The Vent and Rant Thread

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Talk about wasting ad money. I got a registered letter today... yes, it was an ad. We got the notice yesterday, and my wife was worried it would be bad news of some kind.

BOb

now that would piss me RIGHT the frack off! I only get notices for those, they don't bring them out here. I have to make a special trip into town to a part I rarely go to to pick up anything like that

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by omk3

Within one month of buying our brand-new bicycles, and before we had time to even really get them dirty, one of them got stolen. They were chained to each other and to an unmovable iron bar in an underground garage supervised by cctv. It turns out the image quality of the cctv was such as to show that it was beings of a human form that did it, but nothing more. Good to know it was not a family of otters that took the bicycle, but not much help otherwise. The police couldn't do much except be kind and understanding. The remaining bicycle had some little components missing too, and I lovingly took it inside the flat (not allowed but I didn't care) and had it staring at me for another month before I found the willpower to fix it and lock it outside again. I felt violated, vulnerable and disappointed. Then I got over it.

I had it secured with three different chains, and checked daily. Frame, front wheel, back wheel, seat, everything that could be removed was locked. After a few blissfully uneventful months I felt safer. And today I went to take it for a ride, spent the whole two minutes it takes to unlock all chains, and then found out that the handlebar came right off, and couldn't steer the bicycle at all. Some really minor components were missing from the handlebar, of which I don't even know the names. Nothing more. A total 8 pounds cost. Probably were trying to steal the fork, the repair guy told me.

And now I'm feeling vulnerable again. And angry. I mean what is it with these people? I had to cancel an appointment because of all that, and a nice ride, and spend the rest of the day looking at everyone I come across as a potential bicycle thief. And constantly worry about what will be missing next the next time I will check on it...

Wow, that just sucks. At least you've got a very good argument for keeping your bike in your apartment (though I imagine room might be an issue, going from you putting it back out again?). If they insist on you putting your bikes in the basement, then you can insist they provide adequate surveillance, I reckon.

Cheers,
Marc

[WT Sharpe]

Since Michele Bachmann is boycotting the 2010 Census, we're going to write on our form that she's living at our house.

[omk3]

Originally Posted by montsnmags

Wow, that just sucks. At least you've got a very good argument for keeping your bike in your apartment (though I imagine room might be an issue, going from you putting it back out again?). If they insist on you putting your bikes in the basement, then you can insist they provide adequate surveillance, I reckon.

Cheers,
Marc

Thanks Marc.

Room is an issue, and getting it up and down the stairs is an issue too (no lift). They told us they will change the cameras to state-of-the-art ones, but that will be after we move out (in less than a month). I just hope nothing more will be taken until then.

The new flat won't even have an underground garage, all bicycles are to be locked outside in plain view. The good thing is that it will be in Oxford, where *everyone* has a bicycle. If my own bicycle get singled out for special treatment again I will start to really worry...

[yvanleterrible]

Originally Posted by omk3

Thanks Marc.

Room is an issue, and getting it up and down the stairs is an issue too (no lift). They told us they will change the cameras to state-of-the-art ones, but that will be after we move out (in less than a month). I just hope nothing more will be taken until then.

The new flat won't even have an underground garage, all bicycles are to be locked outside in plain view. The good thing is that it will be in Oxford, where *everyone* has a bicycle. If my own bicycle get singled out for special treatment again I will start to really worry...

My son, my brothers, collegues and friends had bikes stolen and it's given me ample thought to prevent it from happening to me.

In your case the most evident prevention you could do is to hide the appeals of those bicycles from direct view; make them less tempting. Take out brand names first, you don't want to sell them.

Paint and decorate them in garish hues that no one would ever buy. Remember that most bikes are stolen to be resold at 20 bucks for a quick fix. The less they have to do to get the bike, the best.

There should be tiny wall bolted lockers available that look like garbage can lockers. That would be my choice...

[dsvick]

Why, 90% of the time when your kids are sick, they wake up every hour on the hour from ohhh I don't know, call it midnight - until 8 in the morning to be sick. And then, as soon as the sun comes up, they are much better and want to get out and do something while you are a complete wreck... ?

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by dsvick

Why, 90% of the time when your kids are sick, they wake up every hour on the hour from ohhh I don't know, call it midnight - until 8 in the morning to be sick. And then, as soon as the sun comes up, they are much better and want to get out and do something while you are a complete wreck... ?

haha! kids and cars! take your car to the mechanic when you have gotten fed up with whatever the issue is, and can it be replicated? nooooooooooo!

[omk3]

Originally Posted by yvanleterrible

My son, my brothers, collegues and friends had bikes stolen and it's given me ample thought to prevent it from happening to me.

In your case the most evident prevention you could do is to hide the appeals of those bicycles from direct view; make them less tempting. Take out brand names first, you don't want to sell them.

Paint and decorate them in garish hues that no one would ever buy. Remember that most bikes are stolen to be resold at 20 bucks for a quick fix. The less they have to do to get the bike, the best.

There should be tiny wall bolted lockers available that look like garbage can lockers. That would be my choice...

Yeah, I have already tried to make my bike unappealing and erase its brand-new look. I covered it with silly stickers and have written all over it. (I liked it better before, but there you go) When it gets splashed with mud I don't rush to clean it. And three different chains in three different places should look like a lot of work to potential thieves. But except for locking it up in a closed area (like inside my flat), I could have done nothing to prevent them from taking these silly little things from my handlebar. I mean they were worth nearly nothing, but annoyed the hell out of me as I couldn't use the bike till I fixed it. I'm pretty sure they took them out of spite when they realized all the other parts were too securely locked.

[Patricia]

What about a folding bike, like the Brompton? Then you wouldn't need to store it outside.

[omk3]

Originally Posted by Patricia

What about a folding bike, like the Brompton? Then you wouldn't need to store it outside.

I've got a folding bike back in Greece, ironically. Here we decided it would be nice to have proper full-size mountain bikes. When this one gets stolen too, we may never buy non-folding bikes again.

----

On a different vent and rant, my mother has been waiting for her new pocketbook 360 for AGES!

I ordered it for her 16 days ago, when her cybook gen3 finally died. It was supposed to be sent via dhl, but as the days passed and the dhl tracking site only displayed the useful "transport to destination country", my mother started a marathon of phone calls that took her from dhl to the normal post office, as for some reason dhl said the parcel was not their responsibility. The post office first told her that the parcel was sitting in Germany for like a week. Then it finally was on its way, but they expected it to take 5-15 days!

Yesterday it finally arrived in Greece, but the adventure doesn't end there. Different post office clerks couldn't agree whether it was actually in Athens or not, but at any rate it was not in the post office. Easter approaching, my parents wanted to leave for the holidays, but wanted to wait for the pocketbook. In vain, because no one can tell them anything definite, plus tomorrow is a greek national holiday so post office is closed, so it will certainly not be any sooner than Monday (which is what they said last week too). They can't even tell her if they will deliver it at home or require her to go get it.

ARRRGHHHHHHHH! I sure hope after all this it won't also be damaged on top of everything else...

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

you runnin' a family or a commune?

I told my ex-DIL the other day that if I ever win the lottery, I'd buy a house big enough for all of us to live in, including her current husband and my son's last girlfriend. Maybe it's the old hippie in me that enjoys all this weirdness.

Perhaps we should forget winning the lottery and just go for it. Any time we need money, we could panhandle or sell flowers at the airport.

[yvanleterrible]

Originally Posted by Patricia

What about a folding bike, like the Brompton? Then you wouldn't need to store it outside.

I took a look, thank you Patricia.
It's gotten me to the site of a store in Montreal, not too far away.
Expensive!!!

But this store also holds Strida bikes. Very interesting...

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by omk3

Within one month of buying our brand-new bicycles, and before we had time to even really get them dirty, one of them got stolen. ...

Originally Posted by montsnmags

Wow, that just sucks. At least you've got a very good argument for keeping your bike in your apartment (though I imagine room might be an issue, going from you putting it back out again?). If they insist on you putting your bikes in the basement, then you can insist they provide adequate surveillance, I reckon.

Cheers,
Marc

Sorry to hear about the bike, omk3. I've had more than one stolen, and even when you manage to get them back, it's hardly worth it because of the lengths the crooks go to in disguising them (cheap paint to change the color, etc.). In my life I've managed to find two of the bikes that were stolen from me. The police were no help, except to stand by while I took the 2nd one from the home of the thief. Both bicycles, new at the time of their purchase, were pretty well ruined by the time I got them back.

I hope you are more fortunate in that regard.

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

I told my ex-DIL the other day that if I ever win the lottery, I'd buy a house big enough for all of us to live in, including her current husband and my son's last girlfriend. Maybe it's the old hippie in me that enjoys all this weirdness.

Perhaps we should forget winning the lottery and just go for it. Any time we need money, we could panhandle or sell flowers at the airport.

I've often thought that extended large families or even people that were accidentally born to the wrong mother are the way to go. not just in a commune environment either. there's always people who want to do/are structured to do different things. and to have so many loving souls for the littles... ahhhh how nice!

this is one of the reasons I keep family members even when divorce and other issues rear their ugly heads

Originally Posted by omk3

On a different vent and rant, my mother has been waiting for her new pocketbook 360 for AGES!

I ordered it for her 16 days ago, when her cybook gen3 finally died. It was supposed to be sent via dhl, but as the days passed and the dhl tracking site only displayed the useful "transport to destination country", my mother started a marathon of phone calls that took her from dhl to the normal post office, as for some reason dhl said the parcel was not their responsibility. The post office first told her that the parcel was sitting in Germany for like a week. Then it finally was on its way, but they expected it to take 5-15 days!

Yesterday it finally arrived in Greece, but the adventure doesn't end there. Different post office clerks couldn't agree whether it was actually in Athens or not, but at any rate it was not in the post office. Easter approaching, my parents wanted to leave for the holidays, but wanted to wait for the pocketbook. In vain, because no one can tell them anything definite, plus tomorrow is a greek national holiday so post office is closed, so it will certainly not be any sooner than Monday (which is what they said last week too). They can't even tell her if they will deliver it at home or require her to go get it.

ARRRGHHHHHHHH! I sure hope after all this it won't also be damaged on top of everything else...

even though our postal system is pretty good, we still have issues occasionally including persistently losing one of our states. for whatever reason there are a LOT of Americans that can't get it through their heads that New Mexico is a state within the contiguous United States. you don't need a passport, to change your money or worry about shots. the New Mexico magazine has a column; "One of our States is Missing", that has stories about losing New Mexico. a couple of years back I sent my folks a package (they are in New Mexico) that went to Mexico, was refused, was then sent to California to a town with the same name as their town, refused, sent BACK to Mexico, then went into hibernation somewhere and finally showed up at their place with about $15 postage due because of all of the cross border travels. the mailman refused to collect it. I had shipped it comercially, the address was clearly typed and the zip code was correct.

[omk3]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

even though our postal system is pretty good, we still have issues occasionally including persistently losing one of our states. for whatever reason there are a LOT of Americans that can't get it through their heads that New Mexico is a state within the contiguous United States. you don't need a passport, to change your money or worry about shots. the New Mexico magazine has a column; "One of our States is Missing", that has stories about losing New Mexico. a couple of years back I sent my folks a package (they are in New Mexico) that went to Mexico, was refused, was then sent to California to a town with the same name as their town, refused, sent BACK to Mexico, then went into hibernation somewhere and finally showed up at their place with about $15 postage due because of all of the cross border travels. the mailman refused to collect it. I had shipped it comercially, the address was clearly typed and the zip code was correct.

Just... WOW!

Maybe having the NEW in New Mexico in super bold type, highlighted and circled would help? Plus a big fat USA underneath? (and maybe an atlas attached)