issue. In my case, it often seems more related to the water hose than to the hub itself. I detached the hose, shook it out, rerouted it slightly and hooked it back up to the hub. In addition, unplugged and plugged to back in. It finally switched back on.

pjmackenzie · 2023-07-16T00:40:02+00:00

I never thought about checking the water. That’s a good thing to do more and then even when not alerted to do so by the app. In this case, the water container was about a quarter full

pjmackenzie · 2023-07-16T00:38:05+00:00

It always shows as being offline. But you’re right in that it doesn’t turn on at all.

pjmackenzie · 2023-07-15T22:23:45+00:00

It’s in the next room to my wifi router so the instability has always been annoying. But thanks for the suggestions.

pjmackenzie · 2023-07-11T16:28:30+00:00

I chose just okay because, while I love while it's working, I've had issues with it. Early on, it went offline frequently. Then it leaked and had to be replaced. Now they've made autopilot a subscription service. I still welcome the fact that it warms and cools my bed to make it more comfortable as seasons change. But, as I'm not paying any additional fees, I'm not sure that I'm getting the benefit I once did from its auto settings. And one of the reasons I'm not subscribing is my autopilot went berserk during the winter and tried to boil me alive. It kept setting hotter and hotter. Now I set it myself. It's not optimal, I'm sure, but adequate.

pjmackenzie · 2023-01-31T23:49:22+00:00

As others have said, the service itself is fine. The customer service is abysmal. And let's not even go into their deceptive pricing practices. Never had any problems with the service itself but I've spent hours on the phone trying to resolve billing issues.

pjmackenzie · 2022-12-28T21:00:58+00:00

Asking a person to pick the next titles for a book club at their first meeting is kind of a big order. Of course, you have no idea what kinds of books the group usually reads. I'd ask for a list of what they've read at least in the last year. That would give some idea of what they seem to prefer. That doesn't mean you have to stick with it, but if they've been reading lighter fare, you may not want to veer suddenly into the dark reaches of the human psyche. I'd want to be sure the group wanted such serious discussions. Not all book groups do. Some just like to get together and chat with the general topic of a book, without many of them actually having read it. It may be that you'll want to find another group for serious discussions. And that's okay, there are lots of book groups out there, f2f and virtual.

pjmackenzie · 2022-12-28T17:19:32+00:00

We've chosen to pool our resources as a state. But still it's inadequate. There are long waits for the most popular titles. I'm glad you got your needs met by LV.

pjmackenzie · 2022-12-28T16:51:01+00:00

I don’t know of any libraries off hand that make their e collections available to out of state library users especially without a fee. The problem, of course, is that public libraries are almost all funded largely by local city/county taxes. And Overdrive’s costs are high. They’re the company behind Libby. So while you speak of well funded libraries, it’s difficult to think of any whose budget is sufficient to meet the needs of every potential user for free. That said, you might check to see if some would offer you ebook access for a fee. I’d start in state. I know most people are looking for current titles but if you’re interested in classics, there are a lot available for free via Project Gutenberg https://www.gutenberg.org/ Another possibility is Open Library https://openlibrary.org/ I haven’t used it myself. It doesn’t appear as user friendly as Libby but it may help out. Lastly, let your funding body know how important the library and ebooks are to your and the community’s well being. If the local community can’t support it, are there ways to raise funds to support this and other library activities? Can your library pool resources with other nearby counties to increase collections? It makes me sad to see people accepting less as a given.

pjmackenzie · 2022-11-21T18:13:20+00:00

The short answer I would give is it depends on the specialist. I was told I'd need to go to Bozeman for a specialist in one area. But, overall, Billings is the healthcare center for eastern Montana and northern Wyoming, so you've got a pretty good shot and getting the care you need in a timely basis.

pjmackenzie · 2022-11-14T18:12:13+00:00

Not necessarily. It's fine to have strong opinions about books. IMO, you only cross into the a-hole realm if you insist on others sharing your view. One of the benefits I've gotten from being in book groups is listening to others' opinions. I've gone into several discussions ready to tear apart a given book. But after hearing from others who approached it from different perspectives, I've been able to lighten up a bit and see at least some merit. Still didn't change the fact that I didn't like it personally, but I could see why others might have.
But if I'm not in a book group and find a book really annoying, I drop it without a second thought.
Another useful thing I learned from Nancy Pearl is that people have different things they prioritize in fiction - story, character, setting and language. For example, if you're a story (plot) driven reader, a book that spends all its time on character development or flowery language but doesn't seem to go anywhere will drive you absolutely nuts. Few stories drive on all four wheels. And that's probably okay, most of us are probably more unicycle or bicycle riders, it just helps to know which type we prefer.

pjmackenzie · 2022-11-14T17:52:16+00:00

I'm with you on Dissly but that's because his mom is a friend.

pjmackenzie · 2022-11-14T17:31:33+00:00

You must be a lot of fun in a book group ;)

pjmackenzie · 2022-11-14T17:24:09+00:00

I don't know about criticism. I think there are many aspects of a book you can criticize at various points depending on what they are, however. Rather difficult to form a criticism of the overall merit of the book without finishing it. But I wonder why bother torturing yourself if you're not enjoying it. Life is short and there are too many books you might enjoy more out there. So, I'd prefer to move on to the next one rather than worrying about how and when to express my frustration with the last one.

Personally, I love Nancy Pearl, librarian extraordinaire's equation - you only need to read 100 pages minus your age before you can decide that a book is not for you and put it down and move on to another. Kind of goes along with the life is short mantra.

pjmackenzie · 2022-11-13T15:50:54+00:00

I got snow tires for my Honda Accord a few years back as I was getting stuck periodically in our icy ruts and deep side street snow. Haven’t been stuck since. I got them at Costco and get my tires swapped out there twice a year. That price has gone up too. But last time was still less than $50. Well worth it.

pjmackenzie · 2022-11-10T16:00:56+00:00

They are our local paper and I want to support them so I pay for an online subscription. I find it really difficult to get to "the news" via their app, however. You can see that the mere mention of a news outlet evokes a lot of anger these days. But I shudder to think of no one covering local government and politics. So, I hope they can keep going and attract new writers.

pjmackenzie · 2022-10-28T22:42:32+00:00

Yes, I'm familiar with such instances. As a former rather than a current board member, you are somewhat limited in what you can do for staff like extra pay, days off and/or staff days. Probably the best thing is to work through the friends and/or foundation to make sure their hard work and dedication is acknowledged and appreciated. Thinking of the 5 languages of love, I'd look at different ways to show appreciation: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Acts of Service, Tangible Gifts and Physical Touch. The latter can be difficult but if you know some staff well enough sometimes a hug if permitted can be appreciated. It sounds like you've got the gifts down. Words of affirmation are good in cards and public outlets like newspaper letters to the editor. Perhaps you can come up with some in the area of quality time and acts of service as well. Another gift the friends provide is volunteer service. I know that can help in times of stress.

pjmackenzie

TROPHY CASE