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Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
81

“I’ll take things I’ve never seen and hope I never do for $200, Alex.”

Truly, I hope Ariel is better soon and you have a better day tomorrow!

This does indeed sound like a most sucky day. May tomorrow bring significant improvement for you, too.

I’ve turned into the DIY Queen, and I’m bad at it. Over the past couple of weeks, my Sleep Number bed sprang an air leak on one side (fortunately not the side I sleep on), my Weber grill, now nearly 17 years old, requires replacement of the gas line used to ignite the coals, and I finally got sick of a sectional sofa whose sections want to crawl away from each other and decided to fix that, too.

The Sleep Number bed repair is on the furthest back burner. The leak is a slow one and I can live with it for the foreseeable. I’m going to have to tear the whole bed apart and be prepared to leave it unassembled for awhile, depending on where the leak is. I think it’s a hose and not the mattress, since I never sleep on that side. But I’ll tackle it when I can afford to be less rested, just in case.

I ordered the Weber grill gas line replacement kit and it arrived today. Reviewed the instructions. Easy-peasy, sez I. How dumb was that?

The very first snag I hit are 2 Phillips head screws that hold the side table in place and stubbornly don’t wish to yield so I can remove the table to get at the gas line connections easily. I risk stripping the damn screw heads if I continue to try to force them. I have soaked them in WD-40, given them some good knocks with a rachet head and a hammer and hope that time with lubrication will prevail. Will work on it more tomorrow. Review of several Youtube vids explaining how to remove stripped Phillips head screws have thus far been a disappointment. I may be able to replace the gas line parts without removing the table, but it will very obviously be a much bigger PITA.

The sectional sofa problem seems easiest to solve. The interlocking brackets are scheduled for arrival in the morning. I have a plan of attack. I’ve used these before but a friend installed them for me. Let’s hope I learned from watching him. How bad I can mess this up tomorrow, I wonder?

82

Up from naptime, watching playoff hockey and having a Manhattan and toacs.
Me: < wakes up >
Spot: “You only slept seven hours. What is wrong with you?”

< Alexander The Great likes this approach >

Well, today and Saturday’s cluster was courtesy of them using the one Dispatch guy as on floor management.

11’ 8" Bridge Cam

{{{{red}}}}

Ariel looks overjoyed, too. {{{{both of you}}}}

83

Poor Ariel, she certainly doesn’t look like she had her best day either.

Dang about the puke pile, sometimes the universe just likes to kick you when you are down.

That makes perfect cents to me. Now they get to figure out what to do with them and you get to feel virtuous for making a cash donation.

I am so sorry. This whole thing sounds horrible. I really do hope you don’t have to risk back surgery.

Find a lawyer to help you with the SSDI process. I spoke to many people in the process of trying to get approved and despite missing legs, arms and eyes, many of them were still trying years later. Once they finally found a lawyer willing to work on consignment, they usually got approved in months.

If you can pay the lawyer, that would probably better, the consignment ones usually want 50% of the final settlement.

Hubs knows this sort of thing. But he is currently killing monsters. Tomorrow I will ask him to sit in front of my keyboard and tell you how to do it. I’ve seen him do it in the past and it has always involved a hammer in some fashion.

Oh, I love the Bridge Cams. They are just the thing to watch after smoking a nice bowl :slight_smile:

84

Hubs says the first thing to do is buy a NEW properly sized screwdriver and try that. Screwdrivers wear out over time and that is how you strip screws out. Try a new one and it will usually work. If not, Hubs has hammer advice as well.

85

Ewwwwww…

I have a family fund for that (the family legal fund has now gone from the possibility of bailing dumbass teenagers out of the pokey to this). I also know a disability attorney from political volunteering and his sister, who is a certified disability advocate.

86

I am grateful to anyone willing to share tips and tricks! I know your hubs is well qualified to give them. Thank you so much! I will try the new screwdriver first. :slight_smile:

87

Exactly the advice I was going to give. When they deny it, get a lawyer and appeal, however many times it takes and it often takes 3 tries.

88

For me it is Fail Army on You Tube, same idea, not always job-related but sometimes bring back memories (most of which I’ve tried to forget…).

Well, nappage took place, and then I finally got dressed and headed for the gym, just as the siren sounded to alert everyone that there was the potential for a tornado anytime, so of course I…just continued to the gym (hey, it’s a guy thing…being dumb, that is). Made it inside before the weather got real nasty, no tornadoes near me, but lots of rain and wind, and there are a bunch of tree branches down near my place. Looked out back and looks like my fence survived this time. At least I got a lot of calories burned…

Cookie, thanks for the pic, at least it was interesting while it was happening.

Seems a sensible thing to do…

wet one, you look great in that pic; if anyone looks crabby and tired it’s Ariel…and…

TMI!!

Coppertone, I doubt most of us could retire at 56; best wishes to him.

red, your point on buying new models is well-taken, I may take a test drive of the Santa Fe and see how it feels. And hope you health problems get resolved.

Bright Tree, good luck with DIY jobs; I usually contract most of them out, being the most un-handiest man in the Western Hemisphere, but kudos to your trying.

doggio, love the old 11’ 8" truck opener, but not too many new ones there, guess people are actually paying attention…

And that’s all for the late night final. It’s calm outside now. Looking at the Wondermap at Weather Underground, the storm is well east of me and FCM should be seeing it’s remains early tomorrow morning. Hopefully we’ll stay dry for a bit so I can get mowage done Thursday or Friday.

Catch y’all tomorrow.

89

Up, caffeinated, and sheveled. Off to heave.

90

Brexit hasn’t changed anything. Passports were always required - we never signed up to Schengen so never had open borders with the rest of the EU.

91

Morning, mumpers! It’s currently 13c/55f with a predicted high of 20c/67f and mostly cloudy. Weather app says “Cloudy with the occasional fucking sun fart.” Well, that promises to be fun, doesn’t it?

It makes me happy that I’m not the only one! We have a small section of pavement that’s been dug up across the street from our house. It’s got some cones around it and some barriers to stop idiots falling into the hole, and allowing space for pedestrians to get round it, so that extends into the road. It means that drivers coming up my side of the street have a clear path, and those on the other side do not. Much angst and horn honking ensues, to my amusement.

They look lovely! You have something pretty and colourful to look at for a while.

Sounds like a good way to spend a day preparing for RDOS-level activity!

Fun times! If you’re not desperate to buy a new car, you have time to wait for the hybrid version of what you really want, unless some incredible offer for something else drops into your lap in the meantime.

{{{{{Red}}}}}

Yesterday was a busy but uneventful evening. I logged off work and went down to the kitchen to make campus food. After that, I fed the cats and cleaned the litter trays, then had half an hour for a cup of tea before it was time to make dinner. I had another couple of hours of sloth after dinner before bedtime and the round of cat treats.

I was up just before the alarm went off this morning, got myself out of the house an hour later after doing all the morning chores, and the Travel Gods decided to have a bit of an off day. I am now at irk, got a cup of tea and breakfast, and a load of meetings that take me up to 2pm. I might get a bit of work done this afternoon, I might not. Hopefully it’ll be pub night tonight although if it isn’t, I will not be too upset about that.

92

I missed a day and there are thousands of things to reply to. I think I’ll just spread hugs all around.

I’ve got a zoom interview for some AI work this morning. It’s interesting to me because I’ve never talked to another human regarding an AI job before.

93

Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN ‘Tis 75 Amurrkin out and mostly clear with a predicted high of 88 and mostly cloudy. TWPTB say there will be a tstorm around eight this a.am. Breath shall not be held however. We shall procure provisions and get shorn. I shall make chikin sallit as well. We will attend the doin’s over to the church house this evenin’, so that takes care of sup.

Now I need more caffeine and to feed rumbly tummy. Then, bother of bothers, I must purtify and don attire acceptable for bein’ amongst the great unwashed. The things I do for my public!

Happy Hump Day Y’all!

94

FCD loves his - I feel like I’m driving a bus, but then I don’t drive it all that often. Sometimes even my Sonata feels big.

I woke to the pitter-patter, but nothing dramatic. The dramatic part is today’s high will be 63°! A bit chilly for this time of year. The marina pool is opening on Saturday, and the high temp is supposed to be 69°. I don’t imagine there will be much swimming…

I’ve been trying to figure out my meds schedule for while we’re on the cruise. I take them every 12 hours because of the seizure meds, generally around 7. That means in England and Iceland, it’ll be at 12, in Norway, it’ll be at 1, in Greenland, it’ll be 10. I may need to start shifting my schedule now so I don’t have to wake at midnight or 1AM. Dammit. And what if we’re on an excursion, as we will be a couple of times? Must think more on this. If not for the seizure meds, I wouldn’t bother.

I got 7 hours of sleep last night!! And the peasants rejoiced!!! I feel human this morning - functional even! Not sure what my functions will be - time will tell. Days like this, I’m glad I don’t have to deal with MIL. She’d be freezing and refusing to use the electric blanket because it’s not winter. Thankfully, that’s not an issue.

But it’s for certain FCD is her son. I’d ask MIL “Are you hungry?” and she’d answer “What time is it?” As if mealtime matters when you’re housebound. And now her firstborn is doing the same thing. The only answers to the question are “Yes”, “No”, and maybe “A little” - not “What time is it?” When you’re retired, you can eat when you want because your schedule is yours, not that of the working world. Sheesh!

We’ve got an appt with our money guy next week. I got to thinking about the CD we have and if we should be doing something else with it. It doesn’t mature till 2028, but I won’t want to take it in a lump sum and bump us into a higher tax bracket. It may be too small an amount for an annuity, and it may be too early to roll it anyway because of early withdrawal penalties. But Dave is money smart, so we’ll talk to him about it.

So it begins. Happy Wednesday!!

95

When I lived in St. Louis I belonged to a group that had a Memorial Day picnic every year. We almost always attended, so 15+ picnics over 20 years. I can recall picnics held on 40F/15C days with overcast, wind, and spitting rain. And picnics held on cloudless sunblasty and very humid days of 90F/32C. And everything in between.

The only thing you can say about Memorial Day weather in the middle band of the USA is that you’ll have some.

96

Good. The process was unnecessarily cruel and time consuming before the social security system got Doged, it’s going to be even worse now.

Let me know how it goes!

I don’t know about your gym, but mine would probably be a good place to be in a disaster. It’s overbuilt with thick concrete walls and has a water supply in case you are stuck there for an extended period of time. No food though, but the office staff all have desks to raid.

Good luck! Tell us how it went :slight_smile:

So happy Wednesday everyone!

Not much is planned for today. We got a nice rain yesterday so I won’t have to water my posies. I’m going to go into town and pick up a couple of plants from BL. She’s not going to get my petunia back but she’s got five other baskets of very unhappy flowering plants for me to babysit for a while.

Hubs is having his stitches taken out today. I don’t like how his scar is looking, I think it isn’t healing as well as it could so I’m glad that he’s getting some medically trained eyes on it today.

The kitchen floor needs mopped and I think the entry way does as well so that will happen this afternoon. I like to mop when hubs and the fuzzbutts are napping, that way I don’t have to scold them for walking on wet floors.

97

Good morning.

It’s 46°F and cloudy right now. The overcast skies will become partly cloudy in the afternoon, with a high temperature of 66°F. It’s too soggy to dig in the dirt, though. We had a lot of torrential downpours yesterday, and the dirt is just too wet.

Given that yesterday was soggy, it was pretty much a day of high sloth, with bursts of tidying or small chores.

I’m not sure what’s on the agenda today. Could be something, could be nothing.

doggio, we have a similar bridge up this way. Well, it’s actually in Nellie’s county. Trucks often get stuck there, too.

wetone, sorry to read about Ariel’s ulcers, but hopefully she’s on the road to healing now.

red, I’m so sorry about all the continued back problems. I hope you can get an answer soon so you’ll know the way forward.

Nellie, I continue to think of you.

Time for more coffee. I hope everyone has an easy day.

98

Oops.

This should read “40F/5C”.

99

Good morning all. Didn’t get to bed until just after midnight, one restroom break about 5am and then back to sleep until nearly 8am. So starting the day late but with nothing except swimming and weight training on the schedule, I can afford to be my RDOS self. The sky is clear and the sun is bright, temperature is due to get just above 80F so not a bad day in store.

Yep, not thick concrete but pretty sturdy and as long as your not swimming, no windows to close. They do sell drinks and snakcs (healthy ones of course) so doubt there would be starvation…and Publix and Kroger a 5-minute walks away…

There are Sun Farts! Look here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czP3QqCUfis

FCM, good luck on figuring out the meds. Can’t you just stick to the 7am/7pm schedule in England, shouldn’t be more than 1-2 hour change from there, Greenland may be the problem…hmmm,.

Truth. We have scattered T-storms and 80F temperatures forecast.

JtC, hope the de-stitching goes well. My hernia stitches didn’t need removal, they just…faded away after time.

And nearly time to break fast with a Big Bowl of Rice Krispies. Have a good Hump Day all.

100

Metal mouse, that is the vet tech in the picture. I am taking the pic. The tall drink of water is the barn manager. The vet fed a 10 foot tube up Ariel’s nose and into her digestive system. The tube has a tiny camera on the end and the vet controls the camera with the equivalent of a joystick. The pictures are projected onto a laptop. There were seven of us, the Vet, the tech , two students, the Barn manager, the assistant Barn manager and me. Ariel has to be on two medications twice a day for 28 days. The meds have an excellent track record of clearing up ulcers.