# My first emergency repair in the new house; a handy MMP **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** mmp\ **Created:** [July 10, 2006, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-emergency-repair-in-the-new-house-a-handy-mmp/363846 "2006-07-10T09:39:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-emergency-repair-in-the-new-house-a-handy-mmp/363846/41 "2006-07-10T16:59:13Z")
I did not post for a bit because I noted my post count was at 9,999. Knowing how the mods frown on post parties, I did not want to make a big deal of it. But I wanted my next post to be meaningful, fraught with imortance, deep. I read many threads, but did I really want my 10,000th post to be a throwaway response to something trivial? Then it hit me…the MMP! Of course! So, I bestow upon you, fellow MMPers, my 10,000th post. Don’t make a big deal of it and bring down the Wrath of Mods. Really, it’s just important to me. Ahem. Ivyboy is still in England, and Ivygirl spent a few days with her aunt. Which left me and Ivylad with some alone time. Oooohhhh…what to do? Well, I worked on finishing the painting of the exterior of the house. He mowed the back yard. We did some weeding. Saturday I went to my FairTax meeting, and I treated Ivylad to lunch and we went to Lowe’s to buy paint for my son’s room while wearing my FairTax t-shirt. I had three people come up and talk to me about the FairTax, and I gave one Lowe’s employee a bumper sticker. We agreed on a paint color for my son’s room (actually, I capitulated, I hate the color, but Ivylad thinks Ivyboy will like it) and we started painting. Little did I know Ivylad wanted to do the ceiling in a different color. Now I have to repaint what I did with Kilz. :smack: Ivylad treated me to an ice cream sundae at Friendly’s and then I bought swim goggles at Target since I’ve modified my gym routine from the machines to the pool. I made dog biscuits for the dog and a crock pot roast for dinner. And thus ends my 10,000th post. Now that the pressure is off, I can post at will again. Thank you for your time. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Blue-Sighted\_Shadow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecae2f/32.png) [@The\_Blue-Sighted\_Shadow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Blue-Sighted_Shadow)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-emergency-repair-in-the-new-house-a-handy-mmp/363846/42 "2006-07-10T16:59:39Z")
I, too, have stabbed a fridge to death. I was impatient and got out the ice pick…Freon **burns** , especially when you stick your finger in the hole to stop it from escaping. It also stinks up the house for an alarming amount of time, but we all survived… I did get a bigger, no-frost fridge to replace it (at mostly my cost), so it was a net gain. My landlord had his revenge a couple of years later when he special-ordered the smallest [sub]stove[/sub] I’ve ever seen. Today is one of my manager’s last day. To sum his feelings up, he’s too old for this shit. Hell, _I’m_ too old for this shit and I’m half his age. I have an evaluation meeting on Thursday afternoon, so I’ll see how that goes and take it from there. I think it’s a good market for temps again, so I might temp for a while, see what’s out there, see if I can get a non-admin assistant job this time. Hmm. I think I’ve already left, in my mind. I mean, my letter of resignation has been typed up since June, maybe I should just change the date to today instead of Friday and go ahead and turn it in. Wow, that would feel terrific. Maybe I’ll think about it some more. I got nothin’ but time. ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-emergency-repair-in-the-new-house-a-handy-mmp/363846/43 "2006-07-10T17:05:23Z")
[QUOTE=ivylass] I did not post for a bit because I noted my post count was at 9,999. Knowing how the mods frown on post parties, I did not want to make a big deal of it. But I wanted my next post to be meaningful, fraught with imortance, deep. I read many threads, but did I really want my 10,000th post to be a throwaway response to something trivial? Then it hit me…the MMP! Of course! So, I bestow upon you, fellow MMPers, my 10,000th post. Don’t make a big deal of it and bring down the Wrath of Mods. Really, it’s just important to me. [/QUOTE] Perfection! I did the same with some milestone port a ways back, I think it was 2500, and I felt safe leaving it here in the MMP. The Mods are 'fraid of us and never bother us, that’s what I hear. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-emergency-repair-in-the-new-house-a-handy-mmp/363846/44 "2006-07-10T17:27:20Z")
I don’t even know what my post count is, which tells you how much I care about it. It’s not at 10,000, though. Congrats, **ivylass**! Robin ---
**Author:** ![Twinkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@Twinkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twinkie)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-emergency-repair-in-the-new-house-a-handy-mmp/363846/45 "2006-07-10T17:36:12Z")
[QUOTE=Mama Tiger] But the good news is that now I have several free days this week so maybe I can actually goof off for a change, not do any work. Maybe go to see a movie or three. I haven’t seen _Pirates_ yet, but am dying to – I’ve not heard a bad word about it yet. So that sounds like a good way to temporarily replace riding roller coasters. A rush is a rush is a rush, right? 😉 [/QUOTE] If you’re in a rush, _don’t_ go see _Pirates_! It’s reallyreallyreallyreally long. Nope, I didn’t like it. Not only was it long, but the girl sitting behind me kept kicking my seat. And she got up about 100 times, and with each up and down she had to hold on to my seat and rock me backwards, then fling me halfway to Whiplashville when she let go. And I’m usually kind and patient, but this time, I just started rocking myself in my seat. Really hard. Like a granny on crack, with the knitting needles nothing but a blur. She put her feet up to stop me, so I turned around and said, sweet as I could, “I’m so sorry. Is my rocking bothering you?” She said, “No, not at all,” so I continued. Then I had to avoid her when the movie ended because I would have apologized and then had a heartfelt discussion about how Movies Manners Begin With You – or something. I’m glad to see that fortune cookies are a subject here today. I think that bodes well for me. You see, last night 9 of us we went to the chinese buffet (9 is an auspicious number, I’ve heard). I took the four best fortunes (my sister’s, which said, “it is a sunny day,” didn’t make the cut), and went to the convenience store. Then I bought 4 mega-millions lottery tickets, and played the “Lucky Numbers” on the back of the fortunes. The drawing is tomorrow night – if I win, it’s turkey feathers for everyone! And, to combine comments from **Ivylass and MamaTiger** - I bought swim goggles for my trip to Hershey Park. (We got every summer at the end of August.) Last year, we were talking about how hard it is to keep your eyes open on the roller coaster, even when you want to, so I picked up some swim goggles, & we’re going to riding with them on, and see if we can watch the whole ride. If anyone happens to be heading out to ride some coasters before I do, please feel free to try this out. Just remember to report back! ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-emergency-repair-in-the-new-house-a-handy-mmp/363846/46 "2006-07-10T17:57:30Z")
Yay **ivylass**! I don’t know what my post count is either. Every once in a while when sump’n about post counts comes up, I look and think, **"WHOA!** I spend a whole lotta time here.", then I forget again. Hey, I can either remember my address or my post count. If I’m lost, knowing my address would come in handy, so I’ll just keep on remembering that. You know what’s fun? Fun is when somebody gets up a head of steam all about how something you did ( a mistake) made what they were doing all wrong and calls you out about it in front of the boss and you listen patiently, then take said report in hand all concerned and very politely point out that the mistake was not of your own doing but the doing of the somebody who got up a head of steam and attempted to call you out in front of the boss but you’re still real nice about it. Then the person gets all embarrassed and turns around and leaves and the boss looks at you and says, “I am always astounded at your ability to be courteous, polite, professional and pissed off all at the same time. I think I’m going in my office, shut the door and giggle uncontrollably for the next fifteen minutes” 😃 Now _that’s_ fun! ---
**Author:** ![Bumbazine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbazine/32/362_2.png) [@Bumbazine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbazine)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-emergency-repair-in-the-new-house-a-handy-mmp/363846/47 "2006-07-10T17:58:47Z")
> [@Rigs](#): > > Vunder --didn’t you ask her WHY she moved the fridge after you told her not to? Because he told her Not to, of course. > [@Rosie](#): > > I killed a fridge once - It was an older model that had to be manually defrosted periodically - and I tended to wait way too long between efforts. Also I am impatient. So instead of doing something intelligent, like placing a vessel of warm water in the freezer, I tried, as soon as the larger blocks of ice started peeling away from the walls, to pry them the rest of the way off. With the only large flat object I could find, a chefs’ knife. And I pierced a freon line. Silly girl, any guy can tell you that the proper tool to defrost a fridge with is a torch. [sub](Professional idiot, closed course. Don’t try this at home. Contents may become unsettled during shipping.)[/sub] > [@Robyn](#): > > Robin, who thinks refrigerators should come with locks. They used to, I had one. They don’t anymore? It’s those damn Liberals, I tells ya! (I know, I usually blame the Repubbycans, I’m just trying this out for a while.) Today is my weekend, so not much to report there, although we did go watch #1GrandSon[sup]TM[/sup] play baseball last night. He was in a tournament going on about 1/2 an hour away, which was Jake. Due to some kinda weird double-elimination crap his team took first and fifth place. 😕 I think. 😕 See they lost a game in the regular bracket, (to the fourth placed team, I guess) and got put into the losers(?) bracket, where they won all their games, and last night they played the first placed team in the winners bracket and beat them 11-1. Now you know as much as I do. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-emergency-repair-in-the-new-house-a-handy-mmp/363846/48 "2006-07-10T18:02:47Z")
Heh, I thought 500 posts was a big deal. Then I thought variously 1,000 and 5,000 but never seemed to notice when I flew by them. Then I thought, OK, 10,000 is the big one, right? And one day I looked up to see something like 10,078. And I thought Damn! Missed that one too… Now I know I am somewhere over 10K but don’t know where. ---
**Author:** ![Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spatial_Rift_47)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-emergency-repair-in-the-new-house-a-handy-mmp/363846/49 "2006-07-10T18:08:07Z")
[QUOTE=Bumbazine] Silly girl, any guy can tell you that the proper tool to defrost a fridge with is a torch. [sub](Professional idiot, closed course. Don’t try this at home. Contents may become unsettled during shipping.)[/sub] [/QUOTE] Abso-frackin’-lutely. It is also worth restating that any and all computer problems can be solved with liberal use of a sledgehammer. **swampbear** , clearly you are a master of office dynamics. Good for you mate. 🙂 So, something interesting happened this morning. I’ve been given the stuff needed to continue working on the project I had with my old mentor. Now, fortunately, this is somewhat more interesting than the translating of code, it’s modification of a larger program. That said, I’m not sure how to balance the two tasks except that I know I want to spend most of my time on the new work, and maybe just fiddle with the old one when I get stuck on the new one or something. I probably would have 10,000 posts by now if I hadn’t up and vanished from the boards for three and a half years. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-emergency-repair-in-the-new-house-a-handy-mmp/363846/50 "2006-07-10T18:18:32Z")
[QUOTE=Twinkie] If you’re in a rush, _don’t_ go see _Pirates_! It’s reallyreallyreallyreally long. And, to combine comments from **Ivylass and MamaTiger** - I bought swim goggles for my trip to Hershey Park. (We got every summer at the end of August.) Last year, we were talking about how hard it is to keep your eyes open on the roller coaster, even when you want to, so I picked up some swim goggles, & we’re going to riding with them on, and see if we can watch the whole ride. If anyone happens to be heading out to ride some coasters before I do, please feel free to try this out. Just remember to report back! [/QUOTE] Sorry to confuse you, Twinkie; I wasn’t talking about a hurry rush, a “riding roller coasters is a rush” rush or “seeing a kickass movie is a rush” rush. Once I get done with the Ghastly Job From Hell™, then I can relax and enjoy myself for a few days. So something fun would definitely be in order. I don’t wear swim goggles on roller coasters cause I wear glasses. But since I also don’t want my glasses to go flying off, I got some of those sports-fasten-your-glasses-on strap thingies that are loudly purple but highly effective. They’re so effective it takes me half an hour to get them _off_ my glasses at the end of the day. But they also hold my glasses firmly to my nose so I can watch on the coaster, except of course when I don’t want to watch like last year when Papa T. talked me into riding one of those hang-facedown coasters. I took my glasses off and shut my eyes tight for that one. Even if I _could_ see, I didn’t _want_ to! Great 10,000th post, **ivylass**! I am in admiration of you mega-posters. I think I talk too much online, and then I realize that on the Dope I’m just a mere piker. It’s humbling, y’all! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-emergency-repair-in-the-new-house-a-handy-mmp/363846/51 "2006-07-10T18:22:22Z")
Bumbazine, my parents’ freezer has a lock, so I know they exist. It just sucks to open the fridge and find out that the temperature control is now “off”. Apparently, the sprog is into saving electricity, because he’s also anal about turning lights off. He just needs to learn to leave the refrigerator alone. Robin ---
**Author:** ![YaWanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/bbce88/32.png) [@YaWanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YaWanna)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-emergency-repair-in-the-new-house-a-handy-mmp/363846/52 "2006-07-10T18:46:31Z")
Mornin’, y’all (well, it’s still mornin’ _here_ 😃 ). Gotta say, I enjoy hearing about someone else’s “joys o’ home ownership” tales, instead of living mine. Sunday, my not-so-better half forced (yes, that was the correct verb) the toilet to overflow. Then he proceeded to scream at me to get the plunger, which I could not find, due to being in the process of remodeling bathrooms. I told him so, but he still screamed at me to go get it. So I did what any reasonable person would do - I ran away. OK, not away. But away from him, which was just as good. Actually, I did come back with a mop. See, I’m not so bad. Although I did consider divorcing his ass. WTF is it with men who scream like a madman at loved ones when all hell breaks loose? I suppose the reason I’m still with him is that I’m familiar with the dynamic from my own father. I did get some enjoyment, when things calmed down, out of telling Mr. Wanna that it wasn’t very intelligent of him to _purposely_ overflow the toilet without having the plunger, mop, towels, etc., **standing right by**. :smack: My husband is a very handy guy, really, except he seems to have Plumbing Deficiency Syndrome. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-emergency-repair-in-the-new-house-a-handy-mmp/363846/53 "2006-07-10T18:47:13Z")
I spent the weekend going through old boxes and repackaging. It is so eerie how you get disconnected from reality when you’re looking through old letters, pictures and assorted junk! I found a stack of Rolling Stone magazines from college that were saved for some inexplicable reason, and it dawned on me that there might be an ebay market for them. Sadly, not much. One however, with Prince on the cover, is being offered with a Buy It Now price of $25. So if it goes for that, I might try and sell it. The others seem to be selling for palty amounts like $3.99. If anyone’s a diehard collector of Hall & Oats memorbelia, however, I have a RS with them on the cover. 😃 My darling little baby cherry (age: 22 months) is shaping up to be Car Obsessed. For some time he has loved his Matchbox cars. My husband and I have been admiring, in a sort of bemused way, the Chrysler 300, which we call The Mafia Car. Well, he found a toy model at Target, and on sale, and brought it home. You have never seen a happier baby. He fell asleep with it snuggled to his little chest, I kid you not. ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-emergency-repair-in-the-new-house-a-handy-mmp/363846/54 "2006-07-10T19:11:27Z")
\*\*Ellen \*\* - that means you actually have to purchase the grown up model - A friend bought one about a year ago - she loves it, if that’s any help ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-emergency-repair-in-the-new-house-a-handy-mmp/363846/55 "2006-07-10T19:26:55Z")
[QUOTE=Sean Factotum] This reminds me of that scene in _The Big Chill_ where Glenn Close is standing at the refrigerator, examining the contents so she can put a shopping list together. Jeff Goldblum comes by and says, “That’s the problem with those things. You have to keep you eye on them every minute.” Well, I thought it was funny. [/QUOTE] That is a good line - I always recite it along with Jeff. That movie has special meaning for me, too, since it was the subject of my first date with **FCD**. So far, my day has been a big _meh_, but in a little bit, I get to head out for Physical Therapy in the Quest for the Use of my Left Arm. I’ve started moving it more - who’d’a thunk that keeping it idle would do so much harm?? I’ve gotten a little range back, but I’m counting on the therapists to get it back to normal. My goal is to be able to scratch the middle of my back with my left hand. Right now, I can barely reach my left butt cheek coming from the left side, and I can’t reach over either shoulder at all. But I can raise my arm a bit more to the front and to the side, so there’s that. Oh yeah, and three of you have gotten an email from me today. You know who you are and you know why! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-emergency-repair-in-the-new-house-a-handy-mmp/363846/56 "2006-07-10T19:48:52Z")
Forgot to mention…Ivyboy got his AP English exam results in the mail today. He got a 4. For those of you unaware of the AP (Advanced Placement) exam, it’s given to students taking AP courses in high school. Five is the highest. 4 is very very good. I myself only got a 3 when I was a young ivy sprig. Yes, it was addressed to my son, and no, I couldn’t wait another week to find out what he got. So, now, congratulate my son! ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-emergency-repair-in-the-new-house-a-handy-mmp/363846/57 "2006-07-10T19:51:19Z")
[QUOTE=ivylass] So, now, congratulate my son! [/QUOTE] No! only kidding! Yay **ivyboy**! ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-emergency-repair-in-the-new-house-a-handy-mmp/363846/58 "2006-07-10T19:51:35Z")
[QUOTE=ivylass] Forgot to mention…Ivyboy got his AP English exam results in the mail today. He got a 4. For those of you unaware of the AP (Advanced Placement) exam, it’s given to students taking AP courses in high school. Five is the highest. 4 is very very good. I myself only got a 3 when I was a young ivy sprig. Yes, it was addressed to my son, and no, I couldn’t wait another week to find out what he got. So, now, congratulate my son! [/QUOTE] Wow, I got a 4 in English too. And get this - a 4 in Spanish. So tell him congrats. Woohoo! ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-emergency-repair-in-the-new-house-a-handy-mmp/363846/59 "2006-07-10T20:04:08Z")
We didn’t have AP placement tests when I was in HS (Stop right there **mika** , I know what you’re thinking…), but I DID get a 36 in math and a 35 in Science on my ACT. Way to go IvyKid! Be smarter than the rest of us!!! Ok, shoot higher than that, but still… ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-emergency-repair-in-the-new-house-a-handy-mmp/363846/60 "2006-07-10T20:25:03Z")
my best was a 97 (of 100) on the Math regents (11th grade - mostly algebra) I drove myself nuts trying to figure out where I lost 3 points! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-emergency-repair-in-the-new-house-a-handy-mmp/363846.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-emergency-repair-in-the-new-house-a-handy-mmp/363846.md?page=4)