You Know What Really Grinds My Gears? Now with 3x more gears...

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Alcohol or tea? Where do you live that people wait in line for those things? I sit at a table and somebody brings those things.

Even if I'm sitting I better not have to wait more than 5 minutes.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

Even if I'm sitting I better not have to wait more than 5 minutes.

And precisely how much Ranch dressing are you expecting during that 5 minute interval??

[you&me]

Originally Posted by btimbit

You can be selling the craziest, best, most delicious item of all time. If there's a line longer than 5 minutes, I'm not going

On the flip side, I always find it amusing when you see someone freak out at a restaurant when they're told their table will be 15 minutes, and they huff a "nevermind I'll just go ____ (insert some place 10-15 minutes away, also very likely with a lineup)"

[cam_wmh]

Originally Posted by Locke

And precisely how much Ranch dressing are you expecting during that 5 minute interval??

I know what you're doing, and I like it.

[activeStick]

Originally Posted by Looch City

Does anyone subscribe to Costco emails?

They send like 3-4 a day, over 15+ emails a week. Like wtf, I do like to be in the know about Costco sale but who decided to spam customers so much??

Yeah I unsubscribed after a while because of this.

[activeStick]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I know this has been brought up several times in the past but it's still never ceases to amaze how many people drive in the dark with their headlights off. It's almost an everyday occurrence for me on my way to work in the morning. It's getting to the point where headlights need to be full time automatic with the ability to turn them off in the infotainment system as too many people just don't realize why they are struggling.

Yeah it doesn't make any sense. Most of the time the interior lights are also dark if they don't turn the headlights on, so how is that not a reminder when it's dark outside to turn the headlights on? Not to mention just the fact you can't see in front of you compared to when lights are on!

[Looch City]

I have never understood the point of real/fresh cut Christmas trees.

Would someone please enlighten me? Because it just seems like a giant waste, dirty mess, possibility of introducing bugs/insects, disposal time...not to mention a yearly expense where you can instead buy one artificial tree that's good for a decade+.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by Looch City

I have never understood the point of real/fresh cut Christmas trees.

Would someone please enlighten me? Because it just seems like a giant waste, dirty mess, possibility of introducing bugs/insects, disposal time...not to mention a yearly expense where you can instead buy one artificial tree that's good for a decade+.

Not really my thing either, but it’s like a $20 expense. It’s not breaking a lot of banks.

[TheIronMaiden]

Originally Posted by Looch City

I have never understood the point of real/fresh cut Christmas trees.

Would someone please enlighten me? Because it just seems like a giant waste, dirty mess, possibility of introducing bugs/insects, disposal time...not to mention a yearly expense where you can instead buy one artificial tree that's good for a decade+.

The smell and the activity of getting it (if you get one from crown land especially).

[GGG]

Originally Posted by Looch City

I have never understood the point of real/fresh cut Christmas trees.

Would someone please enlighten me? Because it just seems like a giant waste, dirty mess, possibility of introducing bugs/insects, disposal time...not to mention a yearly expense where you can instead buy one artificial tree that's good for a decade+.

And artificial tree is well artificial. So the question is do you value the imperfection and randomness that is the real tree over the consistency of a fake tree.

Time wise I think they are about equal. To make an artificial tree look nice there is a lot of fluffing and bending of branches. This is compared with cutting your real tree up at the end and tossing in your green bin. To me it’s a wash.

The mess Ive never really noticed. It’s just sweeping which I do anyways and doesn’t increase sweeping load.

Bugs I hadn’t heard or experienced that as an issue so Ive never considered that risk.

So I guess outside of price I don’t see downside in either risk or increased worm. As for price I think it really depends on one you are getting. My preference is that cheap artificial trees look awful whereas a crappy real tree looks nice. In this set of preferences going into the woods and cutting down a tree (including gas cost) works out the same or cheaper than an artificial tree.

Environmentally the artificial one is probably better because of gas consumption.

So the above is the logical reason that it’s a wash between fake and real. The real reason is the emotional one.

Going out and cutting down a tree is a fun Christmas tradition. The smell and appearance of the real tree triggers memories that the artificial ones don’t.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by GGG

And artificial tree is well artificial. So the question is do you value the imperfection and randomness that is the real tree over the consistency of a fake tree.

Time wise I think they are about equal. To make an artificial tree look nice there is a lot of fluffing and bending of branches. This is compared with cutting your real tree up at the end and tossing in your green bin. To me it’s a wash.

The mess Ive never really noticed. It’s just sweeping which I do anyways and doesn’t increase sweeping load.

Bugs I hadn’t heard or experienced that as an issue so Ive never considered that risk.

So I guess outside of price I don’t see downside in either risk or increased worm. As for price I think it really depends on one you are getting. My preference is that cheap artificial trees look awful whereas a crappy real tree looks nice. In this set of preferences going into the woods and cutting down a tree (including gas cost) works out the same or cheaper than an artificial tree.

Environmentally the artificial one is probably better because of gas consumption.

So the above is the logical reason that it’s a wash between fake and real. The real reason is the emotional one.

Going out and cutting down a tree is a fun Christmas tradition. The smell and appearance of the real tree triggers memories that the artificial ones don’t.

Easy fix.

Spoiler!

[TheIronMaiden]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Easy fix.

Spoiler!

Ah yes micro plastics in my home please.

[JagrBombs68]

People taking the Elf on the shelf thing too far with their kids and posting it on social media, its not an opportunity to 'get back' at your kids by wrecking their toys or cutting holes in their clothes while they are wearing them sleeping. It supposed to be fun not a prank or borderline child abuse

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

Ah yes micro plastics in my home please.

I use both types. Wherever I am spending Christmas, I want a real tree. most years we go to Canmore and have one there, but I have an artificial one so we can have one up for December in Calgary. Because of covid we ended harvesting a real one for Calgary the past couple years, which was nice. But the artifical is much less effort to have something up.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by JagrBombs68

People taking the Elf on the shelf thing too far with their kids and posting it on social media, its not an opportunity to 'get back' at your kids by wrecking their toys or cutting holes in their clothes while they are wearing them sleeping. It supposed to be fun not a prank or borderline child abuse

I feel like you could use the movie, "The gods must be crazy" as an allegory to modern social media. It's a thing that can have so many uses to certain people, but in reality, it's basically trash.

[TheIronMaiden]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

I feel like you could use the movie, "The gods must be crazy" as an allegory to modern social media. It's a thing that can have so many uses to certain people, but in reality, it's basically trash.

It is super useful if you would like to market something. It is essentially a giant advertisement.

[TorqueDog]

What GMG is everyone insisting on only using the left-hand left-turn lane on EB 50 Ave SW heading to Crowchild Trail NB and not the right-hand left-turn lane. All that does is make the right lane nearly unusable after a snowfall because it hasn’t gotten enough people driving over it like the left lane, meaning fewer cars end up making it through the light.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by GGG

And artificial tree is well artificial. So the question is do you value the imperfection and randomness that is the real tree over the consistency of a fake tree.

Time wise I think they are about equal. To make an artificial tree look nice there is a lot of fluffing and bending of branches. This is compared with cutting your real tree up at the end and tossing in your green bin. To me it’s a wash.

The mess Ive never really noticed. It’s just sweeping which I do anyways and doesn’t increase sweeping load.

Bugs I hadn’t heard or experienced that as an issue so Ive never considered that risk.

So I guess outside of price I don’t see downside in either risk or increased worm. As for price I think it really depends on one you are getting. My preference is that cheap artificial trees look awful whereas a crappy real tree looks nice. In this set of preferences going into the woods and cutting down a tree (including gas cost) works out the same or cheaper than an artificial tree.

Environmentally the artificial one is probably better because of gas consumption.

So the above is the logical reason that it’s a wash between fake and real. The real reason is the emotional one.

Going out and cutting down a tree is a fun Christmas tradition. The smell and appearance of the real tree triggers memories that the artificial ones don’t.

I like real trees, but IMO they are definitely a bit more time/work than artificial. Refilling the water every day or two can be a bit of a pain, and there is definitely more cleanup work.

Another big drawback can be allergies/air quality. I'm sure some trees/years are worse than others, but it was a bit of an epiphany last time we went real and realized it.

We bought our artificial used, so I'm pretty much a hero.

We don't do this now, but the ultimate time saver if you have a spare room is to take off the most fragile ornaments and then just move the whole thing for the other 11 months. It kills some of the ritual (though you've still got other decor, stockings, and a few ornaments to replace, etc), but it's nice in the years where it feels like a real chore to do the whole tree.

[you&me]

Originally Posted by TorqueDog

What GMG is everyone insisting on only using the left-hand left-turn lane on EB 50 Ave SW heading to Crowchild Trail NB and not the right-hand left-turn lane. All that does is make the right lane nearly unusable after a snowfall because it hasn’t gotten enough people driving over it like the left lane, meaning fewer cars end up making it through the light.

I think you're looking at this all wrong.

I love when that happens, because it conveniently identifies the strugglers & all-season tire crew that are scared to drive on snow and keeps them all in a single line.

Meanwhile, I can happily drive up to the front of the right-hand / outside turn lane and safely merge onto the road, without being stuck in the line of 3 strugglers from the LH lane that make it through the light, merging at 22km/h.

[The Fisher Account]

Originally Posted by JagrBombs68

People taking the Elf on the shelf thing too far with their kids and posting it on social media, its not an opportunity to 'get back' at your kids by wrecking their toys or cutting holes in their clothes while they are wearing them sleeping. It supposed to be fun not a prank or borderline child abuse

We started EOTS with our 3 year old this year.

We just explained that it was a new fried of Santa's visiting and that she was here to hear all about the kind/helpful things our daughter had done for her family and friends.

The whole watching her 24/7 and making sure she's not being bad thing seems super sketchy and unappealing.