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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."
I am willing to travel to your house to mow your lawn for 100 dollars.
I have no idea when I will be in your area next.
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100 dollars is my nude rate, yes. Want me to put clothes on? You're looking at 125.
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A naked black man mowing a yard in Peoria? That's going to generate some phone calls.
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I'm wondering if these are places that, for possibly historical/zoning reasons, cannot serve non alcoholic drinks in large quantity?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.
That would be a pretty wise use of the space. The article talked about declining rates of alcohol use among younger demographics however.
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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.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.
That... is a bit of a mess.
Of course the tractor licence is nececairy if you want to drive it on any road. No one is going to check if you keep it on your own land.
That would be a pretty wise use of the space. The article talked about declining rates of alcohol use among younger demographics however.I'm wondering if these are places that, for possibly historical/zoning reasons, cannot serve non alcoholic drinks in large quantity?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.
oh no, I was wondering why people couldn't just order virgin drinks in a drinking setting.
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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.)
Oh, I'd totally fix it. Easy.
Scorched-earth counts as "fixing," right?
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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.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.
That... is a bit of a mess.
Of course the tractor licence is nececairy if you want to drive it on any road. No one is going to check if you keep it on your own land.
Oh, you misunderstand...the 14 year old kid absolutely CAN drive that tractor on the road. Or grain truck. Or any piece of "farm equipment". Just as long as the kid is doing it as part of their farming duties for the family. The family fields aren't usually solely located right next to the house.
Now, if the kid wants to take the tractor out for a joy ride...well then...that kid needs to be getting a proper license!
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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.)
Oh, I'd totally fix it. Easy.
Scorched-earth counts as "fixing," right?
Yes. You were simply trying to help the pine cones release for new growth.
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OK. I am duly impressed by my insulation guy.
He was incomprehensible on the phone, just mumbling incoherently at me. He gave me a price. Then called me a month later to ask what he'd quoted me. I figured I could have made up any number at all and he would have accepted it.
I never saw him at the house. I just saw the new insulation through the holes in the roof.
And now, on Day 2 of a 90+ heat wave, the interior of the house is 75 while it's 93 outside.
I'm sure it'll go up, but this is getting to the, "This ain't natural" part of good insulation...
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Chiming in as a fellow "stop telling me I have to drink with you" person. My preferences don't need to validate your choices.
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oh no, I was wondering why people couldn't just order virgin drinks in a drinking setting.Social pressure and high sugar contents, supposedly.
I can attest to both.
People used to get out-and-out offended to the point of, "Get out of my sight you freak!" if you go to a bar and don't drink. Now that designated drivers are a "thing", it's a LOT easier, because I'm just the designated designated driver, and people accept that with aplomb.
But try to get a drink that isn't either:
(a) Some form of water, or
(b) Sugary enough to feed an ant colony for 10 years.
You'll find that it's almost impossible.
Chiming in as a fellow "stop telling me I have to drink with you" person. My preferences don't need to validate your choices.
I want you to drink with me.
But it doesn't have to be an alcoholic beverage.
You could drink water, if you so choose.
I will even throw in the ice cubes for free.
oh no, I was wondering why people couldn't just order virgin drinks in a drinking setting.Social pressure and high sugar contents, supposedly.I can attest to both.
People used to get out-and-out offended to the point of, "Get out of my sight you freak!" if you go to a bar and don't drink. Now that designated drivers are a "thing", it's a LOT easier, because I'm just the designated designated driver, and people accept that with aplomb.
But try to get a drink that isn't either:
(a) Some form of water, or
(b) Sugary enough to feed an ant colony for 10 years.You'll find that it's almost impossible.
I am all for drinking whatever you want. But dont be this guy.
More seriously, what drinks are you referring to?
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oh no, I was wondering why people couldn't just order virgin drinks in a drinking setting.Social pressure and high sugar contents, supposedly.I can attest to both.
People used to get out-and-out offended to the point of, "Get out of my sight you freak!" if you go to a bar and don't drink. Now that designated drivers are a "thing", it's a LOT easier, because I'm just the designated designated driver, and people accept that with aplomb.
But try to get a drink that isn't either:
(a) Some form of water, or
(b) Sugary enough to feed an ant colony for 10 years.You'll find that it's almost impossible.
I am all for drinking whatever you want. But dont be this guy.
More seriously, what drinks are you referring to?
Simple juice would be nice: Orange juice, cranberry juice; I know they're used as mixers, so why not sell 'em as actual beverages.
Instead, you can have:(a) Soda
(b) Virgin drinks that replace alcohol with syrup
(c) Water, either carbonated or non.
There ARE things that exist between water and 13g of sugar per 4 oz glass. I'd just like to see something like that be made available to me...
EDIT: And I'll be honest; we asked a bartender about this when he happily filled an order for a screwdriver and then I asked for orange juice and he wouldn't serve it. Apparently fruit juice goes bad fast enough and people ask for it so rarely that they get pre-mixed screwdrivers, cosmos, and so forth, and just add a bit more alcohol to up the "oomph". They can get the pre-mixed in greater bulk and it lasts a LOT longer, so why buy straight juice when so few people buy it? Makes sense, but still frustrating...
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Aand... we've hit 100°F, with a projected high of 102°F.
And the house is still at 77°F, and MUCH cooler in the bedrooms.
I'm just baffled. Physics is failing in my own home...
oh no, I was wondering why people couldn't just order virgin drinks in a drinking setting.Social pressure and high sugar contents, supposedly.I can attest to both.
People used to get out-and-out offended to the point of, "Get out of my sight you freak!" if you go to a bar and don't drink. Now that designated drivers are a "thing", it's a LOT easier, because I'm just the designated designated driver, and people accept that with aplomb.
But try to get a drink that isn't either:
(a) Some form of water, or
(b) Sugary enough to feed an ant colony for 10 years.You'll find that it's almost impossible.
I am all for drinking whatever you want. But dont be this guy.
More seriously, what drinks are you referring to?
Simple juice would be nice: Orange juice, cranberry juice; I know they're used as mixers, so why not sell 'em as actual beverages.
Instead, you can have:
(a) Soda
(b) Virgin drinks that replace alcohol with syrup
(c) Water, either carbonated or non.There ARE things that exist between water and 13g of sugar per 4 oz glass. I'd just like to see something like that be made available to me...
EDIT: And I'll be honest; we asked a bartender about this when he happily filled an order for a screwdriver and then I asked for orange juice and he wouldn't serve it. Apparently fruit juice goes bad fast enough and people ask for it so rarely that they get pre-mixed screwdrivers, cosmos, and so forth, and just add a bit more alcohol to up the "oomph". They can get the pre-mixed in greater bulk and it lasts a LOT longer, so why buy straight juice when so few people buy it? Makes sense, but still frustrating...
that's weird. I get those when I go go work in the field for the second job all the time.
Aand... we've hit 100°F, with a projected high of 102°F.
And the house is still at 77°F, and MUCH cooler in the bedrooms.
I'm just baffled. Physics is failing in my own home...
may it continue to fail. May math degrade into nothingness.
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I'm wondering if these are places that, for possibly historical/zoning reasons, cannot serve non alcoholic drinks in large quantity?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.
When the Temperance movement was still a thing, there was a network of alcohol-free pubs in the UK. One still exists in Rawtenstall, Lancashire, NW England
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may it continue to fail. May math degrade into nothingness.Aand... we've hit 100°F, with a projected high of 102°F.
And the house is still at 77°F, and MUCH cooler in the bedrooms.
I'm just baffled. Physics is failing in my own home...
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I made Nobody's Ribs for dinner tonight with a big pan of cornbread. After all this work in the yard and the garage, I am seriously hungry.
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I made Nobody's Ribs for dinner tonight with a big pan of cornbread. After all this work in the yard and the garage, I am seriously hungry.
Give those back! I NEED those!
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OK. 3:25 pm. 102°F outside. Finally broke 80°F at my desk.
At GothBard's insistence, I moved the portable AC from the studio to the house, so I don't have to "suck it up". And I have solar, so I don't have to particularly care about electricity use.
Life is good...
...except for the missing ribs...
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I made Nobody's Ribs for dinner tonight with a big pan of cornbread. After all this work in the yard and the garage, I am seriously hungry.Give those back! I NEED those!
Your name isn't Adam perchance, is it?
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Life is good...
...except for the missing ribs...
Hey, everone said its nobody's!
I'll have a few drinks if it's socially and I don't have to drive.
The last time this happened was four years ago.
We really need to get out more.
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Aand... we've hit 100°F, with a projected high of 102°F.
And the house is still at 77°F, and MUCH cooler in the bedrooms.
I'm just baffled. Physics is failing in my own home...
Have you taken into account that the solar panels are absorbing some of the energy that would heat the house before (and possibly reflecting away some more)?
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I made Nobody's Ribs for dinner tonight with a big pan of cornbread. After all this work in the yard and the garage, I am seriously hungry.
I see cannibalism has set in. You have officially been in Texas too long.
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Have you taken into account that the solar panels are absorbing some of the energy that would heat the house before (and possibly reflecting away some more)?Aand... we've hit 100°F, with a projected high of 102°F.
And the house is still at 77°F, and MUCH cooler in the bedrooms.
I'm just baffled. Physics is failing in my own home...
Oh, there are multiple layers of things happening:
(1) As you mentioned, the solar panels are preventing quite a bit of direct sun from hitting the roof. I'm sure that's extremely effective under the panels, but I think they were something like 18% of the total roof area. So effective, but not covering a ton. (Go ahead Freehold, have at!)
(2) The new roof has "proper" venting at the peak instead of at the bottom, so it's much more efficient at keeping the attic cool. I'm betting that this is the major contributing factor. I wouldn't want to go up there and put my hand in front of one of those vents, and not just 'cause it's fricking HOT up there right now...
(3) The new insulation is probably 4x the thickness of the old insulation. So even though the attic is still warm, there's very little of that heat getting through.
So honestly, I think the roof heat is virtually stopped. What's impressive is that my walls are mostly-uninsulated, so I don't understand why I'm not being roasted through all the walls. Our bedroom is on the sunny side of the house, but it was the coolest room in the house before I turned on the AC. Go figure.
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Yes. You were simply trying to help the pine cones release for new growth.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.)
Oh, I'd totally fix it. Easy.
Scorched-earth counts as "fixing," right?
I endorse this product and/or service!
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I am in pain. And old. And a tad sunburnt.
Also, I got a notice in the mail from the city today that I am in code violation (three counts!) for not maintaining the vegetation on the alley-side of my back fence so that service trucks can get through easily, and I have until the 19th to trim back all the overgrowth and pull all the weeds there as well. Oh, and I also have to trim overhanging tree branches to a height of 14 feet. And it's in my lease that the trees are my responsibility, not my landlord's.
Groovy.
So I'm going to ice up, watch some Good Omens, and then get up as soon as it's light tomorrow and go tackle the alley before it gets hot.
| 6 people marked this as a favorite. |
I am in pain. And old. And a tad sunburnt.
Also, I got a notice in the mail from the city today that I am in code violation (three counts!) for not maintaining the vegetation on the alley-side of my back fence so that service trucks can get through easily, and I have until the 19th to trim back all the overgrowth and pull all the weeds there as well. Oh, and I also have to trim overhanging tree branches to a height of 14 feet. And it's in my lease that the trees are my responsibility, not my landlord's.
Groovy.
So I'm going to ice up, watch some Good Omens, and then get up as soon as it's light tomorrow and go tackle the alley before it gets hot.
For once I agree with Pyromaniac. Just burn it all.
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Have you taken into account that the solar panels are absorbing some of the energy that would heat the house before (and possibly reflecting away some more)?Aand... we've hit 100°F, with a projected high of 102°F.
And the house is still at 77°F, and MUCH cooler in the bedrooms.
I'm just baffled. Physics is failing in my own home...
Oh, there are multiple layers of things happening:
(1) As you mentioned, the solar panels are preventing quite a bit of direct sun from hitting the roof. I'm sure that's extremely effective under the panels, but I think they were something like 18% of the total roof area. So effective, but not covering a ton. (Go ahead Freehold, have at!)
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I am in pain. And old. And a tad sunburnt.
Also, I got a notice in the mail from the city today that I am in code violation (three counts!) for not maintaining the vegetation on the alley-side of my back fence so that service trucks can get through easily, and I have until the 19th to trim back all the overgrowth and pull all the weeds there as well. Oh, and I also have to trim overhanging tree branches to a height of 14 feet. And it's in my lease that the trees are my responsibility, not my landlord's.
Groovy.
So I'm going to ice up, watch some Good Omens, and then get up as soon as it's light tomorrow and go tackle the alley before it gets hot.
sounds like it's time for me to ice you down and get naked, in that order.
Unless you have an extra 25 bucks, that is.
If you can prove your milkmaid status, you get 20% off!
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I am in pain. And old. And a tad sunburnt.
Also, I got a notice in the mail from the city today that I am in code violation (three counts!) for not maintaining the vegetation on the alley-side of my back fence so that service trucks can get through easily, and I have until the 19th to trim back all the overgrowth and pull all the weeds there as well. Oh, and I also have to trim overhanging tree branches to a height of 14 feet. And it's in my lease that the trees are my responsibility, not my landlord's.
Groovy.
So I'm going to ice up, watch some Good Omens, and then get up as soon as it's light tomorrow and go tackle the alley before it gets hot.
It's too bad you don't live closer, that sounds like a fun day.
Edit: Also I'm still under strict orders from the doctor not to exert myself too much, those should be lifted this week though.
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Look at all that adult talking that went on today. Where's gran we will fix that!
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Speaking of immaturity: I have drunk barely legals in my hotel. I remember a part of my life where that would of been a positive instead of a negative.
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Ha and someone just called and asked me if I had 27 rooms available for right now. LOL no....
I think it might have been the same group but someone just called me asking if I had 37....
I doubt all the hotels in my area combined have that many rooms.
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I was going to mention something about the fantastic animated series, but then I noticed it was "fails" instead of "falls" so I won't mention that Gravity Falls is absolutely fantastic (except for mentioning it just now).
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I was going to mention something about the fantastic animated series, but then I noticed it was "fails" instead of "falls" so I won't mention that Gravity Falls is absolutely fantastic (except for mentioning it just now).
When you are right you are right.
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I. Hate. Cancer.
That is all.
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I think I just prevented a possible big issue. Had some guy come up give me the party girl I mentioned in the above posts room number and name and ask for an extra room key saying he was the boy friend. It seemed suspect so I went up and talked to the girl and she had no idea so I sent him the F away. Now I'll be keeping a closer eye on whose coming and going too. He's lucky I didn't call the cops. He probably over heard her friends saying her name and her room number. That's how you get robbed and/or worse right their people. Which is why we don't say that stuff out loud when we check people in. (It's a rant I know but I'm irritated now.)
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Look at all that adult talking that went on today. Where's gran we will fix that!gran is busy doing laundry because the manager is cutting hours for the housekeepers.
Man and I thought I was having a bad night that Sucks.
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You should have just laughed until they hung up.Ha and someone just called and asked me if I had 27 rooms available for right now. LOL no....
I think it might have been the same group but someone just called me asking if I had 37....
I doubt all the hotels in my area combined have that many rooms.
Their was definite chuckling the whole time.