The Vent and Rant Thread

[cromag]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

Off for some mashed potatoes and gravy

Woo-Hoo! Glad things are looking up!

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

Off for some mashed potatoes and gravy

There is almost nothing that good mashed spuds and gravy can't cure, other than, well, diabetes and obesity. But for almost anything else, it's a guaranteed cure-all. ;-)

@Rumple:

Today I've got four kilos of ice cubes to help us through the week. It was also announced that on Saturday temperatures will rise up to 37C/98F. This weekend the Tour de France starts in our city and between 700,000 and 900,000 tourists are expected (that's 7 to 9 times as much people as during King's Day when the city is very full), when you're in the inner city with all those people temperatures will rise between 40 and 50C/104 and 122F .

Well, I live in a place where it's not 98F, with the effects being equated to 104-122F; here, it really IS 104F--122F in the summer, which lasts six months (don't let anyone tell you any BS otherwise--it starts in May, and it doesn't stop until the third week of October, period). When you're in a "crowd" downtown, in the city, it's not 122; it's 140 on the pavement. This is why F1 doesn't race here in downtown Phoenix any longer. (A lot of you probably don't remember that, but we had F1 here in town for a few years, and man, that was a BLAST. Hot as hades, mind you...but back in the day of real engines [V10's and 12's], yadda, being in a building 20+ stories up from the ground, and STILL having the floor, windows, and whole damn building shake, during F1 practice...awesome!).


So, according to my good ol' weather app, it is supposed to be about 98F for you, on Saturday (and should drop to a lovely 80 on Sunday!). What you're doing is right--lots of water, lots of aeration, wear loose clothing (light in color, if you can). One good trick is to wet a lightweight towel and drape it over your shoulders--helps keep your temps down. If you have to go out, don't rush--walk slowly and breathe. Trust me: I was just out doing the bloody grocery shopping this morning--when it was ONLY 105F; and if you try to rush, move quickly, etc. (I really feel for the guys on the Tour), you'll be sorry. Hydration is truly key.

Hitch

[Rumpelteazer]

I can't imagine having to deal with those temperatures for six months of the year! Our average temperature in July and August is 22C (a couple of degrees higher in the city). We don't often get a heatwave, five consecutive days of over 25C of which two are over 30C, this will be the 40th since 1911.

Today I got a day off, so I'm taking it very easy. On Saturday we'll put a bunch of fans around the store to keep cool. I don't expect it to be very busy so we'll probably take it easy, watch what is happening outside and on the tv.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Rumpelteazer

I can't imagine having to deal with those temperatures for six months of the year! Our average temperature in July and August is 22C (a couple of degrees higher in the city). We don't often get a heatwave, five consecutive days of over 25C of which two are over 30C, this will be the 40th since 1911.

Today I got a day off, so I'm taking it very easy. On Saturday we'll put a bunch of fans around the store to keep cool. I don't expect it to be very busy so we'll probably take it easy, watch what is happening outside and on the tv.

Yes, well...it's rather lovely the other 6 months out of the year. That's the upside. {shrug}. Lots of folks here in the US have to deal with fairly horrid weather all winter; we don't. It's just the flipside.

Take care of yourself--that heat really CAN hurt you, especially as you are not accustomed to it.

Hitch

[cromag]

Just got a recorded phone call from the Internal Revenue Service informing me that I have to contact them, at the number they provided, immediately to make overdue payments or dire consequences will ensue.

Say what you will about the IRS, but I especially liked the way they are saving money by not wasting recording time with extraneous adjectives, adverbs, ... or my name.

[kindlekitten]

Lol! I swear the amount of scams!

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by cromag

Just got a recorded phone call from the Internal Revenue Service informing me that I have to contact them, at the number they provided, immediately to make overdue payments or dire consequences will ensue.

Say what you will about the IRS, but I especially liked the way they are saving money by not wasting recording time with extraneous adjectives, adverbs, ... or my name.

I shan't mention her name, but a member of my family called me in near-hysterics about this. There'd been an actual issue with the IRS some time earlier. This had been over a deceased family member, mind you, who had NEVER owed the money that they claimed she did, in the first place, much less now that she was dead, and I'd ended up sending them a note that said quasi-politely "too bad, so sad" along with the death cert [and, WHAT A SHOCK--I got audited!].

Anyway, No-Name Relative was convinced that this was real, that they were going to come to her house and take their s**t. Honestly, I didn't laugh while she was on the phone, but I was yanking the hair out of my head by the time I got off, because her voice just kept increasing, moving up the scale. It never--never--occurred to her to check the Net, to see if it was a scam before calling me. I mean, are there real-live people who, after the initial scare, actually fall for this? Who don't at least call their relatives to check, or...? I admit--the recorded threats (at least she had the presence of mind to do that) were egregiously fugly and vitriolic, and the "IRS" is scary enough all as it is, but, still....

(Why am I asking, "are there people that fall for this?" I have had an entire book written by a client about how romance scams work, and it's mind-boggling. She wrote this book--by all appearances, a smart, reasonably successful woman--because SHE'D fallen for one, run by an Ethopian scammer. The book is incredibly enlightening, if frustrating. Romance scammers, Nigerian Princes....{sigh}, it makes me worry about the human race, on BOTH sides of the equation.)

Hitch

[eschwartz]

A family friend (an old woman who doesn't know much about computers) just (a week or two ago) fell for the phone-call-from-the-company-who-made-the-antivirus-you-don't-use-whose-subscription-just-ran-out scam. Fortunately she got suspicious right after she hung up, and called my mother. So she ended up closing her bank account and credit card within a few hours or so.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

A family friend (an old woman who doesn't know much about computers) just (a week or two ago) fell for the phone-call-from-the-company-who-made-the-antivirus-you-don't-use-whose-subscription-just-ran-out scam. Fortunately she got suspicious right after she hung up, and called my mother. So she ended up closing her bank account and credit card within a few hours or so.

Geeze. It's endemic. That's freaking dreadful.

Hitch

[covingtoncat73]

Ugh! Salesman! Ugh! Americans and our cars!

Out of idle curiosity, I looked at a couple of used cars online. This was from a Toyota dealership. I was surprised at how affordable this one car was but it was an 09 with over 130k miles on it. I just got hosed by an 09 with 127k miles on it. Yes, I could afford the down payment but I could also be put in the exact same position in short order. It said you could ask for further info. online, so I did because I wanted to know if there was a warranty. I have not gotten an answer to that question, just sales emails and a sales call.

So, I'm going to be busing for awhile. I can borrow my brother's Corolla if absolutely necessary. When Mom gets back from Canada in Sept., she will buy a car for herself and, since she is retired and lives with me, we can sort-of share said car. This would all be a lot easier if Mom hadn't sold her truck and left town before getting another vehicle. It would also be easier if my brother and sis-in-law didn't need the Corolla because sis-in-law's Jeep is in the shop.

The good thing about all this is that I am in NOLA, not the suburban town I use to live in and commute from. I'm in a location that is convenient to a very good bus stop for my purposes. it is kind of a special bus turn-around. They get there early, wait, and leave at their appointed time. One of the bus lines that goes there let me off .7 of a mile from work. That .7 mile is, literally, a walk in the park. I do work at another location on Wednesdays, so I hope I can borrow bro's Corolla next Wed.

Anyway, I am met with shock and dismay. at my decision to be car free for at least a year (I want to save $. I can't afford a big car payment). So far, the bus has worked out great. "What about the weather?" What about it? I have umbrellas and rain shoes. We don't get blizzards here. Yes, the summer is hot but the bus is air-conditioned and my walking before work is, obviously, in the cooler part of the day. Also, umbrellas are not just for rain. "What about the Fall, when all the high school kids will be riding the NORTA buses?" So? I'll buy ear plugs if need be and will be only riding the bus part-time by then.

Jeez! I get it. I was raised in suburban/rural U.S. Yes, not having a car makes me nervous and I realize my life being doable is predicated on living with someone with a car but we don't really need more than 1 car per household in my family. Mom may buy bro's Corolla, actually.

I do NOT need to be freaked out over transportation any more than I am already, thank you very much. The buses are working for me so far. NOLA may not have a great mass transit system but it does have mass transit and, at least from location, it can get you where you need to go.

Seriously! The bus, .3 of a mile from my house, picks up at 7:20 and gets me in front of the park at 7:30ish. I could get another bus to take me closer but I don't see the point for less than a mile. This bus continues down historic Carrollton past Brocato's gelato and pasteries, a Winn Dixie, the Ochsner Mid-City clinic, various restaurants, etc. The buses have bike racks on the front. I am going to try the ride and bike thing.

[covingtoncat73]

I mean, I'm trying to see the positives of the situation, no more car insurance or gas, less pollution I'm responsible for, more steps in a day for me, coffee in park as part of my commute, etc. They're not helping!

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by covingtoncat73

I mean, I'm trying to see the positives of the situation, no more car insurance or gas, less pollution I'm responsible for, more steps in a day for me, coffee in park as part of my commute, etc. They're not helping!

I was positively gobsmacked when I logged in today and noted that you were discussing cars, and new cars, new-used cars, etc., CovCat, because that's exactly what I was coming to bitch about!

I mean, think about the reality of CARS. I understand that a Roller, for example, is hand-made, stem-stern. There, you're discussing craftsmanship and warranties that aren't normal for a car--I can understand why it's pricey.

BUT: what makes, for example, a Jaguar worth more than a Camaro? The olden days of a Jag also having a boatload of custom work are gone. The amount of steel, aluminum and plastic/carbon fiber (fibre for my UK cousins) is about the same. So: WHY? Why is an Audi worth so much more than its first-cousin, the Passat, or the CC?

Really, it's kind of ridiculous. Somewhere in time, we had "regular" cars (Fords, etc.) and we had big-ass cars driven by chauffeurs (think the late 20's, 30's.) And from that, we've been suckered into thinking that car Z is "better' than car A. For no real reason. We don't see, in Cons. Reports, etc., that one car or car brand is AMAZINGLY better than others. We don't buy a mid-range car that is more, because it is guaranteed to last for 20 years; all the warranties are pretty much the damn same.

So...it's EGO. It's what's fashionable, what's hot, what's flashy. What we think makes us LOOK COOL. There's really no other explanation. I'm all for capitalism, as you all know, so...hey. If the car companies have suckered a bunch of people into paying ridiculous amounts of money for cars (I mean, really, who wants to pay $60K for a CAR? it's not a cure for cancer; it's not the Fountain of Youth or Eternal Life...it's a bloody CAR), then...good on them, I guess. But no more impulse buys for this old broad. It will go from A-->Z reliably and with reasonable comfort, and unless it looks like the Purple People Eater Oscar Meyer Machine, I'll suffer with whatever the outside looks like. I like beauty as much as the next person, but I'm not going to be rooked for it. It's just bloody absurd to get snookered into paying a quarter (or 6th or 3rd or whatever) of a house purchase for something that FALLS APART and doesn't, like a HOUSE gain value (in the norm). Screw this s**t.

Hitch

[John K]

Originally Posted by covingtoncat73

I mean, I'm trying to see the positives of the situation, no more car insurance or gas, less pollution I'm responsible for, more steps in a day for me, coffee in park as part of my commute, etc. They're not helping!

I'm a big fan of minimizing possessions. I find it liberating.

[wodin]

Originally Posted by Hitch

I was positively gobsmacked when I logged in today and noted that you were discussing cars, and new cars, new-used cars, etc., CovCat, because that's exactly what I was coming to bitch about!

I mean, think about the reality of CARS. I understand that a Roller, for example, is hand-made, stem-stern. There, you're discussing craftsmanship and warranties that aren't normal for a car--I can understand why it's pricey.

BUT: what makes, for example, a Jaguar worth more than a Camaro? The olden days of a Jag also having a boatload of custom work are gone. The amount of steel, aluminum and plastic/carbon fiber (fibre for my UK cousins) is about the same. So: WHY? Why is an Audi worth so much more than its first-cousin, the Passat, or the CC?

Really, it's kind of ridiculous. Somewhere in time, we had "regular" cars (Fords, etc.) and we had big-ass cars driven by chauffeurs (think the late 20's, 30's.) And from that, we've been suckered into thinking that car Z is "better' than car A. For no real reason. We don't see, in Cons. Reports, etc., that one car or car brand is AMAZINGLY better than others. We don't buy a mid-range car that is more, because it is guaranteed to last for 20 years; all the warranties are pretty much the damn same.

So...it's EGO. It's what's fashionable, what's hot, what's flashy. What we think makes us LOOK COOL. There's really no other explanation. I'm all for capitalism, as you all know, so...hey. If the car companies have suckered a bunch of people into paying ridiculous amounts of money for cars (I mean, really, who wants to pay $60K for a CAR? it's not a cure for cancer; it's not the Fountain of Youth or Eternal Life...it's a bloody CAR), then...good on them, I guess. But no more impulse buys for this old broad. It will go from A-->Z reliably and with reasonable comfort, and unless it looks like the Purple People Eater Oscar Meyer Machine, I'll suffer with whatever the outside looks like. I like beauty as much as the next person, but I'm not going to be rooked for it. It's just bloody absurd to get snookered into paying a quarter (or 6th or 3rd or whatever) of a house purchase for something that FALLS APART and doesn't, like a HOUSE gain value (in the norm). Screw this s**t.

Hitch

I'm reminded of a story (fable?) I once heard about Mercedes Benz. It went something like this:

In the late 1940's Mercedes Benz decided to test the US market and shipped several hundred cars to the US. When deciding on a price point they reasoned that Chevrolets and Fords were the best sellers and positioned against that market. Sales were abysmal! They only sold a handful of cars, and were faced with the option of abandoning the stock or shipping it back to Germany. Thinking out of the box, they consulted with an advertising agency on Fifth Avenue, and got this advice.

"Pull out of the market and place the remainder of the stock in storage in the US for a year or two. Then double the price and re-enter the market against Cadillac and Lincoln with the exact same cars." They sold like hotcakes! And Mercedes Benz has been in the luxury car market ever since.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by wodin

I'm reminded of a story (fable?) I once heard about Mercedes Benz. It went something like this:

In the late 1940's Mercedes Benz decided to test the US market and shipped several hundred cars to the US. When deciding on a price point they reasoned that Chevrolets and Fords were the best sellers and positioned against that market. Sales were abysmal! They only sold a handful of cars, and were faced with the option of abandoning the stock or shipping it back to Germany. Thinking out of the box, they consulted with an advertising agency on Fifth Avenue, and got this advice.

"Pull out of the market and place the remainder of the stock in storage in the US for a year or two. Then double the price and re-enter the market against Cadillac and Lincoln with the exact same cars." They sold like hotcakes! And Mercedes Benz has been in the luxury car market ever since.

Well...it's not quite that simple, although I'm sure like all urban myths, there's some truth to that tale. I know, for example, what Benz was selling for when I was living in Germany, back in the 70's, along with the then lower-end Audi (had the Fox), etc. They weren't cheap cars THEN. So, it's not merely the "more is more" American mindset. Nor can we say, "it's only Americans." It's obviously not simple that way, because the Germans are the same damn way, as are the Brits (Jags and Rollers, anyone?).

It's frustrating as hell. I can spend the dough, but...why???? I'm just not gonna. It's an absurd way to "invest" your money. Might as well take it out in the yard and burn it.

Hitch