Post your Gripe

[Catscankim]

Gripe: January

I know right? I think we all expected a miracle when 2021 hit.

 

[Catscankim]

My daughter called me today in sobbing tears...her house was broken into when she wasn't home (thankfully), and even though there was an alarm and dog in the house, they stole a lot of valuable cards in 1 minute 30 seconds.

I am going to put it right out there, they were pokemon cards. I know this sounds stupid (it sounds stupid for me to say even), but she is a collector and dealer of rare cards. I personally witnessed her selling ONE card for $2000. She showed me her phone...2k into her paypal account. Incredible. I guess I am in the wrong business.

I say 1 minute 30 seconds because xfinity set her alarm to that time when they installed her system and she never changed it. Her fiance was upstairs sleeping and when the siren went off, they were already gone. They stole nothing else, just all of her cards. It has to be somebody in her circle/been to the house, to know where the cards were.

When she called the police, they laughed it off as "pokemon cards". And I know. I know...who wouldn't. But she has these cards valued at $300k. Finally one detective did a little research and called her back, and yes...this is not a joke. There is a $5000 reward now for the return of these cards.

xfinity came out today and changed her alarm settings and installed some cameras. They also noticed at the time that the electric was messed with. So now the power company had to come out to investigate to fix it. Somebody tried to shut the power off to disable the alarm system.

On top of this all...I am sick to my stomach. This is my daughter. This was the house that I grew up in that she bought after my mom died. The dog is a friendly chocolate lab, less than a year old, and I am guessing she knew the intruder. So she probably didn't alert the (useless) fiance that someone was in the house.

Because I grew up in this house, I am obviously familiar. I am like set this window, this window, that window, and the back door to instant alarm. This one, this one, and this one to this setting. 20 seconds gives you enough time to get int he front door and use the key pad to disable the alarm when you get home.

And a gun.

 

[ResolvableOwl]

Now is the best time of the year for sowing* chili peppers. If I only could find those darn seeds!!!! Everything is prepared, but that bag with the Jalapeño seeds that I got last year (they didn't like it when I started in mid-February, and I want to give them another chance) has disappeared from the face of the earth… grrrr… He who keeps order is just too lazy to spend his time searching…



*Yes, I only today learned that the English language can't afford separate words for “seedling cultivation” and “female pig”.

 

[DKing]

My daughter called me today in sobbing tears...her house was broken into when she wasn't home (thankfully), and even though there was an alarm and dog in the house, they stole a lot of valuable cards in 1 minute 30 seconds.

I am going to put it right out there, they were pokemon cards. I know this sounds stupid (it sounds stupid for me to say even), but she is a collector and dealer of rare cards. I personally witnessed her selling ONE card for $2000. She showed me her phone...2k into her paypal account. Incredible. I guess I am in the wrong business.

I say 1 minute 30 seconds because xfinity set her alarm to that time when they installed her system and she never changed it. Her fiance was upstairs sleeping and when the siren went off, they were already gone. They stole nothing else, just all of her cards. It has to be somebody in her circle/been to the house, to know where the cards were.

When she called the police, they laughed it off as "pokemon cards". And I know. I know...who wouldn't. But she has these cards valued at $300k. Finally one detective did a little research and called her back, and yes...this is not a joke. There is a $5000 reward now for the return of these cards.

xfinity came out today and changed her alarm settings and installed some cameras. They also noticed at the time that the electric was messed with. So now the power company had to come out to investigate to fix it. Somebody tried to shut the power off to disable the alarm system.

On top of this all...I am sick to my stomach. This is my daughter. This was the house that I grew up in that she bought after my mom died. The dog is a friendly chocolate lab, less than a year old, and I am guessing she knew the intruder. So she probably didn't alert the (useless) fiance that someone was in the house.

Because I grew up in this house, I am obviously familiar. I am like set this window, this window, that window, and the back door to instant alarm. This one, this one, and this one to this setting. 20 seconds gives you enough time to get int he front door and use the key pad to disable the alarm when you get home.

And a gun.

Is there any chance that the fiance is somehow part of it? It seems a little suspicious that someone knew exactly where it was, the dog didn't react, it was done in a matter of 90 seconds and the fiance was unaware of this all happening? I feel a huge amount of sympathy for your daughter and i really hope she had those cards insured.

 

[Vicki C]

My daughter called me today in sobbing tears...her house was broken into when she wasn't home (thankfully), and even though there was an alarm and dog in the house, they stole a lot of valuable cards in 1 minute 30 seconds.

I am going to put it right out there, they were pokemon cards. I know this sounds stupid (it sounds stupid for me to say even), but she is a collector and dealer of rare cards. I personally witnessed her selling ONE card for $2000. She showed me her phone...2k into her paypal account. Incredible. I guess I am in the wrong business.

I say 1 minute 30 seconds because xfinity set her alarm to that time when they installed her system and she never changed it. Her fiance was upstairs sleeping and when the siren went off, they were already gone. They stole nothing else, just all of her cards. It has to be somebody in her circle/been to the house, to know where the cards were.

When she called the police, they laughed it off as "pokemon cards". And I know. I know...who wouldn't. But she has these cards valued at $300k. Finally one detective did a little research and called her back, and yes...this is not a joke. There is a $5000 reward now for the return of these cards.

xfinity came out today and changed her alarm settings and installed some cameras. They also noticed at the time that the electric was messed with. So now the power company had to come out to investigate to fix it. Somebody tried to shut the power off to disable the alarm system.

On top of this all...I am sick to my stomach. This is my daughter. This was the house that I grew up in that she bought after my mom died. The dog is a friendly chocolate lab, less than a year old, and I am guessing she knew the intruder. So she probably didn't alert the (useless) fiance that someone was in the house.

Because I grew up in this house, I am obviously familiar. I am like set this window, this window, that window, and the back door to instant alarm. This one, this one, and this one to this setting. 20 seconds gives you enough time to get int he front door and use the key pad to disable the alarm when you get home.

And a gun.

Oh how awful. So scary. I hate to bring it up but do we trust the fiancée?

 

[Arimara]

@Catscankim I'm sorry for the damage done. I've been a collector of videogames for a while so to me, I know a loss like that is devestating. I also think it is an inside job if pokemon cards were all that was stolen. Fiance may well be a suspect if he was the only person who knew about them.

 

[Sudds]

I am so sad this happened to your daughter. There is nothing I or anyone else can say that will make her feel any better. I hope she goes online and reaches out to her vast community and tells folks what has happened and ask them to please keep an eye out for any of the high-end cards going up for sale that she had. My son has gaming cards like the pokemon cards so I understand how terrible and beyond angry she feels. I truly hope her boyfriend isn't involved which would put her over the top in the distrust department, I am afraid. Although it wouldn't hurt if the police had a chat with him, maybe?? It must be very hard not to want to point a finger at someone that was actually in the house during the time of the robbery.

 

[SoapDaddy70]

Here is my gripe and I am reticent about posting this but this has been bothering me for awhile now. I just started making soap in September of last year so its only been a few months. I absolutely love the process and love learning about different things. I don't mind failing because it just helps me learn. My gripe is that it seems like an incredible number of new people making soap just want every single piece of information handed to them on a silver platter. I am part of a couple of Facebook groups and each day there are more and more people just asking the most inane questions. You can tell right away the difference between a person that is genuinely curious about learning and the people that just say "gimme a recipe", gimme this, gimme that. I see it more and more on this forum as well. The incredible patience that some of the veteran members of this forum have is astounding. I do research and read about soap every single day. If I am confused about something I will find a respectful way to ask while showing that I made the effort to learn the information before posting here. I plan on removing myself from the couple of Facebook groups I am on because it genuinely makes me angry when I read some of these posts. These are adults that have no interest is doing anything on their own. They want every answer given to them without putting any effort into actually learning something. If you are on Facebook or this forum that means you have access to the same information everyone else does. How about doing your own research? How about buying a freaking book? How about making soap, using that soap and then make an educated guess about how to change the recipe to get the qualities you are looking for. Instead people just make a post and say...."Hey all you hardworking soapmakers out there, give me a recipe that makes a nice hard bar, lasts long, moisturizes my skin, smells great so I can sell it and make money off of your hard work" It's infuriating, and then if you don't accomodate these people they get all offended. I am forever grateful to the people on this forum that have responded to my posts and made this journey enjoyable. I would love to pay this knowledge forward but only to people that genuinely seem like they are interested in learning. I am tired of the people that just take, take and take and feel that they are somehow entitled to information without the work that goes into it. Sorry, rant over....

 

[jules92207]

Now is the best time of the year for sowing* chili peppers. If I only could find those darn seeds!!!! Everything is prepared, but that bag with the Jalapeño seeds that I got last year (they didn't like it when I started in mid-February, and I want to give them another chance) has disappeared from the face of the earth… grrrr… He who keeps order is just too lazy to spend his time searching…



*Yes, I only today learned that the English language can't afford separate words for “seedling cultivation” and “female pig”.

I live in the valley of California, the farmland if you will, and we can get SO many chili varieties it’s insane. I can send you some.

 

[AliOop]

@SoapDaddy70

 

[Zany_in_CO]

The incredible patience that some of the veteran members of this forum have is astounding.

Yes, it is! I nominate @DeeAnna for the "Patience of a Saint" SMF Award! In addition to patience, the time required to write at length about a subject, which she often does, also deserves recognition.

I am forever grateful to the people on this forum that have responded to my posts and made this journey enjoyable.

Well said. I for one am grateful for you and for all the other members like you who make this journey not only enjoyable but a cooperative effort as well.

I am tired of the people that just take, take and take and feel that they are somehow entitled to information without the work that goes into it.

Well said.

Sorry, rant over....

Good rant! I have to admit I bent over laughing a couple of times, shaking my head. Not funny, but what you wrote is all so true! Thanks for taking the time to just put it out there.

@SoapDaddy70

Me too.

 

[MiaM]

Yes, it is! I nominate @DeeAnna for the "Patience of a Saint" SMF Award! In addition to patience, the time required to write at length about a subject, which she often does, also deserves recognition.

Well said. I for one am grateful for you and for all the other members like you who make this journey not only enjoyable but a cooperative effort as well.

Well said.

Good rant! I have to admit I bent over laughing a couple of times, shaking my head. Not funny, but what you wrote is all so true! Thanks for taking the time to just put it out there.
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As a "allmost brand new soapmaker" I'd commit to that too. I really find it annoying when grown up people shows that they did not do a mininum of research before they started. They even do not want to buy a recipe "what if I dont like it, then I spent 20 dollars on it"

It really takes a lot of effort, trial and errors to make a "good enough" soap - and a lot more to make a decent one.

BTW I also do nails and knit - and see the same lazyness in those forums.

 

[Hope Ann]

Totally agree with the gripe about lazy people and the rave about our patient instructors. I don't post much but have followed this forum for 3-4 years now. It's a wealth of knowledge.

My gripe for the day is cold pressed soap. This is like nails on chalkboard to me.

Hope

 

[Misschief]

My gripe for the day is cold pressed soap. This is like nails on chalkboard to me.

Hope

Oh, you mean cold processed soap? Yup, drives me crazy, too. No pressing involved, folks, unless it accelerated so much you need to press it into the mold.

 

[CatahoulaBubble]

Oh, you mean cold processed soap? Yup, drives me crazy, too. No pressing involved, folks, unless it accelerated so much you need to press it into the mold.

I had a batch like that last week. Went from fluid to concrete in less than 15 seconds. I just gave up getting it into the mold and tossed it in a pot on the stove til it cooked and became fluid enough to pour again.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Went from fluid to concrete in less than 15 seconds. I just gave up getting it into the mold and tossed it in a pot on the stove til it cooked and became fluid enough to pour again.

Good thinking! Also, any time you experience "soap on stick" you can leave it, walk away for 5 minutes (I set the timer), when you come back the soap is going into gel and stirs easily.

 

[Catscankim]

Ugh. I just ordered a bunch of herbs from Mountain Rose Herbs, and chose the Paypal checkout over 4 payments (cause, yea, I ordered that much that I needed a payment plan LOL)

So after I checked out with Pay Pal, it brought me back to the shipping page and it said that one or more items were not eligible for shipping to my location. I am confused. Am I getting my stuff or not LOL. I didn't order anything weird.

I checked my bank acct and pay pal already charged me. Now I probably have to wait till Monday to call them and figure it out. I am not in a huge hurry, just wanted to make some infusions and teas, which the infusions are going to take weeks to do anyway.

It said to check my cart for restrictions...I clicked everywhere on every clickable link and even went back to every product description. Nothing says it can't be delivered to florida.

So since I am on the gripes thread, I have another without starting a new one LOL....

Next to my house is a gnarly looking forest that I fondly call Fanghorn. I was gonna buy it a few years ago when I was buying my house. I wasn't even gonna build on it. I was gonna put a fence around my current property line and keep the forest intact. I didn't want anybody to plop a house there...long story short, it didn't happen. I woke up today to the sound of construction trucks. I looked out my back door...they are tearing down fanghorn!!! I am so sad. it's not that big of a property. Maybe 1/4 acre like mine, maybe less.

You know how much wildlife I got to see coming out of there while sitting on my back porch?? Plus the previous ppl here made a clearing that made it easy to drive my truck back from the road into my yard to bring in mulch etc.

My first gripe is fixable. Fanghorn is almost gone with all my birds, bobcats, etc.

 

[CatahoulaBubble]

I'm sure people have posted this gripe but I'm so annoyed by the essential oil people. Not people who make essential oils but the ones that think essential oils are the end all and be all and insist that they can just use essential oils in EVERYTHING and then say that fragrance oils are bad and essential oils are better. People emailing or posting on my page that I need to only use essential oil in my soap or lotion because it's "natural". Ok well Hemlock is natural too but I'm not putting that in my soap. And no I won't put cinnamon EO in my lotion just because you saw a youtube video where they used it. And not I'm not putting real cinnamon in my soap. That's not safe and will burn the crap out of you! A family member sent me one of those 5 min craft videos where they make cinnamon roll soaps and wanted me to make her one and I refused because holy bat balls you don't put cinnamon in your soap woman! BUT she insists that it's fine because they put it in the video. AHHHHHHHHH

I do use some EOs, Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Lemon, Lavender, Rosemary. But I'm very careful in how I use them and I just can't understand why people just think because it's natural that it's ok. Arsenic and Cyanide are natural! Plutonium is natural! Natural doesn't mean good for you!

Ok I'm done. For now...

 

[AliOop]

@CatahoulaBubble PREACH IT! Had a friend over to make soap, and she spilled a fair amount of lavender EO while measuring it out (despite me showing her how to put the toothpick across the bottle mouth). To my horror, she immediately swiped it up with her hands and rubbed it all over her arms and face.

When I tried to explain that she could end up sensitizing herself and not able to use it anymore, she gently explained to me that lavender EO is "safe for everyone."

ETA: she is an MLM rep for one of the big two EO companies, the less obnoxious one IMO, but still so full of .

 

[GemstonePony]

@CatahoulaBubble PREACH IT! Had a friend over to make soap, and she spilled a fair amount of lavender EO while measuring it out (despite me showing her how to put the toothpick across the bottle mouth). To my horror, she immediately swiped it up with her hands and rubbed it all over her arms and face.

When I tried to explain that she could end up sensitizing herself and not able to use it anymore, she gently explained to me that lavender EO is "safe for everyone."

ETA: she is an MLM rep for one of the big two EO companies, the less obnoxious one IMO, but still so full of .

I know lies and misinformation sells more things, but every once in a while I wonder how much business they lose from people who can no longer use their stuff because of aquired sensitivities. Not that we'll ever find out, I guess.