The Vent and Rant Thread

[cc_in_oh]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

I have narrow feet, especially the heels, and adding padding does not work for me. Adding padding at the heel shoves my foot forward in the shoe so that my already-too-long toes are even more cramped, and then the shoes still slide on my heels.

The only shoes that really stay on my feet without slipping when I walk are lace-up shoes (and even a lot of athletic shoes are too pointy in the toes) or sandals where all the straps adjust. I have calluses all over my heels from years of wearing dress shoes that slip when I walk.

I guess I need to move somewhere where it's warm all year so I could just wear sandals all the time

I've always had trouble finding dress shoes that worked with my AAA heels. A high-end shoe store recommended trying tongue pads. They didn't make much difference at first, but when I realized they were supposed to go in the shoes they did help quite a bit...

[Dazrin]

"Generic spammer" (who is or was immediately above this post, NOT cc_in_oh) can post 8 spam messages in 13 minutes but I can only report 1 every two minutes? No way to get ahead of that. Grrr.

And wow, what great editing for your spam dude:

Do not waiste your time anymore it's for all eazy to use

[Dazrin]

Thank you to whoever nuked that spammer! Very quick response.

[4691mls]

Originally Posted by cc_in_oh

I've always had trouble finding dress shoes that worked with my AAA heels. A high-end shoe store recommended trying tongue pads. They didn't make much difference at first, but when I realized they were supposed to go in the shoes they did help quite a bit...

I haven't heard of those before and don't think I've ever seen them in stores - you'd think they'd be there with the various heel pads etc. They wouldn't work with most women's slip-on dress shoes though.
But I think I do have one pair of lace-up oxfords that could be helped - wonder if I can find any of those pads locally.

I think what I really need - and doesn't exist that I know of - is shoes that are one size in the back and another in the front. Not different widths, but different number sizes - a shorter size for the part from the heel to the ball of the foot, and a longer size for the toe area.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

"Generic spammer" (who is or was immediately above this post, NOT cc_in_oh) can post 8 spam messages in 13 minutes but I can only report 1 every two minutes? No way to get ahead of that. Grrr.

Thank you. It might help to know that you've only got to report one spam message from a poster; we can delete them all at once when we clean it up.

[Dazrin]

I know you can but in some forums I use when posts are reported they are automatically hidden until they can be reviewed at which time they are permanently removed. The moderators also like to see patterns before deleting an entire account and a single post isn't enough to nuke an account. So, when I see things like this my inclination is to mark them all. It isn't necessary here but I've gotten in the habit.

It still seems unusual that a new poster can post faster than we can report them. There must have been cases where people were mass reporting either everyone or false-reporting someone for this to be needed.

I hate spam, it just makes everyone's life worse.

[HLS]

Originally Posted by Hemmi

Don't know if you have them over in Europe but I love my Klogs. I can't wear heels either but the soles on the Klogs are like an inch and a half thick so I get an extra boost in height. I am on my feet the majority of the day, running around, and my feet never hurt.

I thought klogs went out with the 70s LOL. No offense meant. I remember having a pair and they would never stay on my feet,

[cc_in_oh]

Originally Posted by HLS

I thought klogs went out with the 70s LOL. No offense meant. I remember having a pair and they would never stay on my feet,

No way - they were still big in Reagan's first term!

[Hemmi]

Those are clogs. These are Klogs. Now, Klogs does make clogs but they also make closed back shoes too.

[Rumpelteazer]

After a blocked chimney grate, and it getting a bit smokey inside, now the oven in my cottage stopped working. I was baking a cake, which was done, but it won't work. Checked the electric board, to see if any fuses were tripped, which wasn't the case. I called reception and they are sending someone over.

Hopefully they can fix or replace it. Otherwise I have to change plans for dinner and my snack tonight and either go to the supermarket and get something else or go to the snackbar to get some take away tonight.

[Rumpelteazer]

I'm trying to decide whether or not I should call the doctor later this morning.

On Thursday night I got a sore throat. Didn't sleep much that night because when I laid down my breath would start to rattle and I would keep myself awake. The next day the coughing started, and that has grown worse since. It's not all the time, except when I'm laying down. But my ribs and neck are sore and I've got a headache.

The things that usually help when I'm coughing don't work. Last night I took something that's for loosening up phlegm, once I coughed up a bit of that it did work, for a couple of hours and you're only allowed to take it once a day.

I've looked on the doctor's website and I don't fulfill the criteria: coughing longer than 3 weeks, coughing up blood, fever for longer than three days, wheezing breath/trouble breathing. I do wheeze, but only when laying down.

I managed to sleep for a couple of hours, but it wasn't a restful sleep. I'm just so tired right now. And although I don't meet the criteria I'm thinking of calling the doctor's office to see if they can help me or if they advice me to wait it out.

[4691mls]

Do you have anything in the Netherlands like the Urgent Care centers we have in the US? These are walk-in clinics that anyone can go to for problems that don't really require either the emergency room or a visit to your regular doctor.

If you don't have anything like that, then calling your doctor's office for advice sounds like a good idea.

[wodin]

Well, they have finally gotten my photovoltaic system upgrade running. Just in time for the air conditioning season to be well and truly over. I looked up my contract and it has been exactly six months to the day.

Oh well, I guess it'll be nice to have in a couple of months when the new A/C season cranks back up.

Hmm, I wonder... I paid half in 2019, and half in 2020. I wonder if I can spread it across two years for the tax credits.

[Rumpelteazer]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

Do you have anything in the Netherlands like the Urgent Care centers we have in the US? These are walk-in clinics that anyone can go to for problems that don't really require either the emergency room or a visit to your regular doctor.

If you don't have anything like that, then calling your doctor's office for advice sounds like a good idea.

No, we don't have walk-in clinics, that's what the doctor's for. You can usually get an appointment the same day if needed. If it isn't anything acute you can get an appointment within a couple of days.

Decided not to call, when I was writing the post this morning I was making a cup of ginger and mint tea. And that stuff worked great. Later, when running an errand for my mother I went by a drugstore and they had a new product that soothes an irritated throat and lessens a dry cough. That also works great (and quickly). I had the afternoon off, so I went to bed for a couple of hours, I dozed, but with the tea and tablets I'm starting to feel slightly more human again. I'm still making interesting sounds when laying down, though.

I'm now brewing a small thermos of tea, for if I wake up at night and before I go to sleep I'll take a throat tablet. I'm not expecting to sleep through the night, but hopefully I'll sleep longer and better than the last couple of nights.

I'm glad I'm working only mornings for the next three days! Hopefully I'll have more energy on Saturday, when it's busy in the store.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by Rumpelteazer

. . .
I've looked on the doctor's website and I don't fulfill the criteria: coughing longer than 3 weeks, coughing up blood, fever for longer than three days, wheezing breath/trouble breathing.

What - you have to be at death's door to even get an appointment! I've read countless times of the superiority of The Netherlands health care system to both the US and the UK systems.

This how the Australian system works in Sydney - for me at least.

My doctor's surgery is open 08:00-12:00 Mon to Sat. If I need to see him I walk the 1.2km and stroll through the door, I rarely have to wait more than 20 minutes. He doesn't send me elsewhere to get blood samples for tests - he does it himself. He 'bulk bills' which means Medicare pays the bill - in full. He doesn't employ a receptionist - he drives a Porsche Carrera instead. And if you're an elderly regular patient he'll come to your home.

He's an exception, but he's not the only one. If I needed medical care outside of his surgery hours that didn't warrant an ambulance, then: for an injury I would get myself to a 24*7 medical centre - there are several within 5-10 km; for an acute illness I would get myself to the nearest teaching hospital.

BR