# Schlep Timbre (September Mini-Rants) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 1, 2024, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schlep-timbre-september-mini-rants/1006553 "2024-09-01T08:08:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 20
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2024, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schlep-timbre-september-mini-rants/1006553/381 "2024-09-26T22:49:00Z")
> [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](#): > > They were trying to intimidate you for a cheap laugh. I don’t know. I think a lot of the builders in the area just toss whoever into the dump trucks. I often see them driving in the middle of the road, because they’re afraid of the drop off on either side. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2024, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schlep-timbre-september-mini-rants/1006553/382 "2024-09-27T01:34:56Z")
> [@Mikkel](#): > > Did she apologise? **kayaker** had just got done saying that his gf embarrassed **him** by getting braces. > One of them mentioned **something his wife did that embarrassed him.** I laughed and said, “You think that’s embarrassing, my gf just got braces”. (bolding mine) Although he likely didn’t mean it like that. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2024, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schlep-timbre-september-mini-rants/1006553/383 "2024-09-27T01:37:08Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > What I learned was, if you have a really hot pan sitting on the stove, just leave the pot holder draped on the handle! I usually stick an oven mitt over it. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2024, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schlep-timbre-september-mini-rants/1006553/384 "2024-09-27T01:40:04Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > I guess the days of vending machines where you could buy books or rolls of stamps are long gone. Now it’s all done from the all-in-one kiosk. Can you still buy them at the counter? That’s where I get them. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2024, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schlep-timbre-september-mini-rants/1006553/385 "2024-09-27T03:07:52Z")
It was after hours. The counter was closed. Also, 56 cents to mail a freaking postcard? And we have to mail 200 of them. That’s $112. I told my wife she needs to be a little more careful about what kind of volunteer work she signs up for. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2024, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schlep-timbre-september-mini-rants/1006553/386 "2024-09-27T03:22:38Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > It was after hours. The counter was closed. Ah. Our post offices don’t keep the lobbies open after hours anymore. > [@Shoeless](#): > > Also, 56 cents to mail a freaking postcard? And we have to mail 200 of them. Thanks offered to her and you for doing this, though! ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2024, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schlep-timbre-september-mini-rants/1006553/387 "2024-09-27T03:41:15Z")
I’m mailing letters at 73 cents each. Somehow I missed the memo about how much postage has increased in the last couple years. The last time I bought stamps they were 15 cents cheaper! ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2024, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schlep-timbre-september-mini-rants/1006553/388 "2024-09-27T11:03:26Z")
Part of getting old is having firmly embedded ideas of how much things should cost, and then getting sticker shock when we see how much they _do_ cost nowadays. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2024, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schlep-timbre-september-mini-rants/1006553/389 "2024-09-27T11:19:36Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > That’s $112. I told my wife she needs to be a little more careful about what kind of volunteer work she signs up for. Yeah, I’m doing postcards also. I look at the cost as cheap mental health care for me. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2024, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schlep-timbre-september-mini-rants/1006553/390 "2024-09-27T11:47:29Z")
I know, right? My wife and I used to joke about how out of touch her mom was with how much things cost, but now I’m starting to understand. I figured postcard postage would be maybe 25 or 30 cents, not over 50! ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2024, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schlep-timbre-september-mini-rants/1006553/391 "2024-09-27T11:52:58Z")
A few years back I had to mail a few things. I went to the post office and asked for 4 stamps, handing over a dollar bill. Wow, I was shocked. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2024, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schlep-timbre-september-mini-rants/1006553/392 "2024-09-27T12:02:16Z")
A stamp is “un timbre” in French, coincidentally. A single stamp is $1.15 CAD (for domestic mail), or $0.99 each if you buy a booklet of 10 (or more? I just get one booklet at a time). Stamp pricing is “permanent” so at least if you’ve bought it, you can use it later even if the price went up for new purchases. My rant right now is that I’m exhausted. Insomnia has been BAD this week and I’m really struggling with it. At least it’s Friday but we have a busy weekend ahead and I’m not sure how I’ll manage some of it if I’m this tired. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2024, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schlep-timbre-september-mini-rants/1006553/393 "2024-09-27T16:08:52Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > Stamp pricing is “permanent” so at least if you’ve bought it, you can use it later even if the price went up for new purchases. That’s how our ‘forever’ stamps work, which is why I didn’t know how much our postage had increased. I will finish using up the ones that cost me 58 cents and start using the more expensive ones on this batch of letters. I should probably buy a bunch more stamps now if the rates are going to keep increasing this quickly. ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2024, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schlep-timbre-september-mini-rants/1006553/394 "2024-09-27T23:09:40Z")
Two weekends ago we had a heavy rain for the first time all summer. I happened to be in the hallway during a particularly hard downpour when I heard pings coming from the attic. I pulled the stairs down and saw that rain was running down the bricks on the south side of the chimney, some drops bouncing off duct work next to it. On Monday I started making calls. I got someone to come out that Wednesday and he said he would send an estimate within a few days. He told me he didn’t see any damage in the attic and not to worry. Another company set up an appointment for Wednesday of this week. Another said he would let me know a date to come but I haven’t heard back from him. Two companies didn’t return my calls. Just the usual when trying to get home repairs done. Tuesday I got the estimate from the first company and it was a doozy. $1250 to basically tear off everything around the chimney and replace it. Any wood decking needed would be an additional cost. It seemed a bit over the top since the roof is only three years old. I haven’t responded. The guys who came out Wednesday were from the company that put the roof on. They thought it was a simple fix. They said they could do it and replace a shingle they found with a hole in it from a limb (I have extra shingles). They could do it now for $125 and clear all the leaves off the roof while they were at it. I knew we were expecting heavy rain today from Helene so I figured what the hell. If they fixed it, great, if not at least I got the shingle replaced and the valleys of the roof cleared. It was worth a shot. It started raining early this morning and when I got up and looked in the attic, of course, it didn’t work. I made more calls and someone is coming tomorrow. I’m waiting on one other to call with a date. I hate how long it takes to get home repairs done. I’m not a patient person (see the above jumping the gun). The next couple weeks look good weather-wise so hopefully I can get this done before another rain. And it doesn’t cost over a thousand dollars. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2024, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schlep-timbre-september-mini-rants/1006553/395 "2024-09-27T23:25:57Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > A stamp is “un timbre” in French, coincidentally. > > A single stamp is $1.15 CAD (for domestic mail), or $0.99 each if you buy a booklet of 10 (or more? I just get one booklet at a time). Stamp pricing is “permanent” so at least if you’ve bought it, you can use it later even if the price went up for new purchases. I remember when a first-class letter stamp for an ordinary personal or business envelope was 5¢. If it’s now $1.15 it sounds like it just **might** have exceeded the rate of inflation! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schlep-timbre-september-mini-rants/1006553/396 "2024-09-28T05:55:41Z")
I tried to order some stuff from Walmart last night. I hate that fucking place but the stuff I wanted was either discontinued or in some varieties hard to get from local stores and even Amazon. As I went through checkout and entered my credit card number, the Edge browser popped up a little window asking if I wanted to save my CC information “to make ordering easier next time”. I selected whatever option was closest to “fuck you, I don’t want to make my payments ‘easier’ by spreading my CC information all over the place, and with any luck there won’t **be** a next time”. Then I hit “next”. And the glorious Walmart app declared “failed to save credit card information” and went no further. This was either grossly incompetent software design or blatantly aggressive salesmanship. Or both. The fuckers need to **bill** my credit card, not save it. The action I took was the closest possible to checking the box that says “fuck you, you just lost an order, and lost a customer, though I always hated you anyway.” ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schlep-timbre-september-mini-rants/1006553/397 "2024-09-28T12:28:43Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I tried to order some stuff from Walmart last night. We were discussing Walmart last night. I haven’t purchased anything there in many years, preferring to order from Amazon. My gf bought a dozen oil change pans from Walmart last year. I drilled 1/8 inch holes in the pans for her, making them totally useless for changing oil. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schlep-timbre-september-mini-rants/1006553/398 "2024-09-28T15:25:01Z")
Why ? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schlep-timbre-september-mini-rants/1006553/399 "2024-09-28T16:03:15Z")
They are used for dog training purposes, specifically NoseWork. Each pan has one hole. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2024, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schlep-timbre-september-mini-rants/1006553/400 "2024-09-28T19:06:14Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Each pan has one hole. So the dogs can breathe? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schlep-timbre-september-mini-rants/1006553.md?page=19) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schlep-timbre-september-mini-rants/1006553.md?page=21)