Well, yes - you were attacked, in effect, which is why such intrusions belong in Hell. TBTG that you had the sense to realise in time what was happening.
I tend not to answer my phone when it rings, partly because it's often a job to get to the thing in time, anyway! If a message is left, or if I should recognise the 'last number', I'll call back. I guess this costs me more in the long run, but I don't mind.
These days I don't even have my answering machine (yes, an actual machine, not voice mail) turned on. For a long time, about 90% of my incoming calls have been scams or sales calls or political. My city had municipal elections a few days ago, and the Arizona primary is next week, so I'm assuming that the calls telling me for whom I should vote have increased. Almost all of the numbers showing up on caller i.d. are "unknown" or a number only (that I don't recognize) with no name. If I'm near the phone and recognize a name or number I'll probably answer, or if I'm away and check caller i.d. once I get home, then I'll call back. Most people who know me in real life know that I prefer email.
Same here, Moo. My phone provider lets me block any incoming number I choose, and they also have a spam call filter. None of the callers ever gets as far as to say what they actually want, and from the less experienced I occasionally hear perplexed silence. Which pleases me.
I was not happy to be woken by one of those Windows scammers yesterday. I hesitated while thinking about how to mess with his mind this time, and he came back, "Are you there, sir?" "NO!" I replied. Slight hesitation, "Sir, sir, are you there?" "NO!" Slam.
heheheheh. Some day, I want to have enough presence of mind that I start ordering a pizza from them.
I had a friend with the opposite situation. Her number was very close to that of a pizzeria. Most of her pizza calls were from people who'd had a few. She gave up trying to convince them they had a wrong number and started taking their orders. "Thin or thick crust? Do you want pepperoni on that?"
heheheheh. Some day, I want to have enough presence of mind that I start ordering a pizza from them.
I had a friend with the opposite situation. Her number was very close to that of a pizzeria. Most of her pizza calls were from people who'd had a few. She gave up trying to convince them they had a wrong number and started taking their orders. "Thin or thick crust? Do you want pepperoni on that?"
I did that once, but you never get to see the results. When we lived in Fife our number was close to a taxi company, and one filthy wet night, a somewhat ebriated person demanded a taxi in Rosyth. I told him to wait outside for it. He may still be there.
In our old parish, we had a number that was apparently very close to that of a brothel. The number of men who would not believe that "Kathy," "Lisa," or "Trixie" were unavailable--and that we were a church-- was astonishing. (never the same name twice, either)
My parents' phone number was not only an anagram of a taxi company (drunken requests in the middle of the night) but also of the local branch of the Royal Bank of Scotland (requests for overdrafts).
I stopped it in time, and my money is safe. Yet I'm surprised at how shaken I am by the experience; in a way I was sort of attacked in my own home.
You were attacked in your own home. I'm glad you escaped.
I let virtually all calls on the landline go to voicemail, because virtually all calls on the landline are scammers. If it's real, they can leave a message, and I might respond.
Our phone number is recycled from a builder's merchants that went bust a few years ago. our call screener has a message to that effect which cuts them down a lot - although the likes of Google and Yellow Pages don't have it any more, some people still have it on old lists.
We once got shouted at over the phone by a person who needed a plumber! They'd called Directory Enquiries, who had given them our number - the surname was the same, and the street was the same, but it really wasn't us!
I used to be parish secretary at St. X Church; there was another church of a different denomination named St. X. The other St. X, for some unknown reason, didn't have a listed telephone number, so of course I got all of their calls.
One indignant caller got angry when I denied our having a Montessori School -- she insisted that it was "downstairs." I tried to explain that we were on one level, no stairs. I had another call from a doctor's office returning a call about a sick child at the Montessori School. (How can you leave a message at a doctor's office, asking them to call back about a sick child, and not leave a number?!?)
That same church had a booming business in weddings, as well as a hall they rented out for receptions, and a catering service. One Monday morning I checked the answering machine messages. A bakery had called with a question about where to deliver a wedding cake. I wonder if it ever arrived at the reception.
The north American banking system... In much of the civilised world you can transfer money between personal accounts in different countries with a few key strokes at the computer, and it is done. Unless we use services that charge large fees, to send emergency cash across the Canada-US border we must drive into town, buy a paper money order at the bank that goes through a Dickensian Bob Cratchit type process to prepare it, and then mail it, hoping that it won't take more than a week to get there. However, once it gets there, our daughter can scan it with her telephonious electronic talking device and then send it to her bank. I figured that I could do the scanning right here and email it to her, and then she could send it to the bank herself. We'll see if that works, but how much more difficult would it be for the bank to do the whole wretched operation, with no paper involved? This has been commonplace, worldwide, for donkey's years. I know Americans are terrified of money laundering, and this is one of their cunning defences against it, but I'm not donald trump dealing with Deutsche Bank - I'm simply trying to help a struggling mother buy a new washing machine. It's not money that we're trying to launder, confound it all.
TICTH services that either:
1) Say they are available in your area until you get around to putting an order in when suddenly they are NOT.
2) Have on Facebook that they are still open during the outbreak but are clearly NOT.
TICTH the di*kheads who, despite the need to restrict travel to that which is essential, persist in roaring around the streets on ridiculous, and incredibly noisy, quad bikes, oblivious to other traffic (admittedly sparse), pedestrians (also sparse), and cyclists (quite a few more than usual!).
Still, they don't have to wear crash-helmets, so, if they fall off and kill themselves, it's evolution in action...
*hushed and reverent voice* - do you by any chance mean the POTUS?
If so, you're right that he doesn't (TBTG) post on here. Twitface - now that's another matter...
How do we know that??? He's been known to post under fake names before (e.g., John Barron). Or he could lurk but not post, but that's dubious since he can't restrain himself.
Please stop going on and on and on and on and ON about Coronavirus and asking whether we've all washed our hands in the last 30 seconds.
If you don't shut up, you won't die of Corona. I'm going to kill you first. 🤬
I certainly second that one! I phoned the surgery to make an appointment and had to listen to a long warning message - twice - before I could speak to a person.
Always wash your hands before using a telephone, you don't want to infect the person answering your call.
TICTH over 70s who are stuck at home and have too much time on their hands. Not all of them. Some are doing good things like quietly getting on with phoning neighbour. But some are writing dubious theology and insisting I disseminate it through congregational means. And of course I won’t, but really.....
Seriously, though, I know it is hard for those who have always given a lead to be told that they can’t run around organising things (they can organise things, but not run around, so not do it the way they know). But at least in my communities, it is giving the Gen X ears and younger the chance to show that if not told to fill pre-determined roles, but given a problem to deal with, they are pretty good at taking initiative. I hope all the old soldiers who complain that no one cares about the village will realise this and eat their words. Not sanguine.
I don't know if I should consign myself or my host congregation. I have just received a fucking email from them in which they offer to bring communion to any family who asks, in their home, when we are under a fucking lockdown. They have previously invited people to stop by the church office to chat, during the "please isolate yourself please please PLEASE but we won't fine you yet" period we had last week.
I know, I know, it's the Lord's Supper. But they are talking about home visits to anyone who asks--not to people in extremis. No social distancing (at least, none mentioned.) No minimum number of people present. No mention of consecration from a distance or any other work-around. Multiple home visits, given that the congregation is large and they are setting no parameters beyond "you asked for it." Are they expecting God to miraculously prevent them from becoming disease vectors?
I think this falls under "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." Tell me I'm wrong.
I think there are some churches, maybe this is one, which are afraid to find out that we CAN live without the sacraments but that when we take them away there is nothing left to show we are people of faith. Jesus didn't say "Go and do sacraments and do them on a daily/weekly/ monthly or whatever basis." He said "Follow me." I don't see that he went around sacramentalising.
Maybe we could just send our visible enemies back to where they belong?
I could name them, but you know who I mean - our Evil Alien Overlords, trying unsuccessfully to look like Humming Beans. They never get the hair right.
Once they're gone, maybe Gaia will relent, and cause the plague to subside...
Here, there is a run on those little communion cups that are preloaded with a host and juice inside. Lamb Chopped, I'd report that congregation to the authorities if I were you. That's not allowed.
Here, there is a run on those little communion cups that are preloaded with a host and juice inside. Lamb Chopped, I'd report that congregation to the authorities if I were you. That's not allowed.
That's just the problem. Here, there are no authorities.* Which is why the U.S. is doing such a piss-poor job of containing this pandemic.
[the rant that follows has nothing to do with you, Lily Pad, it's just my mega-frustrations bursting out]
* Okay, let me back off from this a bit. The truth is, our senior authorities have all decided to take a brain vacation (assuming they ever had brains to start with) and that leaves the local authorities to figure out a) what they should be doing, b) what WE should be doing, c) what THEY should do about US when we're not doing what we ought, and d) how to enforce all this. Which is a sucky hard job when you weren't trained to it, and the people who ought to have all this figured out and ready to go have abdicated responsibility.
So basically, I could (in theory) wait till they depart the church premises, chalice in hand, and then phone up the local police ("Follow that chalice!") to arrest them... Oh wait, that's assuming that the local police are the ones who are charged with enforcing this... hmmmm.... okay, that also assumes that I have some means of watching the church door that doesn't involve me, myself, doing non-essential travel... double hmmmmmm.... and then there's response time, plus the fact that I don't know the address they're going to....
If I try a pre-emptive strike ("Teacher, Billy's planning something awful!"), I still face the question of "who the hell do I report this to?" plus the fact that nothing has actually happened yet, and the police in the city don't stir for less than a person bleeding out in the street. That's in normal times, much less during quarantine.
Our denominational officials are no help. They offer lofty words about hope and faith in hard times, and leave the individual congregations to make their own practical decisions. To be fair, decision-making power in the LCMS has resided with local congregations from forever, so there's really nothing they could do but scold. And they're all working from home as well, and overwhelmed...
Well meaning but clueless. I don't know about where you are, but here we are on a 4 week lockdown and despite information on all the media and a poster delivered to every letter box some people seem to think they're virus proof. I seriously think it may take have the army in the streets for it to register - which is a possibility here (or at least them working with the police.)
Comments
I tend not to answer my phone when it rings, partly because it's often a job to get to the thing in time, anyway! If a message is left, or if I should recognise the 'last number', I'll call back. I guess this costs me more in the long run, but I don't mind.
That, IMHO, sounds a most Delightfully Evil Thought...
I did that once, but you never get to see the results. When we lived in Fife our number was close to a taxi company, and one filthy wet night, a somewhat ebriated person demanded a taxi in Rosyth. I told him to wait outside for it. He may still be there.
I let virtually all calls on the landline go to voicemail, because virtually all calls on the landline are scammers. If it's real, they can leave a message, and I might respond.
One indignant caller got angry when I denied our having a Montessori School -- she insisted that it was "downstairs." I tried to explain that we were on one level, no stairs. I had another call from a doctor's office returning a call about a sick child at the Montessori School. (How can you leave a message at a doctor's office, asking them to call back about a sick child, and not leave a number?!?)
That same church had a booming business in weddings, as well as a hall they rented out for receptions, and a catering service. One Monday morning I checked the answering machine messages. A bakery had called with a question about where to deliver a wedding cake. I wonder if it ever arrived at the reception.
Then, hieing me to The Electric Interweb to catch up on the news (and the Ship), I completely forgot about the pizza. For an hour.
It was as black as coal, so has been inserted into the firebox, to perform that useful function instead.
Baked potato, and Pork PIE, but - wait! What's that smell of burning??
1) Say they are available in your area until you get around to putting an order in when suddenly they are NOT.
2) Have on Facebook that they are still open during the outbreak but are clearly NOT.
Thanks
Still, they don't have to wear crash-helmets, so, if they fall off and kill themselves, it's evolution in action...
Which I picked up for about tuppence from a Jumble Sale, somewhen back in the previous century...
If so, you're right that he doesn't (TBTG) post on here. Twitface - now that's another matter...
The Great Orange God-Emperor (aka Trump) actually lurking on our pristine decks, and perhaps even posting ?
This cannot be borne, so please pass the WHISKY.
Seriously, though, I know it is hard for those who have always given a lead to be told that they can’t run around organising things (they can organise things, but not run around, so not do it the way they know). But at least in my communities, it is giving the Gen X ears and younger the chance to show that if not told to fill pre-determined roles, but given a problem to deal with, they are pretty good at taking initiative. I hope all the old soldiers who complain that no one cares about the village will realise this and eat their words. Not sanguine.
I know, I know, it's the Lord's Supper. But they are talking about home visits to anyone who asks--not to people in extremis. No social distancing (at least, none mentioned.) No minimum number of people present. No mention of consecration from a distance or any other work-around. Multiple home visits, given that the congregation is large and they are setting no parameters beyond "you asked for it." Are they expecting God to miraculously prevent them from becoming disease vectors?
I think this falls under "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." Tell me I'm wrong.
I would like to see a real resistance movement, as in olden times, even though the enemy seems invisible, like suggested by moi here!
I could name them, but you know who I mean - our Evil Alien Overlords, trying unsuccessfully to look like Humming Beans. They never get the hair right.
Once they're gone, maybe Gaia will relent, and cause the plague to subside...
Maybe we should go back to ancient tradition, and have a Wicker Man?
That's just the problem. Here, there are no authorities.* Which is why the U.S. is doing such a piss-poor job of containing this pandemic.
[the rant that follows has nothing to do with you, Lily Pad, it's just my mega-frustrations bursting out]
* Okay, let me back off from this a bit. The truth is, our senior authorities have all decided to take a brain vacation (assuming they ever had brains to start with) and that leaves the local authorities to figure out a) what they should be doing, b) what WE should be doing, c) what THEY should do about US when we're not doing what we ought, and d) how to enforce all this. Which is a sucky hard job when you weren't trained to it, and the people who ought to have all this figured out and ready to go have abdicated responsibility.
So basically, I could (in theory) wait till they depart the church premises, chalice in hand, and then phone up the local police ("Follow that chalice!") to arrest them... Oh wait, that's assuming that the local police are the ones who are charged with enforcing this... hmmmm.... okay, that also assumes that I have some means of watching the church door that doesn't involve me, myself, doing non-essential travel... double hmmmmmm.... and then there's response time, plus the fact that I don't know the address they're going to....
If I try a pre-emptive strike ("Teacher, Billy's planning something awful!"), I still face the question of "who the hell do I report this to?" plus the fact that nothing has actually happened yet, and the police in the city don't stir for less than a person bleeding out in the street. That's in normal times, much less during quarantine.
Our denominational officials are no help. They offer lofty words about hope and faith in hard times, and leave the individual congregations to make their own practical decisions. To be fair, decision-making power in the LCMS has resided with local congregations from forever, so there's really nothing they could do but scold. And they're all working from home as well, and overwhelmed...
Ah, fuckit.