Somewhere between Gaaaaah and Things That Make You Happy ...

[SeVeNeVeS]

Not been around here for a while, PC hard drive fried, no internet and all that.

Gaaaah......... After a valiant fight for a very long time, my Dad finally lost the battle and passed away on the 29th of July. It's all been a slightly crappy, but hey, life carries on.........

Happy......... He has no need for his PC now, so I grabbed it quick, back online and you poor people will have to suffer my presence once again I'm afraid   

Might be slightly intermittent for a while longer, but I am back. A lot of catching up to do methinks.

Sorry to hear about your loss. Nut I understand firsthand the process of end of life. Since I had no relations with my biological father, my grandparents ended up becoming my parents. I had to go though a protracted process between 2010 and two years ago.

Sorry to hear about your dad, but also glad to hear you are back.

If ever a post was an exact fit for this thread, yours would be it! 

So sorry to hear of your loss, my thoughts are with you.

Sympathy for the loss of your father, SeVeNeVes. Never a good time, but good that something reasonable came out of the situation.
Nice to see you back!

Many thanks for the thoughts and words Ladies and Gents, exactly why I am a member of this fine forum.

[rovingjack]

so I went to my storage unit to grab a couple things to use to prepare things for a mini-maker faire coming up. and of course the things I wanted were at the back of a 10'x10' storage packed up to the front. sigh, this is my life right now.

Well I got the first junky iron out of a tip at a university, (I use it with parchment paper to fuse scrap plastics from containers and bags into larger sheet material from which I can make things), maybe I can grab one from a thrift store.

1 hour later:
Nope; but I found two 12 mega pixel digital cameras (one that can be fit with lens adapters and an adapter to a telescope and also takes non-proprietary batteries, the other is supposed to be water and cold proof) capable of shooting 780p video... and a Macbook refurbished laptop whose with a 2.1 ghz dual core, a 500gig HD (2 megs ram though, beggars can't be choosers), battery holds a charge, webcam and wifi work.

The price for the lot $150.

That's a fair bit more than I'd usually consider spending on anything; but now I have a second computer that in some ways is a step up from my main laptop. Plus 4 cameras with which to shoot video content, edit it and post to youtube via wifi access.

[Madasasteamfish]

The other night when I was ordering myself a new weskit online I decided to treat myself and I ordered another waistcoat from the same site's 'bargain basement' section whereby you specify your size and they send you a random waistcoat/jacket/shirt etc. (usually a sample or remaindered stock).

Now, this site offers a wide range of 'novelty' suits and the like and so I was actually quite pleased when I opened the parcel I found waiting on my doorstep tonight and found my random item was rather nice plain black waistcoat (YAY!). The problem is the d*mned *expletive*s have sent me the wrong f**king size and this very nice weskit I was pleased to find delivered is a size too small despite that size apparently being 'out of stock' and the invoice specifying that it was my size

To make it worse, because of the nature of the discount, the sale is made on a 'sold as seen' basis and so I can't send it back

[J. Wilhelm]

The bad news: I just found out the entire business where I work has been sold. To a new owner who is new to the business. There could be some really bad things stemming from that

The good news: I was not let go. I get to keep my job and continue working as I have since I had to move to the new shop.

The unknown: since the new owners are inexperienced, they are "training" with the old owner for this month at least, if not longer. The shop where I work needs desperately to put out advertisement online and physical in the form of coupons to attract customers. The good in this is that the new management seems very eager to put effort into new advertising strategies - that's very good. But the fact theat the owners are inexperienced could spell doom.

*sigh* I just hope I make it past Christmas. One more reason to change jobs, and I already have a barrel full of reasons to leave.

[The Bullet]

The good in this is that the new management seems very eager to put effort into new advertising strategies - that's very good. But the fact theat the owners are inexperienced could spell doom.

If they are any good, they know they´re unexperienced and will listen to the "people at the rock face" (you) who know how the business runs and what could be done to improve which area.

Maybe you could offer them your view and help shape things up a bit.

Fingers crossed.

[J. Wilhelm]

The good in this is that the new management seems very eager to put effort into new advertising strategies - that's very good. But the fact theat the owners are inexperienced could spell doom.

If they are any good, they know they´re unexperienced and will listen to the "people at the rock face" (you) who know how the business runs and what could be done to improve which area.

Maybe you could offer them your view and help shape things up a bit.

Fingers crossed.

Thank you 

That's exactly what I'm doing. I'm being proactive...

[Will Howard]

The good in this is that the new management seems very eager to put effort into new advertising strategies - that's very good. But the fact theat the owners are inexperienced could spell doom.

If they are any good, they know they´re unexperienced and will listen to the "people at the rock face" (you) who know how the business runs and what could be done to improve which area.

Maybe you could offer them your view and help shape things up a bit.

Fingers crossed.

Thank you 

That's exactly what I'm doing. I'm being proactive...

Warn us if you become radioactive...

[Madasasteamfish]

The YAY!: I've signed up to a Model Rail Forum (where I think I may have found some more kindred spirits) and which has inspired me to share my work and start a new project.

The GAH!!: The cost of said project, and the time I'm likely to lose to perusing said forum, and laughing at the witty comments of the other contributors.

[morozow]

Got the lights on the new-year tree. Included. The night she flashed the lights and then stopped to Shine.

Here I went in the morning and bought a new garland.

[ForestB]

Yay, new glasses, boo, getting used to progressive lenses...

[morozow]

He spoke at the conference "Museum of XXI century". He told about mistakes in information support of Museum events.

That taking part is good.

As adopted. Not very. I'm not a good speaker yet.

But understood that to do! I need Pictures! With man - Vasily. That would on his example tell about mistakes.

[rovingjack]

instead of making something creative or working on things I need to work on, today I taste tested several new flavored peanut M&Ms, drank four different flavored diet cokes, and when a friend posted that for once an ad on facebook mentioned a web comic that looked interesting but she accidentally clicked away and lost it, I decided to use some of her descriptions to see what I could find. The ones I suggested turned up to be wrong, and she eventually found hers... and I then spent all afternoon reading one of the best things I've found in a long time. Ava's Demon. Art, story, with some animated shorts at the ends of chapters and some interactive web comic features...

and so I've squandered my day in consumption, achieved nothing of significance, neglected my creative impulses that were looking forward to making something, and fallen further behind in the work I'm supposed to be doing and want to be doing... but I feel a bit guilty because I enjoyed my day, and the things I passively consumed.

[Mercury Wells]

The comic looks good. Just started reading & book-marked it, thank you. 

[rovingjack]

The comic looks good. Just started reading & book-marked it, thank you. 

Glad to help, 

today in squandered minutes- I'm not even sure how it happened but I rediscovered and explored my neopets account from something like 15 years ago. oh the nostalgia. It's still running these days and I wonder how active the neopets community is these days.

[rovingjack]

started a new project series on my live videos last night. It's a revival of an decade or so old idea I had of a cook book "Alchemical saucery" the creation of making your own condiments, sauces and marinades from base ingredients and how to transform one into another and how to use those to transform dishes.

I Started last night with making a marinara sauce for pasta from tomato puree and fresh onion and garlic, adding the herbs and spices and cooking it (and spattering it on the ceiling apparently).

And Starting a batch of home made Ketchup while that cooked.

After which I used some of the marinara to make a pizza sauce. And some of the Ketchup to make a cocktail sauce for shrimp...

and after live streaming the whole thing discovered that somewhere in the path from my kitchen to youtube, 30 minutes of the processes didn't get broadcast. apparently it dropped the signal several times for minutes.

Hopefully the next few will be both shorter and not destroyed by internet flaking out.

[Siliconous Skumins]

Been feeding a stray cat for a few months now, about two years old, all white with blue eyes......and two massive bol**ks. So he'll need to be 'de-tommed' shortly. It's taken a while for him to get confident around me, but he's now happy to be picked up and stroked. And my other cat (also a male) has never had any issues with him being in his territory...


...UNTIL NOW.  Guess he's getting a bit jealous.

Still, today I was able to fit a collar around the stray's neck and he was totally fine with it. So he's officially mine now. Getting him inside the house with my other cat is going to be......interesting.

I've named him Tesla. 

[Banfili]

Been feeding a stray cat for a few months now, about two years old, all white with blue eyes......and two massive bol**ks. So he'll need to be 'de-tommed' shortly. It's taken a while for him to get confident around me, but he's now happy to be picked up and stroked. And my other cat (also a male) has never had any issues with him being in his territory...


...UNTIL NOW.  Guess he's getting a bit jealous.

Still, today I was able to fit a collar around the stray's neck and he was totally fine with it. So he's officially mine now. Getting him inside the house with my other cat is going to be......interesting.

I've named him Tesla. 

When I brought my newly acquired, desexed, black rescue cat into the house in his carry cage, I put the cage into the back room, with food, water & a litter tray, opened the door of the carry cage & walked out of the room, pulling the door to, but not quite shut, behind me, & left him to his own devices for a while. The two cats could then get acquainted as much as or as little as they wanted, without too much fuss! I named mine Bran Dhu, (Black Raven). They settled in together, and now get along well, although Pug (the cream) being a lot older draws the line at some of the rougher play sessions!

You are a kind man!
He might be deaf, unless he has a couple of coloured hairs, somewhere.

[Madasasteamfish]

The yay!: I'm in Lincoln for the asylum 

The gaahh!: because of traffic my arrival was delayed by an hour and a half 

Oh well, still plenty of time to unstrap my suitcase and press my shirts and trousers for the weekend ahead...

[rovingjack]

most of my friends over the years have gotten married and started their married and family lives. None ever invited me to their weddings. (Gah!)

One of my good friends is getting married tomorrow, and I've been invited. (makes me happy for him and that I'm not completely forgotten)

Holy crap I have no idea what to expect or do, I'm a quasi-homeless guy with social anxiety, and I've got 6 hours to get sleep, get up early become presentable and drive an hour with a chronic digestive ailment to reacts poorly to stress in clothes I haven't worn in years to a place I've never been... (Gah!)

My buddy has found somebody that makes him happy.

[J. Wilhelm]

most of my friends over the years have gotten married and started their married and family lives. None ever invited me to their weddings. (Gah!)

One of my good friends is getting married tomorrow, and I've been invited. (makes me happy for him and that I'm not completely forgotten)

Holy crap I have no idea what to expect or do, I'm a quasi-homeless guy with social anxiety, and I've got 6 hours to get sleep, get up early become presentable and drive an hour with a chronic digestive ailment to reacts poorly to stress in clothes I haven't worn in years to a place I've never been... (Gah!)

My buddy has found somebody that makes him happy.

I don't want to comment too much on it because I think I know how you feel but probably I'm wrong because I'm projecting by using my own feelings about aging and whatnot as a false baseline. Suffice it to say that it's always an honour to be invited to what is a very important moment for him. Who knows? You could become part of the extended family...

[rovingjack]

in typical fashion I was both early and late. Got to the named location just on time... and nobody else was there. waited 20 minutes. asked some people, they suggested that maybe they meant the harbor 15 minutes up the road. Got in, drove up there and when I arrived... nobody was there. I looked around and spent about 10 minutes checking messages and everything. nothing new. but decided to head back to the first place. and got there just after the ceremony was done.

hung out with the small group, went to the small dinner party, shared good memories reaquainted with the groom after a few years of limited contact over long distances. gave them a gift they could genuinely use.

called it a day, headed over to the nearby town to visit my mum.

saw a big rainbow on the way back.

have digestive issues tonight from the lack of food today and maybe a bit of the stress.

tired now should go to bed soon... but will probably futz around a bit more before tucking in to a feast of dreams

[Hez]

It sounds like you enjoyed it in spite of the mishap.  Well done.

[morozow]

I went to the dacha this weekend. With the family.

And the power went out early on Sunday morning.

Of course it's inconvenient. But one day is tolerable.

Food was cooked on a wood-burning stove. They kept us warm. Tea from the samovar.

And a candlelit dinner.

Romance.

[rovingjack]

so apparently Smarties (aka rockets) candies do not turn into cotton candy in a cotton candy machine... they turn into brown tar that is a pain in the butt to clean up. my boss may be a little disappointed tomorrow when I let her know... but it was kinda fun anyway. Might make rootbeer cotton candy later.

[Synistor 303]

So... after lunch yesterday we were sitting in the living room and heard a bit of a bang/bump. My spouse is a bit deaf, so he said; "What was that?" I thought it was water-hammer, as the dishwasher was on and we get a bit of water hammer sometimes. About 10 minutes later, I went down the hall for some reason, and could hear the washing machine filling with water. I was a bit surprised, as usually I organise the washing, especially after the 'good wool jumper thrown in with the work-gear' incident... I needn't have worried - the spouse had not decided to wash clothes, instead, it was the sound of water pouring out from under the hand basin in the bathroom.

Now, the bathroom is the only room in the house we have not renovated, because the previous owners had done it up and we just couldn't justify the expense of ripping out a relatively new bathroom and replacing it. Because of that, there was no tap under the basin to turn the water off, (we had installed taps under all other sinks/basins), so despite me being a gimp, I managed to run outside to the front of the house, locate the mains water and turn off the very stiff tap. It didn't turn off all the way... so it was still running out under the sink, so I ran out again and turned on the tap (on full) that is attached just in front of the mains, all the while yelling to my deaf husband for help.

About the same time, the dog must have decided she needed a pee, so she walked down the hall, saw all the water and must have decided she didn't want to walk in it (!!!!!), so she peed on the hall runner...

Meanwhile, the water had gone all over the bathroom floor, around into the separate toilet, all through the laundry and round into our newly carpeted bedroom. Luckily the hall runner stopped it running along the hall and into the other newly carpeted bedrooms.

(A short explanation of the bathroom sink set-up is needed here - it is one of those moulded all in one basin with bench-top extending either side.)

So, the spouse had removed all the stuff from under the bathroom sink to get to the burst pipe (which was a rubber/plastic pipe wrapped in stainless steel webbing. Despite that, it had a thumb-width hole blown in it!) OH yeah, and he put the stuff (you know - bottles of unused Christmas aftershave, cleaning supplies etc...) on top of the sink unit. Now, amongst the bottles was a spray can of adhesive, which was quite old and a bit rusty, and in all the jostling and bumping, and unnoticed by us, it had sprung a leak and was now oozing adhesive over the bench top amongst all the other bottles and stuff.

At the time, using brooms and mops and all the 'dog' towels, then most of the 'human' towels we managed to mop up most of the water, and I managed to sop up the big patch that had gone onto the new bedroom carpet. It was a fine sunny day, so we got all the mats and the hall runner out in the sun to dry. The spouse had even managed to find an old sink tap with bit of hose attached that was the right size, remove the bit of burst pipe and fix it into place.

Finally we got sopping towels into the washing machine and dried up any little missed bits with yet more 'human' towels and then the spouse said; 'What's that smell?"

It took us a few moments to work out where the smell was coming from, but finally I located the can which was still oozing. I couldn't take it outside, because it would have dripped all over tiled and timber floors on the way out, so we needed a plastic bag to put the can in. Now, in 2019, some bloke decided it was his mission to rid Australia of all plastic bags, and through a series of bullying and idiocy he managed to do it. We used to recycle our plastic bags, so could guarantee none ever went into the ocean... We now have 'forever' shopping bags, which you purchase at the supermarket, which are porous. Never-the-less, that is what we were forced to grab and stuff the can into. Through this operation the adhesive stuck to our hands, and the bag and stuck the bag to us, but at least it wasn't dripping onto anything for a few moments so the spouse could get the bag outside before it stared to drip through the bag. In that time, I managed to find a big black plastic garbage bag, get the bleedin' thing open and with much to-ing and fro-ing managed to get wrestle the can into the bag and unstick ourselves from the bag.

Both of our hands were now covered in adhesive. We couldn't look at the can to see what cleaned it up as it was now safely and permanently inside the black plastic bag and the porous shopping bag...

I managed to get a bottle of nail polish remover open, but that just smeared the adhesive without removing it, making it slightly worse. Working our way through various toxic chemicals, we finally found some gum turpentine which removed the *&^%! stuff. The spouse ripped up bit of old sheet, while I doused the bits in turpentine and wiped it off both our hands and the turps container lid. All the used rag went into a box he had found (no bags, remember) and then with more ripped sheet and turps I managed to clean it off the myriad of bottles and cleaning supplies and bath stuff that were on the sink and then cleaned the benchtop part and the trail that had gone down into the basin (but thankfully not down the plughole), then any door handles we had touched, the lids of the other toxic chemicals etc etc...

After that, I drank wine.

On the bright side - there is no water-mark on the new carpet and the tiled floors down that end of the house are spotless!