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You're not wrong. You're not wrong. Some people actually like my presence and they think others will too for some reason.
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just 4 days left Lord Synos!
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Not sure what kind of documentaries you're interested in, but I enjoyed this one about building and living in a castle. That channel has a lot of other documentaries as well (surprising from a channel called "Timeline-World History Documentaries", I know). Maybe you can find something to watch for free.There's a few good such things if you just go on YouTube. I imagine once you find them, your recommendations will just send you further down a rabbit hole on related videos. =)Can't say I blame ya; I'm normally very frugal about spending money on entertainment, but I'm stuck in front of the tv for three hours every day, and decent documentaries are getting harder and harder to come by via my borrowed streaming services.A LOT of the stuff I watch on YouTube has been advertising Great Courses Plus as a sponsor. Since it's not free (beyond the trial) I haven't ever bothered trying it out.Anyone ever watched anything from The Great Courses? Lately everything with a plot has been a chore for me, so I started a free trial today 'cause I've been digging educational stuff so much. I was hoping for an economics 101 course, but a search only came up with a history of economics thing; so instead I started watching...
Spoilered for religion:
** spoiler omitted **
If you love animals, I can higly recomend Wildlife Aid.
Its a wildlife rescue charity, and they film their operations. Its seriously informative.| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Mornin' John.
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In Impus Major's case, he put an intentional typo into his senior quote as an inside joke to his friends. And yep. Without consulting him and without his permission, they corrected it, so his senior quote is really pretty pathetic.
Nice job, guys!
Can you please ASK US BEFORE YOU EDIT US?!?!?!?!
Grr...
In their defense...
Have you seen how kids write these days? No wonder they assumed it isn't an intentional and corrected that...
As the father of a 15 year old I can indeed confirm this, the spelling betwixt youngsters today is atrocious, you can't blame the editors.
Maybe this will be a good thing for those of us who don't drink, and it'll stop being a thing that's just expected and leads to harassment or seclusion if you don't participate, as it's done in the past.Well, carp. I'm becoming trendy.
I may have to start drinking again.
I only pray they don't start wearing fish pants.
I had a long, rambling reply to this, but it was mostly fueled by a lot of personal stress, a touch of depression stemming from said personal stress, and perhaps ironically a couple glasses of scotch. Perhaps three. They were all in one glass though. I'm estimating.
Short(er) version, with less anger. Orthos, I'm generally pissed off at everyone that has made you feel ostracized over things that are just supposed to be social courtesies.
You offer your guest a drink...of any kind...simply to show hospitality and be a good host. Unlike the olden days, a refusal should not be taken to be an insult or a signal of hostility. And it sure as hell isn't a reason to make fun of someone. There's a LOT of reasons for someone to turn down a drink. Diabetes. Alcoholism. They're not thirsty. Liver disease. Simply don't like the available options. You're driving. You don't like the taste. A giraffe crossed your path and you're pretty sure that means something, but only if you don't partake in any liquids for the next 24 hours.
F%$& those people that ostracized you for not drinking alcohol. Well, only f%$& them if you want to. But I know you don't, so don't do that either. Smile at them, wish them well, turn your back, and walk away. Live your life as you need to live it for yourself.
Cheers.
one of the ponycons I went to had alcoholic and non alcoholic versions of their drinks. I would just get you something nonalcoholic.
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No...sigh.. It's true. One day I'll just have my robot butler do it all for me.
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just 4 days left Lord Synos!4 days left til what? I'm worried I've forgotten something important. :s
Till a bunch of xp for sending gifts.
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W00t! They restored the electricity in my neighborhood!
Well, first the almost had it at 5:26 this morning, but then there was a noise like a thunderclap down the block and everything went dark again.
But now it's fixed.
I didn't mind not having lights, but no refrigerator or AC in Texas is no fun.
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That sounds like the worst thing ever actually.
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Till a bunch of xp for sending gifts.just 4 days left Lord Synos!4 days left til what? I'm worried I've forgotten something important. :s
Ah-ha! Yes, this is true. There may be a little slowdown with coordination, I have a couple other friends who are also approaching BF status, that I might try and coordinate to happen at the same time (so I only have to use one Lucky Egg :P ), but yes, only a few more days away. :)
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Np I have someone else doing that too I think she has 2 days left but hasn't seen one in a few.
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Well, today should be a lot less "pleasant".
The predicted high is 97˚F (an all-time high for the date), and the house didn't get a chance to fully cool down overnight (people insist on closing doors at night, even on hot nights).
So instead of the house starting at 64˚F, it's starting at 74˚F, which makes it likely to top 85˚ or even 90˚ indoors.
Yuk.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Not sure what kind of documentaries you're interested in, but I enjoyed this one about building and living in a castle. That channel has a lot of other documentaries as well (surprising from a channel called "Timeline-World History Documentaries", I know). Maybe you can find something to watch for free.There's a few good such things if you just go on YouTube. I imagine once you find them, your recommendations will just send you further down a rabbit hole on related videos. =)Can't say I blame ya; I'm normally very frugal about spending money on entertainment, but I'm stuck in front of the tv for three hours every day, and decent documentaries are getting harder and harder to come by via my borrowed streaming services.A LOT of the stuff I watch on YouTube has been advertising Great Courses Plus as a sponsor. Since it's not free (beyond the trial) I haven't ever bothered trying it out.Anyone ever watched anything from The Great Courses? Lately everything with a plot has been a chore for me, so I started a free trial today 'cause I've been digging educational stuff so much. I was hoping for an economics 101 course, but a search only came up with a history of economics thing; so instead I started watching...
Spoilered for religion:
** spoiler omitted **
Thanks, gran! I'd love to learn some economics (haven't since high school), more about religion and science. I'll do a YouTube search or three. :)
Earlier in the year I watched a Netflix series all about English and Scottish castles, so I'm all castled out.
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It boggles my mind that some people get their underpants in a twist over someone saying "no thanks" to a drink.
But then, last week I was in a gas station store when I noticed three teens chatting right outside the door. One of them lit up a cigarette and started blithely puffing away, so on my way the checkout, I popped my head out and asked him to not smoke directly in front of the door. He and his friends moved, so hey, good kids. I popped back in to stand on line, and another customer who saw and heard the interaction said "Is that a problem?" I said "Yeah, I'm asthmatic," and that shut him up.
But really, this sh!t is just common courtesy -- someone refuses a drink, they have their reasons, move on. Don't put lethally toxic smoke into the air directly in the path of people who have to walk thru it. Be considerate of others, it's not all about you.
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Well, today should be a lot less "pleasant".
The predicted high is 97˚F (an all-time high for the date), and the house didn't get a chance to fully cool down overnight (people insist on closing doors at night, even on hot nights).
So instead of the house starting at 64˚F, it's starting at 74˚F, which makes it likely to top 85˚ or even 90˚ indoors.
Yuk.
hell.
You live in hell.
| 6 people marked this as a favorite. |
It boggles my mind that some people get their underpants in a twist over someone saying "no thanks" to a drink.
But then, last week I was in a gas station store when I noticed three teens chatting right outside the door. One of them lit up a cigarette and started blithely puffing away, so on my way the checkout, I popped my head out and asked him to not smoke directly in front of the door. He and his friends moved, so hey, good kids. I popped back in to stand on line, and another customer who saw and heard the interaction said "Is that a problem?" I said "Yeah, I'm asthmatic," and that shut him up.
But really, this sh!t is just common courtesy -- someone refuses a drink, they have their reasons, move on. Don't put lethally toxic smoke into the air directly in the path of people who have to walk thru it. Be considerate of others, it's not all about you.
I am always overjoyed chaperoning the high school kids, because every single one of them understands the idea that, "What I am doing might impact other people, so if they complain I should be considerate."
That trait is sorely missing in my generation; there's a whole attitude of, "This is America. I have the right to do whatever I want, and if YOU have a problem with it, YOU should leave."
It's so prevalent among people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s that if I ever found a country, the first sentence of the Constitution will be, "You have NO 'rights'. Here are your responsibilities as a citizen, and here are the state's."
I just get SO sick of people saying, "I have a right to xxx," when whatever they're about to say boils down to, "I'm going to be an a****** and self-justify by calling it a 'right'."
[/tirade]
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On the topic of editing yearbooks - I was on my year book staff. A few things go into those year book blocks. Space is a huge one. When we said 150 words, we really meant xxx characters. Sometimes stuff has to get cut to fit in the space.
Correcting what appear to be simple misspellings is another. We don't want it to look like WE introduced an error. What would you have said if they had introduced a typo changing "from" to "form" or something? More of an issue when we had to do the typing instead of cut/paste, but still.
We also were instructed to take out all the hidden code words for sex, drugs, and what not. I had to take out AC/DC from my personal block because the faculty mentor was convinced it was code for bisexuality, not the name of a hard rock Australian band (although in fairness, I later found out it does mean bisexuality to a certain age/geographic background person).
Would you like them to ask, sure. But depending on deadlines and how many items need to get edited, there may not be time.
My personal anecdote - my photo was also taken with me hanging upside down on a fence. While we correctly oriented it during submission so my face was at the bottom of the photo - the printer reoriented it so my face was at the top. Not saying the textual change was the printer, but it is not always the editor's fault.
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On the topic of driver's licenses:
Many states have more stringent requirements for people under 18 getting their license compared to people over 18. As I understand it, Impus Major is over 18, so any restrictions CA may have in terms of hours at the wheel practicing, instruction opportunities, and the like are probably removed.
I know that in the 80s my cousin came from CA to KY to get his learner's permit and license because the KY process was substantially easier than the CA permit.
But in my experience, the learner's permit is almost always granted after just a written test. This lets the learner then practice in a car supervised by a licensed driver. Those back roads and parking lots see many an early tentative start/stop, progression. I guess I am wondering would you rather they practice without having even taken the test? Would you require them to take a practical test before they have even had an opportunity to practice?
The following is not a criticism - I cannot imagine not having gotten my permit and license as soon as possible. I grew up in rural KY. It was pretty much a requirement. My nephews/niece in a larger more metropolitan area also got theirs immediately so that the parents did not have to always tote around the triplets to sixteen different after school activities. That was my norm. Obviously places with better public transportation or denser populations may not be that experience.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
On the topic of driver's licenses:
Many states have more stringent requirements for people under 18 getting their license compared to people over 18. As I understand it, Impus Major is over 18, so any restrictions CA may have in terms of hours at the wheel practicing, instruction opportunities, and the like are probably removed.
I know that in the 80s my cousin came from CA to KY to get his learner's permit and license because the KY process was substantially easier than the CA permit.
But in my experience, the learner's permit is almost always granted after just a written test. This lets the learner then practice in a car supervised by a licensed driver. Those back roads and parking lots see many an early tentative start/stop, progression. I guess I am wondering would you rather they practice without having even taken the test? Would you require them to take a practical test before they have even had an opportunity to practice?
The following is not a criticism - I cannot imagine not having gotten my permit and license as soon as possible. I grew up in rural KY. It was pretty much a requirement. My nephews/niece in a larger more metropolitan area also got theirs immediately so that the parents did not have to always tote around the triplets to sixteen different after school activities. That was my norm. Obviously places with better public transportation or denser populations may not be that experience.
My rural Illinois experience was largely the same, with one additional layer: My high school made passing Drivers' Ed a requirement of graduation. Sophomores did not take Phys Ed. One semester was Health and the other semester was Drivers' Ed instead. Which kids took Drivers' Ed which semester was determined solely by when your birthday hit.
You could take a driving class somewhere else and they'd accept it, but if you couldn't get a driver's license you weren't deemed worthy of graduating high school.
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As far as I know, there is no distinction between licenses on auto/stick. The distinctions are motorcycle, commercial driver's license (CDL), and perhaps some permutation of large vehicle (18 wheeler, monster mobile homes, etc.). I routinely tow a boat, horse trailer, or such without additional licenses.
I think tying the license to the high school/graduation thing came along after I graduated HS in 1990.
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Well, today should be a lot less "pleasant".
The predicted high is 97˚F (an all-time high for the date), and the house didn't get a chance to fully cool down overnight (people insist on closing doors at night, even on hot nights).
So instead of the house starting at 64˚F, it's starting at 74˚F, which makes it likely to top 85˚ or even 90˚ indoors.
Yuk.
hell.
You live in hell.
Meh. Yeah, yesterday was mildly uncomfortable and today will be downright unpleasant, but tomorrow's forecast to be 81˚F, then 73˚F by Wednesday, and we'll be unlikely to see even 85˚F again until September or October.
I'll take it.
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My issue (as always) boils down to Proposition 13 and the overwhelming damage it did to California.
When Shiro was in school in Michigan, and when I was in school in California, all high school sophomores were required to take Driver's Ed in school. We got free, formal training in both the rules of the road, and in a practice environment with an experienced instructor. So by the time I was even trying to get my learner's permit I had tens of hours behind the wheel with a real instructor.
Three years later, they cut Driver's Ed as a "non-essential" class. Then, of course, since all private training is for-profit and the state can't force you to pay a private company, they eliminated most of the requirements; you still need to take an online driver's ed class, but again, you can get behind the wheel and into traffic with no experience whatsoever.
So, what would I like?
I'd like to see the state go back to offering driver's ed as a required class in high school, and to allow home-schooled students to attend such classes as a "special dispensation". Add one night class at adult school for adult learners, and you're done.
It's not that expensive; we had two teachers who took 2 classes each as driver's ed classes, so we weren't even paying additional teachers; we were just utilizing the ones we had, so the expense was less than one full-time teacher.
I just don't feel like we should be putting people on the road where the only requirement is that they pass a written test. Provide free training to high schoolers, and make that training mandatory to get a learner's permit.
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As far as I know, there is no distinction between licenses on auto/stick. The distinctions are motorcycle, commercial driver's license (CDL), and perhaps some permutation of large vehicle (18 wheeler, monster mobile homes, etc.). I routinely tow a boat, horse trailer, or such without additional licenses.
I think tying the license to the high school/graduation thing came along after I graduated HS in 1990.
It differs by state, but I don't know of any state that makes a distinction between automatic/stick. Most kids learn on automatics here. Sales of manual transmission cars in the US is abysmal - somewhere in the 5-7% of all cars sold in the US are manual transmissions kind of abysmal - so there isn't a truly compelling reason for kids to learn on a stick beyond wanting to or it's what the parents have available.
Additionally, the cars that are sold with sticks in the US tend to hedge more towards sports/performance cars. Mazda Miata, Subaru WRX, Ford Mustang (still predominantly sold with an automatic), VW GTI/Golf R, various Porsches, etc. Generally speaking, not cars you want a teenager behind the wheel just learning to drive. Although the Miata wouldn't be bad - standard power, and the seating position is so low as to scare younglings into driving better.
On the topic of driver's licenses:
Many states have more stringent requirements for people under 18 getting their license compared to people over 18. As I understand it, Impus Major is over 18, so any restrictions CA may have in terms of hours at the wheel practicing, instruction opportunities, and the like are probably removed.
I know that in the 80s my cousin came from CA to KY to get his learner's permit and license because the KY process was substantially easier than the CA permit.
But in my experience, the learner's permit is almost always granted after just a written test. This lets the learner then practice in a car supervised by a licensed driver. Those back roads and parking lots see many an early tentative start/stop, progression. I guess I am wondering would you rather they practice without having even taken the test? Would you require them to take a practical test before they have even had an opportunity to practice?
The following is not a criticism - I cannot imagine not having gotten my permit and license as soon as possible. I grew up in rural KY. It was pretty much a requirement. My nephews/niece in a larger more metropolitan area also got theirs immediately so that the parents did not have to always tote around the triplets to sixteen different after school activities. That was my norm. Obviously places with better public transportation or denser populations may not be that experience.
My rural Illinois experience was largely the same, with one additional layer: My high school made passing Drivers' Ed a requirement of graduation. Sophomores did not take Phys Ed. One semester was Health and the other semester was Drivers' Ed instead. Which kids took Drivers' Ed which semester was determined solely by when your birthday hit.
You could take a driving class somewhere else and they'd accept it, but if you couldn't get a driver's license you weren't deemed worthy of graduating high school.
weird...
weird...On the topic of driver's licenses:
Many states have more stringent requirements for people under 18 getting their license compared to people over 18. As I understand it, Impus Major is over 18, so any restrictions CA may have in terms of hours at the wheel practicing, instruction opportunities, and the like are probably removed.
I know that in the 80s my cousin came from CA to KY to get his learner's permit and license because the KY process was substantially easier than the CA permit.
But in my experience, the learner's permit is almost always granted after just a written test. This lets the learner then practice in a car supervised by a licensed driver. Those back roads and parking lots see many an early tentative start/stop, progression. I guess I am wondering would you rather they practice without having even taken the test? Would you require them to take a practical test before they have even had an opportunity to practice?
The following is not a criticism - I cannot imagine not having gotten my permit and license as soon as possible. I grew up in rural KY. It was pretty much a requirement. My nephews/niece in a larger more metropolitan area also got theirs immediately so that the parents did not have to always tote around the triplets to sixteen different after school activities. That was my norm. Obviously places with better public transportation or denser populations may not be that experience.
My rural Illinois experience was largely the same, with one additional layer: My high school made passing Drivers' Ed a requirement of graduation. Sophomores did not take Phys Ed. One semester was Health and the other semester was Drivers' Ed instead. Which kids took Drivers' Ed which semester was determined solely by when your birthday hit.
You could take a driving class somewhere else and they'd accept it, but if you couldn't get a driver's license you weren't deemed worthy of graduating high school.
No; that's pretty much how it was back in California in the early 80s: Driver's Ed was a required course, and you had to submit an exemption to avoid taking it.
My issue (as always) boils down to Proposition 13 and the overwhelming damage it did to California.
When Shiro was in school in Michigan, and when I was in school in California, all high school sophomores were required to take Driver's Ed in school. We got free, formal training in both the rules of the road, and in a practice environment with an experienced instructor. So by the time I was even trying to get my learner's permit I had tens of hours behind the wheel with a real instructor.
Three years later, they cut Driver's Ed as a "non-essential" class. Then, of course, since all private training is for-profit and the state can't force you to pay a private company, they eliminated most of the requirements; you still need to take an online driver's ed class, but again, you can get behind the wheel and into traffic with no experience whatsoever.
So, what would I like?
I'd like to see the state go back to offering driver's ed as a required class in high school, and to allow home-schooled students to attend such classes as a "special dispensation". Add one night class at adult school for adult learners, and you're done.
It's not that expensive; we had two teachers who took 2 classes each as driver's ed classes, so we weren't even paying additional teachers; we were just utilizing the ones we had, so the expense was less than one full-time teacher.
I just don't feel like we should be putting people on the road where the only requirement is that they pass a written test. Provide free training to high schoolers, and make that training mandatory to get a learner's permit.
Weirder....
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snipIt differs by state, but I don't know of any state that makes a distinction between automatic/stick. Most kids learn on automatics here. Sales of manual transmission cars in the US is abysmal - somewhere in the 5-7% of all cars sold in the US are manual transmissions kind of abysmal - so there isn't a truly compelling reason for kids to learn on a stick beyond wanting to or it's what the parents have available.
Additionally, the cars that are sold with sticks in the US tend to hedge more towards sports/performance cars. Mazda Miata, Subaru WRX, Ford Mustang (still predominantly sold with an automatic), VW GTI/Golf R, various Porsches, etc. Generally speaking, not cars you want a teenager behind the wheel just learning to drive. Although the Miata wouldn't be bad - standard power, and the seating position is so low as to scare younglings into driving better.
Or very low end cars (e.g., chevy sonic/spark, fiat 500, ford fiesta, Honda fit, etc)
https://www.caranddriver.com/features/g20734564/manual-transmission-cars/?s lide=18
weird...On the topic of driver's licenses:
Many states have more stringent requirements for people under 18 getting their license compared to people over 18. As I understand it, Impus Major is over 18, so any restrictions CA may have in terms of hours at the wheel practicing, instruction opportunities, and the like are probably removed.
I know that in the 80s my cousin came from CA to KY to get his learner's permit and license because the KY process was substantially easier than the CA permit.
But in my experience, the learner's permit is almost always granted after just a written test. This lets the learner then practice in a car supervised by a licensed driver. Those back roads and parking lots see many an early tentative start/stop, progression. I guess I am wondering would you rather they practice without having even taken the test? Would you require them to take a practical test before they have even had an opportunity to practice?
The following is not a criticism - I cannot imagine not having gotten my permit and license as soon as possible. I grew up in rural KY. It was pretty much a requirement. My nephews/niece in a larger more metropolitan area also got theirs immediately so that the parents did not have to always tote around the triplets to sixteen different after school activities. That was my norm. Obviously places with better public transportation or denser populations may not be that experience.
My rural Illinois experience was largely the same, with one additional layer: My high school made passing Drivers' Ed a requirement of graduation. Sophomores did not take Phys Ed. One semester was Health and the other semester was Drivers' Ed instead. Which kids took Drivers' Ed which semester was determined solely by when your birthday hit.
You could take a driving class somewhere else and they'd accept it, but if you couldn't get a driver's license you weren't deemed worthy of graduating high school.
No, the weird part was the Phys Ed requirement for graduation: 8 semesters. Nobody put in 8 semesters of PE.
1 semester of Health was considered a valid substitute for 1 semester of PE.
Being in varsity sports *at any point during the semester* was considered a valid waiver of the PE requirement for that semester, but was only available to juniors and seniors.
And 1 semester of Drivers' Ed was considered a valid substitution for 1 semester of PE.
Therefore I ended up with 2 actual semesters of PE for my entire time in high school.
I know one guy who officially put in 5 semesters, but in actuality had 6 semesters of PE. Due to religious reasons that I still can't comprehend, he was not allowed to participate in any extracurricular activities, nor was he allowed to officially graduate from school. He was forced to drop all classes and quit school with a week to go to avoid getting a diploma.
There was another family that had all of their children drop out of school as soon as they turned 16 and had their license. Again, on religious reasons.
snipIt differs by state, but I don't know of any state that makes a distinction between automatic/stick. Most kids learn on automatics here. Sales of manual transmission cars in the US is abysmal - somewhere in the 5-7% of all cars sold in the US are manual transmissions kind of abysmal - so there isn't a truly compelling reason for kids to learn on a stick beyond wanting to or it's what the parents have available.
Additionally, the cars that are sold with sticks in the US tend to hedge more towards sports/performance cars. Mazda Miata, Subaru WRX, Ford Mustang (still predominantly sold with an automatic), VW GTI/Golf R, various Porsches, etc. Generally speaking, not cars you want a teenager behind the wheel just learning to drive. Although the Miata wouldn't be bad - standard power, and the seating position is so low as to scare younglings into driving better.
Or very low end cars (e.g., chevy sonic/spark, fiat 500, ford fiesta, Honda fit, etc)
https://www.caranddriver.com/features/g20734564/manual-transmission-cars/?s lide=18
Yeah, and even those are disappearing (the Fiesta isn't going to be sold in the US any more) or they limit the manual option to one specific trim level, and it's usually the lowest trim level.
(I'm a regular C&D reader as well.)
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We have a lot of different licences in the netherlands:
A, A1 en A2: For motorcycles. It has category dependent on weight/power.
AM: Licence for scooters of all kinds.
B: Car licence. This actually comes in a normal version, and a version that only lets you drive automatic.
BE and B+ (code 96): Licence for car with a trailer. (Again categorized by weight/size)
C: Truck licence.
CE: Truck with Trailer.
C1: For small trucks. (weight between 3.500-7.500 kilo);
D: Licence for a bus that holds more then 8 passengers.
DE: Licence for a bus with trailer.
T: Licence for a tractor.
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I appreciate the words of solidarity and support.
I got into adulthood right in the middle of what seemed to be a heyday of the Drink To Thrive trend. I'm sure it has waxed and waned over the years, especially as I've seen NH make similar complaints about being pressured to drink in social situations that could potentially have bearing on how your superiors view you and thus how much they'll be willing to consider or reject you for future boons. But one of those periods seemed to be during the mid 2000s, at least for me.
I definitely had a few jobs in those early (for me) days of employment where I was seen as an outsider, standoffish, unfriendly, or not a team player because I didn't join my co-workers for post-clockout happy hour or similar gatherings. In hindsight, I do sometimes wonder if that was why I went three years at the same location and position in one job but remained an agency temp the whole time while other temps brought on around the same time or later were hired on fully.
Thankfully I didn't have to deal with it from roommates or other social connections, as either they were content to drink on their own without pressure to be joined or they didn't drink at all. But I've met a lot of people over the years, mostly indirectly admittedly, who haven't enjoyed my fortune in that regard, and a refusal to drink or desire to limit their alcohol intake has cost them friends, job and social opportunities, and other "punishments" for defying the social expectations of their peers.
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So I'm taking advantage of Val and Hermione's first day of summer camp to do the "heavy" yard work (as if a lawn so big it takes 2 1/2 hours to mow with our antique mower isn't heavy enough)... i.e. trimming all the hedges, pulling out all the weeds and the bermuda grass, etc.
And a guy pulls up in one of those trucks. The type of truck that screams, "I have an incurable wasting disease of the netherquarters". A compensatory truck. And he hops out and walks toward me with a business card and begins his sales pitch. He's a landscaper.
I say, "Thanks so much for stopping, but I'm a schoolteacher, so I can't afford a landscaper; that's why I'm out here doing this myself."
He puts his card away and says, "I'm so very sorry to hear that" in *exactly* the same tone of voice he might have used if I'd said, "We've just had a death in the family" or "everyone on this street has anthrax".
What I *should* have said was, "Oh, I don't live here; I AM the landscaper."
(Note to self: get tee shirt and magnetic sign for the car that reads, "Big Sheila's Cut-Rate Landscaping")
Or, in the manner of Arthur Dent to the Vogons, "Actually, I rather enjoy doing this myself."
But I didn't.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
We have a lot of different licences in the netherlands:
A, A1 en A2: For motorcycles. It has category dependent on weight/power.
AM: Licence for scooters of all kinds.
B: Car licence. This actually comes in a normal version, and a version that only lets you drive automatic.
BE and B+ (code 96): Licence for car with a trailer. (Again categorized by weight/size)
C: Truck licence.
CE: Truck with Trailer.
C1: For small trucks. (weight between 3.500-7.500 kilo);
D: Licence for a bus that holds more then 8 passengers.
DE: Licence for a bus with trailer.
T: Licence for a tractor.
Tractors. Heh. In Illinois, kids age...14?...can legally drive farm equipment from the farm to the field. Can't drive a standard car legally, but a John Deere tractor dragging a plow is fair game...as long as it's in furtherance of the act of farming.
Also in Illinois:
Class A: Anything (single or towed) with a gross vehicle weight of 26,001 lbs or greater. If you're towing something, if the towed item is over 10,000 lbs then you also need a Class A.
Class B: Any single vehicle 26,001 lbs or more, but if you're towing something it has to be under 10,000 lbs. It's the only tangible difference between A and B.
Class C: This one is a bit of a mess. Any vehicle of more than 16,000 pounds but less than 26,001 pounds; or any such vehicle towing another of 10,000 pounds or less; or any vehicle designed to carry 16 or more passengers, including the driver, or hazardous materials that require placarding.
Class D: Standard driver's license. Good for anything up to 16,000 lbs. Seriously. Illinois believes that if you can drive a Ford Fiesta you can drive a 15,000 lb delivery truck on the same license.
Class L: Any motorcycle/scooter with a 150cc engine or smaller.
Class M: Any motorcycle.
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I appreciate the words of solidarity and support.
You're definitely not alone. I even read an article about 'non-alcohol bars' for people that want the social function of a bar without having to have alcohol. Not sure I'd be interested in the mixes they serve but it at least sounds better than the regular bar scene.
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I appreciate the words of solidarity and support.You're definitely not alone. I even read an article about 'non-alcohol bars' for people that want the social function of a bar without having to have alcohol. Not sure I'd be interested in the mixes they serve but it at least sounds better than the regular bar scene.
NH linked an article that was exactly that, and talked about how not-drinking is increasing in both popularity and recognition, which led to me hoping that becomes a thing and us non-drinkers can stop getting the short end of the stick over it.
We've come full circle. (Dun dun DUNNNN!!)
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So I'm taking advantage of Val and Hermione's first day of summer camp to do the "heavy" yard work (as if a lawn so big it takes 2 1/2 hours to mow with our antique mower isn't heavy enough)... i.e. trimming all the hedges, pulling out all the weeds and the bermuda grass, etc.
And a guy pulls up in one of those trucks. The type of truck that screams, "I have an incurable wasting disease of the netherquarters". A compensatory truck. And he hops out and walks toward me with a business card and begins his sales pitch. He's a landscaper.
I say, "Thanks so much for stopping, but I'm a schoolteacher, so I can't afford a landscaper; that's why I'm out here doing this myself."
He puts his card away and says, "I'm so very sorry to hear that" in *exactly* the same tone of voice he might have used if I'd said, "We've just had a death in the family" or "everyone on this street has anthrax".
What I *should* have said was, "Oh, I don't live here; I AM the landscaper."
(Note to self: get tee shirt and magnetic sign for the car that reads, "Big Sheila's Cut-Rate Landscaping")
Or, in the manner of Arthur Dent to the Vogons, "Actually, I rather enjoy doing this myself."
But I didn't.
Last week my lawn was awful. Almost up to my knees awful. I told one of my techs that I'd pay him to mow my lawn.
He said "Um, $100."
Ouch. Then I look at him and go "Throw in the trimming with the weedeater at the end and you have a deal."
He looks back at me and says "DUDE! You weren't supposed to ACCEPT THAT! No, I hate mowing and will barely do my own yard!"
"But...seriously...I'll pay you $100. That's how much I don't want to mow my yard right now."
"Then I really don't want to mow your yard."
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Oh I totally see why landscapers get the big bucks. I just spent five hours to fill nine industrial-size yard bags full of everything I've pruned off of the hedges and everything I've pulled out of the yard and it is still not done. Between doing the lawn last week and doing the hedges and weeds and Bermuda grass this morning that's a full day's work with a half an hour lunch break. So even at minimum wage that would still be what almost seventy-five bucks. Hell, Whingey Wizzard gets paid more than that for flipping crepes.
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Yeah, I used to strap on a 65-pound pack and hike 10-15 miles a day in the baking sun for fun, but I still absolutely, positively loathed yard work.
I think it's a combination of the boring view, the lack of movement, and the knowledge that you're just going to have to do it again in under a month that gets to me about it. I get hot and miserable and sore and it's somehow orders of magnitude worse than hiking.
The owners who are kicking my mother-in-law out of her home (yes, landlords really do kick little old widows on fixed incomes out of their homes to make more rent around here) are demanding that she fix the yard before she move out.
My response would have been, "F*** you." And I almost never swear.
Instead, GothBard volunteered the whole family to help her garden on Saturday. MiL and GothBard are looking forward to it. The rest of us are thinking it's going to be a little slice of Hell. (Far, FAR worse than anything that happens today with the near-100 temps.)
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Landscaping is freakin' hard work. We just laid paver stones and built planter walls in our yard before spreading gravel. Makes it look nice for the sale but dang is that stuff heavy.
Cap waves hello. It's what he does every day that he doesn't say "G&%$$(( F%T%(^&$$ Rain!".
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Yeah, I used to strap on a 65-pound pack and hike 10-15 miles a day in the baking sun for fun, but I still absolutely, positively loathed yard work.
I think it's a combination of the boring view, the lack of movement, and the knowledge that you're just going to have to do it again in under a month that gets to me about it. I get hot and miserable and sore and it's somehow orders of magnitude worse than hiking.
The owners who are kicking my mother-in-law out of her home (yes, landlords really do kick little old widows on fixed incomes out of their homes to make more rent around here) are demanding that she fix the yard before she move out.
My response would have been, "F*** you." And I almost never swear.
Instead, GothBard volunteered the whole family to help her garden on Saturday. MiL and GothBard are looking forward to it. The rest of us are thinking it's going to be a little slice of Hell. (Far, FAR worse than anything that happens today with the near-100 temps.)
"Well, I had a mechanic look at it, but they couldn't find anything that they could fix."
I appreciate the words of solidarity and support.You're definitely not alone. I even read an article about 'non-alcohol bars' for people that want the social function of a bar without having to have alcohol. Not sure I'd be interested in the mixes they serve but it at least sounds better than the regular bar scene.
I'm wondering if these are places that, for possibly historical/zoning reasons, cannot serve non alcoholic drinks in large quantity?