|
Post by mich64 on Dec 23, 2017 1:38:05 GMT
Kerouac, my condolences to you on the passing of your friend Gertrude.
The past is slipping away. I understand how you feel.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2017 1:49:51 GMT
'Tis not petty dear Kerouac. My condolences to you.
|
|
|
Post by lagatta on Dec 23, 2017 7:53:24 GMT
Oh, I'm sorry to hear that and remember that thread.
As for something truly petty, I can't find a garlic I have somewhere, and where on earth would it have gone? It was on my kitchen table. Just means I have to go out and buy another, and fortunately there is a good shop around the corner, so I don't have to trudge too far in the bluidy snow... but I hate to think about finding it later all dried out and sprouted....
|
|
|
Post by cheerypeabrain on Dec 23, 2017 8:33:05 GMT
I'm sorry for your loss Kerouac x
|
|
|
Post by whatagain on Dec 25, 2017 11:25:05 GMT
Condoléances, Kerouac. I sart to understand what you mean with 'the past is slipping away'... In a foreseeable future, all the previous generation will be gone and it is up to us to tell stories about their lives...
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Dec 26, 2017 12:16:16 GMT
None of the postcards that I sent from Cuba have arrived.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jan 8, 2018 17:57:38 GMT
The fan on my laptop is committing suicide.
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Jan 8, 2018 19:42:42 GMT
I thought that had been fixed.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jan 8, 2018 21:28:31 GMT
Yeah, me too. When the tech came the other day, he got the noise to stop and said it might just be a piece of crud that got in. Alas, when he returned on Saturday to check on it, the worst fears were realized. Because it's a flip model, I can still use it in tablet mode without having to endure the noise of a loudly dying fan. That means I'm typing this on the on-screen keyboard. I could have just about copied out War & Peace in the same time.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2018 23:07:20 GMT
Maybe it picked up some kind of bug while you were in Cuba?
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jan 8, 2018 23:20:09 GMT
Damn! I knew I should have taken it for the cholera shot.
|
|
|
Post by fumobici on Jan 9, 2018 2:40:42 GMT
I replaced the fan on my laptop last week, the parts are cheap if you buy them yourself and it's a great opportunity to replace the battery if your device is more than about two years old or likely less if it's used unplugged daily, but you need to be *confident* to tear in. Just take it to a shop otherwise, it shouldn't cost more than $60-70 USD* tops. If they tell you it's a $100+ job, it's a wonderful opportunity to find a new shop that isn't a rip-off. That'll pay off later too.
<edit> that's for just the fan, a new battery will about double that
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jan 9, 2018 3:39:26 GMT
Thanks, Fumobici. It's hugely frustrating that a part I could get for almost nothing from Amazon US costs a good 150% more in Mexico. Even so, the fan wouldn't be all that expensive, and I have a fabulous tech whom I'd trust to do open-heart surgery on me and/or my laptop. Techs are much less expensive here & mine is pretty easy on me with what he charges. The quandary is that my laptop is just over three years old and I could renew it with a new fan and a nice ssd to replace the hard drive (hard drive is fine -- ssd would be sort of a preemptive action). ~Or~ I could indulge in a brand new laptop. As you know, price-wise, a 512 gb ssd costs more than a 1 tetrabyte hard drive, but once you start thinking of all the ways an ssd would be better than an hhd, it's justifiable -- but more justifiable if I could get it from Amazon US than anywhere here. And if I want a laptop that does the same tricks (2 in 1, touchscreen) my present one does, plus upgrades to justify buying a new one, we're talking many semoleons, especially considering that I already have a fixable machine. *sigh* Can you tell I'm well into obsessing about this? Naturally I've been browsing laptops, just in case, but really the one I have suits my needs nicely. This one does speak to me, though ~ www.amazon.com/Flagship-Samsung-Notebook-Premium-Touchscreen/dp/B075XSM1T2/ref=pd_sbs_147_6There is also this, for much less money. It is the same brand and similar to what I currently have, except i7 instead of i5 and 256 ssd instead of 1T hdd, & has a backlit keyboard ~ www.amazon.com/Flagship-Asus-Convertible-Gaming-Touchscreen/dp/B075XSY9LF/ref=pd_day0_147_8
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Jan 11, 2018 13:08:52 GMT
I was alone in an elevator yesterday when it stopped at a floor and two clowns in full costume and makeup joined me.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2018 14:38:37 GMT
I was alone in an elevator yesterday when it stopped at a floor and two clowns in full costume and makeup joined me. YIKES!!!!!!!!!! I can only imagine your reaction Kerouac!!! I would surely have had a panic attack and/or gotten off on the very next floor!!! I spoke with my brother last evening and he informed me that a pipe burst in the carriage house/cottage on our family property due to below freezing temperatures. (the fierce winds blew out the furnace light). Gratefully, he got there before it ruined everything but, there was still significant damage. The kitchen floors will need to be replaced. With the falling through of the sale of the property in November and now this, I'm beginning to think the place is cursed.
|
|
|
Post by rikita on Jan 15, 2018 0:59:42 GMT
Damn! I knew I should have taken it for the cholera shot. could be a different type of bug - when mr. r. tried to repair one of the computers in the school in kerala, a gecko and a few cockroaches appeared and complained about the disturbance to their home ... and i think the ants that invaded everywhere in our room also tried to settle in my laptop (unsuccesfully, fortunately).
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jan 15, 2018 1:15:47 GMT
Not really funny, though. I know a woman here whose Mac was eaten by ants.
|
|
|
Post by Kimby on Jan 15, 2018 20:04:21 GMT
Casi, sorry to hear of the water damage at your family place. Do you have anyone living there now? Or if it’s vacant, can you shut off the water (or well pump) and even drain (or at least release the pressure in) the pipes?
A neighbor who leaves their Montana house empty for 7 months while they cavort in Arizona’s desert heat has a weather station (made by Lacrosse Instruments) that stays connected to WiFi so they can access current conditions inside their house from their cell phones or computers. Not as high tech as a Smart House, but a good idea.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2018 1:46:38 GMT
Kimby,the furnace was on at the time as the cottage is open for the real estate broker to be able to show the place for prospective buyers but the wind one particular night was so fierce that it blew out the pilot light. There is a field in the back of the cottage with a NW exposure that is wide open and subsequently vulnerable to the high winds. Fortunately my brother arrived the following day on a routine check up and caught it before the whole downstairs was destroyed. Hopefully the insurance will cover much of the cost of the damage.
|
|
|
Post by mich64 on Jan 16, 2018 2:07:15 GMT
I too was sorry to read that your NY home sustained water damage Casi, having gone through water damage twice, once with a burst pipe and the other with a leaking water tank. While floors, walls and furniture can be replaced by insurance, it is a daunting experience and usually during the winter months. Our next door neighbours left for Thailand a few weeks ago and before they left my husband was talking with them and they think this may be their last year going away for the winter. They really enjoy being away but they say they worry almost every day about pipes bursting or early spring flooding. They do have someone check in the house frequently (insurance requirement) and have their driveway and stairs shovelled, but they say it is getting more difficult to get someone wanting to come out as far as we are to maintain their property while away. Now when we travel each September we turn our water pump off and unplug our hot water tank (no use heating the water). We turn off the electrical baseboards and the propane fireplaces. But we are gone for only 2 weeks, we could not do this through the winter months or we would certainly have pipes freeze as well. Kimby, I giggled thinking about connecting our home to those WIFI programs, we just figured out how to remote start our vehicle by WIFI.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2018 14:47:54 GMT
Thanks Mich. I can only imagine what anxiety one would endure while on holiday and having to worry about one's home. Kinda takes the fun out of the holiday I would think.
And yes, it will be an ordeal to repair. There are days when the cottage is "snowed in" and access is difficult if not downright impossible. When my mother was alive there were volunteer firemen who would clear the driveways of elderly folks in the off event there would be emergency access .
I sure don't miss those days living there but, when you're a child you're not aware that there are alternative climates and you just assume this is the way it is. I enjoyed having days off from school due to blizzards, and going ice skating, sledding etc. Another whole different world in another whole different lifetime...
WOW!! Starting one's car remotely by wifi!!!! Amazing!! I rode in a car that had heated seats a few years ago and was astounded enough by that.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Jan 16, 2018 15:01:29 GMT
I don't think I would like to have a car starting with wifi with all those hackers out there. We have had our car for 3 or 4 years now and just discovered recently that it has warmable seats.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Jan 16, 2018 16:17:55 GMT
Casimira, I can only hope with you that a sale comes through soon. Having to worry about that house must be a constant stress. ... they think this may be their last year going away for the winter. They really enjoy being away but they say they worry almost every day about pipes bursting or early spring flooding. Mich, your neighbors sound like they might benefit from having a house sitter. There are online sites whose sitters are supposed to be well vetted, even bonded. We have had our car for 3 or 4 years now and just discovered recently that it has warmable seats. Bjd, we are sisters under the skin! That is SO something that would happen to me.
|
|
|
Post by onlyMark on Jan 16, 2018 17:02:00 GMT
A few years ago I rented a car in Germany for a couple of weeks. Renting cars is not new to me, used to do it all the time. But this one was a brand new Ford Focus Estate. Actually just a normal mid-sized family car. As usual I ended up spending quite some time sitting in it waiting for the ladies of the family to finish their shopping or waiting to pick up one of the family from an appointment. One boring day I looked at the handbook that came with the car. Partly because there was a button I couldn't identify.
It turns out it is a self-parking button. Imagine you are driving slowly along a street with cars parked and you are looking for a spot. With the button on it will identify a space that is big enough for you and stop the car. It will then without you touching anything, turn and reverse the car into the space and pull forward to be equidistant between the other cars or obstacles.
I'd never experienced that gadget before or since. Nevertheless, the family got really bored with me parking everywhere on a whim. "Mark! Mark! We're on a motorway!" "Yes, but there's a nice big space..........."
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Jan 16, 2018 17:22:44 GMT
A lot of the car commercials on television keep demonstrating the "park assist" feature. It just looks too good to be true. I already freaked out when a car that I rented recently had a rear camera that activated automatically on the GPS screen whenever I went into reverse, on top of the annoying beeping.
|
|
|
Post by mich64 on Jan 16, 2018 17:31:14 GMT
Thanks Mich. I can only imagine what anxiety one would endure while on holiday and having to worry about one's home. Kinda takes the fun out of the holiday I would think. And yes, it will be an ordeal to repair. There are days when the cottage is "snowed in" and access is difficult if not downright impossible. When my mother was alive there were volunteer firemen who would clear the driveways of elderly folks in the off event there would be emergency access . I sure don't miss those days living there but, when you're a child you're not aware that there are alternative climates and you just assume this is the way it is. I enjoyed having days off from school due to blizzards, and going ice skating, sledding etc. Another whole different world in another whole different lifetime... WOW!! Starting one's car remotely by wifi!!!! Amazing!! I rode in a car that had heated seats a few years ago and was astounded enough by that. You are correct, it some ways it was taking the fun away from our holiday, while so happy to be able to be away enjoying ourselves, once I had time to sit and think, I would stress/worry. So, I had to work on a way to fix that, and by turning off the water and heat, that has made a difference! We are accustomed to being mindful of the weather daily, stocking up on sand and salt-like products, quality shovels on hand, food and bottled water/drinks kept stocked, two BBQ propane tanks kept full but what we fail to be consistent with is keeping cash money on hand, we have gotten to used to debit card purchasing. We have gone through a few periods without power (debit machines would be down too!), we try to be as prepared as we can. The WIFI for the car has been fun and very useful, the key chain remote start only worked from a specific distance, the WIFI app works from inside the arena so when we leave from an evening hockey game the vehicle is all warm and we also have the heated seats so we leave those on too!
|
|
|
Post by mich64 on Jan 16, 2018 17:36:12 GMT
A lot of the car commercials on television keep demonstrating the "park assist" feature. It just looks too good to be true. I already freaked out when a car that I rented recently had a rear camera that activated automatically on the GPS screen whenever I went into reverse, on top of the annoying beeping. Our vehicle has that option as well, my husband uses it all the time. Fortunately ours does not have a beeping noise! I my husband would enjoy having the park assist as well, but I do not think he would pay extra for it, but he will be happy if it came as a standard feature in the future.
|
|
|
Post by mich64 on Jan 16, 2018 17:50:52 GMT
Bixa, I will have to ask them when they return if they have looked into that. I know of a neighbour down our road who rents her house out when she is gone for the winter season. My brother is a real estate agent, perhaps he would know more to help out as well. It seems disappointing when they still enjoy going away so much and can afford to do so.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Jan 16, 2018 17:54:52 GMT
Mich, you must have the beeping noise, it's just turned off. We have that screen that shows what's behind you when you reverse, although we don't have a GPS. We turned off the beeping sound because it was annoying.
|
|
|
Post by mich64 on Jan 16, 2018 18:25:49 GMT
Mich, you must have the beeping noise, it's just turned off. We have that screen that shows what's behind you when you reverse, although we don't have a GPS. We turned off the beeping sound because it was annoying. You are most likely very correct bjd!
|
|