(OT) General rants

[garhkal]

Wow.. Talk about being "Borked over". Was looking at a local site that lists people and places doing yard sales in the area, and saw one that was "a big indoor yard sale at XYZ place of worship", and though, YAY.. No need to get a blasted permit (which my town requires to do yard sales, go figure)..
So i tried calling Mon and Tues to find out what i needed to do prior, and left 4 different voice mails.. None garnered a return call.

So today the day of, we packed the car and headed out an hour before hand, to give 25 min for travel time and a bit of time to set up.
Got there, saw the doors locked so waited for a little. Then one of the people from inside the church came out and saw us, and mentioned "We might still have some room inside, would you like me to get a cart so you can put your stuff on.. WE said, we would like him checking, but we would just be making a pile of our stuff outside for now, just in case.
4 min later he came back and said "we are too full up inside. And he stood by another female who came out and SHE said "but you could just set your stuff up here, and people can see both inside and out.."

So we did. Got our stuff set up, and waited..
THEN an hour later, the same guy and a different woman came out and told us "Sorry this is not a damn flee market, you are going to have to go". NOT EVEN A bloody apology for why not a single one of the 4 voice mails to their communications person or their building manager were returned, or for getting different answers to where/how we could set up.
Just a "You gotta go"..

I mean, if they didn't want us there, WHY tell us at first, "we can set up outside".??

AND if you are going to advertise for a "all can come yard sale", ANSWER the frakken phones for when someone calls to find out if they can come and set up!!

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Sounds like they decided to hold an event without actually planning it out or figuring out who was in charge.

[garhkal]

What gets me on it is if you are generally organizing a function somewhere, you USUALLY Have someone there during the days leading up to it to answer questions.  YET none of the 4 voicemails i left with 2 separate people got answered..

[Demon55]

What gets me on it is if you are generally organizing a function somewhere, you USUALLY Have someone there during the days leading up to it to answer questions.  YET none of the 4 voicemails i left with 2 separate people got answered..

It can be really annoying when people do not get back to you.  I usually assume that they are busy.

[garhkal]

2 different people for 4 straight days?  Not seeing that.  And how long does it really take to make a quick call back to someone saying "Hey just returning your call, sorry but right now i can't get that info for you, but you can try and call XYZ"..

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Yeah, this sounds like a few people decided to hold an event without actually figuring out what they needed to do or else there was someone who normally ran things that was suddenly out for whatever reason and nobody else to keep things in order.

[Kidd]

No unity or chain of command... it happens, and with far more professional organisations than volunteer, social work or religious groups.

Congrats, you broke their OODA loop... unfortunately ;D

[garhkal]

No unity or chain of command... it happens, and with far more professional organisations than volunteer, social work or religious groups.

Congrats, you broke their OODA loop... unfortunately ;D

Now onto another 'rant'.  Anyone else live in a town/city that requires Permits to do yard sales?  Or permits to ride bikes???

[HobbesHurlbut]

Wait? You need a permit to ride bicycles?

[Force of Nature]

My rant. I'm in the fast lane on a two lane highway. Up in front of me in the slow right lane are two cars. The second car then changes lanes in front of me......... and then doesn't pass the other car, but just drives next to the car they were intending to pass with me coming up behind them.

Yeah, to further tick me off, the speed limit is 65 mph and both of these clowns are going 55mph.  Grrrrrrrrr........

Gary Larson apparently had a similar situation and made a Far Side out of it.

[ClarkeMarek]

Wait? You need a permit to ride bicycles?

I'm guessing yes, or possibly if they have bike races.  I don't know about permits, but I do know this area has at least two of them a year(Red Poppy Ride and Outlaw 100).  Both pass in front of my house.  For the record, I do try to be careful around bicyclists, but after one of them(who was going the opposite direction of the other bicyclists) yelled at me to get off the road(well, there's a cuss word there that we won't repeat), when I had nowhere else to go without slamming into the riders, and was heading to work with no alternate route, well, let's just say I got pretty irate yesterday.  :P

(And for those that did see my rant, I apologize for the nerdrage.  I'm not going to repost it, but I do apologize for it.)

[garhkal]

Wait? You need a permit to ride bicycles?

Yup.  Stupid ain't it..

My rant. I'm in the fast lane on a two lane highway. Up in front of me in the slow right lane are two cars. The second car then changes lanes in front of me......... and then doesn't pass the other car, but just drives next to the car they were intending to pass with me coming up behind them.

Yeah, to further tick me off, the speed limit is 65 mph and both of these clowns are going 55mph.  Grrrrrrrrr........

Gary Larson apparently had a similar situation and made a Far Side out of it.

I royally hate that too, but WORSE to me is when someone does that WITHOUT bothering to even signal.  Just jumps in front of you cutting you off.. 

[Sabelkatten]

Considering the situational awareness of some people I wouldn't be opposed to a license to walk...

And "smart" phones certainly hasn't made things better! >:(

But when it comes to yard sales permits it's not so strange. Any large gathering of people with money involved is a potential problem for the police, forcing people to request a permit keeps the number down.

[elf25s]

Considering the situational awareness of some people I wouldn't be opposed to a license to walk...

And "smart" phones certainly hasn't made things better! >:(

But when it comes to yard sales permits it's not so strange. Any large gathering of people with money involved is a potential problem for the police, forcing people to request a permit keeps the number down.

....

[garhkal]

And "smart" phones certainly hasn't made things better! >:(

And imo, "Social media" has made us LESS sociable..

But when it comes to yard sales permits it's not so strange. Any large gathering of people with money involved is a potential problem for the police, forcing people to request a permit keeps the number down.

How so?  Ever have a house party?  Never seen a permit for that, and that can (and often does from some of the news reports i have seen) get a lot more roudy than a yard sale. 

[Peter Smith]

Anyone else live in a town/city that requires Permits to do yard sales?

Yes. The permits are there in order to stop the people who truck out the crap in their garage every weekend, spoiling the curb appeal of the neighborhood.

[garhkal]

Maybe its a new thing cause i remember doing a # of yard sales back in the 90s (helping friends set up that is), and never having to get a permit, and no one griping that it "De-beautifies the area".

[Sabelkatten]

Well, even if there are no problems in one area there might have been somewhere else - and the rules usually covers a lot of places...

[jimdigris]

There were a few people in my area who would buy up things and then have a yard sale every weekend to sell the stuff they stocked up on.  In essence, they made it a business operating regularly out of a residential neighborhood. That's why they started requiring permits around here.

[Firesprocket]

My rant. I'm in the fast lane on a two lane highway. Up in front of me in the slow right lane are two cars. The second car then changes lanes in front of me......... and then doesn't pass the other car, but just drives next to the car they were intending to pass with me coming up behind them.

Yeah, to further tick me off, the speed limit is 65 mph and both of these clowns are going 55mph.  Grrrrrrrrr........

This describes my experience traveling through NC the last 4 days.  That and people just randomly walking in middle of the road for no apparent reason.

[Firesprocket]

Well, even if there are no problems in one area there might have been somewhere else - and the rules usually covers a lot of places...

Not to mention there are some HOAs that come down hard on people if you aren't selling on a 'sanctioned' weekend. I don't live in a neighborhood that claps down hard on hard sales, I but I know a couple that do just down the road.  From a strictly jurisdiction stand point there are several places that have rules on the books.  The police of those locations probably have better things to do than go around busting up yard sales for a lack of a permit.

There were a few people in my area who would buy up things and then have a yard sale every weekend to sell the stuff they stocked up on.  In essence, they made it a business operating regularly out of a residential neighborhood. That's why they started requiring permits around here.

There is a family that does this exact same thing that is about 2.5 miles from my house.  They don't live in a development though they do live on a frequently used 2 lane road.  I know there is no business at that address and it has been going on for years.  As long as people aren't parking out on the road and on their private property though the local sheriff's office isn't going to care.  If their insurance company every finds out due to a claim on the property the incident is certain to be epic and I would not be at all surprised at all for it all to be news worthy in other citations that they would no doubt rack up.

[garhkal]

That's why i refuse to LIVE in a HoA..  Too many horror stories i have heard.

[Baldur Mekorig]

HoA?

[garhkal]

Home owners Association..  Look online and you can find lots of horror stories from people on them.

[jimdigris]

I was subject to one when I lived in Florida.  They're basically people who want power and can't get it any other way.

[Baldur Mekorig]

Home owners Association..  Look online and you can find lots of horror stories from people on them.

We have something similar here if you live in a apartment. There are quite the horror stories too.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

The difference is that with an HOA, you've got someone who's telling you what you can and can't do on property you actually own.  The daughter of someone I know lives outside of Phoenix and her HOA requires everyone to have green lawns year round, which wastes an enormous amount of water vs something like a garden made up of climate-appropriate plants.

[elf25s]

The difference is that with an HOA, you've got someone who's telling you what you can and can't do on property you actually own.  The daughter of someone I know lives outside of Phoenix and her HOA requires everyone to have green lawns year round, which wastes an enormous amount of water vs something like a garden made up of climate-appropriate plants.

if you think that is bad try living in any of these little hellholes...
http://www.cracked.com/personal-experiences-2442-so-perfect-its-creepy-i-live-in-city-designed-by-disney.html
it just gives me the creeps knowing that this exists...

[HobbesHurlbut]

if you think that is bad try living in any of these little hellholes...
http://www.cracked.com/personal-experiences-2442-so-perfect-its-creepy-i-live-in-city-designed-by-disney.html
it just gives me the creeps knowing that this exists...

Well, that's Corporation style creepy. To think an HOA upgraded to the Corporation level....

[garhkal]

The difference is that with an HOA, you've got someone who's telling you what you can and can't do on property you actually own.  The daughter of someone I know lives outside of Phoenix and her HOA requires everyone to have green lawns year round, which wastes an enormous amount of water vs something like a garden made up of climate-appropriate plants.

All too true.  And what i find worse, is some times you may buy a house OUTSIDE an area that has a HoA, and a few years later, you might wind up now BEING In that HoA, all without knowing that "hey there was a vote to now include your street/block"..  And you can't do diddly squat about it once you are in...

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Well, that's Corporation style creepy. To think an HOA upgraded to the Corporation level....

It's damn near like a Shadowrun megacorp enclave.  I went through Celebration once in the 90s, it doesn't look or feel like a town, it's more like a movie set of a town.

[CrossfirePilot]

Home owners Association..  Look online and you can find lots of horror stories from people on them.

You think the stories are bad living in a HoA, try being on the board of one!  Sheesh had my car keyed, had people up in arms because of snow removal costing too much (during one of the snowiest winters on record), people would corner me over dues going up $3/month but then same people would tell me we needed to hire a full time gardener.  The last straw came when our resident retired playground monitor lectured me for 10 minutes and when I started to calmly and gracefully started to refute her accusations she started to interrupt like a washinton protester until I finally looked at her strait and said "____ I sat and listened to you politely, and now you will pay me the same ******* common curtesy and hear me out without interruption" after which she sat like a pouting 3rd grader.  The next meeting I was lectured by the other board members about being so disrespectful.  The icing on the cake came when our manager was caught embezzling after other members of the board let her hire husband and sister (which I spoke out against and was treated as the unfeeling clod) I ended up having the blame put on me and was voted off the island next election.  Since then the new board has asked if I wish to serve, to which I respond "no, no, @#$% no. good day"

[CrossfirePilot]

My general rant.

Driving:

People not knowing how to turn when there are 2 turn lanes.  Inner most to inner most, 2nd from the inside to 2nd from the inside.  Your Honda is not an 18 wheeler, you do not have to swing wide!

That and the proliferation of self absorbed #@% consistently running red lights. Not even trying to squeak through a yellow, seems more and more people you'll get 2-3 cars entering intersection after its turned red.  I hope they get Tboned between a cement truck and a 18 wheeler hauling dynamite.

[garhkal]

My general rant.

Driving:

People not knowing how to turn when there are 2 turn lanes.  Inner most to inner most, 2nd from the inside to 2nd from the inside.  Your Honda is not an 18 wheeler, you do not have to swing wide!

That and the proliferation of self absorbed #@% consistently running red lights. Not even trying to squeak through a yellow, seems more and more people you'll get 2-3 cars entering intersection after its turned red.  I hope they get Tboned between a cement truck and a 18 wheeler hauling dynamite.

OR like i had yesterday, someone coming from an ON (Merge ramp) who then immediately drove to the outermost left hand lane almost smacking the front of my car, AND did it without even signling...  Or those who do the opposite.  Speed up in the left (fast) lane, till they are almost past the off ramp they need, and to a break neck 4 lane change, NO SIGNALS again, and almost smack 2-3 cars while doing so..  I SWEAR, there are times if i was a Telekinetic, the # of vehicles overturned in the grass median would be a hell of alot as i would be hurling jerkwads like that up in the air INTO the median!

[Baldur Mekorig]

All too true.  And what i find worse, is some times you may buy a house OUTSIDE an area that has a HoA, and a few years later, you might wind up now BEING In that HoA, all without knowing that "hey there was a vote to now include your street/block"..  And you can't do diddly squat about it once you are in...

Isnt the signing of a contract necesary to get into onw of those HoA is yuor property was not originally into one?

[garhkal]

Not sure.  I have known some areas who seemed to swallow neighboring streets up without those in the area's say, just cause there was a 'vote on inclusion or not', but those on that street, "accidentally were not informed of said vote".. 

[guardiandashi]

Not sure.  I have known some areas who seemed to swallow neighboring streets up without those in the area's say, just cause there was a 'vote on inclusion or not', but those on that street, "accidentally were not informed of said vote"..

about the time they tell me I have to agree to their rules I would tell them they better have a good lawyer and put a big sign um in the yard reading I did not agree to be a member of the HOA and therefore I am not going to comply with their extortion. and check to see if they may be guilty of various crimes.

[Ghost0402]

All too true.  And what i find worse, is some times you may buy a house OUTSIDE an area that has a HoA, and a few years later, you might wind up now BEING In that HoA, all without knowing that "hey there was a vote to now include your street/block"..  And you can't do diddly squat about it once you are in...

Most places that can't happen.  If you bought before the HOA showed up and you don't want to be in it, you're in the clear.

[Kidd]

What is the legal authority of an HOA anyway?

[worktroll]

My general rant.

Driving:

People not knowing how to turn when there are 2 turn lanes.  Inner most to inner most, 2nd from the inside to 2nd from the inside.  Your Honda is not an 18 wheeler, you do not have to swing wide!

We call that "Cameron turning", after the son of friends who moved from the outside lane into the inside lane in order to enter a driveway, and got T-boned for his trouble. Compact car, too ...  ::)

[Firesprocket]

What is the legal authority of an HOA anyway?

It is entirely up to the way it is put together.  It can be anything as simple as maintenance of common grounds, telling you what you can or cannot do to the exterior of the home, and making certain you keep up with your property and it isn't going to pot so that you are not driving down the property values.  There are also different types of associations for condos and co-ops.  If you refuse to maintain your end of the deal, the HOA may and usually does have the ability to hire someone to do those tasks on your dime.  Which is to say if you don't pay and you try and put your home for sale you will fine a lien placed on your home until do pay for the work someone else had to do to your property.

[Kidd]

It is entirely up to the way it is put together.  It can be anything as simple as maintenance of common grounds, telling you what you can or cannot do to the exterior of the home, and making certain you keep up with your property and it isn't going to pot so that you are not driving down the property values.  There are also different types of associations for condos and co-ops.  If you refuse to maintain your end of the deal, the HOA may and usually does have the ability to hire someone to do those tasks on your dime.  Which is to say if you don't pay and you try and put your home for sale you will fine a lien placed on your home until do pay for the work someone else had to do to your property.

Okay, but what gives them the legal right to do that?

I don't live in the States, so HOAs here in my country are usually voluntary* - if at all incorporated separately, it would usually fall under the local Societies Act and function much like a private limited company; if you're in it then you're in it, but if you're not, you're outside of their jurisdiction and they cannot compel you otherwise.

*unless, as in the case of serviced apartments, private suburbs, gated developments, etc. which do take fees for security, upkeep and so on.

[garhkal]

We call that "Cameron turning", after the son of friends who moved from the outside lane into the inside lane in order to enter a driveway, and got T-boned for his trouble. Compact car, too ...  ::)

The # of cars in the past 3 years or so, i've seen still driving on the road after a collision where their front bumper's almost ripped off, one (or both headlights) are smashed in, and the hood's bent like crazy, makes me wonder are troopers even bothering to enforce vehicle condition laws?
I know when i was stationed in the UK, they were rather hawkish about that (Plus they would also check your MOT while they were at it)..

Okay, but what gives them the legal right to do that?

I don't live in the States, so HOAs here in my country are usually voluntary* - if at all incorporated separately, it would usually fall under the local Societies Act and function much like a private limited company; if you're in it then you're in it, but if you're not, you're outside of their jurisdiction and they cannot compel you otherwise.

*unless, as in the case of serviced apartments, private suburbs, gated developments, etc. which do take fees for security, upkeep and so on.

Not really sure we can answer that without crossing the politics line...

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

IIRC, an HOA's job is to maintain the property values for members.  If the house adjacent to yours has a neglected front yard with peeling paint, a rotting fence, and a bunch of rusty bicycles in it, it hurts the value of your house if you're trying to sell it.  This is where the HOA's authority comes from.  As garhkal said, I think that's about as much as we can go into it without it becoming political.

[Demon55]

Bondsman calls me out to work.  I drive 1000 miles and I have to wait a day and a half for him.  Then he pops out of the ground.

[Peter Smith]

What is the legal authority of an HOA anyway?

In the US, the authority comes from the incorporation documents for the corporation that is overseeing the construction of the subdivision. The HOA exists before ground is broken on the first house, there is no opportunity to not be part of it.

[CrossfirePilot]

In the US, the authority comes from the incorporation documents for the corporation that is overseeing the construction of the subdivision. The HOA exists before ground is broken on the first house, there is no opportunity to not be part of it.

HOAs are deeded that way.  My current condo was once an apartment and housing complex created by the Dayton family so we could all be good little workers at southdale.  in 1982 they were changed from rentals to condos/townhomes and deeded that way.  Also additional property can be purchased and written into the deed (bylaws also need to be re-written for this).  My HoA had to do this when they purchased a 15'x45' piece of property in order to fix a parking lot issue.

[guardiandashi]

In the US, the authority comes from the incorporation documents for the corporation that is overseeing the construction of the subdivision. The HOA exists before ground is broken on the first house, there is no opportunity to not be part of it.

my point was more that if they tried to forcibly annex my property into a  HOA's and retroactively tell me I am part of their HOA I really would tell them to go to hell.

[CrossfirePilot]

my point was more that if they tried to forcibly annex my property into a  HOA's and retroactively tell me I am part of their HOA I really would tell them to go to hell.

No you wouldn't.  since its a deeded property, you would have your team of lawyers tell their team of lawyers to tell them to go to hell.

[YingJanshi]

What gets me is when HOA force you to have a fire hazard merely because it looks nice: RE wood shingles on your roof. You get hit by lightning and you're toast. Also, they make your insurance premiums go through the roof (pun intended). But they sure do look purty.  ::)




My pet peeve right now are those uber bright LED car headlights. Even at their normal brightness they blind everyone else on the road. Have a really dark stretch of road that I have to take if I want to go to the nearest WalMart and every time I meet someone with those style lights I feel like I need to stop. Because I'm literally blinded for 15-20. Here I am, when I see someone coming I knock my brights back down to normal and then when I get up to them they have the LED lights and it's like looking into the sun.  #P #P 
There should be a maximum on how many lumens car headlights can put out.  [tickedoff] [tickedoff]

[garhkal]

My pet peeve right now are those uber bright LED car headlights. Even at their normal brightness they blind everyone else on the road. Have a really dark stretch of road that I have to take if I want to go to the nearest WalMart and every time I meet someone with those style lights I feel like I need to stop. Because I'm literally blinded for 15-20. Here I am, when I see someone coming I knock my brights back down to normal and then when I get up to them they have the LED lights and it's like looking into the sun.  #P #P 
There should be a maximum on how many lumens car headlights can put out.  [tickedoff] [tickedoff]

Just like IMO there should be a max DB limit Motorcycles can have both in idle and when driving. 

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

My pet peeve right now are those uber bright LED car headlights. Even at their normal brightness they blind everyone else on the road. Have a really dark stretch of road that I have to take if I want to go to the nearest WalMart and every time I meet someone with those style lights I feel like I need to stop. Because I'm literally blinded for 15-20. Here I am, when I see someone coming I knock my brights back down to normal and then when I get up to them they have the LED lights and it's like looking into the sun.  #P #P 
There should be a maximum on how many lumens car headlights can put out.  [tickedoff] [tickedoff]

Agreed.  Every time I see a car with those I wonder how they're legal, given the hazard they present to other drivers.

[Sabelkatten]

Do they use a different kind of headlights in the US? I've never heard of (or noticed) that problem over here. IIRC there's rules about how focused the light should be?

[Peter Smith]

Do they use a different kind of headlights in the US? I've never heard of (or noticed) that problem over here. IIRC there's rules about how focused the light should be?

There are rules, Department of Transportation puts them out to manufacturers. Some states check, most don't.

But the issue around here is not the lumens by the dipped lights, it's something a lot worse: there is a massive upswing of people driving around with their brights on. Bad enough when salesmen were encouraging people to drive with their fog lights on, this is just the natural extension of their stupidity.

[Ghost0402]

Do they use a different kind of headlights in the US? I've never heard of (or noticed) that problem over here. IIRC there's rules about how focused the light should be?

There is a DoT stamp that proper headlights get if they have been approved.  I've been looking at replacement headlights for my Jeep and it's a bit of a pain to figure out what'll actually work and not get me into possible trouble.

[jimdigris]

Just like IMO there should be a max DB limit Motorcycles can have both in idle and when driving.

I heartily agree!

[garhkal]

Got another one for ya.  The other day i had to pick up a game friend to take him to the store so we could do one of our ADND game sessions.  Had the car parked right at the LAST spot under the overhang..  He knew that, but when we came out, he walked RIGHT BY me, almost to the store's exit to the road and i was like "WTF??"  So i pulled up beside him and go "Where you walking to".
He replied "To your car.  WHY the hell did you move it on me?"

[elf25s]

Got another one for ya.  The other day i had to pick up a game friend to take him to the store so we could do one of our ADND game sessions.  Had the car parked right at the LAST spot under the overhang..  He knew that, but when we came out, he walked RIGHT BY me, almost to the store's exit to the road and i was like "WTF??"  So i pulled up beside him and go "Where you walking to".
He replied "To your car.  WHY the hell did you move it on me?"

chuck it up still being in the game zone...
happened to me few times LOL

[YingJanshi]

Been awhile but I got a rant I just have to let off...I haven't been able to watch TV in 8 years. Ever since the switch to digital. About 4 years ago I bought what was supposed to be a digital TV, but have spent over $300 on various antennas for no appreciable difference. Even on a clear day, the least degradation and it's completely unwatchable. And if the weather is bad, well...

But what really pisses me off is that no matter how bad the shows come in, even when there's no signal, miraculously 90% of the commercials still come in.

[pheonixstorm]

Your digital provider sucks.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

A lot of channels just said to hell with it when the digital switch occurred and stopped broadcasting over the air altogether since so many people switched to cable or dish services.

[YingJanshi]

Your digital provider sucks.

Haha, that's just the free over-the-air networks like ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, PBS... (I'm not interested in TV enough to actually pay for cable/dish. I just do without, or watch online if it's a show I just have to see.)

A lot of channels just said to hell with it when the digital switch occurred and stopped broadcasting over the air altogether since so many people switched to cable or dish services.

I have wondered if the whole switch to digital was really backed by the cable/dish companies as a way to get more customers...

[elf25s]

Been awhile but I got a rant I just have to let off...I haven't been able to watch TV in 8 years. Ever since the switch to digital. About 4 years ago I bought what was supposed to be a digital TV, but have spent over $300 on various antennas for no appreciable difference. Even on a clear day, the least degradation and it's completely unwatchable. And if the weather is bad, well...

But what really pisses me off is that no matter how bad the shows come in, even when there's no signal, miraculously 90% of the commercials still come in.

you still watch tv? #P i had not watched tv in almost 27 years...as for digital? its not useful you are better of getting one of the boxes that uses internet.

[YingJanshi]

you still watch tv? #P i had not watched tv in almost 27 years...as for digital? its not useful you are better of getting one of the boxes that uses internet.

These days, almost exclusively online. Stuff like "The Expanse", "Doctor Who", "The Strain". It's cheaper to simply buy a season here and there. As for broadcast TV...only watch it when I get super bored (which isn't often. XD)

[garhkal]

ut what really pisses me off is that no matter how bad the shows come in, even when there's no signal, miraculously 90% of the commercials still come in.

I'd almost be willing to go back to regular cable..  after all those headaches..

[ClarkeMarek]

I would consider a bigger, external antenna, but I'm not sure what the terrain is where you're at(trees, power lines, hills, et al).  Plus it sounds like you haven't had luck with anything, no offense intended.

(Yeah, it's been years since I've dealt with digital ham radio.  I /really/ hate the R2D2 effect, but I like it when it comes in quiet.  That said, I know how you feel.  For some reason, I've got a few channels that only come in when they feel like it, but they come in strong on the other side of the house. I have to move the antenna to an impossibly awkward spot to get all the channels.  If it wasn't for my budget, I'd got with an external yagi.)

[solmanian]

So, can we just rant about anything here? Because that would be awesome, as long as it doesn't get toxic...

[pheonixstorm]

Yes yes, I want to rant about not having enough stompy robots! #P

Or how stressful it has become having a daughter hitting puberty. What happened to my little princess!!! :'(

[garhkal]

So, can we just rant about anything here? Because that would be awesome, as long as it doesn't get toxic...

Rant away!

[worktroll]

Or how stressful it has become having a daughter hitting puberty. What happened to my little princess!!! :'(

Oh yes, remember that well.

Boys are simple. You know your son is angry because you see the damage. You follow the trail of damage to see what made him angry. Puberty just makes this happen more often.

Girls ... are smaller women. "Is she mad? Why is she mad? Is she mad at me? What did I do? What did I not do? AAAARGH". Add puberty to the mix, and it's time to hide in the mancave painting robots.

Just remember, whenever a young man comes around, take him to the basement and show him your weapon collection. Smile a lot.

[elf25s]

Oh yes, remember that well.

Boys are simple. You know your son is angry because you see the damage. You follow the trail of damage to see what made him angry. Puberty just makes this happen more often.

Girls ... are smaller women. "Is she mad? Why is she mad? Is she mad at me? What did I do? What did I not do? AAAARGH". Add puberty to the mix, and it's time to hide in the mancave painting robots.

Just remember, whenever a young man comes around, take him to the basement and show him your weapon collection. Smile a lot.

dont forget one other thing to the list a thing that every teen boy dreads talk with the parents or THE talk.(to make it more hard and much more uncomfortable invite their parents also)
my younglings godparents used both very effectively...to a very worthy cringe on part of the intended victim. i loved it as spectator because it amused me...but the victim was not so amused. needless to say their girls (now grown up) never had much trouble...
but i should be careful my two are still preteens so my turn is coming... ;D

[CrossfirePilot]

My cousin and brother-in-law both have "players curse", 5 girls between both of them.  They are both some pretty big guys so I am anticipating those first dates where some dude shows up to take their little girl out and those guys KNOW what that kid has on his mind.

Reminds me of a college friend of mine that went to high school with Baron Von Rashke's daughters, he said they didn't get many dates because everyone was afraid to go back and meet the old man.

[pheonixstorm]

I think having jars of preserved animal family jewels might be better than showing them a weapons collection hehehe. This is from a dog, a cat, a deer... I still have shelf space if you wish to help me increase my collection }:)

[iamfanboy]

Rants.

Mold in my house.

So I took my mother to the hospital last April for a respiratory infection, and when I was cleaning her room I found mold on the carpets. If it's on the carpets, it's IN the carpets, and that's too much for us to handle. It doesn't surprise me; after it rains for an hour or two the carpets feel damp to the feet, but it took a really hard metaphorical shove to get my mother wanting to move.

So we decided to move out, and started packing our stuff. When I went to move a bookcase, the bottom half of it just fell apart it was so rotten, and I found a three foot by two foot triangle of mold coming from a hole in the wall.. that had broken out FROM INSIDE THE WALL, as though water had coursed down and forced it open! By the way, we live in California and it was about 5x as rainy as it should have been this last winter.

After that, I got sick! Couldn't breathe enough to walk to the bathroom! 

I told my Landlord why we were looking for a new place in June, citing the respiratory infections and mold and other problems, and then he hits me with a 60-day eviction notice claiming that my sister's boyfriend lives there! We threatened legal action and he's been fairly quiet since, but the eviction notice runs out on the 5th of next week.

I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO FIND A NEW HOME. I've been looking and applying since MAY, and nothing doing - because we have pets, and 80% of the houses that will fit my family state "No pets."

The worst part about this, is, strangely, the fact that my wife and I have TEN THOUSAND dollars in the bank, but because we have NO credit (not even BAD credit, just NO credit!) we can't get a mortgage and BUY a house - and we can't buy a mobile home to put in a park because no one will give loans on that kind of thing which aren't out-and-out robbery.

If my mom weren't so damned sickly (and didn't insist, along with my wife, about staying up here in the mountains) I'd have flipped the bird to this town months ago and looked elsewhere, probably in Oregon or Washington.


And my sister's boyfriend. WHAT A METH-ADDLED IMPULSIVE LOSER. He has exactly zero impulse control (the whole reason that my landlord hates him is because he came tearing around a blind corner at 30 mph in our little housing complex and almost ran the landlord over, then started screaming at the landlord!) and oh my gods, I can't STAND him. I think the insult that I would allow that kind of human trash to live with me is worse than the eviction notice.

Y'know, I thought typing this out would make me feel better. It did not.

[garhkal]

Man that does suck..
On that credit/mortgage issue, sounds like me.

Retired out of the navy in 2012, owned my home in Gulfport, but cause of the 09 housing crash, if i sold it when i retired, i'd barely have gotten 65 cents on the dollar (sale price was barely 95k, when i bought it for 159k).
Moved up to Columbus Oh, and was looking to buy a house up here.  BUT even with me having over 100k in the bank, 80k in stocks/bonds/mutuals, and 50k or so in savings bonds, no bank was willing to give me a new mortgage as my 'debt to income ratio' was too high (my retirement pension is roughly 2k, with 1.4k for the mortgage)..
SO i had to liquidate a lot to buy the house all for cash..

[worktroll]

I think having jars of preserved animal family jewels might be better than showing them a weapons collection hehehe. This is from a dog, a cat, a deer... I still have shelf space if you wish to help me increase my collection }:)

Don't say the last bit. Just have a couple of empty jars ...

[iamfanboy]

Man that does suck..
On that credit/mortgage issue, sounds like me.

Retired out of the navy in 2012, owned my home in Gulfport, but cause of the 09 housing crash, if i sold it when i retired, i'd barely have gotten 65 cents on the dollar (sale price was barely 95k, when i bought it for 159k).
Moved up to Columbus Oh, and was looking to buy a house up here.  BUT even with me having over 100k in the bank, 80k in stocks/bonds/mutuals, and 50k or so in savings bonds, no bank was willing to give me a new mortgage as my 'debt to income ratio' was too high (my retirement pension is roughly 2k, with 1.4k for the mortgage)..
SO i had to liquidate a lot to buy the house all for cash..

Did you try to go through VA Home Loans? They do offer good rates, and refinance too - the only reason that we didn't qualify is because our income wasn't QUITE high enough. I've been accepting underemployment to make sure that my mom is cared for (and because no one up here is willing to hire a man with a degree in early childhood development, ******).

A'course, this is in California, where the CalVet program exists as a direct line between VAHL and cuts the bank out entirely. Banks are bastards.

By the way, I was an AT stationed up at Whidbey Island.

[garhkal]

Did you try to go through VA Home Loans? They do offer good rates, and refinance too

Yes i did but the lady there said the same thing "Your debt to income ratio is too great, even if you HAVE the finances in the bank to cover it, we ONLY look at the DtIR for whether a mortgage can be issued, sorry to say"

[Daryk]

Navy Federal (at least) looks more favorably on that based on how much you can put down (as the mortgage payments will be lower).  I'm surprised the loan officer didn't discuss that aspect.

[garhkal]

Unfortunately the closest NFCU branch office is up on the North EAST side of Cleveland..

[Daryk]

Yikes, that a bit more of a hike than I would have thought.

[garhkal]

Worse, NFCU's site lists a # of workable ATMS in the columbus area..  However some are in work places where you need to be MEMBERS of that work place to get INTO...

[Feenix74]

Or how stressful it has become having a daughter hitting puberty. What happened to my little princess!!! :'(

I sympathise with you, was there 12 months to 5 years ago but when she emerges like a butterfly into young adulthood, it is worth the 5-6 years of banging your head against a wall.

Just remember, whenever a young man comes around, take him to the basement and show him your weapon collection. Smile a lot.

"The I Love Me Wall" works too . . .

Welcome, come in. Yes these are family photos that line the hallway. There is the photo of me in my military uniform. There is the photo of me in my camouflage uniform. There is the photo of me in my camouflage uniform with my assault rifle. Yes, I am still in the reserves, I get to go bush and stay current on the rifle range once a year. There is the photo of me with my Special Forces mate, did you know that my mate loves [insert Daughter's Name] like she is his god-daughter and I would not know what he would do if anything was to happen to her. There is the photo of my father-in-law in his Detective Sergeant uniform, he is retired now, but it is amazing some of the stories he tells of how you can make a body disappear and the police will not find enough forensic evidence to identify the body or link anyone to the crime.  >:D

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Did I suddenly get dropped back into the 50s or something?

[pheonixstorm]

Sure starting to look like it lol

[sadlerbw]

I saw a picture once of a shirt that a father had given to his teenage daughter. It said, "Guns don't kill people, fathers with beautiful daughters do." She thought it was pretty funny, and I believe she wore it occasionally as well. My favorite, though, has to be the line from Clueless: "I've got a .45 and a shovel...I doubt you'd be missed."

Sadly, this tactic wouldn't have worked all that well on me as a young lad. I would have been thinking, "Look at these awesome guns! I wonder if I can get her dad to take us out shooting?"

[elf25s]

I saw a picture once of a shirt that a father had given to his teenage daughter. It said, "Guns don't kill people, fathers with beautiful daughters do." She thought it was pretty funny, and I believe she wore it occasionally as well. My favorite, though, has to be the line from Clueless: "I've got a .45 and a shovel...I doubt you'd be missed."

Sadly, this tactic wouldn't have worked all that well on me as a young lad. I would have been thinking, "Look at these awesome guns! I wonder if I can get her dad to take us out shooting?"

it would not had worked on me either...
in my case i was too busy to date working 3 jobs so i can eat...
and guns ? enjoyed to many in my time to be afraid of them...could had pointed few things out to make them better or deadlier...

[garhkal]

Got another rant..  Stores that 'advertise stuff" as being on special offer say for 300$ but then leave out all the 'add ons'..  Such as today when i went to get a new drier (getting it fixed would cost 300+, so it seemed not worth fixing it)..  The drier i was buying was 399 on special (normally 539..  Then you add in a "power cord fee as they can't use existing ones you may have", "air duct hose" fee (similarly they can't attach what hoses you have), "Take old one away for recycling fee", and extended warranty fees.. 

What ever happened to where A) Manufacturers themselves had 5 yr warranty on their appliances (or furniture)??  These days its rare to find one with more than a  1 year warranty..  B) Stores being able to USE what hoses/powercords you already had existing for your gear (as long as its the same thing)?  OR Throwing them in with the cost of the item??

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Well, there's just no money to be made with any of those things.

[guardiandashi]

Got another rant..  Stores that 'advertise stuff" as being on special offer say for 300$ but then leave out all the 'add ons'..  Such as today when i went to get a new drier (getting it fixed would cost 300+, so it seemed not worth fixing it)..  The drier i was buying was 399 on special (normally 539..  Then you add in a "power cord fee as they can't use existing ones you may have", "air duct hose" fee (similarly they can't attach what hoses you have), "Take old one away for recycling fee", and extended warranty fees.. 

What ever happened to where A) Manufacturers themselves had 5 yr warranty on their appliances (or furniture)??  These days its rare to find one with more than a  1 year warranty..  B) Stores being able to USE what hoses/powercords you already had existing for your gear (as long as its the same thing)?  OR Throwing them in with the cost of the item??

sigh that's when you (I) tell them no I want the dryer, "free delivery?" sure, pay for delivery? no thanks, power cord no thanks, install no thanks I will deal with that myself, removal of the old unit? if its free sure, fee no thanks, exhaust tube no thanks, I will spend the 15 minutes hooking it up myself.

Like you said a lot of it is basically bait and switch crap. which used to be illegal

the dryer cord and vent duct tube you can make arguments about it being a scam, but it reminds me of why I have never gone back to Les Schwab tires after the way they treated me, as if I had a big "SUCKER" tattooed across my forehead.
I went in because I had a tire I thought was marginal (it wasn't it was shot) and they told me "oh by the way your front brakes are metal on metal, they might have "technically" been that worn, because the squeekers had just made contact, the thing is I thanked them for the info and went over to my dads friend who is a mechanic, and we looked, Like I said the pads were worn down enough that the "squeekers" were just making contact, meaning I really had at least another 5-10K miles of break pad (or more) before they would have "really been metal on metal" IE there isn't any pad left before the rivets, or backing material hits the wear surface.

so 30 minutes of work and $40 worth of pads saved me over $500 worth of "repairs" by the tire store, because they don't do anything but loaded calipers because they can't "guarantee" the old calipers if they just change the pads, and of course if you change the calipers then you need to replace the rotors too right? and $300 worth of parts means $300-400 worth of labor and ....

[garhkal]

True, but with a car you CAN do it yourself without voiding the warranty.  Kind of hard for appliances these days..

[Feenix74]

Did I suddenly get dropped back into the 50s or something?

Sure starting to look like it lol

Nope, cannot be the 50s. I am of Chinese-descent, back in the 50s I would not have been allowed in the country, let alone hold an Officers Commission in Her Majesty's Royal Australian Air Force. Me marrying an Anglo-Australian would have been frowned on and my Anglo-Australian step-daughter would not be allowed to date a Kiwi, let alone one of Maori-descent. My two mixed-race daughters would probably be constantly in trouble at school for beating up the kids that were teasing them about their ancestry  :D

[solmanian]

Bought a new chair for the PC, the last one holding out for six years before giving out. This piece of crap gave out in less than a week; warranty was easy to find, so i got it replaced. The replacement broke after two months, got it replaced again. As an engineer looking at the problem, it seems pretty obvious - instead of metal or wood, the entire weight is focused on a couple of pieces plastic. I wonder how many times they can afford to replace this crappy chair while still being cost-effective. I asked if they can replace the problematic piece with metal, the answer was that it would cost north of 400$, essentially tripling the price of the chair... Even my crappy IKEA chair held for three years, what happened to times you could buy a furniture and you could trust it wouldn't break the moment you bring it home?

[pheonixstorm]

Whenever they decided to make everything disposable. First PC my parents bought... 4k. First computer I bought off the store shelf, clearance for 250. Why make things that last a long time, there is no money in it.

[solmanian]

But it's a more expansive chair than before... for the price hike they asked to to put a piece of metal, I'd expect to have three blacksmiths working in intervals, while listening to epic LOTR soundtrack in the background, forging the "one chair" for me. For that price I expect it to at least charge my phone and have a wifi hotspot.

[garhkal]

Bought a new chair for the PC, the last one holding out for six years before giving out. This piece of crap gave out in less than a week; warranty was easy to find, so i got it replaced. The replacement broke after two months, got it replaced again. As an engineer looking at the problem, it seems pretty obvious - instead of metal or wood, the entire weight is focused on a couple of pieces plastic. I wonder how many times they can afford to replace this crappy chair while still being cost-effective. I asked if they can replace the problematic piece with metal, the answer was that it would cost north of 400$, essentially tripling the price of the chair... Even my crappy IKEA chair held for three years, what happened to times you could buy a furniture and you could trust it wouldn't break the moment you bring it home?

And that's part of my gripe.  How companies are MORE concerned with Quantity over quality.  Even if those quantity items keep getting replaced every 2-3 weeks.. 

[sadlerbw]

Not making assumption here, but how much do you weigh and what was the chair rated for? Actually, don't answer, just check it out. We have found that the chairs we use at my office that have plastic stress points used to be rated at 250lbs, but are now only rated for 225lbs, even after a redesign of the stress point. What we have found is that, for anyone over about 220, the charis really will fall apart much faster. I'm around 215 and I switched models because I was tearing up the 225 rated models. We actually looked for heavier duty chairs for our big guys, and it has made a difference. More metal parts and even sturdier hydraulics. They cost a little more, but it's less than $100 per chair. I think we looked for Big and Tall models to find the ones with higher weight ratings. Even if you aren't over 225lbs, you may like the sturdier construction.

As for why they are all made more poorly...well, labor and materials are more expensive thanks to inflation mostly. That, and many people don't WANT their stuff to last forever. They want a new model every few years. C'est la vie.

[guardiandashi]

I know I got tired of having the chairs I was picking up at office depot that were failing after a few months, and yes I am a bigger person, at over 270lbs, and the $100 ish chairs were only rated for ~225 lbs.  my last chair I picked up on sale was a "big and tall" model, rated for ~400lbs, and since it was on sale it was $200 instead of its regular $300-400 when I looked at the differences they were fairly obvious.

the 225 rated chair has a thinner base plate and the point that the top of the cylinder goes into is just pressed in, and the cylinder is not as heavy etc.

the 400 lb rated chair is physically a bit bigger the base plate is made out of a heavier gauge metal, and the insert is pressed in, and then wielded all the way around. Its things like that that make the chair so much more durable.

[solmanian]

Well, the salesman claimed the chair is rated for 150 kilos, and I'm less than a 100. The problem isn't with the base plate; as I said it's poorly designed, the stress point is on the plastic arm handles, who essentially suppose to hold the chair together. I originally thought they were made with metal covered with plastic. Nope, once it broke turns out the visible metal were simply  unconnected rings at the connection points, with the plastic around them simply not up to the job. I reckon that without the metal rings the chair would break in minutes, not lasting long enough to leave the showroom if not simply cracking during assembly.