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Atomic
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Re: More Stuff

Post by Atomic »

Happy happy to one and to all!

Spent New Years Eve in the horsepistol. Seems they needed to talk to me about my extended warranty.

All is well!
Don't let other peoples limitations become your constraints!

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Typeminer
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Post by Typeminer »

Hope they got you fixed up, Atomic.

Happy New Year, everyone!
Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the linchpin of civilization.
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lake_wrangler
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Location: Laval, Québec, Canada

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Post by lake_wrangler »

In Montreal, a good number of bus shelters (small shelters at bus stops for people to take refuge in during inclement weather) have a built-in computer, so as to deliver multiple ads on the side of the shelter, instead of a static poster.

This week, as I was waiting at a red light, I happened to glance at the bus shelter across the street from me. Here are the two ads which followed each other, back to back:



First ad: a winter scene, two cross-country skiers in a park, and the caption "L'hiver, on bouge" (in winter, we move). It's an ad reminding people to keep physically active, even in winter, and encouraging them to make use of the many municipal parks across the city to do so.

Second ad, immediately following the first one: plain yellow background (the company's color), a snow globe with a house inside it, a wi-fi logo above the snow glove, and the caption "Ça donne le goût de rester en dedans" (Makes you feel like staying inside)... it's an ad from an internet provider, touting its wi-fi capabilities...



The contrast between the two, as one followed on the footsteps of the other, was just so ironically amusing...
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lake_wrangler
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Post by lake_wrangler »

Just ran across these two quotes, in someone's signature on the Hammock Forums:
I've gone to find myself. If I get back before I return, make sure I stay here.
When I see lovers' names carved into a tree, I don't think it's cute. I think it's strange how so many people take knives on a date.
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lake_wrangler
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Location: Laval, Québec, Canada

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Post by lake_wrangler »

And two more signature quotes from the same forum:
Murphy's Law: When one toilet breaks they all break.....its all a buncha crap.
Im an educated idiot. The more I learn the less I know.
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Dave
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Location: Mountain View, CA, USA

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Post by Dave »

We're having high winds in the SF Bay area today. Our rooftop weather station says it was gusting up to 28. Gwen rode out to catch up with the postman to give him a package, and the wind knocked her off of her bicycle.

We were cooking dinner at about 5, and there was a big KABOOM! and the house shook. Going outside, we found that the 60-foot blue spruce between our driveway and house had decided to lie down on our garage roof. It had torn its roots out of the soil and pulled up a paving slab from the front walkway.

Fortunately it seems to have come down fairly slowly, and in a direction which looks to have avoided any major damage to the house and to our cars... just about the best possible angle of fall, if something like this had to happen.

Our neighborhood tree service guy came over to see, and will be back tomorrow morning at 8 to chop and chip.
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Just Old Al
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Post by Just Old Al »

YOW!

Had a 3-foot diameter white pine snap off in a severe storm and do that not-so-gently to my property about a decade ago. Thankfully the only damage was a 3-foot hole in the garage roof where the top of the tree whipped through.

Yours looks like it came down slow enough to not do any severe damage - good on you! Glad you and Gwen are all right.

On an amusing note, I had bought less than a year before a Weber grill, which took a glancing blow. Ruined the cover, a shelf and some of the outer bits. Insurance wrote it off but being the handy type I was i called up Weber and went to price out the repair parts.

Gave them the serial #, the purchase date and the items needed...and the parts were covered under warranty. When Weber says unconditional warranty they MEAN IT. Impact by a pine tree is covered.

I still have it, and it still works fine... :)
"The Empire was founded on cups of tea, mate, and if you think I am going to war without one you are sadly mistaken."
FreeFlier
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Post by FreeFlier »

I had a large western spruce hit my house a couple of years ago . . . the top three-quarters of it, anyway. Did no detectable damage, luckily.

Apparently the butt of the broken-off section hit the ground,then it slowly fell over on the house . . . and went through two smaller trees on the way.

the neighbors were kind enough to cut it up for me and haul the rounds away.

I left the broken-off trunk in place, since there's really nothing it can hit, and the trunk will make a good attractor for the pileated woodpeckers in the neighborhood.

--FreeFlier
Last edited by FreeFlier on Wed Feb 22, 2023 10:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Dave
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Post by Dave »

As we had hoped, the damage was minor. There's a small dent in the sheet-metal gutter above the garage door (I think I can probably bend it back to shape, if it turns out to matter). There was one penetration of the garage roof, where a branch stub punched through the shingles and plywood... it's about an inch and a quarter in diameter. Since we have rain coming in tonight I did a temporary repair - shoved a piece of FR-4 blank printed circuit board stock up under the upper shingle, and asphalted it to adhese and seal. A more thorough repair can wait until the weather warms up and dries out, and I scare up a bundle of replacement shingles. A couple of the other shingles were marred but not broken; I'll decide about replacing them later. That's it - nothing else took damage.

We really did get lucky, this time around.

The excellent tree team (local expert Villa and two of his daughters) spent most of the morning chopping and chipping, and the tree's now completely gone from our property. Our neighbor across the cul-de-sac got a bunch of the chips for their garden.

When Villa dug and chopped out the stump and roots (he couldn't get the grinder to the spot) he found that the center of the stump was rotted... "probably termites". It was sound once it got a foot or so above ground level, and I hadn't seen any visible sign of decay, but the core where the roots were attached was badly hollowed out and punky. When the big gust hit it yesterday, it must have just split under the stress. "Things fall apart; The center cannot hold."

Gwen found a note in the neighborhood newsletter that our city has an Arbor Day tree give-away. We can order one of any of 14 types of tree suited for our climate, and they'll deliver it in early May. Eastern redbud, crepe myrtle, golden raintree... there are a bunch which would fit the space and add a nice touch of color.
Warrl
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Post by Warrl »

Do a bit of research and pick a type less prone to rot...
Alkarii
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Post by Alkarii »

My family may be finding out soon if my dad has cancer. A year ago, he weighed 275, and now he weighs about 175. He hasn't been exercising, and he's been unable to eat as much as he used to.

We also recently found out that his sister has stage 3 lung cancer.

However, there's also some unrelated and potentially good news, as they formed us at work that my department needs more process assistants. Given that I've been there almost a year and a half, I would say I know at least what's going on in the sort side of things, so I could probably handle that... And the raise I'd get for it, too.

EDIT: my mom just told me that she's told my dad she's taking him to UAMS tomorrow. He is definitely not happy.
There is no such thing as a science experiment gone wrong.
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lake_wrangler
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Re: More Stuff

Post by lake_wrangler »

Seen as a sticker (or was it detailing paint type stuff?) on the passenger side door of a Toyota FJ Cruiser:
Don't Panic
_________
ɔᴉuɐԀ ꓘO
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Dave
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Post by Dave »

Alkarii wrote: Sun Mar 19, 2023 12:21 pm EDIT: my mom just told me that she's told my dad she's taking him to UAMS tomorrow. He is definitely not happy.
Ouch... not the sorts of news one wants to have to report!

That sort of weight loss might also be a sign of uncontrolled diabetes. I imagine the doctors will be giving him a bunch of blood tests... an A1C reading would either diagnose or rule out diabetes.

Here's hoping it's something treatable!
Alkarii
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Post by Alkarii »

Yeah, he does have diabetes. I forgot to mention that.

When I got home from my brother's place today (two nights of D&D, whoo!), I saw that my dad was still home, and then a minute or two later I saw that had sent me and my siblings a group text, pissed that we talked with mom about his health. Shortly after I read and deleted the text, my mom got home, and I caught the tail end of the earful she was giving him while crying, before storming out.

So I'm not gonna go out of my way to talk to him. He wants to be a dick towards us for being concerned? Beyond making funeral arrangements and all that, I'm not going to bother with any of it, unless and only when my brother and/or sister request my help.

UPDATE: he left earlier, telling us he was going to the VA. He wasn't seen by a doctor, but he said he should hear back soon about when he'll have an appointment. Right now, it seems like his chances aren't good that he'll make it if the appointment isn't any earlier than this fall.
There is no such thing as a science experiment gone wrong.
Typeminer
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Post by Typeminer »

Alkarii, how old is your dad?

Your family seems pretty fraught. Part of the lore from my own old folks was that trying to help some people who don't want help doesn't help anybody. I don't know your situation that well, but take care of yourself first.

If this were a civilized country with a healthcare system, I'd say drag him (at gunpoint, if necessary) to UAMS. He needs medical attention, even if only palliative care.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the linchpin of civilization.
Warrl
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Post by Warrl »

This country has several health care systems.

The three that most resemble the more unified systems of certain other countries, one gets the worst results (but that's partially the fault of patients who, to a much greater than average extent, can't be bothered); another is among the least respected and the subject of frequent scandals; and the third is only for old and disabled people - and all three have a hard time finding doctors willing to work with them long-term. (I hear Britain and Canada also have that last problem.)

The best ones are among the WORLD's best - but don't even pretend to try to cover everyone. Not even collectively.

An issue is that medical care is not something you can do yourself (like free speech) or pick up off the ground (like simple weapons) - it's something someone else has to do for you. Canada's constitution says that medical care is a human right. And a court there ruled some years ago that one of the provinces violated people's human rights by failing to have properly-staffed medical clinics in isolated tiny villages - because the doctors didn't want to live in such remote and unpopulated areas. Eventually, in extremis, the answer to a "human right" that someone else has to provide is to enslave a few people and compel them to be the providers. Personally, I'd rather not get medical care from someone who had to be enslaved and compelled to become a doctor - and that's before we get into the ethical issues.
Alkarii
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Post by Alkarii »

My dad will be 60 in June. He wasn't seen by a doctor, but he says he's expecting to hear back from the VA about when he'll have an appointment.

When I heard mention of diabetes being a possible culprit, that made a lot of sense. He hasn't been taking medication for it, and he still eats junk food. So it's definitely looking like it's a big contributor.
There is no such thing as a science experiment gone wrong.
Alkarii
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Post by Alkarii »

My dad ended up going to UAMS this morning. The doctors think it's his diabetes, but I don't think they gave him anything for the pain. At least it isn't cancer.

I think my mom is talking to him about what he's supposed to be eating to keep his diabetes in check.

On an unrelated note, I ended up picking up a new D&D miniature today, but I'm keeping it a secret from my group until it's time to bring it to the table.

I got the Gargantuan Tiamat figure, pre-painted. Each of her wings is as long as my forearm and hand... So she's definitely going to be the final boss of a campaign.

And no, this figure wasn't cheap, and no, I don't currently have a place to put her on display.
There is no such thing as a science experiment gone wrong.
Typeminer
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Post by Typeminer »

They've gotten real stingy about pain management.

My maternal grandmother had both legs amputated because of complications from adult-onset diabetes. That was about 50 years ago, and she was in her late 70s. Treatment is a lot better now, and I hope your dad will take it seriously.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the linchpin of civilization.
Alkarii
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Post by Alkarii »

Dad's still dropping weight, but I think he's gotten it into his head to lay off the sweets. I don't know if he'll manage to stop this rapid weight loss, but if he doesn't then I think that he won't make it to Christmas at this rate.

I was really hoping that life wouldn't try to yank the rug out from under me at this point, but I guess the only way I'd be able to get away from constantly struggling in one way or another is to just win the lottery.
There is no such thing as a science experiment gone wrong.
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