The Vent and Rant Thread

[abbynormal52]

Originally Posted by tsgreer

I recently retired. I was looking forward to the first snow this year; thinking that it'd finally be my friend. Pictured myself sipping cheap coffee, staring out the window like some wise old mountain hermit while a storm raged. Raising my eyebrows at the people driving way too fast on slick roads.

No commute. No ice. No white-knuckled death drive to work. That was part of the dream.

Then today drops the first big snow of my retirement. I should be celebrating! I should be dancing in my slippers! Instead I’m looking out at my driveway, straight at my giant rented dumpster like it’s some doomed ship taking on water. I ordered it because the weather has been freakishly warm. I got tricked into thinking I should clean up my garage and fix my yard like a responsible youngish old guy.

But here’s the punchline. The dumpster charges by weight. They pick it up tomorrow. And every inch of this storm is stuffing itself into every nook and cranny of my dumpster like it’s trying to qualify for world’s heaviest frozen sponge.

Mother Nature coulda waited one more day. Just one. But nah, she clocked out early and dumped a wet blanket straight into my retirement budget.

This is why I shoulda been writing crappy pulp stories instead of being responsible. Ugh! I guess the universe really likes its jokes cold.

Just the stories/experiences you've been through, you write it, I'll buy it. I couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry, my inappropriate laughter won out

[poohbear_nc]

Idiots in my neighborhood have set off fireworks every night since Xmas - am dreading NYE if this keeps up.

[abbynormal52]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

Idiots in my neighborhood have set off fireworks every night since Xmas - am dreading NYE if this keeps up.

I agree with the name "idiots". I liked it when it was for little kids with a few sparklers

[Renate]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

Idiots in my neighborhood have set off fireworks every night since Xmas - am dreading NYE if this keeps up.

I agree. Why do so many people not have access to a calendar?

As a curmudgeon I am against all fireworks for the noise and smoke.
I think the development of drone displays a positive one.

[Rumpelteazer]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

Idiots in my neighborhood have set off fireworks every night since Xmas - am dreading NYE if this keeps up.

I can sympathize.

In the Netherlands fireworks is only allowed to be sold (or pre-orders to be picked up) on the last three days of the year and it's allowed to be set of from 6pm on the 31st until 2am on the 1st.

But in reality we've been hearing fireworks being set off every day/night since early November and it's slowly ramping up. It isn't as bad as last year (first year in our new house), but I think people are saving it for NYE this year. It's probably the last year non-professionals are allowed to set of any fireworks but the lightest forms (eg sparklers). However, the police has already let it be known that they aren't going to be (able to) do anything about fireworks that is set off illegally next year. Combined with the fact that in Belgium and Germany it's allowed to sell fireworks all year around, I'm not expecting a quiet NYE from next year onward.

I expect the setting off of fireworks will start in earnest today. I got my earplugs within reach on my bedside table. We'll be celebrating NYE at my parents' place, which you have a nice view on two sides to look at fireworks in the distance, but it isn't set off too close (at least last year). When we got back last year from my parents' after 2am one neighbour was still setting off very heavy fireworks for another half an hour or so.

Not my favourite time of the year.

[Rumpelteazer]

People started setting off fireworks at 7am this morning.

I just spend some time removing the wreath from the front door, taking off the anti-freezing bags from the shrubs in the back garden and moved the parasol from close to the house to the middle of the back garden. We're debating whether or not to remove the star lamp we have hanging from the flag pole or not.

Tonight I'll put a clamp on the letterbox and make sure the package box is empty.

Tomorrow I'll be putting everything back and cleaning up the fireworks debris.

At least we had some rain on and off this morning. It's nice if things are a bit damp/wet outside during NYE.

[JSWolf]

The biggest problem with fireworks is pets. Too many people make a big deal about fireworks and they end up scaring their dog.

Me, I didn't make any sort of deal over fireworks. My dog is used to TV with explosions and gunfire. Also, when out walking and I've heard fireworks, I took him towards them. He's not bothered at all. I never made any sort if issue over fireworks, So he's fine with them.

[Cactus Chef]

New cat. She bounces around on the bed and paws at us at odd hours of the night while we're trying to sleep, then she sleeps all day while we're working.

Why, kitty?

[Hemmi]

Originally Posted by Cactus Chef

New cat. She bounces around on the bed and paws at us at odd hours of the night while we're trying to sleep, then she sleeps all day while we're working.

Why, kitty?

Because she can, of course!

[ownedbycats]

I love that smoke detector goes off if I leave water boiling too long, but doesn't do anything when the kitchen fills up with smoke.

[DNSB]

My spouse tends to regard the new smoke detector near the kitchen as the dinner is ready announcement. The old unit had a switch labelled kitchen to allow for reducing the sensitivity when used in or near a kitchen. Sadly, it reached it's end of life and the new unit screams every time I open the oven near the end of cooking, use the air fryer, etc.

We are looking for a new smoke detector rated for use near a kitchen, preferably with enough people saying it worked for their kitchen area. The current unit's box says it is perfect for use near kitchens though that may be based on being owned by people whose idea of the perfect thing to make for dinner is reservations.

[jbjb]

We have heat detector alarms in the kitchen (and smoke detectors elsewhere) to avoid this sort of problem.

My wife's approach to making toast is to turn the toaster up to max, then try (and usually fail) to remember to pop it before it burns, so smoke detectors in the kitchen are a non-starter.

[Rumpelteazer]

First day at my new job and it'll be a chore to get there. Normally it isn't even 10 minutes by bike. But over the weekend it has snowed a lot (for Dutch standards) and with the icy roads (especially in the neighbourhood) I'm not risking slipping and falling. So public transport it is. It looks like the tram is going on schedule so far this morning, which is great since there aren't any buses until at least 8.30am. I just have to get to the tram stop, normally a 10 minute walk, now I'm leaving at least 20 minutes before the tram is set to go. I'm taking one earlier than I normally would, in case of delays.

I looks like it'll snow when I'm traveling this morning, and possible when I'm heading back home this afternoon. It looks like this will last at least a couple of more days.

[badgoodDeb]

How did the travel to work go, if it is the next day by now?

[Rumpelteazer]

Originally Posted by badgoodDeb

How did the travel to work go, if it is the next day by now?

Getting there wasn't a problem. The trams were operating, on the way to my tram stop it started snowing heavily, and that lasted for a while. There were no buses that all day yesterday and the trams stopped at 1pm. Which meant I had to walk back home. Normally it would take me around 25 minutes, now it took me 40 minutes.

It was chaos at work, because a lot of colleagues were later or weren't able to come. OTOH, there were less customers than normal, especially early on. So I've had a lot of things explained to me but have not yet been able to put into practice. I was hired mostly to help out at the self checkout. But because of understaffing I worked the regular cash register all afternoon.

This morning there are no buses until at least 10am, it looks like the trams are going, but with delays. I'm debating whether to risk walking to tram stop and see if they are going, maybe have to backtrack if there aren't any, or if I just walk. More snow is on the way this morning and throughout the day, so I'm expecting I have to walk back again. They are not predicting that we'll have snow until at least Thursday. Friday is still unclear, it depends on if temperature will go up or not, we're either getting a lot of rain or a lot snow that day.