Modern Vespa

I knew about the mold and other problems at the old Walter Reed and BRAC, but not the rest.

I have certainly noticed the perpetual road construction…

I feel like we need to have a Vespa mil nerds day at Jack Rose or something.

Ha. That might be a non-Vespa event though.

I was pondering a Vespa meetup with the number of MV members in the DMV.

Raising a complaint with the energy ombudsman and accidentally closing the browser after putting in 90% of the information (which didnt autosave)

Technically this pissed me off a few days ago, but I'm just now getting around to editing the clip and uploading it.

There *IS* an unprofessional word utilized. I felt it was justified. I've also done enough tours in AFG that it just kinda rolls of the tongue without any semblance of a filter whatso-gotdang-ever.

You don't think 0.003 seconds is enough notice for a lane change?

Like Dave Thomas, folks think I'm old-fashioned.

After dicking around with the wastegate actuator for 2 weeks i'm finally done and writing it off. GTI is getting an IS38.

The word we use in the UK for this sort of driver is 'wanker'

The concrete fencing post laying in the road earlier in the day which I narrowly missed.

google fucking google

What's pissing me off is that I won $320 this morning.

I can't decide if I should buy the KLV a decent set of pipes to make it a little bit more interesting or blow it on the Kymco on mundane stuff like Servicing, Tax and Insurance.

This ^^^

Yeah I'm thinking the same.

The KLV could get sold or traded at any time so trying to improve it on any level feels a bit churlish and of course a waste of money.

Downtown gets the Dosh.

A specific person at work.

When I started here, I was given access to a shared email inbox (departmentinfo@districtURL.org, for example). There were three of us who had access, the Estimator, the Marketing person, and me. The Marketing person was sort of in charge of that inbox, and made the rule that if you read an email and it's not for you, mark it as unread so that one of the other two users can see that it's there. I also made a subfolder for emails for me, and would move them there as needed. It worked great, and the number of emails in the inbox was kept small.

Well, she left in April, and our new Director added herself to it, and the new District Copier Fleet Coordinator to it, and also promoted a staff member to be an Estimator and added her to it. So now there are 5 of us using it. But no one is marking emails as unread if it's not for them, except me. I've missed emails because someone else will read it, but not mark it unread, so when I check that inbox I don't see any new emails and move on.

Well now the first Estimator is frustrated by how full that inbox is (it currently has 278 emails in it, none new). So the second Estimator took it upon herself to create new sub-folders, one for the Fleet Coordinator, one for the Estimators, and she renamed mine (added " - Completed" to the name I already had on it). She then emailed all of us and asked that we all move any emails that are for us to our folders, and to mark any emails not for us as unread, which I have already been doing.

I figure, no problem, I'll acknowledge that she's made this effort, and will point out in a polite way that I already do that, and that if there are any emails for me still in there, it's because someone else read them and didn't mark them as unread.

Now we're to the part that is pissing me off.

The first Estimator emailed asking about the emails that are for me that have been in there since May. So I think to myself, "well, based on my previous email, someone else read them and didn't mark them as unread, so I didn't see them." But I don't say that. Instead, I scrolled to the bottom of the inbox and started checking the emails. There were 2 or 3 that I had already handled, that the customer had emailed me directly about. Then there were a handful that were "Thank" replies to emails from me to the customer stating that I'd get their order into production. Then there was one actual order that I had missed. So I'll get that one into production. After moving everything out of the inbox, I replied to the first Estimator letting her know that those emails were ones that I had not seen, because they had been marked read, and that I've gone through them and taken care of them. I then added the line, "Unless I missed them, there shouldn't be any more in there now."

tl;dr: Workplace drama.

Are Uber Eats hiring ?

Kiwi shoe polish. Gone. Finished. Had a tin that dried out, chucked it out thinking i'll go to the shop and replace it. No. No such thing anymore. Bought a substitute but its crap. A paste like cream. Got it on my hands and easily washed away with water. So i'll use Dubbin until I find something else.

Not actually Kiwi.

Absolute cultural misappropriation!!!

Vegan?

Mince Pies have appeared for sale in my local supermarket! 😠

Craigslist scammers!

How does it benefit anybody to send a craigslist email to someone selling something stating "I don't check craigslist email...so send me an email" and then including another email address?

I guess it does filter out all but the extremely dense and so anybody that does reply is a sucker ripe for plucking?

Is there a way to screw things up for the scammer? Should I use the same email address scammer asked me to reply to and sign up to a bunch of garbage to have the email addy flooded with junk?

The feckin Arizona Cardinals.

It's gonna be a long year for the Cardinals fans. There were rumors they were trying to tank before the season even began.

So I posted this and then went to see the score to see how bad the Cardinals lost and it's even worse than I thought...you are a Vikings fan!

Being a Vikings fan you should be used to this, and I don't want to hear any more complaining.

Oh nevermind, looks like I cannot read a schedule. I will try again next week.

Kiwi Show Polish is available here in the UK.

Just ask if you need some.

Sounds like you bought cream polish when you want wax polish.

If it dries out, it's still usable. You can hit it with a heat gun and "melt" it down in the tin, once it's firmed up again it's fine.

That being said, highly recommend Saphir over Kiwi. it's more expensive, but it lasts a LOT longer, takes significantly less to bring up a proper shine due to less filler chemicals and more of the good waxes that build up a surface to shine.

Grab a tin on amazon and enjoy not needing to get more for years.

A decent fantasy football outing spoiled by a Dallas defense that racked up 35pts for my opponent!

I'm pretty sure that if someone selling something on Craigslist and they want you to contact them by any method other than Craigslist email the only thing they are selling is your email. To spammers. That's what Craigslist email is made to stop.

The fact that when I call my Motorcycle Insurance to amend a policy the "Holding" music is David Bowie Changes.

Now that's funny.

We can start with yesterday.... had to see why one of my paired AC units in my office building weren't working before closing on the sale, so I called my HVAC guys who came out to check things out. I knew the thermostat needed batteries but didn't have timed to drive across town to put new ones in before the technicians came.

Turns out they'd installed them wrong 3 years ago and didn't wire them properly to play together. They fixed that and installed batteries... got the bill yesterday....basic service charge was a bit steep...okay, that's business. Didn't charge me for correcting the wiring, but did nick me FIFTY BUCKS for installing $1.50 worth of batteries. They must think they're a hospital.

Soo, moving on to today...going to work, checking on the chickens first, walking up my path fiddling with my earplugs where there's a smallish branch of a shrub/tree leaing over the path. Walked right into it and caught it on the bridge of my nose. Heard a crunch. Half expected blood, but guess I got lucky. Not sure if the crunch was me or the tree. Not only am I still doing stupid things at my age, I think it may be accelerating.

There's a situation at work that is both pissing me off and cheering me up.

First of all, the aspect that is pissing me off is purely customer-driven. My coworkers and the equipment are all working properly.

I left work early (2pm) on Thursday to go to the optometrist. I figured that by the time I got my eyes checked it wouldn't be worth it to drive back to work, as I'd just have to turn around and head home anyway, so I planned on using PTO. While waiting to get called back into the exam area, I get an email from my Director addressed to the department stating, "We have a hot job, everyone meet in the break room in 5 minutes." I replied to her that I was currently in Las Colinas at the optometrist, and that I'd be there if I could.

5 minutes later I'm in the exam room and I receive a text from the office manager asking if I can come back to work after the appointment. I check how long the appointment will take, add drive time in early rush hour traffic in the rain, and let them know it would be almost 4pm by the time I got back. Another 5 minutes pass and I get a reply of "come on in, OT is approved." So I do.

Like I expected, I arrived just before 4pm. I ended up working until 7pm, which meant I went into overtime and didn't have to use my PTO (our work week is Friday through Thursday). This is one aspect that's cheering me up.

I check in with my supervisor and find out what's going on. We have an internal customer who has sent us a spreadsheet that has 300 rows. Each row contains a link to a folder with original(s) in it to be printed. For quantity, we have to look at the columns. There are 98 columns. Most don't have an entry. Those that do have numbers ranging from 3 to 80. There is a 99th column that has the grand total for each row. The grand totals range from 20 to 1200. The files are to be printed double-sided, black & white, and stapled. By Monday. My supervisor assigned me a folder with 5 files in it. OK, let's get to it.

I went up to my area of the shop, and start printing them on the three printers. At about 5pm, we notice that the link to the files on the spreadsheet is gone. No matter, we both downloaded them. At about 6:30, I realize that I was told to only print the Activity Books, but the 5 files consist of an Activity Book, a Flip Book, a Teacher Guide, an Image Card file, and a Digital Component file. So I called my supervisor to ask about them. He said, don't worry, we were told to print everything in the folder.

Just before 7pm, I notice that the link has returned. Except now there are only two files in it. The same Activity Book file, and a new Activity Book file. I called my supervisor, and we stopped printing the items that were not Activity Books, and I started printing the second Activity Book, with the intention of letting it run when I leave.

That's another part that's pissing me off. The customer changed the files after we'd started printing, and didn't bother to contact us about it. If they aren't needed, it works out to 4 cases of paper being wasted. That's 20k sheets. Printed double-sided, so 40k impressions. At the speed my printers run, that's over 2.5 hours of wasted time.

But I'm not done being pissed off.

Throughout this morning, the customer keeps updating the quantities to be printed, including originals that have already been printed. So we have to go back and check to see if there are any additions (not an easy task on that spreadsheet), and reprint additional copies. At least this time, either my supervisor or our Director contacted the customer and told them to have all quantities needed set by 12:30pm, so that when we return from lunch, we can continue printing with confidence that the quantities won't change.

We're working late today, and also will be working Saturday and Sunday.

tl;dr: Customer has their head up their @$$, but I'm getting OT for it.

For those questioning my levels of talent and raw intellect, I assure you there's nothing to either.

I burned myself with an ice pack.

Turns out if it goes numb and you forget it's there, it can actually do some damage.

Thankfully just a lil first degree action.

Anywho....

Itemized detail:

Batteries: $1.50
Knowing how to properly install them: $48.50

You're not the first one. Seen a few over the years. Any chance you were lying on it? Compression limits circulation so your body has a harder time dealing with excess heat/cold and raises the risk of tissue damage. Of course you can still mess up......

no, i was between sitting and standing/walking around. had it in my waistband of my uniform at work.

things happen, i'll be okay.

fun icebreaker (haha) with new people though. "burned myself with ice one time."

At social gathering: "That's fascinating! Please tell me more."

Uh huh.

Also works if you want more space from the person next to you at the bar. Kind of an anti-pickup line.

I have just returned from a fortnight's vacation with my wife.
We haven't spent so much time together 24/7 in 44 years of marriage.
We discovered that we actually like each other's company.

Now, before I get lambasted for posting in the wrong thread...

On the morning of day 3 of the trip, my trusty "just been serviced" Subaru Forester jerked, rasped and spluttered on me. As this is the short version of the saga, I will put it in point form:

1. The nearest dealer was 200+kms away, so I had to limp mode on until the dash lights were flashing like a psychedelic light show from the 1970's.
2. The AA-appointed towing contractor took 3.5 hours to arrive at our breakdown point.
3. The tow-in took another hour.
4. The very cooperative Somerset West Subaru dealer was sympathetic to my plight, but it was Friday afternoon and POETS* Day. They agreed to prioritize my problem and "take a look" on Monday... latest Tuesday. (They did refer me to a nearby car hire so we could continue on our trip.)
5. To find out what was wrong, the engine head had to come off. To take the head off a Subaru engine, the engine has to come out. (10hrs labor task)
6. The problem was traced very easily. #1 cylinder spark plug electrode had burned / broken off and got stuck between the inlet valve and seat. A spark plug costing about 10 minutes of a techie's labor had caused this...!

We discussed options within my budget and time frame and I authorized some preventative replacements ahead of time while the engine was out.
We continued on our trip in the hire car. while the parts were sourced..

Then the hire care was broken into.

If it wasn't bolted to the car, they stole it...!
Spare wheel, jack, tools, wheel spanner...
I had left all my riding kit locked inside the trunk - helmet, jacket, pants, boots. They took the lot !
My Vespa cap, two more hats, my prescription lens Oakley sunglasses... and an umbrella. They even stole my late mother's extendable walking cane I use when my knee is acting up from next to the driver's seat !

The damages to the car were just less than the hire car insurance policy deductible. I managed to source a used wheel rim, new tyre, generic jack and wheel spanner so I could drive the 500kms back to Somerset west to return the car. I clear taped the window and made the best of a bad situation.

Our trip was pleasant, but a financial disaster.
All losses considered, it was about 200 times of the cost of the spark plug that caused the failure.

Moral of the story?

If the workshop asks if you want to change the spark plugs,
JUST DO IT ! Even if it isn't due for another 15 thousand kms.


Oh yes... 'POETS Day' is short for "Push Off Early, Tomorrow's Saturday!"

Damn. That's a whole lot of suckiness.

OTOH, having a wife who actually likes you and wants to keep you saves you a whole lot more than car expenses!

A month late but, you have an upstairs?