Real Life and What's Happening...

[Bunch]

Sigh... my sister and her family are coming to lunch today. I have to spend the next couple of hours erasing any evidence that I live like a goblin when I don't have guests.

See you need to go full goblin. It's the only way to be happy. Break free from the humanity chains and revel in you goblin slovenliness.

 

[Picaroon Jack]

The worst part of a large house is cleaning. Once you lower your standards enough that stops being too big a problem.

The worst part of a large house in New England is heating it. I see those big Victorian homes and think, "I bet that cost a fortune in the winter!" They typically have 3 chimneys, so I know back then they were just plowing through the wood. My basement still has a coal bin and chute, I have a fist size chunk of coal that was stuck up in the rafters.

 

[Toadmaster]

The worst part of a large house is cleaning. Once you lower your standards enough that stops being too big a problem.

Too close to my reality.

 

[Bunch]

The worst part of a large house in New England is heating it. I see those big Victorian homes and think, "I bet that cost a fortune in the winter!" They typically have 3 chimneys, so I know back then they were just plowing through the wood. My basement still has a coal bin and chute, I have a fist size chunk of coal that was stuck up in the rafters.

That's old. You can have large and efficient in more modern homes.

 

[Picaroon Jack]

That's old. You can have large and efficient in more modern homes.

Oh, they are definitely old!

 

[Nobby-W]

That's old. You can have large and efficient in more modern homes.

Before I moved to my current pad I lived in a very well E-rated house that was so hermetically sealed you had to open the windows and change the air out every couple of days in winter.

 

[Bunch]

Before I moved to my current pad I lived in a very well E-rated house that was so hermetically sealed you had to open the windows and change the air out every couple of days in winter.

That's not nearly as common in the states. We're still behind on that level of energy efficiency for the most part.

 

[The Butcher]

an island. an island between the tropics should do. Puerto Rico hardly moves, Hawaii too. Praia, Cape Verde. Grand Canaries, etc.

Islands are cool but to the best of my understanding, cost of living can be expensive there.

A lot of coastal California comes close to that, lots of places within 20 miles of the coast that run 10-37C low to high average, right on the coast tends to run cooler. I've never been to "the Mediterranean" but as we are classified as a Mediterranean climate I imagine there are many places in Italy, Greece, Southern France etc that also come close.

If I remember correctly you are in Brazil so I assume you are well versed in the effects of humidity on temperatures. I can deal with warm temps and high humidity for a time, but that would be a pretty hard no for me long term. Not a fan of needing a shower right after I get out of the shower.



I've occasionally contemplated moving elsewhere. Lots of countries I could live like a king on my retirement and savings after selling my house, but no place is without issues. It is a fun thought exercise, but agree, realistically it would require some serious bad things happening to get me to actually make moving to another country a reality.

California would be great! Great weather, cosmopolitan, liberal, great QoL… does seem expensive at times but I suppose all great places to live do.

In any case, like you’ve said, nothing but a thought exercise.

Mowing my lawn this weekend. I hate my lawn. It has so many trees and is up and down and has multiple levels and it is such a pita to cut.

Go natural, man. Natural landscaping. Support your local pollinators.

Daily maximums in both cases? If you want overnight minimums above 15 C in winter that might be tricky.

Sadly, there’s not much opportunity on Lord Howe Island.

Daily maximum seems fine and I don’t think Lord Howe Island is a great place to live either — beautiful, sure, but I’m fond of certain conveniences.

 

[Giganotosaurus]

My rental is uninsulated and has holes in some of the windows. There are storm windows that keep some of the warm air in but the thermostat is incapable of going lower than 60F. So when ever it got to 59F the gas furnace would run for half an hour. I set up a nightlight right next to the thermostat to keep it from running during the day over winter, but my gas/electric bill was still way higher than when I was in an apartment.

 

[Spellslinging Sellsword]

Add me to the crowd who hates the current housing market. Can't afford anything not in a high crime ghetto and have school age children so kind of need to be in a good school district. Been renting in the #1 school district for 16 years and had 3 kids graduate. 2 more to go with youngest only 10 years old.

 

[Imaginos]

Got a lot of sun on Tuesday at the Special Olympics. Now I'm starting to peel on side of my face and on my arms. Don't mind the peeling ,but the itching is terrible.

 

[Black Leaf]

I've just got off the phone to my best friend's husband. She passed away a few days ago. She was only 34. Fuck this shit.

 

[Mankcam]

I've just got off the phone to my best friend's husband. She passed away a few days ago. She was only 34. Fuck this shit.

I'm very sorry to hear about the tragic loss of your friend

 

[Bunch]

The Butcher you could look for islands with freeway access. Sounds wierd I know, but that's what I live on. Most of the benefits of an island, small community, lots of water access and strangely effective at keeping crime low without much of the drawbacks.

 

[Godfather Punk]

I am so drfunk. Long live those Covid walks. I just finished a 3 hours walk through the Flemish Ardennes with 2 ladies, topped with a dinner at a superb resto, Gin Tonic, half a bottle of rosé and an Irish coffee. Good thing the GPS knew the way home...
There should be a law against this... oh wait, there is...
*hips*
Going to bed now.

 

[urbwar]

So Friday's job interview last about 2 minutes. The job required a driver's license (which wasn't stated in the requirements), so the interview was ended once I told them I don't drive. Given it took an hour each way on transit, that was a good waste of most of my afternoon.

On the plus side, the Portland branch of my former employer wants to set up an interview. I'll be calling them tomorrow. I also have an interview (a bit further from where I went on Friday) with a company that is offering a $2000 signing bonus paid over a year. I do have an offer on the table to work in Troutdale, but it's at a lower elevation than where I am (in an area referred to as The Gorge) and tends to get bad when it snows, so not sure about that one.

Another plus is my blood sugar is finally under control again. Today I was down to 114, which is not bad. I've had less of an appetite the past week, so I've only been eating 2 regular meals a day, with a snack or two in between. That probably helped. I even had Panda Express on Friday after my interview, and yesterday I was down to 134. I must be doing something right.

 

[Apparition]

I've just got off the phone to my best friend's husband. She passed away a few days ago. She was only 34. Fuck this shit.

My condolences on your loss.

 

[Toadmaster]

So Friday's job interview last about 2 minutes. The job required a driver's license (which wasn't stated in the requirements), so the interview was ended once I told them I don't drive. Given it took an hour each way on transit, that was a good waste of most of my afternoon.

On the plus side, the Portland branch of my former employer wants to set up an interview. I'll be calling them tomorrow. I also have an interview (a bit further from where I went on Friday) with a company that is offering a $2000 signing bonus paid over a year. I do have an offer on the table to work in Troutdale, but it's at a lower elevation than where I am (in an area referred to as The Gorge) and tends to get bad when it snows, so not sure about that one.

Another plus is my blood sugar is finally under control again. Today I was down to 114, which is not bad. I've had less of an appetite the past week, so I've only been eating 2 regular meals a day, with a snack or two in between. That probably helped. I even had Panda Express on Friday after my interview, and yesterday I was down to 134. I must be doing something right.

Did the job involve driving or is it just some kind of weird requirement?

I've just got off the phone to my best friend's husband. She passed away a few days ago. She was only 34. Fuck this shit.

That is way too young, so sorry.

 

[Bunch]

I've just got off the phone to my best friend's husband. She passed away a few days ago. She was only 34. Fuck this shit.

That is way way too young. My condolences to her family and you.

 

[Nobby-W]

So, my last attempt at spinning up a laptop has not been a success - it's still inclined to randomly blue screen. I can't tell whether it's dodgy memory or some other motherboard fault. I let it slide for a while but now I need a working work laptop to go to - Indonesia!.

Yes, you heard it here folks! Nobby gets to see his family for the first time since the birth of the #3 spawn. Both Mrs Nobby-W and I are over the moon, even though it will be a short visit. Hopefully I can grab another two or three weeks in September and then more over Christmas.

Anyway, I'm starting up another machine, this time a T480. First things first - I got some memory and fitted it. So far so good. Now running memtest86 to make sure it works. Next, the saga of tracking down a 2 lane 2242 form factor NVME drive.

Fortunately, we're done with horny cobra season - that's around Christmas. This time we've got rain and flooding season and dodgy plumbing as our drains are slightly below street level.

 

[Toadmaster]

horny cobra season

I have been looking for the right time to post this.

 

[Bunch]

So, my last attempt at spinning up a laptop has not been a success - it's still inclined to randomly blue screen. I can't tell whether it's dodgy memory or some other motherboard fault. I let it slide for a while but now I need a working work laptop to go to - Indonesia!.

Yes, you heard it here folks! Nobby gets to see his family for the first time since the birth of the #3 spawn. Both Mrs Nobby-W and I are over the moon, even though it will be a short visit. Hopefully I can grab another two or three weeks in September and then more over Christmas.

Anyway, I'm starting up another machine, this time a T480. First things first - I got some memory and fitted it. So far so good. Now running memtest86 to make sure it works. Next, the saga of tracking down a 2 lane 2242 form factor NVME drive.

Fortunately, we're done with horny cobra season - that's around Christmas. This time we've got rain and flooding season and dodgy plumbing as our drains are slightly below street level.

I see you're working on your real estate/travel agent sales skills again.
Good luck on your trip! Hope #3 looks like you!

 

[urbwar]

Did the job involve driving or is it just some kind of weird requirement?

The job listing on Indeed didn't state anything about driving or requiring a license. If it had, I wouldn't have bothered applying. I always skip ones that list that requirement. If I had a license, I'd dump security altogether and work as a cleaner for Trimet. It pays a lot more, plus comes with a huge signing bonus.

 

[Giganotosaurus]

When I was working in the kitchen at a Retirement community my first boss would only hire people who could walk to work or owned a car. He claimed it was to ensure that people showed up on time, never mind the fact that the facility was kiddy corner to a major transit station. The only exception he made was for teenagers whose parents would drive them. I felt it was a bit harsh, but I know from experience that getting to the bus in time isn't always possible.

 

[Dammit Viktor]

I have been looking for the right time to post this.

View attachment 45690

How, in the name of little purple monkeys, is it ever not the appropriate time and place to post this?

 

[Toadmaster]

How, in the name of little purple monkeys, is it ever not the appropriate time and place to post this?

It's all about timing.

 

[Nobby-W]

And in related news, the T480 passed a test from memtest86 overnight, although the P52s also did this so we're not out of the woods yet. Next step - pulling the 2242 SSD from the P52s and transferring it to the T480.

 

[Godfather Punk]

Re: the above, I keep reading this as a scenario with German security services, single prop fighter planes an BIG Russian tanks.

 

[Bunch]

And in related news, the T480 passed a test from memtest86 overnight, although the P52s also did this so we're not out of the woods yet. Next step - pulling the 2242 SSD from the P52s and transferring it to the T480.

Praying for a quick recovery and good health for all your electronics. Thoughts and prayers!

 

[AsenRG]

Black Leaf - my condolences!

I am so drfunk. Long live those Covid walks. I just finished a 3 hours walk through the Flemish Ardennes with 2 ladies, topped with a dinner at a superb resto, Gin Tonic, half a bottle of rosé and an Irish coffee. Good thing the GPS knew the way home...
There should be a law against this... oh wait, there is...
*hips*
Going to bed now.

Aren't you lucky that you don't live in, say, China?
If you were, the authorities would already know.

How, in the name of little purple monkeys, is it ever not the appropriate time and place to post this?

It's about maximising the impact, not about finding a merely appropriate time and place!

No, LinkedIn, I don't want to download your app. I want you to keep the website running as a first class citizen without being forced to download and run yet more shitty code.

And, yes, it's for the same reason I don't have email or any social media other than Whatsapp on my phone. When I'm away from my desk it means that I don't want to be pestered by spam, notifications of celebrity gossip or invitations to meetings that should have been an email. In fact, I don't want to be bothered by them when I'm at my desk either. Sometimes I'm not actually out of the office, I've just shut outlook and teams down so I can get a moment's peace.
I'm averaging about 4 meetings a day at the moment.

I'm just going to copy this post and post it as a status in FB...

Re: the above, I keep reading this as a scenario with German security services, single prop fighter planes an BIG Russian tanks.

I admit to not understanding even that much...maybe if I've re-read it a few times I'd be able to parse out the meaning, but at the end, I didn't feel like it.

 

[Bunch]

Black Leaf - my condolences!

Aren't you lucky that you don't live in, say, China?
If you were, the authorities would already know.


It's about maximising the impact, not about finding a merely appropriate time and place!


I'm just going to copy this post and post it as a status in FB...


I admit to not understanding even that much...maybe if I've re-read it a few times I'd be able to parse out the meaning, but at the end, I didn't feel like it.

I think he's referring to these.

 

[Godfather Punk]

And:

 

[Godfather Punk]

Aren't you lucky that you don't live in, say, China?
If you were, the authorities would already know.

As the ladies decided they're both going to wear a fuchsia dress next weekend, I just went out and bought me a fuchsia shirt. And as I'm no longer drfunk, I don't even have that excuse any more.

 

[AsenRG]

As the ladies decided they're both going to wear a fuchsia dress next weekend, I just went out and bought me a fuchsia shirt. And as I'm no longer drfunk, I don't even have that excuse any more.

After googling what is a fuchsia shirt...better learn to pretend being drunk!

 

[Lofgeornost]

Mowing my lawn this weekend. I hate my lawn. It has so many trees and is up and down and has multiple levels and it is such a pita to cut.

I’m in the same boat—there about 50 trees, bushes, or saplings on the lot and it’s constantly upslope or downslope. By chance, this weekend was the first time I’ve mowed this year. The lawn has been needing it for a while, but my mower packed up at the end of last year. It is only about five years old, but for the last two years I’ve not been able to find anyone to service it, largely because of the pandemic. The place that I used to go to for service lost its small-engines guy and the only other place in the area that has one has a 5-week waiting list before they’ll even look at a lawnmower. I’ve done the maintenance I know how to do, but the thing still won’t start.

So, on Friday I gave in and bought a new mower—an electric model, my first. So far I really like it. It’s much quieter than the gas one, so I don’t have to wear ear protection, and since there’s no exhaust my wife can keep the windows open while I mow. It’s not self-propelled, but it’s a good deal lighter than the old mower, so it’s really no harder to push and maneuver. The one drawback is that the battery will only last for about 50 minutes of intensive mowing, which is not enough to do both the front and back yards. But I’m getting old enough that I really don’t want to mow for 2& 1/2 hours straight anyway. Now I have a perfect excuse to take a rest after doing the front yard. The battery takes about 40 minutes to charge fully, so that’s plenty of time to have a drink, relax, and maybe do another chore or two before beginning the second half of the mowing.

 

[Bunch]

I live on a super steep slope. Weeding the hill is part yard work part mountain climbing. I've considered a rope and pulley system for keeping my place because if it's wet at all I slide constantly.

 

[EmperorNorton]

So, on Friday I gave in and bought a new mower—an electric model, my first. So far I really like it. It’s much quieter than the gas one, so I don’t have to wear ear protection, and since there’s no exhaust my wife can keep the windows open while I mow.

Yeah, I bought an electric mower last year when my last one died, too. Easier to start, lighter (really the only super heavy part is the battery), quieter. Mine actually is self propelled luckily. Cuts well, too. Honestly surprised at how much better it is than I thought it would be.

Also, yeah... I can't go out and do all of it in one go nowadays. Especially in Georgia heat. I've been doing like 30 minutes at a time.

 

[spittingimage]

Sister & family's visit went better than expected. Seems like Spittingsister has been training the boys in not stepping on uncle's crotch, not kicking uncle's crotch, not kneeing uncle's crotch and not punching uncle's crotch. I'm pleased, but also a little grumpy they needed that kind of education.

 

[Giganotosaurus]

Sister & family's visit went better than expected. Seems like Spittingsister has been training the boys in not stepping on uncle's crotch, not kicking uncle's crotch, not kneeing uncle's crotch and not punching uncle's crotch. I'm pleased, but also a little grumpy they needed that kind of education.

I think at that point you need a metal codpiece.

 

[Bunch]

Sister & family's visit went better than expected. Seems like Spittingsister has been training the boys in not stepping on uncle's crotch, not kicking uncle's crotch, not kneeing uncle's crotch and not punching uncle's crotch. I'm pleased, but also a little grumpy they needed that kind of education.

Hey Uncle. Try being dad sometime. I mean I have no idea why kids think kids and testicle go together like peanut butter and jelly when adults all agree kids and testicles go together like ice cream and spider.