Rant for the Day (keep it clean)

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I just placed orders for garlic to replace what was wiped out. If I ordered as much seed stock as was lost it would have run me about $300!

So I have to start over from scratch.

Bummer

Ben
 
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Todays RANT:

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I misjudged what size bin I would need to empty a cardboard box. It wouldn't fit all the stuff so I'm tring where to find stuff that wouldn't fit.
#hoarderproblems
 
My plumbing problems continue. The guys that worked on the pump said they were going to solvent weld the pipes together but I didn't realize that they attempted to solvent weld a compression fitting on and they only applied blue pvc cement to the female side and not to the regular pipe. So yesterday the fitting blew apart and the pump lost its prime. It was extremely hot-- as were the metal pipes on the inlet side. I found this out the hard way after shutting the power off and trying to force the pipes back together. Ouch. I did manage to get them together, filled the cistern back up (it had stopped filling) and turned the pump on again after a few hours. Fitting blew apart again, water sprayed everywhere all over me-- soaked my shirt, pants, shoes, and socks-- and then I managed to get fitting to stay but turned the power off to the pump again. Before it blew apart it had pumped some water into the house at least. So, I'm going to patch it with slip unions and make a piece about the same size as the compression fitting. Honestly, I thought they had removed it instead of trying to solvent weld it.

So then Mom wouldn't let me change her infusion set when it was time and it fell off. I put a new canula on last night but apparently it didn't go in right and she woke me up just before 4am screaming at me about it. I thought about it and decided to just take that canula off and put a new one on. She argued with me about it but I said safest bet was to take it off and do a new one. Insulin was under the patch and not going into her and you could see the canula didn't go in straight. Not sure what went wrong. I was afraid I'd left the blue sleeve on the plastic canula but I didn't see any signs of it. I wiped off the wasted insulin, picked a new spot, and very carefully put a new canula on. I want to switch to the kind that is easier to detach from the tubing for the fill cycle because I have a very hard time with this style. She said she felt the insulin going in when the canula filled this time so hopefully it will work. Now I get to take some Pepto and attempt to get back to sleep before I go for my curbside orders at HD and samsclub. I'll need to take some stuff out of the truck and get the wheelchair back to the porch (its been in the back with a tarp on it). I will probably by some chinese takeout.

Meanwhile, I think the leak coming from the attic is likely some kind of condensation from the hvac system but I still haven't managed to get up there to look. Not sure what to do if its leaking from the ductwork or dripping off of the ductwork. I'll have to take a trash bag up and load up the soaked insulation up there though.
 
I just got my electric bill. $394 this month. My neighbor, who hosted yesterday's pool party, has solar panels everywhere on his roof. He just received his annual solar surcharge bill for $3000 this year. My son's solar surcharge for the year is $6000. Thanks to our next president, Governor Newscum, his appointed cronies at the Public Utilities Commission decided your energy at your solar panels can be sold to our power companies for $.11 per KW, but you MUST buy this electricity back from the power companies for $.41 per KW. I'm glad I decided not to get solar panels!
 
My plumbing problems continue. The guys that worked on the pump said they were going to solvent weld the pipes together but I didn't realize that they attempted to solvent weld a compression fitting on and they only applied blue pvc cement to the female side and not to the regular pipe. So yesterday the fitting blew apart and the pump lost its prime. It was extremely hot-- as were the metal pipes on the inlet side. I found this out the hard way after shutting the power off and trying to force the pipes back together. Ouch. I did manage to get them together, filled the cistern back up (it had stopped filling) and turned the pump on again after a few hours. Fitting blew apart again, water sprayed everywhere all over me-- soaked my shirt, pants, shoes, and socks-- and then I managed to get fitting to stay but turned the power off to the pump again. Before it blew apart it had pumped some water into the house at least. So, I'm going to patch it with slip unions and make a piece about the same size as the compression fitting. Honestly, I thought they had removed it instead of trying to solvent weld it.

So then Mom wouldn't let me change her infusion set when it was time and it fell off. I put a new canula on last night but apparently it didn't go in right and she woke me up just before 4am screaming at me about it. I thought about it and decided to just take that canula off and put a new one on. She argued with me about it but I said safest bet was to take it off and do a new one. Insulin was under the patch and not going into her and you could see the canula didn't go in straight. Not sure what went wrong. I was afraid I'd left the blue sleeve on the plastic canula but I didn't see any signs of it. I wiped off the wasted insulin, picked a new spot, and very carefully put a new canula on. I want to switch to the kind that is easier to detach from the tubing for the fill cycle because I have a very hard time with this style. She said she felt the insulin going in when the canula filled this time so hopefully it will work. Now I get to take some Pepto and attempt to get back to sleep before I go for my curbside orders at HD and samsclub. I'll need to take some stuff out of the truck and get the wheelchair back to the porch (its been in the back with a tarp on it). I will probably by some chinese takeout.

Meanwhile, I think the leak coming from the attic is likely some kind of condensation from the hvac system but I still haven't managed to get up there to look. Not sure what to do if its leaking from the ductwork or dripping off of the ductwork. I'll have to take a trash bag up and load up the soaked insulation up there though.
Is there a Drain on that Unit...?!?
 
My cousin is dying of cancer.

We are close. I call them from time to time and we went on vacations together as children.

He was an engineer for formula one racing, or something.

I'm going to mail him something. Maybe I'll print out all my unfinished manuscripts so he has something to read in the hospital.
 
I missed what happened to your garlic, but that is a huge loss.
7 lbs 10 oz of cloves had developed well over winter. A month after this picture it was all wiped out. Best guess is something called white rot.

20240406_135326_HDR.jpg


Ben
 
My cousin is dying of cancer.

We are close. I call them from time to time and we went on vacations together as children.

He was an engineer for formula one racing, or something.

I'm going to mail him something. Maybe I'll print out all my unfinished manuscripts so he has something to read in the hospital.
I bet he would like to read your manuscripts, great idea! I'm sorry he is so ill!!
 
Is there a Drain on that Unit...?!?
I'm not sure. I know there is a condensate line that goes under the house. But it seems the ducting is getting water on it somehow. It's possible there's a roof leak, but when I looked at the ceiling of the roof I didn't see any signs of water. So I'm not sure what is going on. I need to get more plywood up there to crawl on and get closer and then get a bag and pull out all the wet insulation.

Also, I forgot to mention that I drove through the town where I got pulled over for allegedly speeding. I paid very close attention to every single speed limit sign and discovered that the cop lied to me. There is only one single 50mph sign going through that way. So, when he said I was going 64 in a 50 he was lying to me. I was going 64 in a 65 area. I was going with the flow of traffic as well and I was going 50 in the 50 when he pulled me over. My brother said he suspected the cop was lying about the speeding which is why he wrote the ticket for no seatbelt. Because the speeding/lack thereof could be verified with dashcam and location/etc. But the cop was not wearing a bodycam so the seatbelt thing was his word against mine. Not that I could contest anyway. there is no court there-- as I mentioned before. The ticket is also illegible. The writing on it is so faded I can't read anything except the stuff that was machine printed. Going to have to pay a BS ticket for something I didn't do bc the system here is so corrupt. I said it before, but I wish the cops here were like Havasu instead of the lying corrupt jerks.
 
the ducting appears to be insulated but I'm wondering if there is a hole in it.
Meanwhile, I went to fix the pipes and discovered whoever pulled the stuff for me at HD screwed up and got me the wrong thing. I needed slip fittings and they gave me fip. I checked my order and saw that I did order slip but they must have read it wrong. Just finished chat with HD rep to put it in the system that I got the wrong thing and want to swap it for the right thing. So, I will have to make a 2nd trip to a store an hour away. Chat person said only in-store can offer me any discount/compensation for that-- which means I likely won't get anything bc this store doesn't do that. ugh. I want to take a shower.

Also, Mom's insulin does not seem to be working for some reason. Her cartridge will need to be changed soon too. Just changed the tubing again to make sure that wasn't the problem.
 
I know I keep griping, but I went all the way up to HD to exchange the fitting, got home and realized I didn't check the rest of the fittings and they got another one wrong too but I'm not going up there to replace it. It's something that I can get locally and didn't need urgently. Basically, I needed a bunch of slip tees to make the trash bag holder and they mistakenly put one that has 2 slip and one fip in the bag. Anyway, I get there and I put the primer on, open up the pvc cement that was in there and realize whoever used it last didn't put the cap back on right and it was all dried up. Couldn't find anymore in the house so I drove to TSC to get a 4oz jar of whatever they had. It said to let it cure for 2hrs so I'm waiting. The guys who worked on the pump didn't even let the pvc cement set up for 5min before they turned water back on. Oh, and another kick in the balls is that the fitting I went to go replace turned out to not even be necessary because there wasn't enough room for it somehow. LOL.
 
Since I tend to buy based on specs and a picture I follow this rule: If it is two small hinges, one on each end of the screen I pass. If it is one long hinge in the middle, I buy.
I've been doing some research into this. Reviewing "laptop hinge repair" for different brands/models of laptops on YouTube. Even the laptops that look like they have a single long hinge in the middle do not. They all appear to be two hinges, one on each side. I could not find any brand of laptop that has a single hinge. I'm not saying they don't exist somewhere, I just did not run into any during my searches.

Some hinge designs may indeed be better than others, but based on what I could find, it's not because they have a single hinge - even though outward appearances might make someone think that this is the case. I was looking for other alternatives to the Lenovo because those obviously have two hinges where things like HP's EliteBooks seemed to have a single hinge. So instead of looking for a single hinge design (those don't appear to exist or at least are not common), I am now looking for a solid build (even though heavier). e.g., a Lenovo T480 rather than a T480s, a T490, or the X series. I want solid construction over thin and lightweight. HP's Elitebooks look good too. I have not done my research on the Dells yet, other than YouTube videos on hinge problems, ... but I'll do that research soon. I'm looking for a business class tank basically. Performance isn't so much a big deal. I'll be nuking Windows and installing Linux, and that right there will give a humongous boost in performance over something running Windows.

e.g., Below is an HP EliteBook that looks like it has a single hinge in the middle. But it does not. There is actually a hinge on either end that has attachment points offset to either side of the hinge so the two attachment points are side-by-side and not straight up and down. Are two offset hinges better than two straight hinges? I don't know. But it's not a single hinge in any case.

Screenshot at 2024-07-06 19-36-39.png
 
I've been doing some research into this. Reviewing "laptop hinge repair" for different brands/models of laptops on YouTube. Even the laptops that look like they have a single long hinge in the middle do not. They all appear to be two hinges, one on each side. I could not find any brand of laptop that has a single hinge. I'm not saying they don't exist somewhere, I just did not run into any during my searches.

Some hinge designs may indeed be better than others, but based on what I could find, it's not because they have a single hinge - even though outward appearances might make someone think that this is the case. I was looking for other alternatives to the Lenovo because those obviously have two hinges where things like HP's EliteBooks seemed to have a single hinge. So instead of looking for a single hinge design (those don't appear to exist or at least are not common), I am now looking for a solid build (even though heavier). e.g., a Lenovo T480 rather than a T480s, a T490, or the X series. I want solid construction over thin and lightweight. HP's Elitebooks look good too. I have not done my research on the Dells yet, other than YouTube videos on hinge problems, ... but I'll do that research soon. I'm looking for a business class tank basically. Performance isn't so much a big deal. I'll be nuking Windows and installing Linux, and that right there will give a humongous boost in performance over something running Windows.

e.g., Below is an HP EliteBook that looks like it has a single hinge in the middle. But it does not. There is actually a hinge on either end that has attachment points offset to either side of the hinge so the two attachment points are side-by-side and not straight up and down. Are two offset hinges better than two straight hinges? I don't know. But it's not a single hinge in any case.

View attachment 156993

I have never broken one down to look at the internals of the hinges. I only know that the laptops that look like they have a one piece hinge have never broken on me while the ones that look like they have a two piece hinge have broken more than once. Good to know though.
 
the ducting appears to be insulated but I'm wondering if there is a hole in it.
Meanwhile, I went to fix the pipes and discovered whoever pulled the stuff for me at HD screwed up and got me the wrong thing. I needed slip fittings and they gave me fip. I checked my order and saw that I did order slip but they must have read it wrong. Just finished chat with HD rep to put it in the system that I got the wrong thing and want to swap it for the right thing. So, I will have to make a 2nd trip to a store an hour away. Chat person said only in-store can offer me any discount/compensation for that-- which means I likely won't get anything bc this store doesn't do that. ugh. I want to take a shower.

Also, Mom's insulin does not seem to be working for some reason. Her cartridge will need to be changed soon too. Just changed the tubing again to make sure that wasn't the problem.
https://www.homedepot.com/privacy/privacy-and-security-statement#ContactUs
 
I don't need a laptop. But I wouldn't mind having one
Well, I had an eye opener today. My daughter is visiting and had her MacBook Air with her. Her's has a 13.3" screen that is 1440x900 resolution. I thought that might be similar in viewability to what I'm considering: a 14" screen with 1920x1080 resolution. Things might be slightly bigger on the MacBook, but comparable.

Well, I'll tell you what. I looked at her screen. Then I checked to make sure my computer glasses we on my face and not setting beside me. Hmmm. So I put on my regular glasses and tilted my head back at least 45 degrees so I could get maximum biforcal. Hmmm ... just about in focus there. But I will inform you, using a computer with your nose pointed at the Heavens is not very practical.

I may have to give up on my small laptop quest. My normal monitor is 29" at 1920x1080. And for some things - this forum being one example - I have my browser set to zoom to 110%. This combination is a good size for my eyes. I'm no longer sure I could even use a 14" laptop with little bitty letters 1/2 a millimeter tall on the screen. I may have to wait for future technical innovations - like a direct HDMI connection into my optic nerve, with no monitor being required.

I wonder if Dell makes a lightweight ultra-portable 32" laptop?
 
So, the solvent weld held but when I turned the water on, water sprayed out of the union. I turned water off and tried to tighten the union, the threaded pvc pipe it was glued to started turning. I could not get that sucker tight enough. Called my friend and told him I needed help bc I could not get the wrench to stay on and tighten and I was sure I was going to break something. He drove out and tightened it for me, we gave him some $ as a gift and he was very happy. Thus far things have held up.

Couldn't sleep that night because I was worried about Mom's blood sugar. I think I mentioned I went through 3 canulas in 24hrs. Then her pump stopped detecting the Dexcom sensor. She wasn't feeling well and I checked her finger manually and found it was down to 52. But the pump was still wanting to give her more insulin, most of the menu options on it went away, and I couldn't get it to do anything but either stop insulin or give more insulin. i had to change out her dexcom sensor, even though it had only been on 7 days and is supposed to last 10. Got her sugar back up. It got a bit low this morning somehow and then it went back up to over 300.

Wasn't able to get anything on my "to do" list done Sunday because I was absolutely exhausted. So was Mom. We both felt like death warmed over and slept most of the day. I did manage to cook for her a few times but then I racked out. Felt a bit better this morning. She had an appointment with the diabetes specialist and she gave some advice on what to do if the pump was giving trouble again and not reading the dexcom. She also put in a request to get the infusion sets that are easier to remove the tubing for fill cycle.

Truck is making all sorts of horrible noises so we are thinking of just trading it in and getting a gen2 ridgeline. But they are expensive. i wanted to get the ridgeline we have fixed up a bit more so it can get a better selling price. I have an emotional attachment the truck so I'm a bit torn on that.

Meanwhile, my brother got a soft demotion at work over something that wasn't his fault. He was given the responsibilities of a supervisor without the pay of a supervisor and his supervisor's supervisor freaked out over an incident that didn't involve him. The kid's arcade side has a gate to lock kids in so they can't leave unless their parents come to get them and an employee lets them out. Apparently, some 12-yr-old girl didn't take well to being trapped, watched the employees, hid somewhere out of view and waited for an employee to go through the gate and slipped through like a ninja and managed to stay out of the employee's view. She then went past the adult arcade kiosk area and ran off. The adult arcade kiosk was closed so my brother was in the office doing the paperwork. The supervisor's supervisor asked where my brother was when the girl ran through his section and was mad that he was in the office-- even though he was supposed to be there at that time and was doing his job. So, she said from now on, only supervisors (of which there is only 1 and she's always on the kid's arcade side) could have keys to the office and other things. Things that my brother needs to do his job. So now he's unable to get out the prizes, do the opening and closing procedures, and do the paperwork without calling the supervisor over to come unlock stuff for him. It takes a lot longer and he can't do it so often so now they are going to be losing $ on not being able to do stuff. He also is highly offended because he feels like the boss doesn't trust or respect him and that she blames him even though she allegedly said it was nobody's fault. Our friend (who also works there but who has keys because he's a tech) said that even if my brother had been at the kiosk he wouldn't have known that the girl had escaped from the kid's arcade. She was old enough to look some of the kids that use the adult arcade side. He said the change makes no sense and is only going to cause problems. Bro said he wants to start looking for another job. His direct supervisor is upset and doesn't want him to leave. She trusts him to do a lot of stuff, but he thinks that if her supervisor doesn't trust him then she will never promote him to supervisor. They already cut his hours to less than 30 a week even though they are shortstaffed bc one of the employees had a c1 spinal fracture in a wreck and another got fired for frequent no call no shows. Thing with my brother is he can't handle any sort of criticism, even when he has done something wrong, and nothing shuts him down faster than telling him he's wrong or that he didn't do something the right way. He constantly needs his ego stroked. He said he's torn between "acting (his) wage" and still doing the best he can so they don't lose more revenue and then take it out on employees by cutting hours more.
 
More on my rant. It turns out that the child who escaped was a boy, but for some reason my brother was told it was a girl. He was unable to do his job properly because he wasn't able to get into the office. He still has belongings in the office and plans to clear them out. He already applied for a new job with higher pay and better hours, he'll be putting in his notice today and taking the rest of his stuff out of the office once he's allowed in. He found out he was the only employee to have his keys taken away even though he didn't do anything wrong so he's taking it personally. The employees on the kid's arcade side faced no consequences whatsoever. He's already getting reduced hours and will get even fewer hours when summer ends. He said he'll try to stick it out until the end of summer, but that he's so angry about not being able to do his job properly on top of not getting enough hours and pay that its stressing him out.

So he woke me up at like 3am having a complete temper tantrum in the kitchen, throwing things around, kicking things all over. When I asked him to please stop kicking things and spilling cat food all over he screamed at me, swore at me, and kept kicking things and making a mess. Apparently he dropped his tv dinner and it spilled all over the floor and splattered him and he was having a meltdown over it. I had to start cleaning stuff up so it wouldn't get even worse. So, I haven't been back to sleep yet. I get that he's frustrated and all, but I don't need him adding go my list of things to do bc he can't control his temper.
 
So I signed up for Informed Delivery with the post office! I'm on a dead end road and it gets skipped sometimes! Was waiting on some fairly important mail today and watched a substitute carrier skip my road! Should I have chased her down and demanded my mail?? Maybe, but I'd probably get arrested for hassling a federal employee! So instead I checked the box on Informed Delivery that I did not receive my mail! Then I sent a nice complaint email to the USPS asking WHERE my mail ends up when the carrier doesn't deliver it, but it's been sorted and loaded for delivery!!! Just deliver my mail already!!!
 

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