The Vent and Rant Thread

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Let me be the first to recommend custom-made shoes. They don't look like the 'old people space shoes' we used to see when we were kids. Now you can get good looking shoes made from orthopedic casts of your feet for not a lot more than a good quality ready-made shoe. The comfort makes the extra few dollars more than worthwhile.

Stitchawl

+1 on this suggestion.

There are also "normal" shoes with removable liners designed to be used with custom orthotics. That's what I did back when I had to be on my feet all day on non-resilient floors. That option doesn't work for everyone of course, it depends on what type of orthotics you need, but I got my shoes from The Walking Company and then had the orthotics made at a specialty shop. They were nice, attractive shoes and I wore them almost daily for nearly five years until I wore them out.

[SneakySnake]

The pool was leaking. Ah well we said after fixing the promblem (replace hydrostatic valve) Seeing as it is winter, why don't we instead of refilling it, finish emptying it and use the winter to do the resurfacing. Pool is 30 years old.

So pump out almost all the water last week and the next morning it looks like there is a bit more in there. I don't think it rained! no water in any of the telltale spots. Bugga it must be seeping back in through the hole where the hydrostatic valve lives.

So on Saturday when I get back from the gym I set up my drain and bail system and completely empty the pool with bucket and jug. Was I sore like a big gym workout? Yes worse than the gym. Next morning water back in the pool!

The work required involves acid washing the surface, now that the (bluddy drought is over) water table is higher, the wash off won't seep away into the ground, but will collect in the pool and we will need to pump it out. Using more water to dilute it to safe levels. Now it will be a very slow process because if the waster water/acid is not draining away, more nasty gas for bloke to breath if he does too much at once.

Bloke has now put a stand pipe in the valve screw fitting to prevent/limit the water seeping back in. Here's hoping for a drought winter (hahahaha! bluddy floods) so the pool can stay empty for the job.

for listening. Better than stirring up poor bloke!

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by SneakySnake

:, now that the (bluddy drought is over) water table is higher, the wash off won't seep away into the ground, but will collect in the pool and we will need to pump it out. !

I would think that this would be cause for dancing in the streets!

[SneakySnake]

Not for Brisbane...

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by SneakySnake

Not for Brisbane...

that's not current

[DMB]

Originally Posted by Rumpelteazer

In the past two weeks Neil Diamond has been on European tv a lot. My mother wanted to record it all (I'm secretly hoping they have dubbed him on German tv). Because I'm always the one who has to program the HDD recorder I've been trying to teach my mother how to do it, since it isn't that hard. In the last week alone I had her program the thing four times.

Tonight I saw a movie on the BBC that I wanted to see but is on way too late. Because I'm housesitting I texted my mother asking if she wanted to program the recorder. She just called me because she didn't know how to do and when I talked her through it she kept going into a wrong part of the menu because she thought it was more logic than going to the right section.

I seriously think she doesn't want to learn it. It's the same with the computer. Both my sister and me have walked her through selecting, copying, pasting, printing a selection, etc so many times she ought to know how to do it but every time we're (usually me) called to help her/do it. She's been complaining lately that we're irritated but after having to explain it for the Nth time I think we're allowed to get tired of it.

Finger's crossed that the film is recorded although I'm not keeping my hopes up.

I used to get cross with my mother about not being able to learn how do to simple technical things, but then I realised it was the beginnings of dementia.

[DMB]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

I work on a military base. Today I went to the pass office to renew the stickers on my car that allow me to drive on base. It took 2 hours and 35 minutes. TWO HOURS AND THIRTY-FIVE FREAKING MINUTES TO GET SOME [moderator deletes his own expletive, but he's still thinking it] STICKERS FOR MY CAR!!! I don't do standing well. Walking is okay unless it's a long walk, but if I stand for any length of time, my lower back begins to complain, followed by major protests from my sciatic nerve. But there are no chairs in the pass office. Everyone waits in line, and by the time I got to the desk, my whole right side from my hip down felt like it was on fire. Normally, I don't use a cane, but I brought one because I knew what that crazy place was like. It helped some, but not enough, so a couple of times I said "Screw this" and sat down on my butt on the floor. I noticed there was a navy fireman there. I remarked that having him there was a good idea in case anyone passed out from the wait. I told them at the desk that even the DMV has a number system and chairs for their patrons. And, quite frankly, I can't recall the last time I spent over an hour at the DMV. This crazy shipyard. They keep hiring more and more contractors who take up more and more time at the pass office, yet they never hire more people to work at the pass office. The pass office employees aren't to blame; it's the system. It's the higher ups and the black-hearts who manage the budget. I guarantee that if a senator or congressman had to wait in one of their lines things would change. This is insane. And this is a normal day at the pass office.

On the plus side, I did finish one of the books I was reading on my Kindle, and made good progress on a couple of others.

It might make you feel old, but I can recommend one of these:



Not only are they much better support than a cane, particularly for a bad lower back, but they have a seat as well. Makes standing in queues a breeze!

[SneakySnake]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

that's not current

That one was from 1893. But this one is from this January 2011.

[orlok]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

that's not current

There might be a current...

[Rumpelteazer]

Originally Posted by DMB

I used to get cross with my mother about not being able to learn how do to simple technical things, but then I realised it was the beginnings of dementia.

I don't think it's dementia, she always had this. My sister, my father and me have always been programming VCRs and HDD recorders, explaining computer things to her. If she doesn't find it interesting she doesn't remember it because there's always someone around who does know how it works and will do it (because that takes less time than explaining it *again*).

[pholy]

Sounds like your mother is part cat... she has you all well trained.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by DMB

It might make you feel old, but I can recommend one of these:



Not only are they much better support than a cane, particularly for a bad lower back, but they have a seat as well. Makes standing in queues a breeze!

Thanks for the suggestion, but I've decided that the next time I have to deal with that pass office, I'm bring a sleeping bag and camping out an hour before they open.

[wyndslash]

so there was this news on tv talking about insider trading payments, then my dad comments that he thinks it's only natural for people to give gifts and the recipient to "help out". isn't that just a nice way of calling it a bribe? i mean, he doesn't think it's a bribe, and it worries me that i'm going to be working in the finance industry in the future, not that i think there's an industry that is immune to bribes and human greed.

[benham]

It's not a gift if you expect something in return.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by wyndslash

then my dad comments that he thinks it's only natural for people to give gifts and the recipient to "help out"

That is indeed a bribe.

Pervasive small scale bribery corruption inhibits the economy and encourages larger scale bribery and corruption.

http://www.africaeconomicanalysis.or...ondikehtm.html
http://www.transparency.org/ is worth a look too.