USMB Coffee Shop IV

[gallantwarrior]

So good morning everybody. Hombre is still under the weather--he hasn't had this long a siege of cold or flu or whatever he has for a long time, but he really has it. Unfortunately I only have Alkaseltzer cold and the pain reliever in that is aspirin which he isn't supposed to take because of his gout. So off to the pharmacy for a different cold med shortly.

Crap, Foxy! Hope you can find some relief for Hombre soon. Being sick sucks!

 

[gallantwarrior]

Sunday morning I was in the basement sanding, tack clothing and priming the new chest of drawers. I made a mistake when I put the carcass of the dresser on the saw horses to prime. I put the face, the part that needs the paint on the top. This meant I would have to paint it horizontally and reach across the top to do so. I should have put it with the face facing me so I could paint without paint dripping into the cabinet.

Anyway, while I was prepping the drawers, I heard a faint hissing sound. "I wonder what that is?"

Then, I heard a "PLINK" followed by a gushing sound! This was coming from the utility room. I went in and suddenly I was a commander on a U-boat while the American destroyer above was dropping depth charges with astounding accuracy! My tank less water heater had sprung a leak! Water gushed forth like something you would wait in line to see at a National Park.

I scrambled to find the shut off valve, all the while getting doused by a deluge of freezing water. I found the valve and shut it down. There was a hole in the serpentine copper piping the size of a quarter.. My sweat shirt, fleece pants, socks and slippers were soaked. It was -7 outside, and the water coursing through the plumbing was more slush than liquid. I was freezing. I could not take a nice steamy shower to warm up. I could not dry off as quickly as I hoped. I stripped out of the soaked clothes and mopped myself off with a towel.

Of course, it was Sunday and I could not call a plumber. Showers are now taken at my long suffering brother's house until Wednesday night when, according to his schedule, the plumber will stop by Pimplebutt to install a new water heater.

A new water heater helps me make the decision between wall paper and paint for the bedroom project. Time top pick up some color chip samples. The silver lining is, I was in the basement when it happened and was able to stop the leak within a minute.

Holy shit, NoSmo...that sucks. But you're right...at least you were there when it all went south.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Woke up to a couple of inches of new snowfall this morning. Had to clear the car and drive to get Gizmo to the vet, found out she is a he so he's getting spayed, wellness check, shots, etc. He'll be there until Saturday morning after we get back from El Paso late Friday. He wasn't happy with being locked in the front room all night with no food.........
It's already just above freezing so all this is already starting to melt.

He's getting spayed? I'm sure he'll be glad to know that.

 

[Ernie S.]

I have tried numerous concoctions to clean the haze off the car headlamps with limited success until today. A while back I mentioned how to use a slurry of hydrogen and baking soda to clean the baked on crap off of stovetops, well I decided to give it a try on the headlamps. They look almost new!!! best stuff I have found and it didn't involve scrubbing until my arm almost fell off.

that's hydrogen peroxide, I assume?

 

[gallantwarrior]

[raising hand] Permission to vent?
How many of you have had to deal with a passive-aggressive control personality. For almost 12 years now, I've been dealing with my partner, whom I have mentioned at times. Well, he's P-A, and a massive hoarder! I deal with the unpleasantness mostly by complying with the "rules". One of his rules is: unless he's selected the DVD, the TV is not permitted to be on. He finds it impossible to focus on anything else while the TV is running. Hence, whenever he comes into the house, I hit the pause button or turn it off. But before he comes in and settles down, he has to come in-and-out a dozen times, for assorted reasons. Each time, the TV has to be silenced or I get snapped at. I confess, this sometimes rubs me the wrong way. This evening, I made a comment about feeling like a trained seal. He starts packing his kit and sulking. He's going to go back to his place, since I'm such a nasty piece of work, always making stupid comments.
So, I've violated another rule, to never make a comment when I'm aggravated about something he's done/doing. He cannot be criticized.
Now we go to act three: I usually try to cajole him and persuade him to stay here. (He's usually had a few beers by this time and should refrain from driving.) This time, I forwent act three and just let him go, not following him out to the truck, arguing and begging he not drive.
While never openly, physically violent, his behavior is distinctly unpleasant and psychologically violent if the rules are violated. It is easier to just shut up and behave than to oppose him. On some level, I know that one of the (lesser) reasons I will be moving to live closer to my daughter and her family is that I hope to dishearten him and perhaps he'll toss in the towel.
OK, well...thanks for "listening". Venting is therapeutic.

GW... you have the patience of a saint. If that was me in that situation, I'd have come to blows with someone like that. I'm not sure what the advantage is to being abused like that, but whatever the reason is, I think you'd be happier not having to deal with that.

He has agreed to separating one property. I just have to get the funds together for the surveyor and the local government. He's already told me that any profits from the sale of the town property are his. It's all good. I just need to split the jointly owned properties legally.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Woke up to a couple of inches of new snowfall this morning. Had to clear the car and drive to get Gizmo to the vet, found out she is a he so he's getting spayed, wellness check, shots, etc. He'll be there until Saturday morning after we get back from El Paso late Friday. He wasn't happy with being locked in the front room all night with no food.........
It's already just above freezing so all this is already starting to melt.

I took my little black and white buddy to the vet Thursday and she got spayed. I was literally dreading doing it for years. I thought she would be a fighting, clawing, biting nightmare, but instead she was a super good little girl. The vet said they figured she was just too scared to put up a fuss and just went with the program. Thankfully she's done now. Took her in in the morning and picked her up that afternoon. The only shocker was the $131 bill.

Here it's $30 to get em fixed

Incredible... I guess we get soaked for living out in the sticks.

And $131 is cheap, cheap, CHEAP for what vets around here charge. Hombre and I don't have a furry companion to love right now purely because if we did need vet services for more than the annual shots, it would really destroy our limited budget.

You'll be so glad you had it done though. She will be much better off not going into heat every few weeks and you'll be much happier without her going berserk during that time.

I confirm that the furfam suffers from the cost of sending my vets offspring to college. I do most of my livestock medical requirements myself. Actually, the only immunization requiring veterinary certification is a rabies vaccination, for feline and canine furfam members.

 

[gallantwarrior]

First, the weather: it's 45 degrees here, trying to rain, too! We still have no significant snowfall, 6-8 inches, at best, a little more up at the country place (10-14" there). My partner had the truck washed yesterday. What a waste of money! It stayed clean for two blocks, maybe. With temps above freezing to the past two days, the roads are a mucky mess.
My "foster children" arrived yesterday. They seem like nice young people and were happy to have the help at the airport. They took a rain check for dinner, preferring to get checked into their temporary lodging and letting their dogs settle down a bit. The young lady observed how much my daughter resembles me in looks and mannerisms. My poor daughter!
I've been nursing some nasty cuts on both hands the past few days. Sherman, the terrorist cat, pulled one of his table-top skids, knocking a cup of coffee to the floor. I made an attempt to catch it before it fell, over-balanced, and landed hands first among the shards of cup and the pool of coffee. Although I bandaged the cuts, two particularly bad ones bled for almost two days! I woke up from my nap that evening with both hands caked in blood. I'm about ready to skin that cat, he's such a troublemaker.
Guess I'd better quit goofing off and finish grading papers. I have most of the assignments graded and ready to return to my students. I fully expect my "challenger" to quibble about his test grade, it's the nature of this particular beast, certainly.
Spaeter, CS fellow travelers!

I suggest that next time he quibbles about his grade, you take his paper, read what he is disputing. After a couple seconds appearing to scan it, say something like I'm sorry, I did make a mistake. This is wrong too and knock a couple more points off his score.

It did make 46 here today, but we may get a frost tonight. After that, we should begin to warm up into the 70's by the week end.

Shock! The quibbler did not quibble. It's difficult to argue when I use the FAA mulit-choice questions on my tests.

 

[Ringel05]

Woke up to a couple of inches of new snowfall this morning. Had to clear the car and drive to get Gizmo to the vet, found out she is a he so he's getting spayed, wellness check, shots, etc. He'll be there until Saturday morning after we get back from El Paso late Friday. He wasn't happy with being locked in the front room all night with no food.........
It's already just above freezing so all this is already starting to melt.

He's getting spayed? I'm sure he'll be glad to know that.

Neutered, I still have to get used to her being a he.

 

[Ringel05]

I have tried numerous concoctions to clean the haze off the car headlamps with limited success until today. A while back I mentioned how to use a slurry of hydrogen and baking soda to clean the baked on crap off of stovetops, well I decided to give it a try on the headlamps. They look almost new!!! best stuff I have found and it didn't involve scrubbing until my arm almost fell off.

that's hydrogen peroxide, I assume?

Liquid hydrogen....... Now I have to figure out how to thaw out my hand..........

 

[Ernie S.]

Hope you're smoking while you use that stuff.

 

[Nosmo King]

Sunday morning I was in the basement sanding, tack clothing and priming the new chest of drawers. I made a mistake when I put the carcass of the dresser on the saw horses to prime. I put the face, the part that needs the paint on the top. This meant I would have to paint it horizontally and reach across the top to do so. I should have put it with the face facing me so I could paint without paint dripping into the cabinet.

Anyway, while I was prepping the drawers, I heard a faint hissing sound. "I wonder what that is?"

Then, I heard a "PLINK" followed by a gushing sound! This was coming from the utility room. I went in and suddenly I was a commander on a U-boat while the American destroyer above was dropping depth charges with astounding accuracy! My tank less water heater had sprung a leak! Water gushed forth like something you would wait in line to see at a National Park.

I scrambled to find the shut off valve, all the while getting doused by a deluge of freezing water. I found the valve and shut it down. There was a hole in the serpentine copper piping the size of a quarter.. My sweat shirt, fleece pants, socks and slippers were soaked. It was -7 outside, and the water coursing through the plumbing was more slush than liquid. I was freezing. I could not take a nice steamy shower to warm up. I could not dry off as quickly as I hoped. I stripped out of the soaked clothes and mopped myself off with a towel.

Of course, it was Sunday and I could not call a plumber. Showers are now taken at my long suffering brother's house until Wednesday night when, according to his schedule, the plumber will stop by Pimplebutt to install a new water heater.

A new water heater helps me make the decision between wall paper and paint for the bedroom project. Time top pick up some color chip samples. The silver lining is, I was in the basement when it happened and was able to stop the leak within a minute.

Holy shit, NoSmo...that sucks. But you're right...at least you were there when it all went south.

Yeah, I was going to get the whole "Das Boot" treatment one way or the other. I've got to get a ballpark price from this guy. My brother had a new water heater installed in 2012 for less than five hundred bucks, so...

But it was the pressure zipping through the hole that amazed me! And when I see Cary Grant plugging a leak on the S.S. Stingray, I never thought about the water temperature. Not to suggest Gay porn, but in the movies it looks like a bunch of guys in a shower. After the leak is plugged, Alan Hale and John Garfield would crack a little punchline to the crisis. They're comfortable. Not muttering the expletives sailors are notorious for, shaking like a dog shitting a peach pit, and having parts shrivel up that you have forgotten about.

 

[Ringel05]

Hope you're smoking while you use that stuff.

 

[Sherry]

 

[Foxfyre]

Good night darlinks. I love you guys.

And we're still keeping vigil for

Harper (Save's granddaughter),
Sunshine,
Pogo’s friend Pat and special comfort for Pogo,
TK, and TK's grandma,
Sheila’s friend Shirley,
Spoonie, Ringel, 007, Hombre, and Sheila's sore backs,
Sherry’s Mom,
Becki and Becki’s hubby,
Sheila and son Andrew,
Noomi’s Auntie Marj,
Complete healing for Mrs. Ringel and the Ringels in difficult transition,
GW's daughter's friend Sachendra,
Ernie's friend and colleague Max,
Boedicca's mom for healing and relief from pain,
Foxfyre's Aunt Betty,
Mrs. BBD's knee,
Mrs. O and SFCOllie and Colonel,
All of us and those we care about who are looking for work,
Safe travels for those traveling,
All who are dealing with colds and flu,
And all others we love and hold in concern.

And the light is on awaiting the return of Oddball, Sunshine, Jughead, Sheila, and Becki and all the others who have been MIA lately. We hope everyone is okay.

P.S. Sometimes in the editing of the vigil list or when I have switched computers, somebody gets dropped that is supposed to be on it. This will always be inadvertent and if ya'll would call it to my attention, it would be much appreciated.

 

[saveliberty]

Sorry to hear about your situation GW. Long standing problems require an enabler. Some of us are pretty good enablers.

Speaking as the enabler in this situation...I am reaching my tipping point. I do confess that the fear of psychological threats crossing into the physical is a significant element in how I respond is a factor.

Mrs. Liberty and I are strongly reviewing whether we are are simply unhappy with each other or would be absolutely miserable without each other. I tend to favor the second, while Mrs. Liberty is not convinced. Doing a lot of self evaluation and praying at the moment.

 

[Darkwind]

My seventh grandchild was born yesterday at 4 p.m. Pacific Time. He weighed in at 8 pounds one ounce and measured 20 inches...

Say hello to Alexander William Anthony *******

 

[Foxfyre]

My seventh grandchild was born yesterday at 4 p.m. Pacific Time. He weighed in at 8 pounds one ounce and measured 20 inches...

Say hello to Alexander William Anthony *******

View attachment 36905

Aw congrats Grandpa. How wonderful!! I am sooooo jealous of you folks who have a whole housefull of grandkids. Due to the luck of the draw, I will have my one granddaughter who I love dearly, but there won't be any more.

 

[Foxfyre]

Sorry to hear about your situation GW. Long standing problems require an enabler. Some of us are pretty good enablers.

Speaking as the enabler in this situation...I am reaching my tipping point. I do confess that the fear of psychological threats crossing into the physical is a significant element in how I respond is a factor.

Mrs. Liberty and I are strongly reviewing whether we are are simply unhappy with each other or would be absolutely miserable without each other. I tend to favor the second, while Mrs. Liberty is not convinced. Doing a lot of self evaluation and praying at the moment.

Prayers your way Save. It could just be one of those midlife crisis things. Do you have a good pastor who could help sort things out? If she isn't open to the idea of counseling, you go anyway. Very often an objective third party can help folks put things back into proper perspective. A good marriage is worth fighting for.

 

[saveliberty]

We are planning to sell the house about July or August. Once that is done, we will decide to find a new place together or split the equity and move on. Thank you for your concern and helpful ideas Foxfyre.

 

[Foxfyre]

We are planning to sell the house about July or August. Once that is done, we will decide to find a new place together or split the equity and move on. Thank you for your concern and helpful ideas Foxfyre.

Mama Fox ((hugs)) Prayers will continue. Just don't give up on a long marriage without trying every resource available to you.