78F and overcast. Local forecasts day nice day but humid and hot. NOAA says severe thunderstorms. I guess we’ll see.
N
Sun.Aug. 5, 2018 – conflicting lies
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78F and overcast. Local forecasts day nice day but humid and hot. NOAA says severe thunderstorms. I guess we’ll see.
N
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100s broke in Austin, hopefully for the rest of the summer. No rain, however, despite threatening skies this morning.
I helped my sister on her house most of yesterday. Nothing too major, just a lot of maintenance and minor repairs that she couldn’t do or couldn’t do by herself. In theory her son who lives 20 miles away could have helped any time in the past year. In practice…*
I was pretty well wiped out yesterday evening and have localized sore muscles today. The “wiped out” was probably from being in the sun and not drinking enough, nothing serious. The sore muscles are probably from too much time crawling in the blasted crawlspace trying to puzzle out the atrocity that had been perpetrated on the plumbing of that poor house. Biking and lifting weights uses different muscles than crawling over and under all the cables, hoses, and pipes down there — who’d have guessed?
Anyway, she now has a working and non-leaking outside faucet (which took more work than it should have, since the existing faucet couldn’t be removed, we couldn’t find anyone who sold the correct rubber washers, and the new stems have different threading than the old faucet), the gutters have been patched up (kludgily and with much more work than they should have taken, since the old gutters are no longer made and have a different profile than anything we could find), and a few other things were taken care of. She’s pleased, and with any luck the damage to the deck and the foundation have been halted.
* Twenty-some years ago, my wife, infant son, and I drove down to Alabama for her family reunion. We stayed with one of her aunts. Partly from having nothing better to do and partly as thanks for putting us up for a week, I did a lot of repairs around the house. A lot. Nothing major, but things that an ailing 60-year-old woman couldn’t take care of. She was very grateful, and clearly very disappointed that her son, who lived a hundred feet away and used her for free babysitting, couldn’t be bothered to lift a finger. Especially as most of the repairs didn’t even need any particular handyman experience or special tools — just ordinary tools, maybe a few dollars of parts, and a few minutes. And the willingness to get off your ass and do it, which was obviously the problem.
And the willingness to get off your ass and do it,
Which is why I don’t much the you tubers that say ” well I’ve never done this before but watch me as I try”
willingness to get off your ass and do it,
+1,000
I recognize that flaw in myself, my husband. Busting my butt this year to overcome the inertia.
That was really decent of you to pitch in and git ‘er done.
Same think on my MIL’s house when we go to visit. A least a couple of days are spent fixing things in the house. Nothing major.
I tell her to find a handyman she can trust but she refuses. I know why. When I went to replace a non-working switch in a ceiling fan I was rudely awakened. Apparently sometime in the past the fan would not turn off. A “handy man” from her church came by to “fix” the fan. He just cut all the wires to the switch, all five of them, and just left them. I had to figure out which was power and which wires were for fan speed. Rather than disconnecting the power wire, he just cut them. New switch was $5.00 and about an hours worth of time to figure out the color code.
Found out this same guy was to replace a switch for the light in her bathroom. Pulled one fuse but failed to pull the other for the heater. Two live circuits in one box. Yeh, he grounded or otherwise shorted the other circuit and destroyed that switch. MIL’s solution was to just unscrew the bulb when she wanted the light out or just leave the light on. Her rationale was that she could run the bulb for five years and the electricity cost was still less than a repairman.
So I deactivated both circuits, checked them with a non-contact tester (everyone should have one), replaced both switches, replaced the bulbs with LED, all of 15 minutes. No sparks. Total cost about $15.00 (bulbs were the most expensive).
She also said the volume on her TV was too low and this same clod said she needed a new TV. Volume on the TV was at maximum and was barely audible. I then showed her the volume control on the cable remote. Upped the volume on the cable box to maximum and lowered the TV volume as it was too high. She was amazed that she did not need a new TV. Total cost $0.00.
Other stupid stuff like the toilet valve not working. Blamed the city as they replaced a major water line because it broke. The valve now rattled. Thought she needed a special valve. Nope, Home Depot and 15 minutes of work and it was working well again. Total cost about $10.00.
Her kitchen door faces the afternoon sun in San Antonio. The door in the afternoon radiated a large amount of heat into the kitchen. Typical Ray Ellison home, check crap, little to no insulation, etc. My solution was to just put a piece of foil backed foam over the door on the exterior. Ghetto for certain but well within the decor line of her old and low income neighborhood. Total cost about $12.00 and the kitchen was now usable in the afternoon.
She now needs the wiring redone as there are no grounds wires. Insurance company will no longer cover the home for fire unless the wiring is replaced. Cost about $7K. She needs a new roof, about $12K. She needs insulation blown into the walls, cost about $3K. But she refuses to do any of these things. Complains about the money and that she may not live long enough to make it worthwhile. I tell her that even 3 months of comfort and security is worth it. She has the money, just won’t spend the money.
Old people, especially from her generation that remember the depression, just don’t want to spend the money. They would rather do without or work around the issue.
So any time I am there I repair what I can, buy with my own money, and try to make her life a little better.
None if my information is sticking around. Cleared all the cookies, restarted the computer. Nope. Still have to put in my information for each post.
Contra what I said yesterday, same here. I’m not sure if there was a TOR browser update, if there was a ttgnet change, if the info had been getting lost for a while and I didn’t notice (I don’t think that’s the case), or something else.
Same setup as before: TOR browser, Linux. I whitelist JS from ttgnet.com
UPDATE: Info isn’t even sticking around after I post a comment. As soon as the page refreshes, the info is cleared from the fields at the bottom of the page. This is definitely new behavior.
I’m using Chrome on an iPad and my info disappears, too.
Test:
Logged into my ttgnet WordPress account.
Looks like I can post that way without re-entering my info.
Logged into my ttgnet WordPress account.
How do you do this ?
I’ve been entering my name and email address each time that I post. It is a pain.
That’s a useful datum.
First, create a WordPress account.
We had another home invasion by armed black males in our subdivision last night at midnight. About a 1/2 mile away from my house. Same street as last week. This time the homeowner had a gun handy and the guys ran after they kicked in his front door. He did not shoot at them for some reason.
Something weird is going on here. My neighbors are very upset, especially the people living on that street. Sugar Land Police are baffled.
Several of my neighbors in our 4,000 home subdivision are getting Nest Hellos installed.
https://nest.com/doorbell/nest-hello/overview/
I would rather reinforce the door than install a fancy-schmancy doorbell
“Why Satellite Internet Is the New Space Race”
https://www.pcmag.com/article/362695/why-satellite-internet-is-the-new-space-race
“Satellites are a reasonable way to achieve internet access where previously there was none. But the technology has not been fast, reliable, or responsive enough to compete with modern fiber or cable-based internet. That may change with efforts from the likes of SpaceX.”
“So when SpaceX filed a request with the FCC to send 4,425 satellites into low-Earth orbit (LEO) to provide a global high-speed internet network, the FCC was reasonably concerned. For more than a year, the company responded to questions from the commission and petitions by competitors to deny the application, including filing an “orbital debris mitigation plan” to allay fears of Kesslerian apocalypse. On March 28, the FCC granted SpaceX’s application.”
OK, this is still cool. I hope it works. I just don’t see how they are going to get the over the air bandwidth unless they go over the Wifi ranges.
I would rather reinforce the door than install a fancy-schmancy doorbell
Me too. Of course, the other problem is that they throw a large object through a window in the house and gain access that way. I would never go through a door, I would always use a window.
Line the door frame with 12 ga. buckshot shells, maybe half a dozen on each side. Rig them to all be fired at once if the door is bashed in. Works against no-knock police raids and other criminal forcible entry.
We had another burglary at our pool too. Good thing I got some cams and DVR running before I left. Looks like kids again, including at least one girl. Didn’t get access to the dvr this time, did attack two cams. Haven’t heard if any of them were recognizable. Seems damn stupid if it’s the same group, since they know they kicked all the electronics apart last time.
No one ever said they were smart though.
If it’s another group, WTH did we do this year to attract the attention?
N
@SteveF, another doubly recommended young adult book (series) with a female lead from the unruly folk at rec.arts.sf.written, “So You Want To Be A Wizard”
https://www.amazon.com/So-You-Want-Be-Wizard/dp/015216250X/?tag=ttgnet-20
And this book (series) was recommended also, “The Far West (Frontier Magic (Hardcover))”
https://www.amazon.com/Far-West-Frontier-Magic-Hardcover/dp/0545033446/
OK, this is still cool. I hope it works. I just don’t see how they are going to get the over the air bandwidth unless they go over the Wifi ranges.
I’ve seen papers about Internet using TV “whitespace”. Plus ATSC 3.0 is on the horizon which will free up bandwidth in that part of the spectrum.
We had one nearby where the homeowner got his gun and the criminal turned and ran down the street. Homeowner fatally shot the criminal in the back.
Homeowner’s response as to why when he was now safe: “I was protecting my neighbors from him.”
DA filed no charges against homeowner as he realized no jury would convict.
In California??!!!
Thank you very much, Lynn. Everyone else, too, but Lynn’s vastly exceeded my hopes for recommendations.
Yes, Orange County of California.
Yes, we do have some upright citizens here, and Defense Attorneys will not ask for change of venue in such cases.
another doubly recommended young adult book
Thank you very much, Lynn. Everyone else, too, but Lynn’s vastly exceeded my hopes for recommendations.
Hey, you are welcome. And I crowdsourced the recommendations beyond the original six. And I love books so I loved doing this.
You know, I did not suggest the Laura Ingalls Wilder books because they are not SF/F but if I remember right, there are some fairly precarious situations there.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062570420/?tag=ttgnet-20
For whatever reason Selene didn’t care for the Little House books. It was probably for some ridiculous reason like she was in a phase where she only wanted to read Warrior Cats books and the mean ol’ teacher made her read a book with a human protagonist. (Too bad. I thought they were excellent, back when I read them as a kid.)
As may be, there are plenty of other recommendations from all of you, enough that if the library doesn’t have them I’ll be impoverished obtaining a copy of each, heh.
-blink- There are still citizens in California? American citizens? Someone alert the governor! This cannot be allowed to stand!
We had one nearby where the homeowner got his gun and the criminal turned and ran down the street. Homeowner fatally shot the criminal in the back.
Homeowner’s response as to why when he was now safe: “I was protecting my neighbors from him.”
DA filed no charges against homeowner as he realized no jury would convict.
All it takes is one vote for not guilty and all DAs know that. The Constitutional framers were incredible beyond belief. They setup the most wonderful system ever known to mankind.
And mankind is doing his best to ruin it, especially with rogue judges.
[snip] And the willingness to get off your ass and do it, which was obviously the problem. [snip]
Some would rather curse the darkness than light a candle. And some are just too goddammed lazy to flip a switch…
There’s plenty of that, of course, but in the case of my ex-wife’s cousin it was simply that it wasn’t his house with the broken toilet seat. And the mostly-blocked shower head. And the leaking faucets. And the screen door that wouldn’t close all the way. And the loose knobs on drawers. And the squeaky door hinges. And …
There’s plenty of that, of course, but in the case of my ex-wife’s cousin it was simply that it wasn’t his house with the broken toilet seat. And the mostly-blocked shower head. And the leaking faucets. And the screen door that wouldn’t close all the way. And the loose knobs on drawers. And the squeaky door hinges. And …
Rental?
Even when we rented in Vantucky, I was constantly fixing little things. The house was the landlord’s divorce settlement home, and all the move-in details were half-a**ed.
My reward for fixing all of the minor details without picking up the phone? Losing half of the $1500 deposit over water spots on the marble backsplash. A plane ticket back to Portland along with hotel/rental car and county hearing fees to contest the loss would have been $700, and my landlord knew it.
DOY work for relatives… I like doing a few little things to help out, but then you get the leeches who come at you with the endless list. Rarely is there a happy medium, or so it seems. Same for computer help: sort out one problem for one person, and spend the rest of your holiday playing computer consultant for the whole family. Grrr…
No, she and her late husband had owned it. He’d died ten (?) years before and maintenance had been let slide since then because she didn’t know how to do even simple repairs. I’d normally criticize someone for not having the skills and more importantly the mindset to put a few drops of oil on a hinge but in her case she was feeble, needed a walker to get from room to room and hand no hand strength. And anyway, the point of the anecdote was to criticize her lazyass, parasite of a son.
I had that happen only once. Lost my entire deposit. I did look into suing for recovery, but as you say the cost would have been more than the deposit and there was no recovery of court costs then and there. The solution was to knife the landlord’s tires repeatedly until his estimated cost was twice what he stole so that we both lost the same amount.
My daughter had a leaky flapper valve when her husband was deployed. She you tubed it and replaced it herself. Somehow whenever we visit my son, I’m the one who replaces light switches, and a toilet. Who uses the bottom of the line switches anyway? I don’t mind doing it, just wish he’d learn for his sake.
I have done a few little things here mainly out of gratitude for having the place to stay. My BIL has learned to be quite handy, which is amazing considering he started without owning a screwdriver. He and my sister have now fixed up 5? houses. Possibly 6. So I’m just working on the” leave it better than you found it” philosophy.
Arghhhhhh…… One of my Dewalt 18v power packs has gone tits up. Charger just does a fast blink.
In this case I think I’ll just try a generic one.
Dkreck, look at the 20v driver set ( often on Sale ) and the battery adapter to use the 20v with your 18v tools. No point in buying those old packs, they are as much or more than the new 20v packs. The driver set can get you the charger and 2 batteries for the price of a replacement 18v. Then the driver is free!
They are lighter, charge faster, and work fine in every 18v tool I’ve tried.
N