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Post by tod2 on Jun 11, 2021 8:01:17 GMT
Kerouac, do you know if the thieves/vandals got away with any cash? I'm looking at your photo of the machine lying face down on the sidewalk but I know that the actual cash is kept in a very large steel container inside a room inside the bank. I was allowed to see this with one of our banks when the card machine swallowed my credit card, and as the technicians were there at the time they retrieved my card and I watched the whole process. From my angle it looks like the thieves only got as far as ripping the face off the cash machine.?
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Post by kerouac2 on Jun 11, 2021 8:36:07 GMT
I have no idea if they got the cash. The one thing that would make me think that they didn't is the fact that the machine was still attached to a cable in the wall. Generally I think they need to manage to haul away the entire device so they can bash it to bits in some secluded location. I can't imagine them working on it at a major intersection, even at 3:30 in the morning.
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Post by Kimby on Jun 28, 2021 22:43:05 GMT
Our printer stopped printing properly and changing ink cartridges (twice, in case the first refill was bad) didn’t fix the problem, so after spending hours and days trying to get it in the mood to print, we gave up and bought a new laser printer/scanner/copier that I love, so far.
The petty trauma is that when I dropped off the old printer to be recycled, I forgot about the SD card that we had used to save scans before we figured out how to scan to the computer.
Besides the fact that I could really use that SD card for my camera on the Iceland trip (it takes SD, not SDHD), I can’t remember what sort of sensitive information we might have scanned onto that SD card. Drivers licenses, probably. Financial stuff, maybe. Photos, probably.
I hope that oops doesn’t come back to haunt us!
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Post by questa on Jun 28, 2021 23:19:09 GMT
Gives you a horrid sick feeling in the pit of your stomach, doesn't it? Any chance it has not been broken up yet?
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Post by Kimby on Jun 28, 2021 23:22:35 GMT
It was probably picked up by the recyclers days after I dropped it onto the cart at Best Buy. They come every week to collect old electronics to mine for valuable metals, etc.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 2, 2021 18:03:28 GMT
One of my closest friends sent me a hospital photo of the aftermath of his bicycle accident. Wow. Maybe I should hunt up where I put my helmet.
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Post by casimira on Jul 2, 2021 19:12:45 GMT
By law cyclists in Louisiana have to wear a helmet although I've never seen or heard of it being enforced. By the same token, Louisiana has yet to illegalize cell phone use while driving. I know of people who text while driving.
My petty personal trauma has to with the visceral response my body has when I return to do chores or have an appointment over at the "old house". Psychologically I feel like I'm coping fairly well with the whole trauma but my body isn't. It's awful. I had to leave today shortly after arriving to meet with the contractor. I had to get T. to drive me back to where we are staying because I felt it coming on. I am taking care to hydrate so as to not just keel over from feeling weak. Also, Gatorade to replace the electrolytes my body is depleted of.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 2, 2021 19:18:39 GMT
In France, bicycle helmets are obligatory for children but not for adults since we have so much more sense.
Your house phobia should fade slowly but surely but each of us has a specific rhythm for getting back to normal.
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Post by Kimby on Jul 2, 2021 23:09:24 GMT
Casi, you are grieving AND recovering at the same time. Each trip back to the site has got to trigger some PTSD-like symptoms. Hopefully when the new structure begins to ride from the ashes, excitement and hope will displace the grief and stress.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jul 3, 2021 0:30:00 GMT
That's beautifully put, Kimby. The other day Whatagain posted about people being given ten days off from work if they lose a child. I suppose it's better than nothing, but all I could think was how was that arbitrary number of days determined as sufficient to recover enough to go back to work after possibly the worst thing that could happen to a person. The same thing with your trauma, Casimira. Obviously you have had the strength to pull yourself together and get on with things. Your body, though, is saying "Not so fast, honey -- this will take as long as it takes." It makes sense that being directly confronted with the evidence of the fire will trigger distress each time. Kudos to you for continuing on and doing what you can until the physical responses abate.
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Post by bjd on Jul 3, 2021 5:33:44 GMT
When my husband broke his collarbone in his bike accident 3 years ago, the doctor was mostly concerned that he hadn't been wearing a helmet. Ever since, my husband wears his helmet even when he takes his bike for a short distance.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 3, 2021 9:32:06 GMT
all I could think was how was that arbitrary number of days determined In France, it is 8 days, but that's really meaningless because 10 days or 8 days are automatic, but your doctor can prescribe longer work stoppage if it is deemed necessary, which it often is. Getting a month off for depression is relatively common in France.
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Post by casimira on Jul 3, 2021 14:18:09 GMT
When my husband broke his collarbone in his bike accident 3 years ago, the doctor was mostly concerned that he hadn't been wearing a helmet. Ever since, my husband wears his helmet even when he takes his bike for a short distance. When my husband worked as a paramedic for the city he treated and witnessed so many head injuries from people riding bicycles, scooters, mopeds, and motorcycles, the majority of the riders not wearing protective headgear. Even very short distances within one's own familiar neighborhoods he always insisted I wear a helmet. Why take the chance? There are too many careless, reckless drivers out there not paying attention to little ol' cyclists. And, with the ever increasing number of large delivery trucks such as Amazon, UPS etc. clogging the bike lanes it's even more hazardous. With regard to my physiological reaction to the recent trauma, I agree and appreciate the feedback Thank you for your sensitivity.. It's just not that easy when I have appointments to meet people at the location. I feel fine right up until the time I get over there and it's like my body is suddenly attacked by the reaction that is a sensory overload. Visual, olfactory, etc. along with the overwhelming emotional response that all seem to come on at once. My husband encourages me to take a day off every now and then and our friend/helper, godsend, Luke has really been incredibly helpful in so many regards. Plus, he is young and strong physically so it even more helpful to have him available. Plus, he cares about us and the property and was there when it happened so he understands. Much more so than some hired hand.
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Post by tod2 on Jul 3, 2021 15:37:40 GMT
The other day Whatagain posted about people being given ten days off from work if they lose a child. I suppose it's better than nothing, but all I could think was how was that arbitrary number of days determined as sufficient to recover enough to go back to work after possibly the worst thing that could happen to a person. Different strokes for different folks Bixa. When my little baby daughter died just past midnight we - that is her brother, was sent to school as regular , and my husband went to open our Fabric Store as usual. I was at home helped by our faithful maid to deal with the sheeting and nappies used that night. As you can imagine the day was filled with funeral arrangements. Our feeling was that the distraction of work and usual daily matters helped tremendously in coping with such a shock.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 3, 2021 16:05:38 GMT
I believe that quite a few people find work very therapeutic in such circumstances. But not everybody.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 5, 2021 14:33:45 GMT
Today I put my ficus out of its misery at last. I already knew it was time to do so two years ago, but it pretended to recover a bit last year, so I spared it. This year it was just wasting away, and the falling leaves were a continued annoyance. So I got out my saw and chopped it up and transferred the root system into a large rubbish bag and it all went downstairs to the bin. Each time I promise myself that I will never buy a ficus again, but there are always lovely ones with seducive charms in the shops. But no, I will never fall for them again.
If that were not enough, I received a letter from my brother today who announced that one of his cats had to be eliminated. Chloe (age 12) had totally stopped eating and drinking as she had decided that the end was imminent. The vet said it was cancer and did what was necessary to do. My brother and his wife still have three cats, so maybe that will be enough at age 70. If he were as young as whatagain, maybe he would stock up. He also told me again (since he had forgotten - age 70) that his previous wife had died. If I ever see my brother again, I probably will not dare to say that she was a pathetic excuse for a human being, but he would almost certainly agree with me after a few drinks.
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Post by tod2 on Jul 5, 2021 14:44:29 GMT
I didnt even know you could grow ficus indoors! They get quite big I thought. Am I guessing it is the cute little tree with twisted "Barley Cane" stem they have at the florist/garden shops?
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 5, 2021 15:22:29 GMT
In Europe, there is a lot of potted ficus. They are grown in huge Dutch hothouses and there is no way to keep them alive. You are actually supposed to change them every two years, but many of us are determined to try to keep them alive as long as possible although it is impossible. I actually had this one for six or seven years, but it looked pretty shitty for at least the last three years.
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Post by casimira on Jul 5, 2021 16:36:59 GMT
I didnt even know you could grow ficus indoors! They get quite big I thought. Am I guessing it is the cute little tree with twisted "Barley Cane" stem they have at the florist/garden shops? Ficus are one of the most common house plants I know of here in the US. As finnicky as they are, especially when moved, people who live in the North love having a small tree in their homes. The "fiddle leaf" ficus that has larger leaves, I have seen in many homes and can enhance a barren space.
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Post by bjd on Jul 5, 2021 16:57:52 GMT
I used to have a house plant ficus too but as it got bigger, it looked rattier so I ended up putting it outside until the winter put it out of its misery. They can last for years actually -- it's just that they get really big.
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Post by casimira on Jul 5, 2021 17:07:59 GMT
I think your ficus had a pretty good run Kerouac, reiterating what BJD posted
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 13, 2021 15:45:58 GMT
It rained so much today that one of my windows started leaking. At first I thought it was a roof leak, which is not my responsibility and for which I could have demanded repairs. But closer investigation allowed me to determine that it was the window, and that's all on me. It seems to have stopped leaking even though it is still raining, so my first plan is to ignore it (I put a pan under the drip.). But if it ever starts leaking again, I know that I will have to do something because it will only get worse.
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Post by htmb on Jul 13, 2021 16:06:43 GMT
So, it’s one of your new windows? Perhaps still covered by warranty?
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 13, 2021 16:34:42 GMT
No, it is one of my "old" windows downstairs, which are at least 18 years old.
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Post by casimira on Jul 13, 2021 17:03:01 GMT
We have been having to be hyper vigilant about making sure that when we leave the house we are staying that we close even the most slightly opened window. Our scattered thunderstorms have had wind driven rain come in . Fortunately, it was in the bathroom from a tiny sliding window and didn't cause any major problems.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 13, 2021 17:08:50 GMT
It is still raining, but there does not appear to be any leak now. I imagine that the rain has to fall at a very specific angle to penetrate.
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Post by htmb on Jul 13, 2021 19:03:47 GMT
Water can be very tricky sometimes and blow in at the strangest angles. We had a storm once that blew water up under a covered utility door into an attic space. This has only happened once in the 15 years I’ve owned this place. After blowing under the door, it leaked into the closet and room in the floor below. Hopefully, your problem was only a one time issue.
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Post by whatagain on Jul 13, 2021 19:40:30 GMT
People who keep their windows18 years should get a fine or be imprisoned. Or at least change the glass of the window !
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Post by kerouac2 on Jul 13, 2021 20:16:47 GMT
That's not saying much for the glass industry. It's the frames that give out, not the glass.
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Post by htmb on Jul 13, 2021 21:16:39 GMT
Or the sealing around frames and glass.
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