Mystery of Rapidly Souring Milk: Possible Alcoholic Friend in Fridge?

[Admin Greg]

Milk Souring Mystery!For the past year I haven't been able to keep milk in my fridge for more than 4-5 days. I always buy the freshest milk, not expiring for a couple weeks from purchase. However, the milk sours in my fridge in 4-5 days no matter what brand or size of milk. After 4-5 days the top of the milk is filmy and smelly. Even more drastic I bought two 12oz bottles of milk yesterday. I drank one last night and it was fine, but I went to drink the second this morning and it was rank, I poured it down the drain and it was chunky. My fridge cold level is 7 out of 10. 10 being coldest. I have no problem keeping any other foods for a long time and everything feels cold to the touch. Anyone have ideas why I can't keep milk for long, it's sooooo annoying!

 

[cmdtrgd]

Where do you keep it? If you keep it in the door, it will go bad faster. What you might want to do is put a probe thermometer in the milk and close the fridge door. Set the temperature alert to go off when it hits 39 degrees.

 

[Admin Greg]

Where do you keep it? If you keep it in the door, it will go bad faster. What you might want to do is put a probe thermometer in the milk and close the fridge door. Set the temperature alert to go off when it hits 39 degrees.

I have tried different placements and none work. Good idea on the thermometer, I will goto radioshack!

 

[ChefLisa]

Probably want to hit a Bed Bath and Beyond, Target or other similar store to find a refrigerator thermometer.

Good luck solving the mystery. Chunky milk is so incredibly disgusting.

Lisa

 

[BethCooks4U]

I have tried different placements and none work. Good idea on the thermometer, I will goto radioshack!

Does your mom have one of our old probe thermometers?

(I do - NIB)

 

[cmdtrgd]

Beth - I might need that thermometer if I can't get info on someone who said they bought it as a host almost 2 years ago (not my host, originally).

 

[BethCooks4U]

I just checked and it's on the outlet (Greg & Kate!). It's $23.50 (plus $6.75 shipping and tax) OR you can get it on CC (Greg, maybe your mom will order it for you) for $20 + $4 shipping plus tax - of course, if you buy it on CC it's not commissionable...

I would need $26 plus shipping to you to cover my out of pocket costs so it'll save you a few bucks to get it on the outlet.



Greg: my website is /bbrigham if you want to buy it from me.

 

[Admin Greg]

Greg: my website is /bbrigham if you want to buy it from me.

Mom might disown me!

 

[BethCooks4U]

Mom might disown me!

...can't blame a girl for trying. :sun:

 

[ChefLisa]

Hi Greg!

Inquiring minds want to know, did you find out anything about the souring milk?

Lisa

 

[JAE]

Well, she is actually the mom of a friend of mine. Anyway, my friend's mom lost her license a while ago, and I told my friend that I would be happy to take her mom to the grocery store whenever I was going. Long story short, this has turned into much more than me driving her to the grocery store.
I'm trying to figure out where to draw the line. I don't want to be selfish. I want to "minister", but I'm having trouble deciding what to say "no" to. Added to the rides, she has offered to clean my three bathrooms. She's been doing it every week. I really like not cleaning my bathrooms, but the extra rides are not working for me. I don't want to "owe" her. I'd rather be the one who is "owed". There is no formal agreement. She's just cleaning to make up for the rides. There is no agreement that I will be her chauffer, and I continually tell her she does not have to clean for me. I guess this is a little bit of a vent, but I'd like to know more about dealing with alcoholics too.

 

[JAE]

No one has any advice or insights?

 

[chefheidi2003]

how often do you need to drive her places?? Are we talking bunch of places in one day or are we talking a few days a week?? What kind of other driving does she have you doing?? Is it somewhere that she needs to go every week??

 

[crystalscookingnow]

I would just tell her that you have X & X times available to take her somewhere. Other than that, you're not able to. That's just my suggestion though & it's probably easier said than done.

If it's too much, I'm not sure how to get out of it! Yikes.

 

[janetupnorth]

I too would set the line or your life will be overwhelmed and codependent (the riding/owing thing). Tell her you HAVE to limit it to grocery store rides. Is there a bus or cab service in the area? She needs to utilize that or her own family for other things... Otherwise, where is the "punishment" of losing her license...JMHO...

 

[JAE]

Well, for example, yesterday we arranged for me to pick her up at 10:30 AM to go to the store. When she got into the car she said "I have a favor to ask." Immediately, I tensed up. She asked me to take her to the hospital to pick up a lab report for her husbands new insurance and then to the instrument store for a string replacement for her cello. In my mind I was thinking "No. I don't want to, but I really don't have an excuse except I have other things to do at home, today." So I asked her how long she would need to be at the hospital and of course, it's only going to take a couple of minutes. I knew better, but I ended up saying that I'd do it. Now, I know I wll absolutely not do this again. Once I finally got home I realized I had to take my son to the doctor which meant I needed to leave 45 minutes earlier than I normally do. So, I had to crunch a bunch of things into this smaller amount of time. I know I can't do the last minute thing. I'm not organized in my mind enough to add an extra 30 minutes to my time while out and about. And, because she didn't ask before I left my house, I didn't bring my planner with phone numbers to make calls while waiting in the parking lot.
Originally, I said I'd take her to the grocery store when I go. That was all I offered and all I meant to do because I know how I am. I don't want any extra little things in my life to have to plan around or take up my time. I really try to keep my life simple. Then she asked if I'd be willing to take her downtown (less than 15 minutes from my house, and she lives about 1 minute away) any morning between 5 AM and 8:30 AM so she could get her alcohol levels checked. This is part of a program to help her get better rather than going to jail for her repeated DUI's. Because I take my kids to school on Wednesday mornings, I said I could do that morning because I'm out anyway, if she wanted to ride along to drop my kids off first. A couple of weeks ago she said she didn't need me to take her that Wednesday, but could I take her to her group counseling meeting at 10:15 in the morning. I did it because I couldn't think of any reason to say "no" except I didn't want to rush around in the morning to take her somewhere that I didn't need to go. KWIM?
I think I need to experience the driving and being annoyed in order for me to just say "no" next time. I want to help her, and "minister" w/o a negative spirit, but I need to figure out when I'm being selfish and when it's okay to say "no". The more I drive her around when it really isn't a good time for me, the more it's easier to say "no" or to know how I'm going to say "no" if she asks next time.

 

[crystalscookingnow]

Like Janet said though, where's the punishment in having a personal chauffer? I think that you will just have to stick to your guns when she asks.

When I was at conference last year, I took a time management class. In that class, I learned 7 (i think) ways of how to say NO when I don't really want to do something. What I also learned was that while we may not have something "planned" to do, we still have a reason to say no. Your reason is that you don't want to rush around that morning. That's a good enough reason to say no.

I commend you for offering your help to this lady, but it really sounds like she's taking advantage of you.

 

[StacieB]

It is great that you want to help her, but I think that she needs to plan better too and ask prior to your coming and getting her for one thing. I think that is using you a little bit and I would find it hard to say no when she is sitting right there. You are busy and need to take care of yourself first a nd if you do have extra time then you are more than happy to help out. Does she have no one else that can help her. Tough situation for sure!

 

[Tribegirl00]

I have a little experience is this dept, as I do not have a car during the day... my best friend will run me to the store, post office, etc...IF she is going out...every once in a while I will happen to ask her if she is going to make a special trip somewhere, etc. Sometimes she will, sometimes she isn't, and I am ALWAYS appreciative when she takes me with her. If something comes up and she isn't going out, she just tells me! And I'm cool with that, after all, she is doing ME the favor.
You cannot be her only option of getting a ride somewhere. Doesn't she have other friends? Family? Public transportation? (we don't have public trans, as I live in a farm community)
You are just going to have to pick and choose when you decide to take her places, otherwise she is just going to expect these things and then when or IF you say no to something she'll just wind up getting pissed at you instead of remembering that you are doing HER the favor.
Just my opinion of course, but it sounds right now like you are being "too nice" and being taken advantage of.

 

[JAE]

I keep saying I need to have a conversation with her where I tell her that I will be happy to take her to the grocery store when I go and to the police department every other Wednesday morning, but unless I know I'm going out I will not be available to give her rides. It would be easier to have that one conversation than continually getting calls and having to decide how to say "no" or saying "yes" and regretting it.

 

[Tribegirl00]

I know this sounds horrible, but if you have caller ID, maybe you can choose when you take her calls.

 

[JAE]

That's not horrible. I've considered getting it because of her, but I need to just have the conversation. It will make me stronger and maybe even make her stronger.