I concur about the hot water~good way to end up with a spreading glaze of ice.
Depending on the depth, a spatula/pancake has been known to work on steps. Other than that? Cut a square of cardboard box to use as a scraper blade and push the snow off to the side. My trusty broom is my tool of choice to clear my big porch and steps. Even my big dust pan works as an ok scoop for a small area, like in front of the door when it has drifted over.
Yeah, I thought I had read something about that or perhaps some vague memory about how thermodynamics works told me not to follow her example. Using your cardboard suggestion, I was able to get the ramp clear and now its snowing again.
The volunteers at the community center put on a Taco Tuesday every Tuesday except today. The food isn’t great, but its cheap and is planned and cooked by someone else, so we always enjoy it. Now we have to figure something out ourselves, darn it.
Glad you were able to get the ramp clear and also sorry you had to😎. Hopefully you won’t need to ‘shovel’ any more any time soon.
I know what you mean about your tacos-I would have looked forward to cheap and filling myself. Cooked by somebody else already has a lot in its flavor, plus I imagine the social aspect of it makes up for what is lacking in sophistication or elegance.
Stay safe and clear down there. I’ll keep all the snow up here.
Micro-rant:
Co-worker comes running to me with a problem and tells me, “Hey, I was hoping to talk to a few people about X, but you’re the first one I thought of. Do you have any recommendations for this issue and suggestions on who else I could talk to? I really need help now.” I provide recommendations/suggestions/etc. Co-worker (who has a position slightly lower on the food chain than I do) talks to the other person I suggested, who happens to be a little higher’ on the food chain than I am and someone I’ve known for years. I introduce the two. This person gives them the same advice. Of course, the co-worker sends said higher up a fawning, “OMG, THANK YOU, I don’t know what I would’ve done without this valuable advice! You’re the best!” The person in question replies and copies me, stating, “I’d suggest talking to overly as well as far as execution - she knows a lot of people and can supply more tactical advice.” Crickets for two business days, then, “Oh, she suggested the same thing you did and gave me a few pointers.” And that’s it.
This irritates the shit out of me. Yes, it’s petty of me and I know that. But…we work in a really political environment in which I have almost 20 years of experience. I’ve worked with the people in my particular area for as much as 15 years now. And I’ve learned:
You don’t have to bow and scrape for every bit of advice you get, but a thank you goes a long way, and dismissiveness does you no favors. I’ll still help you if needed because it helps the business, but please…the higher ups are on to you. Don’t be an asshole.
I hadn’t been here on the Dope all day. I use Safari on my Mac, and it wouldn’t give me anything at all, not even my mail. I finally used Firefox to get online. Still couldn’t get my mail, and the Dope wouldn’t accept my password. Using Firefox instead of Safari is like trying to explore the universe using an unfamiliar language. I finally had to shut down and power up my computer (restart didn’t help), and everything is fine now. My Mac is 8.5 years old, and starting to get a little wonky. Fingers crossed.
Trying to access Xfinity customer service is driving me insane. Since December 2020 I get an error code whenever I try to access OnDemand. Calling to get help is like navigating a hellish labyrinth in which you repeat the same steps over and over until they inflict a service outage message on you, tell you to wait and then they hang up. Call back go through 9 circles of hell again, finally get a rep who can’t help you but to write up a work ticket from which no one ever calls you back so 7 days later I’m on the phone again. They send new cable box which doesn’t solve their problem, no way to get through on phone but to descend again into the pit of despair with the Xfinity automatron assistant who I swear to god gets snarkier and snarkier and really is pissing me off. Might I get satisfaction from a bricks and mortar Xfinity store? Really ready to chuck it all in a box and send it back.
Xfinity just opened a new brick & mortar store here and it’s a BIG improvement. I hope yours is, too.
TransAmerica (TA). We (well, mostly the Harvard lawyer brother) spent an exciting four months getting them to admit my 90 year old needed long term care under the policy she has been paying on for something like 40 years.
Much rat fucking by them, but eventually enough paper work and MD testimonials wore them down, and they started paying (back-dated even to the date of the original claim).
Just heard from my youngest brother that TA called mom today, telling her that they have somehow determined that she is all better now and they will no longer be paying out. This for a woman who can’t even remember if there was someone else in the room with her when the bastards called (and there absolutely has been no medical or other exam by them, since she is in an assisted-living facility that has been locked down since April).
I can hear the lawyer brother firing up the word processor from 400 miles away. Presumably an early paragraph will note TA’s agreement that all communication concerning mom would be routed through him since he has regular and medical power of attorney. Followed by mentions of damages for emotional distress because they have certainly distressed her. Maybe punitive damages also, although my understanding is those are hard to get.
Well, that’s a maxi-rant to me. I am sorry, Folacin. Such bullshit, and I always wonder what happens to folks who don’t have people like your brother to go to bat for them.
Yay! Youtube is awesome. It’s taught me a bunch of things around home improvement/repairs.
However, sometimes people who leave product reviews or answer customer questions are just as helpful. Like on Monday, I finally got the toilet in the spare bathroom in working order. The Youtube video about how to use a waxless ring was helpful, but the answer-er on the Lowe’s page who suggested to someone with a similar issue that if you’re working alone on the project you should sit on the closed toilet lid for a few minutes before doing a final tightening of the floor bolts is my hero - as soon as I did that it stopped leaking!
My eyes have been itching and watering like crazy for well over a month, and I finally went to an allergist and got skin tests. Turns out, I’m SEVERELY allergic to dust mites. Not the mites themselves, but their poop that floats up into the air and is inhaled. So I went online and spent almost $300 on an impermeable mattress cover and pillows. I’m also slightly allergic to the cat, and was told not to allow her into the bedroom. I’m ignoring that advice.
I also got prescription antihistamine drops, which make no difference whatsoever.
My husband, who breathes in the same dust mite poop and pets the same cat, isn’t the slightest bit allergic.
My little minirant: As mentioned in another thread, I was very excited to buy a rare old book that I remembered from my early childhood. It’s coming from a small town in Iowa, and I’m currently watching on USPS tracking as it travels from one distribution center to another, and then, step by step, in reverse direction and finally back to the same small town. I’m currently watching it begin its second cycle through the exact same locations. Perhaps it will cycle back and forth forever, like some dystopic sci-fi scenario.
I hope the new bedding helps and I agree that you should ignore the advice to keep your kitty out of the bedroom.
I have learned that for me, watering, itchy eyes are actually dry eyes and the best treatment is OTC eye drops. The antihistamine drops didn’t help at all, but once I got into the habit of “watering” my eyes every time I notice itching or watering, I was able to keep things under control.
Jane, who is allergic to cats and sleeps with 3 of the spoiled rotten beasts.
That’s what I’m gonna do, now I just have to get in a nice subservient headspace and meekly ask for help as if I’m a functioning illiterate cable TV customer. Guess it’s also a 50/50 crap shoot on if a manager/supervisor will be there to exchange my equipment on a Saturday.
Let us know how it goes. I don’t think a manager has to be there for an exchange.
My wife and one of my daughters just went the other day because our router wasn’t performing right. They were gone about twenty minutes and returned with a new router and a new data plan for more data at a lower price. For a year anyway.
A few years ago, I had a ebay package circle three times before it got to me. When it got back to the original distribution center the second time, the seller decided to refund my money. He thought maybe the address label had been damaged somehow. But the third time was the charm and I finally got it. He still let me keep the money.
One possible reason for this bizarre behavior, according to some comments, is that packages are often bulk-loaded into containers and it’s the containers that are being tracked rather than the package. If the package isn’t actually in the particular container that it’s assumed to be in, then you can get screwy tracking results. We’ll see.
Not really rantish but so mind blowing that I had to put it somewhere…
Guys, I just watched Titanic with a woman who thought it the AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THE OLD WOMAN IN THE MOVIE!
I.e…
Shouldn’t that be an honorable mention in the “My ex is so stupid” thread?
… as of this evening not an ex, but yeah.