Meh Exchange

@rcwbbb
lol I think a lot of eye mask are gonna go around. I know I have like 6 or 7 boxes.

@Cerridwyn Yes it is!!!

@pakopako
I always say that and never do and end up paying like $50 to ship my HUGE ass package. My package gets away from me every year, they just get bigger and bigger and so heavy.

@pakopako I use it all the time when I ship. It’s often better than the rates I currently get from my business accounts with the main offenders because I’m not currently shipping out much with the shop build.

@pakopako @sillyheathen
Ditto. Living in a small town with no UPS store it’s super convenient to be able to print the label and just drop it off at an access point. The pricing has been remarkably good and I have saved hundreds of dollars over the years I’m sure.
I always look at all the options (not just the cheapest one) since I’ve found that sometimes for 10 cents more it’ll get there two days earlier by using something down the list.

@pakopako it is super easy to use and will tell you what is the cheapest shipping method. The last few times it’s been ups. Who knew.

Also did you know the post office and ups have bins to exchange parcels that have gone to the wrong place. I found that out when I dropped off a package at the post office that was suppose to be to ups.

@pakopako Go UPS and get the weight an measurements (unless you have an accurate way to do this at home). Go to pirate shipping website. Fill in all the information. It will give you prices (for me dropping it back off at UPS has always been cheapest). Print the mailing label (paying attention to what size ends up being printed - for reasons unknown sometimes I have to screw with the size. UPS labels are 6 and 1/2" or 6 and 3/4" high or something close to this). Take the package to whatever carrier you picked. At UPS they will put the mailing label in on of their plastic sleeves and attach it. You then are given a receipt with a tracking number (the tracking number is also on the mailing label you printed).

@UpbeatDuck
Do you still have any of the stuff I sent to you in a prior exchange? Like the mug or the paper tablets?

@chienfou - I do. I’m down to the last few pages in the paper tablets and the mug lives on my tea bar.

@UpbeatDuck
“My work is done here…”

@ironcheftoni oh! Pick me pick me!!!

@ironcheftoni As an amateur chef, I’d love to get some wisdom from you, let alone a box of goodness!

@ironcheftoni @tohar1
Love bringing back spices every time we hit the islands. Granada was a great source for nutmeg, and we brought back a lot of interesting curries and slice blends (like colombo) etc over the years.

@chienfou @ironcheftoni Let the culinary adventures BEGIN!!

@capnjb
The captain is supposed to go down with the ship not overboard!

@capnjb @chienfou Well Played!

@capnjb I had the same problem with my last Meh Exchange. Then I got my package from @Cerridwyn and they seemed to have the same problem too.

@capnjb @chienfou if the captain goes under board, I think that’s called “keel-hauling”.

@chienfou

@capnjb
You’ve been known to go overboard, preach on that.

LEGOS! EGGOS! STRATEGO! AWESOME!

@Cerridwyn Ummmm… I like coffee I even started a secret-not-so-secret club Although I do need to send another box to @mbersiam because her last box lost a fist fight with UPS and apparently got destroyed along the way. It’s been a busy month but I will get a new box out before I send out one for the exchange. Coffee will be in every and any box I send I’m just bummed because there was a Meh coin in there and a neat little Lego mini-fig I got you mbersiam And @star2236 know some times it take a few years to get your coffee But that being said… I will complete every side quest Eventually

@brainmist Those have already found the trash can Those were horrible

@capnjb which?

And the pet butt wipes are useful for when you fall asleep wearing two eye masks and wake up with only one.

@gt0163c
You have to have numerous comments that span the last three months.

@gt0163c @Star2236
Time to step up your game!

@gt0163c @Star2236 Hopefully all my Ink for IRK comments count

@chienfou @Star2236 I can vouch that @gt0163c posts nice Irk reveal photos of her beautiful cats sitting in very fine Meh boxes.

@Kyeh Thanks!
It’s been a while since I’ve posted one of those. I gave up my VMP status a while back and haven’t gotten an irk since. But if I am able to participate in this exchange, I do promise to post pictures of the furry weirdos enjoying the very fine boxes. But they might look a little different. I had to say goodbye to Kota late this summer (kidney disease). Pixel is my new goofy two year old boy who enjoy rasslin with his own tail in the very fine boxes.

@Kyeh Cat tax picture will have to wait until I get home tonight.

@gt0163c Oh, I’m sorry about Koda, she was beautiful! I had to say goodbye to Toby just last week . I’ll get another cat eventually, but right now the house feels empty without him. Can’t wait to see Pixel - great name, I’ve considered that name too!
You still have Nix, right? (Another fun name.)

@Kyeh I’m sorry to hear about Toby. It’s so hard to say goodbye to our furry family members.

I do still have Nix. She’s as silly and friendly as ever…unless she’s missed too many naps because Pixel has been bothering her.

@Kyeh And Nix, enjoying some scritches in the sunbeams.

@Kyeh Little land shark boy this morning extorted me for two! licky treats.

@gt0163c @Kyeh So I got my chocolate lab eight years ago. My colleague bought her sister and named her Nyx. Not sure if you are familiar with the Greek mythology, but it’s an interesting back story to dive into Offspring of Chaos

@gt0163c Thank you. Pixel is a cutie! And I’m glad you still have Nix. I like unusual names for cats; Toby just ended up looking like a Toby to me so I went with it. But usually I like the odder names.
@capnjb, I’ll have to look up Nyx, never knew about that.

@gt0163c @Kyeh https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyx

@Kyeh Pixel is an adorable little bundle of chaos. As long as he’s well fed and gets enough playtime, he’s a very well behaved boy. He politely asks for attention with light taps and loves scratches.
But if he doesn’t get enough food or playtime, both Nix and I become targets of Land Shark Pixel. One of his favorite ways to torment me is to attack my feet at night. He normally hates being under anything, but he will crawl under the covers to attack my feet. It’s been a challenge transitioning from the food the foster was feeding him to what I’d prefer he eat.

Nix was actually named for the moon of Pluto. Not a huge reason, other than I just like space names for cats. I tried hard to come up for one for Pixel, but nothing seemed to fit….and his foster name, “Buttons” wasn’t going to work either. Someone in a Facebook group recommended Pixel and it stuck.

@capnjb @gt0163c Huh, that would be an especially good name for a black cat or dog!

@gt0163c I swear foster/shelter names are almost always stupid. Toby was being called “Mr. Owl,” for his wide-eyed look, I guess. One bet sais she thought they deliberately give names that we’ll want to change just to encourage that connection.

@Kyeh That makes sense. Plus the fosters probably go through a lot of cat names. And may want to avoid fandom names in case someone doesn’t like that fandom.

@gt0163c

One bet sais

I meant “one vet says” which I’m sure you figured out.
I don’t believe the pets care either; my sister’s most recent dog has a somewhat weird name but she won’t change it because she’s afraid to confuse him. Who knows!
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
One friend of mine got 2 cats from his ex and they had long fanciful weird names. He just called them “Big” and “Little.”

@Kyeh I have a friend who has a cat named Kitten. One of the outdoor friends (neighborhood strays who visit regularly) I named Beakie. It started off Backyard Kitty and morphed from there. The other two regular visitors are Harry Pawter and his best mate Ronald Meowsley. They started showing up during the plague times when I was comfort reading Harry Potter. They’re a bonded pair (likely brothers).of tabbies. Harry is standard issue grey and black and Ron is orange. I had to get Ron TNRed (Harry already was). It took him a few weeks to show his face when I was around and a few months before he would let me pet him again.

@gt0163c I love the Harry Potter pair, so clever. I think @kidsandliz has a cat with a funny name - “Thingthing,” maybe?
My bother’s gorgeous little cat came with a name that suits her - “Tiki,” but he mostly just calls her “Kit-Tennn” - sort of a weird emphasis on the last syllable.

@gt0163c @Kyeh Yes one of my cats is Thing Thing. Three strays - Thing 1, Thing 2, and Thing Thing. 1&2 were heavily bonded (and I seriously wanted one of them but the other could not work out hierarchy with my existing cats so I gave them away together) and instead of calling the third one Thing 3 I caller her Thing Thing. I figured if I didn’t give them real names I would be less attached and not keep her (already had a number of cats). Hahaha. She had been horribly abused but has turned into the most loving cat ever.

@gt0163c @Kyeh My dog was born deaf, so when I took over his care (~5 years ago), I renamed him from Patch to Ash*. Made no difference to him.

“*” At the time he came to us, we had a dog named Willow, so I wanted to keep with the “tree” theme. (Besides, I think Ash is classier.)

@mbersiam Making a new tiny mehtizen is hard work! Congratulations!

@mbersiam Awesome! Congrats! Is this your first? We just had a baby, but then I blinked twice and now she’s 18 It’s a wild ride!

POPSOCKETS! SPROCKETS! DAVY CROCKETT! AWESOME!

@capnjb My oldest will be 19 and my current youngest will be 11 before baby arrives. (Baby is number 4 for us) and yes, time certainly flies!!

@therealjrn thank you!

@mbersiam That’s so awesome. We only have one, but being a dad is like the best thing I’ve ever done with my life Again… congratulations. I still owe you coffee, but it’s probably going to be for your guy so you can get some rest and he can stay up late

I promise it will get there before elementary school starts

That amazing What is your expected due date?

Also… let me all your weird cravings so I can properly pack your SECOND secret-not-to-secret coffee club box

Put your feet up (and not in like a delivery type way ) Relax while you can

VAN MURALS! GROUND SQUIRRELS! SPIT CURLS! AWESOME!

@capnjb I’m due in early March. My biggest craving this pregnancy has been cheese fries (I’m not sure how you’d package that LOL).

@mbersiam I’ve got an Irish wife so I’m rooting for the 17th! I know for certain that Saint Patrick’s Day is when my daughter was conceived… heh. Sorry… Ever since my thing I have no filter. It’s always okay to tell me to shut up She is a Thanksgiving baby Tough to plan birthday parties at that time and also so close to Christmas. We do our best to figure it out. I’ve got the perfect birthday… June 24th. Exactly six months from Christmas eve. Gifts every six months

@mbersiam

My biggest craving this pregnancy has been cheese fries (I’m not sure how you’d package that LOL).

You don’t know much about me do you?

@capnjb
Mine is exactly halfway between Independence Day and Bastille day… How’s that for fitting!

@mbersiam You don’t really have a lot of delivery options there. But breakfast is inbound I’ve been known to go overboard Hope you are not a vegetarian

edit - did I mention I’ve been know to go overboard? I’ll get you your coffee when it’s warm enough to roast again But your doorbell might ring in the next hour

@chienfou So the 9th? Summer birthdays are for the cool kids

@capnjb My middle one is very close to the middle of Christmas and the year (she’s also a June baby)

@capnjb
/giphy ding ding ding. We have a winner!

@capnjb @chienfou I was born in December, but in the Southern Hemisphere. So my (first five) birthdays (and Christmases) were in the summer time. Woo hoo! Outdoor picnics and swimming pools!
Then the family moved to the North (Oregon, USA) and those celebrations were never quite the same.

@chienfou @macromeh

I was born in December, but in the Southern Hemisphere.

There is a sentence I will never type Where were you born?

@capnjb New Zealand (to American parents, who registered my birth with the US consulate to document my US citizenship).

@macromeh Okay… side quest. In my early 20’s (A long time ago in a galaxy, far, far away) I managed a Ruby Tuesdays (yes… before a a lifetime career in IT, I ran restaurants for five years ) and I hired a brother and sister from New Zealand to wait tables. They were the sweetest kids. And now my ADHD is asking myself where I was headed with this and my best answer is I’m fond of Kiwis You are welcome at my table any time

@capnjb @macromeh you know capnjb, you need a nap go take one.

@Cerridwyn @macromeh I do But I’ve died twice… I can stubborn through anything. I’m actually waiting for my wife to get home to see if I need to pick up kiddo from school.

edit - I say some weird shit

@capnjb Thanks!
According to the rules in place at the time of my birth, I have dual US/NZ citizenship. I have a US passport and at one time I looked into getting a NZ passport (TBH, mostly for the novelty ), but their rules say I need 2 unrelated NZ citizens to vouch for me. While I do have several relatives there, pretty much all the non-relatives who knew me back then are gone now. Oh well…

@macromeh My mother-in-law was born and raised in Dublin. Meaning my wife (she is first gen American) and daughter can both get Irish passports. I could get one too through marriage but I’d have to live there for three years. Which doesn’t sound so awful I just can’t come up with the proper name for the pub I’d own

@capnjb @macromeh ye olde ship…… let me know if you need a chef who actually knows how to cook their food properly when you do open it.

@macromeh @sillyheathen Heh… Maybe Ye olde fish and ships

@capnjb @macromeh @sillyheathen TBF, it sounds like capnjb cooks pretty well himself. But he could probably use help.

@capnjb @macromeh yas

@capnjb @Kyeh @macromeh oh he does. I just meant that English food gets bad rap, deservedly so since the majority of the country is now mostly crap chains after Covid crippled their already struggling pubs. I was fortunate enough to have lived there long enough to become very proficient at cooking loads of their famous staples. I have a Yorkie MIL that despises that I can make really amazing Yorkshire puddings. I say that in jest. She doesn’t despise it but I’m pretty sure it does annoy her. But she makes her batter way too thick so they never rise properly. I stopped trying to help in that department a very long time ago.

@capnjb @macromeh @sillyheathen My mother used to make good Yorkshire pudding before my parents divorced & she had to work full time. I didn’t realize at the time how good a cook she really was; her apple pie had a crust that was shatteringly flaky!
My late husband & I were in England & Wales for a few weeks and we had some terrible pub food, but also some that was truly excellent.

@capnjb @Kyeh @macromeh it’s a shame because traditional English dishes can be really excellent but like anything, mediocre or awful versions exist. Sadly economies now thrive on quantity over quality. This also applies to the food sector. Restaurants are notoriously difficult to profit from but it’s so sad to see all the amazing pubs disappearing.

@Kyeh @macromeh @sillyheathen My father-in-law is from Yorkshire. Mother-in-law from Dublin. Neither could cook. He was an IBM lifer, and she would send him to work with a cabbage sandwich every day. Literally, chopped raw cabbage on bread. He has tried to make us dinner a few times, and it was always boiled chicken with boiled carrots I’m not even sure if he owns salt. If I put cracked black pepper to finish, he thinks it’s spicy

He was a WWII child and grew up food starved. So regardless of the dish I prepare he always cleans his plate It’s wonderful that he moved here and lives just down the road.

But my business trips to the UK were awesome! We’d stay at a hotel (originally built in the 1500’s) that had a Michelin starred chef. Every meal was amazing! Kippers for breakfast? Yes, please!

@capnjb @Kyeh @macromeh you can keep the kippers. I’ll have beans, mushrooms, and tomatoes on toast with back bacon and an egg over easy.

@Kyeh @macromeh @sillyheathen Yum! No black pudding?

@capnjb Looking at your Meh name, “The Captain’s Jib” immediately came to mind for your pub. See you there for a pint!

@ItalianScallion First one is on me And some coffee

@capnjb @Kyeh @macromeh depends on the joint. I’m picky about the black or white pudding.

@Kyeh @macromeh @sillyheathen Me too

@capnjb @Kyeh @macromeh @sillyheathen

someone had to post this!

@ironcheftoni @Kyeh @macromeh @sillyheathen My hair is longer

@Aetherwizard
Wait, what?? You want to delete another account???

Free smartassery service provided by @chienfou™

@capnjb
/giphy Feel Better