AI February 2020 Chat Thread

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randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

I apologize for not having a big dong. Will an average dong suffice?

# ¿ Feb 1, 2020 20:49

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# ¿ May 11, 2024 14:13

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

And this is when Bajaja and STR's paths collide. :2bong:

I would love to find a Baja, but I can't say I've even seen one in the flesh in years.

(don't worry, they're based on the Legacy, which is what Brokeback is also based on, so your dream just put me in a cooler version of my car)

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 19:05 on Feb 2, 2020

# ¿ Feb 2, 2020 18:43

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Pain in the rear end boss is gone. His boss is finally back from medical leave. It was drat good to see him again. And holy poo poo, he's pissed about the massive over-ordering in the 4 months he's been out. The stock controllers aren't doing their jobs with correcting "unit on hand" counts ("stock controllers" are the overnight leads in my dept, and get paid an extra $3/hr to, you know, fix that poo poo at the end of the shift). Daytime and overnight aren't doing their jobs with running backstock. So the back room looks like a bomb went off. It looks a lot better since we blew through a shitload of it for Superbowl (the majority of the backstock was chips and various soft drinks; we got rid of 8 pallets yesterday that have been sitting for over a month :stonkhat:

), but that just means tonight's truck is going to be a monster. _{_{I'm off for the next 3 days... my phone is also set to forward every number I know from management and the store to voicemail for a few days. dunno how that happened, I'm sure I'll figure it out sometime Thursday}}

Apparently good boss was clued in about me almost leaving, trying to get full time, and about the various applications I've been putting in (including one for... stock controller). I guess he's been kept in the loop even though he's been out on leave; dickhead boss was making all of the calls while he was gone, so I assumed he'd been completely out of the loop.

Also, I don't drink caffeine in general (I might have half of the smallest Red Bull once a month at most). I decided to chug a cup of coffee at work this morning when I was running behind. My Fitbit claims my heart rate shot up to ~150 for awhile (it's normally in the 110s-120s while working, high 60s/low 70s when resting). loving yikes. Made me shaky enough that I was knocking crap off the shelf while trying to stock and was sweating, boss asked what was wrong. "I had my first cup of coffee in several years about an hour ago". Cue laughter and "yup, that'll do it... you dumbass".

opengl128 posted:

I saw a first gen Intrepid the other day on the road and stared as I passed it like it was an exotic. Something definitely wrong with my brain but it has been probably a decade since I last saw one and it was looking really cool? Is this what boomer brain rot feels like?

Not only did I see one of those on the road (in nearly showroom condition) last year...

..... it had a dealer sticker on the trunk from my grandfather's old Dodge dealership. My grandfather died in 1997 or 1998, and the dealers were sold off (and changed names) immediately after he died. Said dealership was ~550 miles away from where I saw the car. It's rare enough seeing any dealer sticker on a car from my home town here; that's the first time I've seen one from one of my grandfather's dealerships - even while visiting home - in at least 15 years.

everdave posted:

Hey do all/most car batteries have a place to hook up a vent tube to? Replacing a trunk battery in one of my Skylines and when taking it out it has a vent tube attached to old one.

Lots of GMs have batteries either in the trunk or in the cabin floor (thus, they have vent tubes). Look up batteries for a Chevy Cobalt, Saturn Ion, or Chevy Trailblazer. The Ion used 2 different ones depending on year (03-05 used a different one from 06-07), not sure about the others, but the Ion used a shorter/wider one than the Cobalt.

I think my Ion had a group 72? Earlier ones got a 75? Cobalts used a... 93? Those are normally side post batteries, but some of them have both side and top terminals. Even if they don't, there's side to top adapters.

Make sure you go with one with the vent tube provision, you don't want hydrogen building up in the car.

Ether Frenzy posted:

Hey Kaker or Dave - I need some OEM keyblanks for a 1992 Miata which seem exceedingly hard to find in the states, any idea if these are something you can get through your importing connections? The one original I got with the car has a crack in it and isn't safe to keep using.

The later keys from the 93-97 era are shaped differently and all I seem able to find on ebay (so far).

First, see if a Mazda dealer can cut a new one for you from the VIN. Doesn't matter what blank it's on, you want a key that isn't heavily worn. That one is worn the gently caress out. They may not be able to simply because it's so old, but it's worth a shot.

Second, hit up a locksmith or five in an older strip mall. Locksmiths (speaking from knowing 2 for ages) absolutely hoard older key blanks, and often have OEM, or OEM looking, key blanks. Worst case, if the dealer can't cut you a new key, you can at least - hopefully - get a few usable copies made from that key. The locksmith I use carries Subaru keyblanks complete with the Subaru logo; I had the dealer cut one from the VIN for $20 when I bought the car (it came with one very worn out key that only started it, didn't work in any other locks), then had the locksmith make a couple of copies of that for $7/ea on OEM-looking blanks with the proper logo and everything. Had a regular metal key made for $5 too so I could keep one in my wallet.

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 22:47 on Feb 3, 2020

# ¿ Feb 3, 2020 22:32

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Yup, a nipple on each side that almost looks like a large USB C plug.

You could go with an AGM battery and eliminate the need for vent tubes, but personally I'd at least keep the vents in place even if you do go with a gel.

# ¿ Feb 3, 2020 22:49

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

e: ^^^^ damnit you're right, my bad. My Ion's group 78 had the ports, but it was a side-post only battery. I know versions exist with both top and side posts, and there's always side to top post adapters..

Friend and his GF just went through a nasty breakup. She moved out, he changed the locks... he's out of town right now, but I've been cat-sitting.

I went by this morning and found water in the kitchen and laundry room. Turns out the old contractor grade water heater (not original to the house either, but it's ~20 years old going by the serial #, house is almost 40), was slowly popping its top. Shut off the water and gas to it, let him know, cleaned up the water (thankfully no carpet in the place). Gave Raven lunch, left the kitchen light on (it's LED, so the most energy efficient light in the place), left the porch light on, double checked all of the windows and doors. Since the water heater has an old style shutoff, and being a ~40 year old ball valve shutoff that doesn't quite shut off completely, I left the kitchen sink on (hot wide open, it was dribbling a little - the top of the tank is what popped, figured leaving it on would keep it from leaking much more).

Went back tonight to give him dinner, and the porch light was off. Front door was unlocked. Went inside, the remainder of her stuff was gone. A few of his things gone. Kitchen sink shut off, water running out from the water heater closet again. Realized the overhead garage door had been left unlocked (the one door I didn't check, and seeing as that door hasn't even been opened in several months, didn't think to :doh:

), and the door from the garage to the laundry room was kicked in. :sigh:

We did the video chat thing and I gave him a video tour of his own house, nothing super important to him seems to be missing. He called her, she claimed a window was open and she just went in through that, and had no idea how the door got kicked in. :colbert:

(I checked all the windows before I left this afternoon, they were all locked)

He thought the overhead door was locked too, but it was most definitely unlocked tonight. I don't think even the landlord has a key to that thing (it doesn't even roll halfway, the door is falling apart). The only key the landlord gave them was to the front door, every other door (garage to laundry, back door, etc) have different locks. And seeing as it hasn't been opened in who knows how long, didn't think to check it.

everdave posted:

All the ones with vents were $100 more than without at Wally World! I got a deposit for that skyline tonight and he knows it needs a new battery so probably won’t get one and new owner can deal with it. He knows up fro t this needs a battery I was just going to get one uf he didn’t follow through.

Also after having kids for 10 days I thought I was going to have a few nights off and was going to fix my washer tonight, nope ex wife calls and says they cut her power off so I went and got the filthy and exhausted kids from her place.

An ~~AGM~~ GEL battery will solve all the issues, but cost quite a bit more than a vented battery. But hey, buyer beware, and you've done your part in letting them know. It'd be a Good Thing if you let them know it needs either a battery with provisions for venting, or alternatively, a gel cell battery.

How far behind do you have to get on your power bill to get cut off there? :stare:

I've managed 3 or 4 months before they finally cut it, back when I had to decide if power or food was more important.

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 04:54 on Feb 4, 2020

# ¿ Feb 4, 2020 04:46

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

There's such a thing as prepaid electricity in deregulated parts of TX. They shut you off within 15 minutes of your account running empty (smart meters typically have a remote disconnect, and they get checked every 15 minutes in TX, so it's just a click of the mouse to turn someone's power on/off).

Then nail you with a disconnect fee, reconnect fee, and account reload fee. God Bless the deregulated market!

I miss the rates I had in deregulated land, but I had to constantly monitor my energy use to make sure I fell into the right bracket. If I used 1000-1499 kWh, I paid something like 4c/kWh. If I used 500-999, it was 8c? If I broke 1500, I think it was 15c (for all of the usage, not tiered), and under 500 got slapped with a $50 fee. Not exact on those numbers, but drat close. There was a website you could use to check your usage up to the last quarter hour; I remember I came home from work one night a few hours before my billing cycle ended, and it showed 1498 kWh. I ran to the breaker panel and killed the main breaker, and kept it off until 12:30am. Wound up hitting 1499 kWh. $60 electric bill almost turned into $200+. Where I'm at now I pay $25 just to have the meter, then 12c/kwh on top of that. :fuckoff:

I'll be glad once I move inside of Austin proper, there's no meter fee there (it's also cheaper per kWh). I'm current(hah)ly in a power co-op.

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 05:52 on Feb 4, 2020

# ¿ Feb 4, 2020 05:45

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

I was trying to put a human spin on it. Yeah, it's /cron/d being a /d, then a mouse click (and at least $50 in "fees") to turn it back on.

# ¿ Feb 4, 2020 06:50

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

How much do you like forking over massive amounts of money to TXU/Oncor/etc? :v:

They really are crap unless you get one with a heat pump. And AFAIK those are mostly only available outside of North America.

# ¿ Feb 4, 2020 21:50

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Just remember that if Trump did get booted out of office... we'd wind up with Pence.

(that's my slightly political post for the year)

# ¿ Feb 6, 2020 02:17

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

e: you know what nvm, someone lurks on here

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 14:44 on Feb 6, 2020

# ¿ Feb 6, 2020 07:24

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

The Door Frame posted:

Yikes. Would it be a bad time to tell her that if she bought a higher quality battery, it might still be under warranty?

I'm just happy I'm sleeping on the couch tonight instead of in the car, it's snowing (WTF??!?!?) and right at freezing outside. Not gonna pick that fight.

But yeah, I've been trying to get her to do poo poo as basic as just changing spark plugs for a year now. "Oh, I'm sure <chain lube place> would tell me if I needed that, I've been going there for 15 years!". I did the last oil change because she didn't have time to get it done, and she's been questioning how I did it so cheap. Easy - Walmart carries the OEM Toyota filter for $6. Walmart carries 5 qts of 5w30 high mileage for $25.

Tremek posted:

VFD clocks are great. My second car through circumstance was a �90 Acura Legend LS coupe, and it had one of those great VFD purple-white clocks that would even turn on while the car was off if you pushed the panel covering the settings buttons next to it.

For a long time I conspired to put a computer in the trunk of that car and spent way too much time on mp3car[.]com which at the time was a great site and also had a bunch of people figuring out how to use serial VFD displays to show what song was playing. There was a dude on there with a 300zx turbo that made a custom fiberglass housing for a touchscreen display in his dash. Cool poo poo.

/end random rant

VFD is great so long as it's not Toyota.

I remember those clocks in both of my 88 Accords. I think my 91 Integra had one too. 95 Civic had a hole for one; I ebayed the clock module and found the plug behind the dash (it was an EX, pretty sure it was supposed to have it anyway). The Toyota ones have issues with solder joints; they also have a conformal coating, so it's a little more involved than just touching up joints. Not a lot more involved, just an extra few minutes of cussin.

An old coworker had a Clarion WinCE head unit (in a Fiero, of course!) with a lot of custom poo poo. Amazingly, we still use WinCE at work.

# ¿ Feb 6, 2020 09:21

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

So my PC shutting off at random...

It stopped for awhile. So I've been sitting on this new power supply.

I plugged in my USB A to USB C cable yesterday to transfer some stuff on my phone. As I was bending it to plug it into the phone, I saw a small spark and the PC shut off. :stare:

GF's ~~wire-destroyer~~ cat chewed up the cable. :fuckoff:

It's normally plugged in and just left dangling. I wonder if that's why it's been shutting off this whole time? It's been unplugged a couple of weeks. I also stupidly opened the box for the new PSU, and have no idea where the receipt is, so I probably can't return it.

Oh well. Probably gonna do a new build this year, it'll come in handy then. I think at this point, the power supply is the third oldest part in this PC. The 1st and 2nd are a 500GB and 1TB HDD, both are over 10 years old, both have over 8 years of spin time on them. I don't even really use them anymore (one of them has my porn collection, the other is just sitting there empty).

# ¿ Feb 7, 2020 16:20

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

2600k, 16GB, GTX 960.

It works, it's just a bit long in the tooth.

# ¿ Feb 7, 2020 16:28

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

I mean... there's 1 desktop in the house, so. No need to go that far. 2 laptops, my old as dirt Pentium T4400 with Linux Mint, GF has some kind of Toshiba that she hasn't used in over a year.

Ether Frenzy posted:

I'll dig this up and let you know once I do a couple of things that other people suggested, thanks - and thanks to everyone else for the key advice, I'm trying to find a *~period correct~* replacement for that OEM one, I do already have two recut keys that work in varying degrees (one works in the trunk and the center console, but not very well in door or ignition, and one works in the door and ignition but not the trunk at all.)

The car is otherwise a 100% stock '92 "Superleggera" model (which I don't think Mazda called it, but they should have - it has no power anything, no AC, no radio and 14" steelies) with 69k miles on the clock and it's not concours or anything but I do like keeping vintage cars and their accessories correct if possible.

Get some graphite powder, give each lock a little spritz. You can get it at any parts store that also cuts keys. One of the keys will probably start working pretty decent again.

I know what you mean about wanting period correct, though.

Krakkles posted:

2500, 16GB, I think GTX 560Ti?

It's very much the same. It works fine for everything except games, it's very long in the tooth, but *shrug*

The few games I play run fine on this.

# ¿ Feb 7, 2020 17:24

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Tremek posted:

Hey on a similar subject, I need to decide on what to build out as a replacement for my FreeNAS box that survived the house fire but is probably on borrowed time due to soot etc. corroding traces.

It�s a dual Xeon E5-2670 (8 cores/16 threads each, 16/32 total I think?) with 64GB ECC RAM and 6x6TB HGSTs in a ZFS zraid2 config. It runs some jails/VMs (Plex etc) and I also built it out with enough horsepower to be an NVR.

With all that said IDK what to replace it with that supports ECC, has more or less as much or more processing power, and preferably at a lower TDP. I already bought another bigass tower case and some Noctua fans but that�s as far as I have gotten.

This guy has already sold one server, and he's still digging through everything he managed to get. Might watch that thread?

And if you don't trust those drives anymore, I'll be up for buying one or two of them once you've migrated to a new setup. I know they're on borrowed time, but my movie collection is kinda out of control. None of it would be difficult to replace if a drive died. I mean, two of my drives are 10+ year old HGSTs...

# ¿ Feb 8, 2020 13:35

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

drat confusing HID color temps. :argh:

Figured the stock bulbs were 5k. Got a set of Osram Xenarcs in that color. Turns out the originals were 4300k. Well, started life there. One was purple and dim. Both wound up being german-made Phillips bulbs. This is a bit more blue than I wanted, but Osram and Phillips bulbs are expensive enough that I'll just live with it. They're both equally bright and the same color now, and I'll keep the non-color shifted bulb as an emergency spare. No mfg date that I can see, but one looks like it's been replaced (the non-dim one has writing on both sides of the base, the dim one has writing only on one side.. same part numbers tho).

# ¿ Feb 9, 2020 01:56

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

shy boy from chess club posted:

The work I just did on a Ranger rekindled my hate for Ford bullshit. Check out where the connection for the driver side front 02 sensor is. I'll tell you, smashed between the back of the engine and firewall pointing down, a maintenance item and a fucker to get to. If it was turned 180 degrees pointing up it would be easy as poo poo to unclip the fuckin thing

Go look at the O2 on your Outback.

I'll wait.

# ¿ Feb 10, 2020 06:26

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

bandman posted:

I�m in Dallas for the week for work (near the intersection of I-20 and I-45). Someone tell me where I should eat. I�m not gonna go out and see poo poo, so I should at least have good food on the company dime.

Not a whole lot aside from fast food around there. If you don't mind driving a little northwest, Cesar's Tacos is drat good, though not in the best area. The "Bishop Arts" one has the kitchen behind bars + bulletproof glass (and there's a bullet hole in one of the outside windows), #1 is in an old Dairy Queen (outside seating only). That area isn't nearly as bad as it used to be, much of Oak Cliff has been gentrified significantly over the past decade. Both are 24/7 IIRC.

Fuel City also has good tacos, but cash only. You're probably closer to the Mesquite one (the original Dallas one is right by the county jail, not a great area, but they have a pool, fountains, etc at the original). The Dallas one is 24/7, I'm not sure if the Mesquite one serves food 24 hours.

You're kinda in a not-great part of town, if you didn't notice. :v:

(hello Hutchins state jail right down the street!)

# ¿ Feb 10, 2020 17:41

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

It's over the passenger side axle, but pointing at a 45 degree angle. It's kind of a pain on the Outback wagon with the 2.5, at least on jackstands - I could only turn it maybe 1/16 of a turn at a time with a crowsfoot wrench. The wire end backs up into the front subframe. Just not much room to get my ape hands in there.

I didn't drop the exhaust though, and I didn't use a lift or even have it that high up - it would have been a lot easier with either of those. My exhaust is 100% original, I know everything related to dropping it is seized.

New one installed but not yet plugged in:

e: damnit. one of my headlamps came with a cracked dust cover (on Subarus, this is watertight). The seller sent me another, but I went ahead and ran it for a couple of weeks with the crack. Figured what are the chances of water getting into the headlight through a crack. Put the new dust cover on yesterday, today the passenger headlight is fogged up. :sigh:

I guess I'll park it in the garage and leave the cap off, maybe leave the lights on for a bit to heat it up and hopefully evaporate the moisture.

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 19:58 on Feb 10, 2020

# ¿ Feb 10, 2020 19:48

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Goddamnit Corona, why does your lovely beer have to be loving up my orders? My sunglasses are MIA for a couple of weeks now (and I've been wearing sunglasses for so long that going without is painful; I have a really old pair, but they're beat up and have a 6 year old rx), so I ordered new ones from Zenni. Same place I got my last sunglasses from; went with the same frame style, but different color frame and different color lenses (black frame with flame red mirror finish, instead of blue frames with indiglo blue mirror finish).

�Due to mandatory business closures in China, standard delivery will extend to 21-28 days. Express and priority shipping will not be available. We apologize for any inconvenience.�

:sigh:

shy boy from chess club posted:

Oh yea gently caress doing it from the bottom, take the airbox off and do it from the top. I was meaning the connectors on the Ford/OB, not the sensor itself. The first time I took the front one out of the exhaust on the 97 it was a nightmare and I had to heat it for 42 minutes and use a box wrench instead of the 02 socket that can spread and strip it

Yo...you can do it from the top? :shepicide:

That was a serious pain in the dick, though I still got it done in a little under 2 hours. A nearby shop told me book labor was 2 hours (@ $90/hr), so I think I did okay. I've had them do alignments for me before, but nothing else.

# ¿ Feb 10, 2020 21:12

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

True, and I already knew Zenni made everything in China, then ship everything over once or twice a week in bulk to California, then ship from California.

I'm just used to even the cheapest shipping taking ~2 weeks at most. From what I understand, their factory is 400 miles away from Wuhan, where Corona was originally detected, but the Chinese government still ordered a shut down. I do appreciate the abundance of caution, it's just very much a first world problem.

# ¿ Feb 10, 2020 21:46

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Every day gets me closer to my :sever:

breaking point. At this rate I think it'll happen before the end of the month. :sigh:

I have a place to go, it'll be rent-free for a couple of months (which is good, I'm stuck paying half the rent on this place until May), but I'm starting over with essentially the clothes on my back and a couple of pieces of furniture (dresser, end table, a couple of lamps.. and I may leave the dresser, it's a 1950s massive MCM piece that tips the scales at over 400 lbs without the drawers.. it's a bitch to move). I got rid of everything I owned when I moved except for said furniture and clothing, a PC, plus some really nice dishes (gently caress yes, I am keeping those).

Upside: my cat is moving in with friend next week. He has an old man cat (19?) that's deaf and mostly blind, and his cat seems pretty lonely now that his ex-gf's cat is gone. My cat is a paperweight that occasionally eats and shits, and he's been living with GF's boss for a year and a half now. Neither are aggressive at all toward other cats or dogs. I'm hoping going from 700 sq ft to 1400 sq ft will give my cat a bit more room to waddle around, and maybe, just maybe, run a little. Or at least get more controlled feeding.

Downside: two broken Subarus, one ~~cup~~ house. There's a Harbor Freight up the street, I suspect I'm gonna be spending a lot of money on wobble joints and weird long-reach pliers. At least my Subaru isn't throwing any codes; his is throwing over 25 (which is where both his AccessPort and my generic BT dongle seem to poo poo themselves). Mine can pass smog legit, his has no chance in hell of ever passing smog or safety again.

shy boy from chess club posted:

Yea and its waaayyy easier. Once you learn a few tricks these cars are cake. Even the spark plugs everyone says are a pain, take off the intake on that side and the washer bottle (and maybe battery) on the other and theyre no big deal.

I need to do plugs soon - I was looking at them and pretty much figured the same, except I was guessing maybe unbolt the fuse box too.

I need to fix that drat fuel line under the bracket on the passenger side again too. Pretty sure I just need to slap a new clamp on, the hose is new and the proper ID. It only dribbles when it's <50F outside (rare here), but makes me paranoid as hell that gas is dripping on a hot engine.

I'm worried the washer lines might break when I finally do plugs, they seem kinda brittle. :ohdear:

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 23:00 on Feb 10, 2020

# ¿ Feb 10, 2020 21:51

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

e: goddamnit.

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 22:53 on Feb 10, 2020

# ¿ Feb 10, 2020 22:47

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Meanwhile my own bank wouldn't give me a loan...

... because I missed one of the identity verification questions. One of them was a year of car I'd owned, options were 87, 88, 89, or none. I asked how far back it went, they said up to 5 years. So I said none. They said I failed. Couldn't say which question, but that was the only one that it could be.

I owned two 1988 Honda Accords... in the 1990s. :fuckoff:

# ¿ Feb 11, 2020 21:11

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

builds character posted:

I don't have a dog in this fight other than you were nice to me when I first posted in here so I hope for good things for you, but what're you doing? Do what makes you happy, but... you're so clearly unhappy with your significant other. Got your cat taken care of so what're you staying for? A 400lb dresser you don't want?

I'm on the lease. I can't pay rent on 2 places, and I'm not going to stick her with the remaining 3 months. I'm gonna break the news when we get the lease renewal. And there's the fact that we've known each other for almost 30 years - I do care about her and her feelings, but she's a bit too crazy for me (also I miss dick :gay:

)

I do want the dresser (I love mid-century modern furniture, she hates it), it's just a bitch to move without a truck. Might see if one of my supes can help me move it, he has a pickup and enough muscle to probably lift the drat thing over his head with one hand. Everything else I own can be moved in my Brokeback easily enough.

Goober Peas posted:

In general if you have a credit score higher than 500 it's easy. Lower than 500 its not. The lower the number, the interest rate increases exponentially.

My credit score was high 500s at the time (low 600s now), and I had a cosigner with a mid-800s credit score. Still got denied by a few lenders, including the credit union I keep my savings account at.

The dealer also ran us through something like 20 different banks, then wouldn't tell me any of the terms (just kept playing the four square game, then the guilt trip game when I refused to budge). Wound up just buying my Brokeback at a mom and pop lot for $1500 down, with a payment arrangement for the rest (which they wound up saying "ehhh don't worry about it, we made a lot more on your old car than we thought we would" - so it wound up being a bit over $1600ish with TTL).

I'm glad I wound up in the Brokeback. It's paid for, the miles are relatively low, and while it needs work, it hasn't been anything I haven't been able to tackle myself. And it's the nicest car I've owned (power seats, seat heaters, ABS, etc).

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 23:33 on Feb 11, 2020

# ¿ Feb 11, 2020 23:29

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

I'm making my way out of that hole, slowly but surely. I've managed to dispute (and remove) drat near every negative entry on my report except for an unpaid cable bill (which I do legit owe, and it's still held by Charter). There's a few late payments (30+ only) that are still hurting, but the worst of it has fallen off.

A good friend of mine (and future roommate) has a credit score in the 800s, but finding someone to rent to him is difficult. He had a felony when he was 15, but because he hosed up his probation in the last few months of it (after he turned 17 - adult age in TX), he has a felony as an adult. :downsgun:

I've been trying to talk him into dropping the money on a lawyer to get it expunged for ages, but :effort:

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 00:00 on Feb 12, 2020

# ¿ Feb 11, 2020 23:58

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

rdb posted:

Mine was in the 500s at one point from a combination of using credit cards to survive and unemployment. Fixing it required changing my mindset about what I needed to survive and what I was willing to do for work. It took a move several states away and a decent factory job to fix the work part of it. The move wasn�t easy either, at that point I had what I could fit in a laundry basket, bummed a ride and slept on the floor until things worked out.

I don�t want to sound bootstraps and republican (I�m not) but you still can if your smart and willing to put up with a lot of bullshit.

I'm about to have to do the bootstraps thing to an extent (got rid of almost everything I owned when I moved, moving out soon and in with a friend). No bed, no furniture aside from a dresser and a couple of end tables.

I'm making close to $40k/year (gross, pre-tax), and don't feel comfortable getting an apartment on my own with my income (even if I did, the standard is your net income needs to be at least 3x the monthly rent to qualify - unless I live way out in the burbs, or in an absolute shithole, rent will be at least 1200/mo for a 1 bedroom apt here).

I'll be glad when the housing bubble finally pops.

# ¿ Feb 12, 2020 01:22

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Job chat: my employer is partially employee-owned, and I start getting shares in a few months. Part of the reason I want to stay with them. And if I finally brush up my IT skills, they have one of their two tech hubs here. I should also be getting a raise by the end of the month (we get 2 a year until you hit "midpoint" - I'll likely either hit midpoint or be very close to it after this one - after which it becomes one raise a year).

:sever:

happened. Started moving stuff to the new place today. Need to get a bed (probably Walmart's finest $100 futon for now, or might just do an air bed for a bit), and get internet hooked up at the new place (friend/roommate doesn't have a computer or netflix or anything fancy like that). Bigger garage, but it's a 1 car driveway, we have opposing work schedules, and my car pisses oil pretty good (so it won't be welcome in the driveway without cardboard under it), so I'll probably be parked in the street. No garage door opener and the bottom panel of the garage door doesn't have rollers ( :flaccid:

), so pulling a taller car like mine into the garage is a 2 person job (his WRX barely clears it without help). But it's 4 walls and a roof, and it's a house instead of an apartment.

New place is a shithole, in a not great neighborhood, but I already feel like an elephant has been lifted off of my shoulders. Some of the "repairs" done over the years will make kastein's eye twitch, even though it's a late (19)70s build...

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 07:26 on Feb 13, 2020

# ¿ Feb 13, 2020 07:22

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Elviscat posted:

E: to match yours. Can't compare an apartment to a house, if it works and you don't own it, it doesn't fuckin' matter.

TBH the apartment we have is really drat nice for what I was paying. Relatively modern, garage, W/D included, fire sprinklers and central fire alarm, microwave included, fantastic office staff and maintenance, great neighbors, etc etc etc - pretty much the perfect apartment complex. The house will be a major step down as far as "nice", and I already know the neighbor on one side is a shithead. But it's not-here, and doesn't cost much more than the apartment.

# ¿ Feb 13, 2020 08:04

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Minnesota Mixup posted:

Grats, and jesus do not get one of those futons. I slept on one for a couple of nights and it destroyed my back. Air mattresses are 1000% more comfortable.

I know just how terrible they are (I had one before), it would be a temporary thing until I could get a real mattress though.

Either way, sounds like air bed is the way to go. Cheaper too.

big dong wanter posted:

NO way snow is God's way of saying "don't live here"

We got snow in central TEXAS the other day.

I haven't seen snow in 5+ years. When I last saw it, it was in DFW, not Austin..

# ¿ Feb 14, 2020 15:55

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Rhyno posted:

She was very happy with her gift.

So you have rug burns on your knees again?

You know that's gonna give you hella callouses, right?

# ¿ Feb 14, 2020 20:02

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

So my boss came up to me today. (the good guy boss - he's back from medical leave; rear end in a top hat grocery boss got shipped off to another store over sexual harassment)

"Hey, I just posted a full time overnight stocker position. I want you to apply for it."

rear end in a top hat grocery boss had promised me "full time status within 3 months" when I got hired (along with several other people), but of course claimed he never said that. I've been rattling cages about wanting FT status. I automatically get medical insurance after 1 year if I average 32+ hours a week, along with vacation (and I already have their 401k), but I want the rest. Plus I didn't like being lied to by previous boss.

I'm also up for a raise this month. Yay!

e: I should point out I've mostly worked 40+ hour weeks since I started. I was at 38 when I clocked out today, and I work tonight.

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 16:27 on Feb 15, 2020

# ¿ Feb 15, 2020 16:17

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

glyph posted:

I dare you to catch a break with this.

He did!

Well, the installer caught it... but it's a break either way. _{_{_{I'll show myself out...}}}

meatpimp, how the gently caress did he let that poo poo go for 40 loving minutes? There's an "oh poo poo, I broke a pipe", then there's "huh, I broke a pipe, I'm not gonna bother looking for a way to shut it off or inform the homeowner, not my job". I know you don't want to involve your insurance, but since you have replacement value and it's a lot of older stuff, I'd absolutely file under your policy and let them go after his. His insurer will be trying to minimize their payout, period.

I've had my insurance subrogate before, and in the end it didn't affect my rates one bit, though that was car insurance. Not sure how it'd work with homeowners, even though you have proof he was at fault. I wouldn't mention the cameras to him yet either (but absolutely mention them to insurance); it'd be more fun to make him squirm a bit later when you whip out a phone or laptop after he's been fighting awhile and show him the video of him loving up. Cameras in homes today are common enough today that contractors should expect them.

InitialDave posted:

Logically, claim on your insurance, which will cover what you need, and they take it up with him?

If he's not insured for it, that's his problem to discuss with them. What level of insurance he has is irrelevant if he still has a given liability, it'll just result in your insurer taking legal action against him rather than sorting it out with his insurer?

Also having an identifiable entity to blame and recoup costs from may change how your insurers treat things for premium increases vs a "shot happens" claim.

This. His (contractor's) rates will go up quite a bit more if his insurance gets sued for replacement value (which will be higher than actual cash value). If it were me, even if there's a rate increase on my end, I'd let my insurance company handle it just to make sure he gets double hosed. Also, insurance companies have lawyers that deal with this poo poo every day. I'm not a lawyer, I don't pretend to be a lawyer, and I'm not prepared to deal with lawyers on my own.

Meatpimp's insurance company will also be representing meatpimp's interests; they'll be covering meatpimp's damages, and you better believe they'll be looking for someone to reimburse them. The contractor's insurance will be trying to minimize their total payout; their chances of doing so goes way down when they're fighting another insurance company.

# ¿ Feb 18, 2020 18:30

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Just contacting your insurance company with questions about a possible claim has already created a paper trail that they can use to justify a raise increase, even if you don't file a claim.

I'm still on the "file a claim, gently caress the contractor" side of the fence, but since you've already talked to your insurance, the paper trail is likely already there anyway - so you may as well follow through.

FWIW, I had one claim with Nationwide (hit and run on my car, which under TX law, is covered under UM/UIM property coverage), and my rates didn't budge. But I was less than impressed with how it was handled - they sent an independent contractor out to appraise the damage (no issue with it being an IC), who offered me a beer out of the half-empty 12 pack in the passenger seat ( :siren:

). He said he did appraisals on the side, owned a ranch a bit out of town and got most of his income from that. The appraiser wound up being really easy to deal with, we mostly got drunk in the dorm parking lot off of warm cheap beer, but I had to wait 2 weeks for a check to show up in the mail. UM/UIM, under state law, requires a rental be provided until the car is fixed - they offered a 1 week rental. It took 2 weeks for the check to show up. I mean, I COULD have taken it to an authorized body shop and had it fixed, and pay them my deductible (with insurance paying them directly), but even the drunk appraiser told me "I'd pocket the money".

I kept the cash, since the damage was almost identical to what Brokeback had when I bought it (slight RR door damage, RR quarter creased up a bit). It paid for a new transmission, since the Altima didn't exactly move under its own power without loud metal-on-metal noises at the time.

randomidiot fucked around with this message at 20:24 on Feb 18, 2020

# ¿ Feb 18, 2020 20:17

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

$200 for Brokeback. :v:

No clue how many accidents it's been in (definitely one bad enough to take out the RF headlight, RF fog, RF suspension, front bumper cover, and wrinkle up the RR quarter panel), but at least I have 2 keys, and everything on it works!

I think I could easily sell it for what I paid for it, though I've put a bit of work into it. ANY running car with working AC that can pass our state inspection (including emissions) here is at least $1500-2000. Everything on it works.

# ¿ Feb 19, 2020 17:01

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

No. They're generally piggybacked off of the blower or AC compressor fuse.

# ¿ Feb 20, 2020 20:13

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

everdave posted:

So I �fixed� my leaking washer, replaced bottom seal and bearing. Have washed 6-7 times no leaks all good. Amazon had 20% off warehouse deals and I got a pan for underneath for $17 in case it ever happened again. First wash with pan underneath it leaked. Why didn�t I just buy a new washer I was flying high after fixing the oven, but I flew too close to the sun

Washers are a PITA, and the one thing I absolutely refuse to touch on them is the tub seal (top loader).

If it's an old school Maytag, I won't touch the transmission either - they were overly complicated, but they do last forever. My parents have the very last of the pre-Whirlpool Maytags (~1996 Dependable Care set); the washer has needed a timer once, the dryer needed a new blower once. That's it in 23 years, still going strong. Those fuckers will probably outlive my parents. I figure the dryer will need bearings at some point and a belt, the washer will probably need another timer sometime around 2030.

# ¿ Feb 22, 2020 18:51

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Darchangel posted:

That�s great for those who have sick days. I�m a contractor that my host company won�t convert because the CIO is... odd about the position. gently caress you, I�m coming in unless I�m dying, because I can�t afford to lose multiple days� pay. Fortunate for them that I don�t really get sick often I�m Typhoid Mary

So, basically, I have the equivalent of a Google Voice number. Never rings at the house, but we get the voice mail notices. And it�s finally been long enough not giving out that number that no one has left a voice mail for months. We still use that number for emergencies and bill collectors, though.

I've been sick as hell for a few days, still haven't been converted to FT. So no sick days. I was already into OT when I left Friday, so I threw away several hundred bucks by not going in Sat or Sun. :sigh:

(this was going to be a ~55-60 hour week) Not sure yet if I'm going in tonight. Problem is, I basically have an emergency-only insurance plan through the ACA (it'll pay for routine PCP visits with a $25 copay, but nothing else until I hit an $8000 deductible), and my PCP won't take a "routine illness" visit, as he only does internal medicine. I think my employer requires a dr note after 3 days. I'll have to check with the clinic I use to see if my HMO will cover me seeing other doctors at the same location; with the insurance I had last year, they would.

I give out my GV number for everything, unless it's to someone that will actually be calling me (i.e. friend, coworker, boss). Even job applications get the GV number, and my official phone number on file with my employer is my GV number (since they report job history to Lexis-Nexis). Everyone knows I work nights, so they're used to getting sent straight to voicemail if they call when I'm normally sleeping.

# ¿ Feb 24, 2020 21:05

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Hello flu, how are you?

I got a flu shot, I thought it'd keep you away. But no, you chose to visit anyway.

# ¿ Feb 25, 2020 19:37

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# ¿ May 11, 2024 14:13

randomidiot: May 12, 2006; by Fluffdaddy
(and can't post for 11 years!)

Applebees Appetizer posted:

I gave up on flu shots a long time ago, the shot itself would make me sick sometimes and then I'd get the flu anyways.

I've gotten sick for a day or two after the shot before, but it's rare. Usually just feel kinda "blah"

The doctor I dealt with this morning said if I've been exposed to the flu repeatedly (and I have, 4 coworkers that I have contact with have had it so far) AND had the shot, I still have a chance of getting it... the symptoms are just reduced significantly. I've had the full blown flu once and really felt like death, this go-round I've only had chills, body aches, overall weakness, and not much of a cough. It's been several days, at this point I'm just dealing with aches and feeling run down. Mostly did the doctor bit so I could get a note for work (they want one after missing more than 2 days in a row).

# ¿ Feb 25, 2020 20:43

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