REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

In the garden, and RAIN!!!!

POSTED BY: SIGNYM
UPDATED: Tuesday, November 1, 2022 17:55
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Friday, September 13, 2019 6:56 AM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
Don't mind me. I can get a little maudlin at this time of the year. Weather is changing, summer is making room for fall.

Hey Brenda,
Not to be too uncaring but ... have you ever thought you might have seasonal affective disorder? I know I do though mine doesn't kick in till the days get much shorter. But whatever happens at that time gets me down in a way it normally wouldn't. OTOH one of the people I used to work with seemed unusually sensitive and would start to get downright morose at this time of year like clockwork. (And despite the fact that he would go through the same cycle every year, year after year, when he was in that state he it was as if it was all new and never happened before. Because it was all about the ONE PARTICULAR THING he happened to be circling around, and that ONE PARTICULAR THING had never happened before. Sigh. There was just no pointing out to him he'd been 'there' before.) For me anyway, there's some comfort in recognizing that it's not me per se and so it's not a permanent thing; it's just an impersonal process to get through until spring arrives. Anyway, I'm just wondering ...

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Friday, September 13, 2019 11:16 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


So..... what do you do about SAD?

I know for sure I've "got it". Not very cool when I live in a place that is virtually dead 4 months out of the year. Probably not the best thing in the world to also have such a crappy means of heating my home and it's always so cold during the winter here too.



Hey! Brenda!

Just try to focus on that. You're in a new place this winter. No more bitchy, horrible landlady keeping you from heating the place to comfortable anymore.

Fingers crossed that everything is salted right and you don't ever have to worry about slipping while walking outside this year either.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Friday, September 13, 2019 11:52 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


SAD is triggered by shorter days and lower light intensity. If this is truly SAD, and not just associative depression (ie bad things happen[ed] in the winter months leading to a long-term association of winter with depression) then it should respond to "light therapy" ... that is, finding a lamp with the right intensity and spectral distribution to trick your brain into thinking that it's still summer.

This is from the Mayo Clinic website, a very credible medical organization that researches and treats some of our less-common maladies

Quote:

Seasonal affective disorder treatment: Choosing a light therapy box

Light therapy boxes can offer an effective treatment for seasonal affective disorder. Features such as light intensity, safety, cost and style are important considerations.



https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/seasonal-affective-diso
rder/in-depth/seasonal-affective-disorder-treatment/art-20048298




-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

You idiots have been oppressing the entire sexual spectrum as long as you have existed. I can't wait for the day your kind is dead - WISHIMAY

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Friday, September 13, 2019 1:13 PM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
No worries, Brenda.

I can empathize. :(

My mom is pretty excited that I've rekindled the friendship I have, but there's one friend in particular that she's known since we were both in Kindergarten that she hopes I will get back with.

I told her that it's hard. Most of my friends are married with a few kids and he's one of them. The last time we all partied together was a New Years eve maybe 6 or so years ago. Most depressing night of my life. All the married couples and soon to be married couples, even some of the kids there. I was the only single one there. Awkward as hell. They made me feel welcome for sure, but I'd never been so self conscious around people who were my friends in my entire life. I've spent every New Years Eve alone since then.


I love being single 99% of the time, but that 1% of the time really sucks.

Do Right, Be Right. :)



I'm in touch by phone or FB with friends from High School. And they either had children out of wedlock, 1 male friend did then broke up with the mother and never really saw his children after that. Made me angry. 1 female friend I have known her daughter since she was born and know her son. Great kids both of them and I love them to the moon and back. But yeah hard to see that.

Another lady I know is all excited to go to Thailand to visit her daughter who will be working there for another year. I couldn't say anything to her about that because I did once to her husband and he just sat and looked at me. Couldn't wrap his brain around why that makes me feel bad.

As I said I wanted the mate, the kids and the career. But not meant to be.

Jack, I have had lots of times that I like being on my own but by my choice. Now I am just lonely at times.

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Friday, September 13, 2019 1:18 PM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Hey! Brenda!

Just try to focus on that. You're in a new place this winter. No more bitchy, horrible landlady keeping you from heating the place to comfortable anymore.

Fingers crossed that everything is salted right and you don't ever have to worry about slipping while walking outside this year either.

Do Right, Be Right. :)



Jack, that is what I am doing. I am thinking about what I can do to fix this place up for Christmas and as the weather cools down I will be able to heat this place if I want or have heat travel up from down below me.

Walking should be pretty good as I am up in the main shopping area and there are a lot of apartment buildings around but so far the weather people aren't calling for snow in my area though I do need to get a new set of winter boots just incase. And I still have my cane for getting to work.

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Friday, September 13, 2019 1:18 PM

BRENDA


Any way I am out in the rain. Errands to run.

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Friday, September 13, 2019 3:36 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Hope it's nice and toasty for you this year, Brenda. :)


Man... even with all this furniture out of the house there's still a lot to move around when you're trying to do a deep clean on a floor you refinished 7 or 8 years ago but haven't cleaned since.

Murphy's oil and Pledge and the like are not good for wood, contrary to popular belief. They're fine if you've got something beat up that you're not going to bother getting refinished, and they can polish them up nice (like the first floor hardwood that I never did and don't intend on refinishing), but on nearly pristine floors like the ones upstairs, all you need is a little dish detergent.

This antique stuff is HEAVY, especially when the drawers are full. I don't think I'm going to move any of it even to its temporary place closer to the walls but far enough away to put the trim up. They've all got pads on the feet, but I'm still worried about scuffing up the floor real good if I don't have a second set of hands for the task.

I did put the bed back together though, and moved the futon into the small room. Just waiting for it all to dry so I can move some more smaller stuff around and get everything clean.

Taking an easy day today though otherwise. Going to help my friend out at his place tomorrow and possibly Sunday. Then I've got a lot of work to do on the porch next week before we put the floor back in.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Friday, September 13, 2019 5:39 PM

BRENDA


It should be Jack. Which will be nice.

I got all my errands run for today even in the rain that we got up here this morning. Dry now that I am back.

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Saturday, September 14, 2019 9:22 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


I'm looking forward to hearing about how much nicer this winter is for you Brenda. I felt so bad about what you were going through before and helpless to do anything about it. So happy for you that you were able to finally get into a nice place.



Out to meet my friend and help on his house. Have a good one.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Saturday, September 14, 2019 10:08 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


I wonder BRENDA, how long were you living in that hell-hole? Because living in a dark cold unfriendly place for any length of time would be enough to make anybody sad!

But I'm so happy to think of you now in a place that can be warm and cozy and with enough room for your things so you can be reminded of who you are and can live a full life and enjoy yourself!

I know you play mahjong. Could you host some games yourself? Wouldn't THAT be fun?

I love Christmas! I especially love Xmas lights; not the big fancy overdone 100,000 light bulb display but the string of lights around the livingroom window that tells passersby that you think enough of Xmas, and of them, to put in some effort to spread Xmas cheer. I hope you put up a few lights, for yourself and for everyone else. Some day when this board is a safer place I'll tell you what that meant to me and how important it was.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

You idiots have been oppressing the entire sexual spectrum as long as you have existed. I can't wait for the day your kind is dead - WISHIMAY

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Saturday, September 14, 2019 10:31 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Another blast of hot weather for a few days. When I got in the car to run some errands yesteray, the thermometer showed 99.

Yeah, IMHO So Cal summer weather sucks. And "summer" lasts from June thru September. When the Epilepsy Foundation used to have a family camp (weekend event) in the third week of September is was reliably hot ... like 90+. We've even had some toasty Halloweens where kids were roasting in their costumes.

Hubby got the stucco patched. So for now that means indoor work for me. Spent a large part of Thursday doing financial and legal planning for our eventual demise. Yesterday was lunch with dear daughter and running errands, so this weekend I plan on finishing that deep cleaning of her bathroom (I'm using a drill with a scrubbing brush to clean the shower. Did I mention that I still HATE grout??) and am going to wash literally everything down.

Also a local lumbermill has a sale going, so I think we're going to head out there to look at and pick out some wood for some of the projects on the list of things to do; at the top is a woodworking bench without which the other projects can't get done!

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

You idiots have been oppressing the entire sexual spectrum as long as you have existed. I can't wait for the day your kind is dead - WISHIMAY

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Saturday, September 14, 2019 1:10 PM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
I'm looking forward to hearing about how much nicer this winter is for you Brenda. I felt so bad about what you were going through before and helpless to do anything about it. So happy for you that you were able to finally get into a nice place.



Out to meet my friend and help on his house. Have a good one.

Do Right, Be Right. :)



It should be just fine Jack.

Have a good day with your friend. For me as it is Saturday it is laundry day unless all the machines are in use then I will flip it and do my errands for then my laundry.

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Saturday, September 14, 2019 1:17 PM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
I wonder BRENDA, how long were you living in that hell-hole? Because living in a dark cold unfriendly place for any length of time would be enough to make anybody sad!

But I'm so happy to think of you now in a place that can be warm and cozy and with enough room for your things so you can be reminded of who you are and can live a full life and enjoy yourself!

I know you play mahjong. Could you host some games yourself? Wouldn't THAT be fun?

I love Christmas! I especially love Xmas lights; not the big fancy overdone 100,000 light bulb display but the string of lights around the livingroom window that tells passersby that you think enough of Xmas, and of them, to put in some effort to spread Xmas cheer. I hope you put up a few lights, for yourself and for everyone else. Some day when this board is a safer place I'll tell you what that meant to me and how important it was.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

You idiots have been oppressing the entire sexual spectrum as long as you have existed. I can't wait for the day your kind is dead - WISHIMAY



Sig, it was almost 6years I was living in that place.

Well, I first have to get a Christmas tree and a few decorations. Not a lot as I won't be getting a big tree. I have my Santa Claus nesting dolls, that I will put out.

My kitchen table is currently occupied with some of my writing. *L* I'm tidying up some stuff again. I usually do a little of that over supper.

But maybe in the new year. I want to get a futon for a couch.

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Saturday, September 14, 2019 1:18 PM

BRENDA


As I said to Jack. Laundry day today as long as there is a machine free. So I am off to see in a minute. Later peeps.

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Saturday, September 14, 2019 1:21 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


For myself, I'm plodding along - doing stuff even though not finishing a whole lot. Because to do this I have to do that, but to do that other thing I need to do ... so every task is layers deep, it seems.

Speaking of which - it's time for me to have some motivation in a mug (coffee!) and get going.

Yesterday I picked up a window screen I had repaired / upgraded. My big, motivated cat had torn the existing screen to shreds, and I had it replaced with supposedly cat-and-dog proof screening. So I'm going to be cleaning the widow, window tracks etc and install the screen with the window locked to open only partially, and let my cat test it out at his convenience. If the new screen holds up, it'l be nice to be able to open up the window again in the eves, to help breeze the house out.

If it holds up that'll be 2 cat-proof screen doors installed and 1 cat-proof window-screen-upgrade to help the house be more livable in summer. YAY!!

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Saturday, September 14, 2019 4:10 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


I do hope Brenda finds that being in a cozy secure and dry place, with personal amenities around, and without the stressful abusive landlady, makes this upcoming winter an enjoyable one.

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Saturday, September 14, 2019 5:02 PM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by 1KIKI:
I do hope Brenda finds that being in a cozy secure and dry place, with personal amenities around, and without the stressful abusive landlady, makes this upcoming winter an enjoyable one.



I hope so too Kiki.

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Saturday, September 14, 2019 11:22 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
I want to get a futon for a couch.



I've got two of them now, and they're my only couches. Never going back to a regular couch again. It's SO easy to clean under and around.

If you plan on sleeping on it though, spring some extra cash for a good one. I thought I'd made a horrible mistake throwing out the L-shaped couch along with both of my other couches before giving my first futon a good week of sleep, and I was really hurting in between work shifts. My brother had an excellent one that he'd been trying to get me to take for over a year though and he brought it over and I sleep like a baby on it.


Going to keep the old one too for now though. It's the only thing in my small bedroom and it will be nice to put out in the porch when it's finished.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Saturday, September 14, 2019 11:34 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Quote:

Originally posted by 1KIKI:
For myself, I'm plodding along - doing stuff even though not finishing a whole lot. Because to do this I have to do that, but to do that other thing I need to do ... so every task is layers deep, it seems.



I'm telling you Kiki, once you de-clutter and organize that starts becoming a thing of the past.

I'm still not quite there yet, but it's only a matter of time. In the mean time though, I can't stress enough how nice it is to be able to find nearly everything I need and know exactly where it is in my mind without having to look all over for it. Once I get the garage squared away and I have all of my tools organized I'll hopefully never have to get one thing done before I can get to other things again.

Well... of course there's the porch too. Still some big things that need doing like jacking up the front porch overhang and putting gutters up... possibly putting brand new windows on the porch too. But I can't do any of that until the foundation looks good from the outside and the floor is installed. Now that the hoard is gone and the house is clean, I could care less if the city wants to take a peek at things once the porch is buttoned up.

Quote:

Yesterday I picked up a window screen I had repaired / upgraded. My big, motivated cat had torn the existing screen to shreds, and I had it replaced with supposedly cat-and-dog proof screening. So I'm going to be cleaning the widow, window tracks etc and install the screen with the window locked to open only partially, and let my cat test it out at his convenience. If the new screen holds up, it'l be nice to be able to open up the window again in the eves, to help breeze the house out.

If it holds up that'll be 2 cat-proof screen doors installed and 1 cat-proof window-screen-upgrade to help the house be more livable in summer. YAY!!




Hope it works out for you. Must be nice to have problems created by animals that you love. All I've got around here making hell in my life are racoons, moles and an army of ants.



Got a bit of a window conundrum to solve myself. The crap windows on my porch can hardly be called windows. They're basically those old '70's/'80's aluminum tracks and single pane glass that were just screwed into the framing. Now that I'm repairing the huge amount of neglegence damage I allowed to happen over the years to try to get everything water tight, I noticed that one window to the right of my porch door is lower than the other two. To compensate for this, the sill had been built up in an attempt to grade it away from the house by one of the previous owners. That's all fine and dandy... at least until it snows and it builds up in there.

This porch structure has been taking in water from day one after it was built, at least in that spot. I'm sure once I go around the whole thing I'll find other problems too. I'm thinking of just caulking the entire valley behind the sill and grading that out as well. It will seal the window permanently in place, but I can't think of any other way to do this.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Saturday, September 14, 2019 11:40 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


We had an awesome day at my buds house. His son came with us in the morning and later on even his old man was working with us too. It has been at least a decade since I worked with him, and I thought it was really cool to be working with 3 generations of his family together.

We got all of his windows painted on the outside that hadn't been done yet. The terracotta is all finished as well. My friend ended up bailing on a B-day party for another friend of his that I thought was really going to cut our day short and we ended up working till sun down.

And I learned something new that I'm going to be doing to my house, hopefully before the first snowfall. It's WAY cheaper than I thought it would be too. We re-surfaced the blacktop of the driveway. It's only 10 bucks for a 5 gallon bucket, and maybe 10 bucks for the squeegee tool. I could probably do two coats on mine for about 80 bucks after patching a few really bad spots and make the place look awesome from the street. It will be nice not to ever have to be the only asshole on the block who has to weed his driveway anymore too.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Saturday, September 14, 2019 11:40 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Bummer... lots of rain today until early afternoon.

Why whenever they're wrong about it on the weekends this year does it seem that we get hit 10 times harder than they say we were? When I looked on Friday night it said it was incidental that we might have a little bit of rain for about an hour this morning. Now it's thunderstorms until the 1PM hour and at least 25% of rain the rest of the day.

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Sunday, September 15, 2019 2:03 PM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
I want to get a futon for a couch.



I've got two of them now, and they're my only couches. Never going back to a regular couch again. It's SO easy to clean under and around.

If you plan on sleeping on it though, spring some extra cash for a good one. I thought I'd made a horrible mistake throwing out the L-shaped couch along with both of my other couches before giving my first futon a good week of sleep, and I was really hurting in between work shifts. My brother had an excellent one that he'd been trying to get me to take for over a year though and he brought it over and I sleep like a baby on it.


Going to keep the old one too for now though. It's the only thing in my small bedroom and it will be nice to put out in the porch when it's finished.

Do Right, Be Right. :)



My mom had one years ago and it was good. I had to get rid of it after my mom died.

I want something to sleep or nap on and I can stretch out on and get off my feet and legs completely to relax them. Also something for people who may come to visit me.

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Sunday, September 15, 2019 2:05 PM

BRENDA


Lazy Sunday here. More rain but I'm not going anywhere so that is okay. Put the tv on for some noise. Too quiet.

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Monday, September 16, 2019 2:45 AM

BRENDA


Have to move things away from the heating units in case I have to use them.

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Monday, September 16, 2019 2:51 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Yeah... I'm not a pro when it comes to what makes a good futon and what doesn't, Brenda, but really do try to do some research and get some reviews before you buy one. All I know is that there can be some huge differences between them, and I susptect that while the Sealy mattress on the good one that my brother gave me has something to do with it, it's also the makeup of the futon as well.

The cheap one I had was something I had picked off of the curb when my neighbors threw it away. It was an entirely metal frame that doesn't seem the most solid thing in the world, and the mattress was pretty thin. Both of these lead to a bit more "sagging" than my back needed and with the intense nightly physical work I did it just wasn't good enough and I would start my next day off with a little bit of tightness and soreness from the night before that I didn't get when I slept on the L-shaped couch.

The good one my brother gave me though has a Sealy mattress that is not only a tad thicker, but it's quite a bit heavier and harder to move. You can tell really easily that it's a much higher caliber of mattress. At the same time, the futon unit itself has no "wobble" to it once it was set up. Though the framing of the unit is metal, there are two sets of wooden slats, one for the "seat" and one for the "backrest" portion.

That does bring up the possible issue of it being a problem for somebody who wants to unfold the whole thing and really spread out though. I never did that with either of mine and only slept on the "seat" part. I can't imagine it being extremely comfortable if an individual used the entire thing as a bead to spread out on, because the cheap one probably would offer even less support at the "seam" while the much higher quality one would probably be really stiff and offer possibly too much support at the same "seam" when unfolded into "bed mode".



I'm not sure if you plan to make this an every-night bed for yourself like I use it for, or if we're just talking the occasional nap or not. The good one I have is probably just fine for an occasional nap, even unfolded, but be sure to really do your research if you're going to sleep on this thing everyday.

I'm probably the cheapest bastard you know, but if my brother hadn't given me one that gives me the sleep experience I need, I would have started to use my actual bed for now until I was able to find the right futon for my back and I know it would have cost a lot more than I was happy about spending.



Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Monday, September 16, 2019 2:57 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
Have to move things away from the heating units in case I have to use them.



One of the few things I haven't thrown out...

I've still got 4 electric heaters in here. No doubt more than I need, but one of them did break last year, so maybe having 5 of them in a house that doesn't yet have the most reliable furnace in the world isn't a case of hoarding and is just a smart decision.

I think you might be alright without them though. In all the years and the many different apartments I lived in, there was only one weekend I ever needed to use them. It was back when I lived with my brother on a weekend that my brother's future wife came up to stay with us and the entire heat system in the building had gone out. The new (terrible) management had just taken over the spring prior and did not answer any of the tenant's calls about it until they came back to the office on Monday. People were using electric ovens to heat their places. My brother went out and bought two portable electric heaters.

Here's hoping you don't need to even use them at your new place.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Monday, September 16, 2019 3:18 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


I just woke up about an hour ago. Damn. 2:00PM. Half my day gone already.

Really got a lot done at my friend's house this weekend, even though he was working with a hurt back from that joist at my house and I was working with a hurt shoulder from moving the furniture with my brother from early the prior week.

That drinking though... I'm not getting any less concerned about it. I made a point to tell him (while working at my house the second night) this week that I was happy to see him not drinking Icehouse, again saying it was the devil's brew that got a hold of me. I wish I hadn't said it. Subconsciously or not, he must not have liked that and he was drinking Icehouse both days this weekend at his house.

Yesterday, about an hour before it was going to get dark and we were about to wrap things up anyhow because it had started drizzling and the clouds were really looking bad, he fell off a ladder right next to me and almost pulled mine down too out of instinct to grab whatever you can get ahold of when you're falling. At least he had the wherewithal to throw out the putty knife and boxcutter he was using to scrape the worst of the windows we've worked on yet as he fell.

He's got a pretty bad limp from it, but having busted my own ankle bad many years ago I'm happy to see that he's not swelling like mine did.

I was pretty tired after a long weekend, but he talked me into taking me out for a bite at that bar we had gone to for burgers the first night we worked together. I'm kind of glad that he did, because I met an ex-girlfriend up there with her boyfriend. It was kind of cool catching up with somebody that I haven't seen in probably 15 years. I'd be lying if I'm not quite enjoying to start meeting up with people that I haven't seen in so many years and really starting to get the feeling that despite all of my bad decisions and horrible lifestyle for so many years, I'm really aging a lot better than everybody else is. If it weren't for my teeth issue, I probably look 10 years younger than most everybody else does these days.

Back on topic though, he had a few more beers at the bar (which I drove to and from his house to get to), and he bought them a shot and one of them bought another round at some point too.


Before we left to work, I believe it was on Saturday, I was bullshitting with his fiancee for about 10 minutes about stuff and I had asked if she saw the pictures of the work we've done on my porch and said my friend was working miracles. Id told her about how when I found out how bad the problem really had been I had also just found out the layoff was coming and I had been freaking out about everything and how part of me just wanted to dump the house for cash for whatever somebody might buy it for and just move away and start life over.

She said the same thing to, although she did say "well I know why I'm staying here" and pointed upstairs to where my friend was. But I can tell that she's not very happy overall with their situation. I don't know how much the drinking has to do with it, but I'm sure it's not helping. They're both at the age where it's kind of do-or-die if you want to have any kids, and they don't have any yet.

I dunno. I wish I could help with the drinking part, but like anything else I don't think you really can do much. My brother and his wife are unhealthily overweight and they both know it but don't do anything about it. Both they and my friend have a hoarding problem but don't do anything about it. Everybody's diets are shit, but they don't do anything about it. I know I wouldn't have taken anyone seriously who was giving me shit about my drinking or eating or hoarding problems either, and I had to just wake up one day and say I've had enough of this shit.





Maybe I'm still here in 2019 so I can start helping other people I care about?

Nah... I don't want to think that way. I most likely am not, and I don't want to put that kind of pressure on myself.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Monday, September 16, 2019 3:25 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


Hey Brenda

This is just some advice I got from my really smart sister re "really do try to do some research and get some reviews before you buy one". Check the negative ratings and the reasons why. What she said (and it seems true) is that when things fail or are bad out of the box, they tend to be bad in the same way. For example, I recently bought a percolator. When I was looking at them , there was one brand where the negative reviews said: (several) shoddy construction / (more than one - goes along with shoddy construction) handle broke off after minimal use / (several - goes along with shoddy construction) cheap and thin / (several) not stainless steel as stated ... and so forth. I didn't buy it!

As for the 'star' ratings, I personally have found that the averages don't tell the whole story. Check to make sure the most recent ratings don't show a big decrement from the average. Quality can change over time. And I take the 3 star rating, divide the percentage by two, and add the 2 and 1 star percentages. The half average plus below should total no more than 10% if it's a credible product.

I had a futon way back in the day. As part of my decades-long desire to not use plastics / synthetics, I got one filled with cotton batting. Not only was it not particularly soft - it was downright hard! - it was HEAVY !! What a chore. And that's when I was young and fit and reasonably pain free.

And finally, try to get a fitted sheet or 2 to cover it with even for everyday use, even if only to keep the dust off. The covering you get for the futon - even if removable - will be large and heavy. It's not something you would want to wash to keep it clean, even if it was washable (and furthermore, they don't pre-shrink it so you'd risk shrinking it in the washer, dryer, or both).

Anyway, that's the sum total of my experience. I hope it helps!

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Monday, September 16, 2019 8:27 PM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Quote:

Originally posted by Brenda:
Have to move things away from the heating units in case I have to use them.



One of the few things I haven't thrown out...

I've still got 4 electric heaters in here. No doubt more than I need, but one of them did break last year, so maybe having 5 of them in a house that doesn't yet have the most reliable furnace in the world isn't a case of hoarding and is just a smart decision.

I think you might be alright without them though. In all the years and the many different apartments I lived in, there was only one weekend I ever needed to use them. It was back when I lived with my brother on a weekend that my brother's future wife came up to stay with us and the entire heat system in the building had gone out. The new (terrible) management had just taken over the spring prior and did not answer any of the tenant's calls about it until they came back to the office on Monday. People were using electric ovens to heat their places. My brother went out and bought two portable electric heaters.

Here's hoping you don't need to even use them at your new place.

Do Right, Be Right. :)



I have 1 portable heater that someone gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago. But I meant the heating that comes with the apartment.

I hope I won't need to turn on the heat but I need to have stuff moved away from them if I do.

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Monday, September 16, 2019 8:56 PM

BRENDA


Hey Kiki,

The futon that my mom had was a good one. But I would have to get one that is lighter so I can move it around myself. The one my mom had was wooden and I will be looking at something metal and a little smaller.

Just have to get someone to drive me out to IKEA to get one.

As to the other thing, this apartment comes with heat that I can control. I just have a few things in front of the elements and I have to move them in case I have to turn the heat on.

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Monday, September 16, 2019 9:01 PM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Yeah... I'm not a pro when it comes to what makes a good futon and what doesn't, Brenda, but really do try to do some research and get some reviews before you buy one. All I know is that there can be some huge differences between them, and I susptect that while the Sealy mattress on the good one that my brother gave me has something to do with it, it's also the makeup of the futon as well.

The cheap one I had was something I had picked off of the curb when my neighbors threw it away. It was an entirely metal frame that doesn't seem the most solid thing in the world, and the mattress was pretty thin. Both of these lead to a bit more "sagging" than my back needed and with the intense nightly physical work I did it just wasn't good enough and I would start my next day off with a little bit of tightness and soreness from the night before that I didn't get when I slept on the L-shaped couch.

The good one my brother gave me though has a Sealy mattress that is not only a tad thicker, but it's quite a bit heavier and harder to move. You can tell really easily that it's a much higher caliber of mattress. At the same time, the futon unit itself has no "wobble" to it once it was set up. Though the framing of the unit is metal, there are two sets of wooden slats, one for the "seat" and one for the "backrest" portion.

That does bring up the possible issue of it being a problem for somebody who wants to unfold the whole thing and really spread out though. I never did that with either of mine and only slept on the "seat" part. I can't imagine it being extremely comfortable if an individual used the entire thing as a bead to spread out on, because the cheap one probably would offer even less support at the "seam" while the much higher quality one would probably be really stiff and offer possibly too much support at the same "seam" when unfolded into "bed mode".



I'm not sure if you plan to make this an every-night bed for yourself like I use it for, or if we're just talking the occasional nap or not. The good one I have is probably just fine for an occasional nap, even unfolded, but be sure to really do your research if you're going to sleep on this thing everyday.

I'm probably the cheapest bastard you know, but if my brother hadn't given me one that gives me the sleep experience I need, I would have started to use my actual bed for now until I was able to find the right futon for my back and I know it would have cost a lot more than I was happy about spending.



Do Right, Be Right. :)



I've been doing some research Jack. I have a bed but I want one to watch tv on, so I can put my legs up completely to relax them. And also something to take a nap on if I have a mind too. I've fallen a sleep in front of my computer and that is bad for my neck. My legs are getting better as I bought a garbage can from a Dollar Store up here and have it turned upside down that when I am sitting on a kitchen chair, I can put my feet up on it.

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Monday, September 16, 2019 9:03 PM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
I just woke up about an hour ago. Damn. 2:00PM. Half my day gone already.

Really got a lot done at my friend's house this weekend, even though he was working with a hurt back from that joist at my house and I was working with a hurt shoulder from moving the furniture with my brother from early the prior week.

That drinking though... I'm not getting any less concerned about it. I made a point to tell him (while working at my house the second night) this week that I was happy to see him not drinking Icehouse, again saying it was the devil's brew that got a hold of me. I wish I hadn't said it. Subconsciously or not, he must not have liked that and he was drinking Icehouse both days this weekend at his house.

Yesterday, about an hour before it was going to get dark and we were about to wrap things up anyhow because it had started drizzling and the clouds were really looking bad, he fell off a ladder right next to me and almost pulled mine down too out of instinct to grab whatever you can get ahold of when you're falling. At least he had the wherewithal to throw out the putty knife and boxcutter he was using to scrape the worst of the windows we've worked on yet as he fell.

He's got a pretty bad limp from it, but having busted my own ankle bad many years ago I'm happy to see that he's not swelling like mine did.

I was pretty tired after a long weekend, but he talked me into taking me out for a bite at that bar we had gone to for burgers the first night we worked together. I'm kind of glad that he did, because I met an ex-girlfriend up there with her boyfriend. It was kind of cool catching up with somebody that I haven't seen in probably 15 years. I'd be lying if I'm not quite enjoying to start meeting up with people that I haven't seen in so many years and really starting to get the feeling that despite all of my bad decisions and horrible lifestyle for so many years, I'm really aging a lot better than everybody else is. If it weren't for my teeth issue, I probably look 10 years younger than most everybody else does these days.

Back on topic though, he had a few more beers at the bar (which I drove to and from his house to get to), and he bought them a shot and one of them bought another round at some point too.


Before we left to work, I believe it was on Saturday, I was bullshitting with his fiancee for about 10 minutes about stuff and I had asked if she saw the pictures of the work we've done on my porch and said my friend was working miracles. Id told her about how when I found out how bad the problem really had been I had also just found out the layoff was coming and I had been freaking out about everything and how part of me just wanted to dump the house for cash for whatever somebody might buy it for and just move away and start life over.

She said the same thing to, although she did say "well I know why I'm staying here" and pointed upstairs to where my friend was. But I can tell that she's not very happy overall with their situation. I don't know how much the drinking has to do with it, but I'm sure it's not helping. They're both at the age where it's kind of do-or-die if you want to have any kids, and they don't have any yet.

I dunno. I wish I could help with the drinking part, but like anything else I don't think you really can do much. My brother and his wife are unhealthily overweight and they both know it but don't do anything about it. Both they and my friend have a hoarding problem but don't do anything about it. Everybody's diets are shit, but they don't do anything about it. I know I wouldn't have taken anyone seriously who was giving me shit about my drinking or eating or hoarding problems either, and I had to just wake up one day and say I've had enough of this shit.





Maybe I'm still here in 2019 so I can start helping other people I care about?

Nah... I don't want to think that way. I most likely am not, and I don't want to put that kind of pressure on myself.

Do Right, Be Right. :)



Jack, as my dad used to say, "You can't help anyone until they hit bottom and want the help."

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Tuesday, September 17, 2019 7:14 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


SIX, thinking thru your friend's drinking problem (and your family's problems with overweight and diet ...)

Maybe I'm being overly-generous about people, but I feel most people are doing the best they can with all the diligence and motivation at their disposal. I think a lot of people put a lot of effort into "some" things that they've decided are important to them, but give themselves a "pass" on other things. Perhaps they're limited by things you can't see, like time limitations, pain, or anxiety, or lack of sleep, or ADHD or other factors that are hobbling them.

Your friend: He sounds like he's very hard-working, very positive ... a veritable locomotive pulling himself, his fiancee, you ... others? ... out of jams. But maybe he's in pain. For that, he allows himself drink. Your brother and his wife ... perhaps they're focusing on being good parents, but they're terribly short of sleep. For that, they allow themselves food.

The reason WHY people "reward" themselves with things that aren't good for them is because what they're doing isn't intrinsically rewarding enough. And I think that's the sad thing about life in America today: For most people, diligence, hard work, positive attitude, and responsibility don't create the security, agency, and prosperity that people crave. Nothing will. There is always the nagging anxiety that things will be snatched away, that nobody (especially society and goverment) has your back. Or maybe I'm just projecting too much!

Anyway, I'm trying to balance what "research" shows vesus my own reactions to being nagged: "Reasearch" shows that when dealing with self-destructive habits daily (or frequent) pressure helps. This goes for bulimia and other eating disorders as well as things like smoking (making cigs more expensive encourages people to quit). OTOH, if peopke were constantly nagging me, it would just piss me off.

So maybe it's the "type" of pressure involved ... maybe it's better if it's impersonal ... the presence of good food at the table instead of bad, the expense of bad habits ... a constant good example ...not direct comments from the peanut gallery. I don't know. All of this thread to tell you that talking to your friend about drinking may be counterproductive. that maybe your best influence is helping him out and your example of going to a bar and enjoying yourself without getting wasted. If I have any divine inspiration, I'll let you know! But I am turning it over in my mind.



-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

You idiots have been oppressing the entire sexual spectrum as long as you have existed. I can't wait for the day your kind is dead - WISHIMAY

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Tuesday, September 17, 2019 7:40 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Meanwhike

BRENDA, Im not sure about the configuration of most futons, but based on my experience with our sofa, it will be hard to find a futon )or any furniture) that will do double-duty as both a "sitting" place (for visitors) and a "sleeping" place. Our sofas for example, they're wonderful to sleep in, but they're so deep (front to back) and may legs are relatively so short that my knees can't reach the front of the couch at the same time that my back rests on the backrest, so either my legs stick out uncomfortably or my back suffers. Plus the sofas are too tall, so my feet can't reach the floor. I usualy solve that problem by lying down on the loveseat. Dear daughter tuck her legs up, only hubby is comfortable sitting. The answer to that is to make sure that the futon is both low enough and narrow enough for comfortable seating, or to get footrests for all potential visitors, as well as for yourself. Or put pillows at the backrest so that people can rest their backs against it and still have their knees able to reach the edge.

KIKI, I know the "many layers deep" problem! It seems that all I have time for is a quick buzz-thru to knock down the most pressing aspects of the most pressing problems, I would LOVE to solve some things "once and for all" ... or at least not to have t look at again for a good long while! ...but things are still coming at me faster than I can manage, at least with my limited energy.

How's the cool-down in your area? Geting any relief?


SIX, it sounds like you're banging things out like a machine. :-) Which leads me to wonder ... what will you do when all of your immediate problems are solved? Decluttering and fixing up your house has been a multi-month effort but in a few month's time all of the urgent urgencies will be resolved. What then? do you have an idea what to do for the winter?

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

You idiots have been oppressing the entire sexual spectrum as long as you have existed. I can't wait for the day your kind is dead - WISHIMAY

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Tuesday, September 17, 2019 9:36 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
SIX, thinking thru your friend's drinking problem (and your family's problems with overweight and diet ...)

Maybe I'm being overly-generous about people, but I feel most people are doing the best they can with all the diligence and motivation at their disposal. I think a lot of people put a lot of effort into "some" things that they've decided are important to them, but give themselves a "pass" on other things. Perhaps they're limited by things you can't see, like time limitations, pain, or anxiety, or lack of sleep, or ADHD or other factors that are hobbling them.



I know you're right about this. Nobody's relationships are perfect, and anybody who seems to be "perfect" from the outside looking in is just better at wearing masks than most other people.

I'm the last person to judge any of this. I just hate seeing other people doing these things in one form or another now that I'm trying to straighten up my own life.

Quote:

Your friend: He sounds like he's very hard-working, very positive ... a veritable locomotive pulling himself, his fiancee, you ... others? ... out of jams. But maybe he's in pain. For that, he allows himself drink. Your brother and his wife ... perhaps they're focusing on being good parents, but they're terribly short of sleep. For that, they allow themselves food.


He'd give you the shirt off his back. Some guy asked him for a cigarette at a light before we got on the expressway. Before I even had the chance to tell him that he should have told the kid to get a job, he said that guy is always bumming by that gas station and that he'd given him a business card and offered him some work (with transportation and free lunch while on the job). He never got a call. I told him that's because that kid makes two or three times more money in a day than I ever would have busting my ass working overnights. Most people are going to say no when he asks for something, but if it wasn't worth putting yourself through an entire day of rejection, than he wouldn't be doing it.

He bought the ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend which he never even met a shot without even thinking about it. Something else I never would have done with the prices of everything in bars these days...

He's a great guy.


Quote:

The reason WHY people "reward" themselves with things that aren't good for them is because what they're doing isn't intrinsically rewarding enough. And I think that's the sad thing about life in America today: For most people, diligence, hard work, positive attitude, and responsibility don't create the security, agency, and prosperity that people crave. Nothing will. There is always the nagging anxiety that things will be snatched away, that nobody (especially society and goverment) has your back. Or maybe I'm just projecting too much!


No. I think you're right. I'm hoping once my brother and sister in law's massive bills have been paid off they'll be able to relax and enjoy life a bit more. In the mean time, they do treat themselves to nicer vehicles and some semi-yearly vacations and the like. I think they spend way too much and are really extending how long it's going to be to pay everything off, but they feel they need to do it. At least my niece is getting to experience everything my parents would say that we were going to do and never did. Maybe that's what the vacationing thing is about. I just turned 40 and I've never been to Disneyland. To me, at least, Disneyland was a lie just like Santa Claus was.

I can tell they're stressed all the time. I don't mean to sound sexist here, but I think that might be because they are living biologically reversed rolls. My brother babysitting somebody else's kid a ton of hours per week is now virtually raising two kids 7 days a week, while his wife is getting paid a great deal of money to do a job she really can't stand doing all day. I'm sure they're both great at their jobs, but I don't think either one of them are happy.

Quote:

Anyway, I'm trying to balance what "research" shows vesus my own reactions to being nagged: "Reasearch" shows that when dealing with self-destructive habits daily (or frequent) pressure helps. This goes for bulimia and other eating disorders as well as things like smoking (making cigs more expensive encourages people to quit). OTOH, if peopke were constantly nagging me, it would just piss me off.


Right. People nagging me pisses me off, so I can't really take the research seriously. If anything, it's just a general rule of thumb and you're going to at least piss off some of the people some of the time if you do it without discretion.

Like I said, I told him I was happy to see him not drinking the Icehouse this week while working at my house (once again tying it to how I nearly destroyed my life with it), and sure enough all weekend he was drinking it while working on his house. Now, I could be misreading this behavior though... Maybe it wasn't a "Fuck you, I'll do what I want to do", and he just decides that it's better to drink lite beer on weekdays when he has work in the morning and Icehouse on weekends when he doesn't. I dunno yet.... but I will be watching.

Quote:

So maybe it's the "type" of pressure involved ... maybe it's better if it's impersonal ... the presence of good food at the table instead of bad, the expense of bad habits ... a constant good example ...not direct comments from the peanut gallery. I don't know. All of this thread to tell you that talking to your friend about drinking may be counterproductive. that maybe your best influence is helping him out and your example of going to a bar and enjoying yourself without getting wasted. If I have any divine inspiration, I'll let you know! But I am turning it over in my mind.



Yeah. That was the 2nd time I've been in a bar since I quit drinking. The first time was nothing, although this time it was admittedly a bit harder... simply because I was a bit tired and I've always been a bit uptight in social situations, and now I'm faced with not one, but 3 people I'm interacting with that are all drinking. Although there is no desire for the taste or sensations of drinking, there was that little voice in the back of my mind this time telling me to just cut loose and have a beer or two. It wasn't very strong, but it was there, and it would be foolish to pretend it wasn't. I probably shouldn't be going to bars.

I know at least not to treat him like a child about it. I'm very candid with him about the things I did and how close I was to killing myself with my drinking and overall bad choices I made while doing it. Some days, like Sunday, I don't say anything and just keep it to myself. I never once gave him shit this weekend for going back to the Icehouse, nor did I even bring it up.

Maybe it was a mistake not to give him shit about drinking after he fell off the ladder. I don't know. I'm sure he wouldn't have wanted to hear it right then.

But then I went out to the bar with him and watched him drink shots and a few more beers with everybody else, drove him back home and hung out until his fiencee came back home from work and watched him drink some more while saying nothing about it.

She told me "Be careful driving home", and I said "I'll be fine. I don't drink." She smiled and said "Oh yeah".

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Tuesday, September 17, 2019 9:44 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:

SIX, it sounds like you're banging things out like a machine. :-) Which leads me to wonder ... what will you do when all of your immediate problems are solved? De0clittering and fixing up your house has been a multi-month effort but in a few month's time all of the urgent urgencies will be resolved. What then? do you have an idea what to do for the winter?



There's never a shortage of things to do on the house. There will be a lot of things that I can do inside once the urgent urgencies are remedied. Things that I wasn't going to waste a single dime or hour of my time on before selling if I wasn't able to take care of the big things first.

Trim on the floors and doors on the 2nd floor, closet shelving and doors on the 2nd floor, re-finishing the basement, re-painting the entire first floor, new floor covering in the kitchen, oh... and finishing the porch and possibly installing legitimate windows on it, just to name a few..

I probably won't have a new patio installed, and possibly won't even have gutters up before the first snowfall, so those will also have to be done in the spring if that's the case.

Then I have to decide if I'm going to put a new furnace and A/C in, a new privacy fence around the back yard, as well as a full 2nd bathroom downstairs.

All of these things will greatly add value to the home, although those last three will be quite expensive compared to the other upgrades. At some point I think I will at least talk to a realtor or two and get their opinions on whether or not the big ticket items are worth doing before I try to sell.



And at some point, I'm going to need a job to pay for all of this too. :)

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Tuesday, September 17, 2019 10:07 AM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


I was wondering if your friend might have a stressful effect on your sobriety. And I know it's kind of hard seeing it day to day, which makes you focus on his drinking, but you (also) get OCD about things (like his drinking), which could also be stressful to you, as being a (temporarily) irresolvable problem. Irresistible force meet immovable object.

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Tuesday, September 17, 2019 10:46 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK


It very well might, but what can I do about it?

On a base level, I'm completely obliged to him right now. I've resigned myself to the fact that I've given him about 8 times the amount of my free time than he has, simply because the things he's done for me are things I'm not capable of doing while the things I've done for him are things that would be easy for him to do if he had the free time to do it. My time is cheap right now, and his skills are invaluable to me.

But beyond the base level, he is a friend and I feel like I'm supposed to do something about it here, even if there's nothing I can do but sit back and watch it happen.

I won't go back to drinking, no matter what. I do think it's in my best interests not to go back to a bar with him though. It's just a little hole in the wall "Cheers" type of place, and I was there for the cheap food after a hard day work, but unlike the last time where we just ate and he had a beer or two before he left, I was there for well over an hour and had to be around others socializing and drinking long after I was done eating. It's just not a good place for me to be without a damn good reason (and I can't really imagine a scenario where I would have one).

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Tuesday, September 17, 2019 11:42 AM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Meanwhike

BRENDA, Im not sure about the configuration of most futons, but based on my experience with our sofa, it will be hard to find a futon )or any furniture) that will do double-duty as both a "sitting" place (for visitors) and a "sleeping" place. Our sofas for example, they're wonderful to sleep in, but they're so deep (front to back) and may legs are relatively so short that my knees can't reach the front of the couch at the same time that my back rests on the backrest, so either my legs stick out uncomfortably or my back suffers. Plus the sofas are too tall, so my feet can't reach the floor. I usualy solve that problem by lying down on the loveseat. Dear daughter tuck her legs up, only hubby is comfortable sitting. The answer to that is to make sure that the futon is both low enough and narrow enough for comfortable seating, or to get footrests for all potential visitors, as well as for yourself. Or put pillows at the backrest so that people can rest their backs against it and still have their knees able to reach the edge.

------------------------------------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

You idiots have been oppressing the entire sexual spectrum as long as you have existed. I can't wait for the day your kind is dead - WISHIMAY



SIG, the futon my mom had was great for sleeping and sitting on for me and her. So, I am hoping to replicate that in a lower cost model. I'll keep the trash can for putting my feet up on as I have a coffee table for remotes and such.

I am going to be soggy today.

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Tuesday, September 17, 2019 11:42 AM

BRENDA


Wet, wet and more wet here today.

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Tuesday, September 17, 2019 11:46 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Quote:


Meanwhike

BRENDA, Im not sure about the configuration of most futons, but based on my experience with our sofa, it will be hard to find a futon )or any furniture) that will do double-duty as both a "sitting" place (for visitors) and a "sleeping" place. Our sofas for example, they're wonderful to sleep in, but they're so deep (front to back) and may legs are relatively so short that my knees can't reach the front of the couch at the same time that my back rests on the backrest, so either my legs stick out uncomfortably or my back suffers. Plus the sofas are too tall, so my feet can't reach the floor. I usualy solve that problem by lying down on the loveseat. Dear daughter tuck her legs up, only hubby is comfortable sitting. The answer to that is to make sure that the futon is both low enough and narrow enough for comfortable seating, or to get footrests for all potential visitors, as well as for yourself. Or put pillows at the backrest so that people can rest their backs against it and still have their knees able to reach the edge.- SIGNY

SIG, the futon my mom had was great for sleeping and sitting on for me and her. So, I am hoping to replicate that in a lower cost model. I'll keep the trash can for putting my feet up on as I have a coffee table for remotes and such.

I am going to be soggy today.

Boy, if you can replicate that, that would be great! Does the furniture showroom have assembled models you can try out? (Not sure about IKEA since we don't have any nearby) That way you can test it for for both sitting and sleeping comfort.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

You idiots have been oppressing the entire sexual spectrum as long as you have existed. I can't wait for the day your kind is dead - WISHIMAY

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Tuesday, September 17, 2019 7:15 PM

BRENDA


Quote:

Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Quote:


Meanwhike

BRENDA, Im not sure about the configuration of most futons, but based on my experience with our sofa, it will be hard to find a futon )or any furniture) that will do double-duty as both a "sitting" place (for visitors) and a "sleeping" place. Our sofas for example, they're wonderful to sleep in, but they're so deep (front to back) and may legs are relatively so short that my knees can't reach the front of the couch at the same time that my back rests on the backrest, so either my legs stick out uncomfortably or my back suffers. Plus the sofas are too tall, so my feet can't reach the floor. I usualy solve that problem by lying down on the loveseat. Dear daughter tuck her legs up, only hubby is comfortable sitting. The answer to that is to make sure that the futon is both low enough and narrow enough for comfortable seating, or to get footrests for all potential visitors, as well as for yourself. Or put pillows at the backrest so that people can rest their backs against it and still have their knees able to reach the edge.- SIGNY

SIG, the futon my mom had was great for sleeping and sitting on for me and her. So, I am hoping to replicate that in a lower cost model. I'll keep the trash can for putting my feet up on as I have a coffee table for remotes and such.

I am going to be soggy today.

Boy, if you can replicate that, that would be great! Does the furniture showroom have assembled models you can try out? (Not sure about IKEA since we don't have any nearby) That way you can test it for for both sitting and sleeping comfort.

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

You idiots have been oppressing the entire sexual spectrum as long as you have existed. I can't wait for the day your kind is dead - WISHIMAY



As I recall from the last time I was in an IKEA store, they do have models up that you can sit on and such.

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Tuesday, September 17, 2019 7:17 PM

BRENDA


Not a bad day today except for the wet. Managed to get a bag of things up to the Thrift store before the rain began AGAIN. Also got a duvet and a couple of pillow cases washed as well. The duvet is off my bed and the pillow cases, I found in my dad's dresser which are fine just needed a wash.

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Tuesday, September 17, 2019 10:15 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Another great day of work.

I started by attaching a 2"x4" to the bottom of the of all of the exposed new joists we put up, dead center. Monster job for one person, at least until I stopped being a dumbass and realized that's what my 12 ton jack is for.

With the jack, I was able to ensure that they were all flush as well. This is now a permanent fixture, because I took the time to do everything right. Two 3" screws up through the 2x4 into each joist.

After that, I made 2"x12" cutouts to join the joists together on top of this 2x4, taking time to ensure that I got the "warp" out of them and they are straight with my torpedo level.

Three 16 penny nails into each cutout from the sides of each joist, then another two coming up from the 2x4 into each cutout. All installed at an angle.


Gorram thing is the most solid thing I've ever walked on. I can trapeze down the middle of it and bounce all around and it doesn't move a millimeter or creak at all. :)

Also, it will be extremely easy to tie a 4"x4" post or two along the center now the way that I did it.

It's a piece of art.

It would have drove my friend nuts how long I took to do it. It was about 7 hours of work.



I also picked up another box of 16 penny nails along with two boxes of 1 1/2" stainless steel joist nails and three dozen joist angles (bent solid metal pieces with two holes to tie the joists in to the outside joists).

Total overkill, but it only set me back another $34 bucks and I want this porch to be built so solid it outlasts the house proper when I'm done.


Should be able to get all of them in pretty quick tomorrow. After that, I've really got to tuck-point the outside cinder blocks and start working on finishing the windows and making sure they're water tight.


Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Tuesday, September 17, 2019 11:11 PM

BRENDA


Hoping to take a backgammon game up to the thrift store tomorrow and some shopping.

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Wednesday, September 18, 2019 2:30 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Only washing the floor left to finish cleaning bathroom, and then start moving furniture in to dear daughter's bedroom. In the process I hope to be able to separate out items to give away from items to keep.

We need to set up a "punch list" of things left to do ... but I hope to start the move-in process tomorrow.

Also doing yardwork now that the weather is cooperating. I hired someone to put in a weed barrier between our front yard and the neighbor's. and now that I have a prayer of eradicating the Bermuda grass I've been digging it up square foot by square foot, also digging up the annuals (cosmos, CA poppies) along with it because there's no way to keep the annuals and dig up the grass. Also putting weed suppressant (corn gluten) into the soil which is supposed to suppress weed seeds from developing roots when they sprout, and the parts I can't dig up I'm going to spray. I have some low spots so I'm going to hire someone to help me drag dirt over from the neighbor's yard (he's offered free dirt) and then to bring in a truck bed full of mulch. And then I have to decide what to plant! My visualization skills are so poor ... every planting is a surprise howit turns out. Sometimes it's a happy surprise and sometimes not so much! I do best when I don't try to imagine too much and just go by plant characteristics and a utilitarian planting plan (narrow evergreen trees for shade along property lines, spreading trees for shade center of lawn; rocks, bunch grasses and low forbs/groundcover for the rest of the yard)

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

You idiots have been oppressing the entire sexual spectrum as long as you have existed. I can't wait for the day your kind is dead - WISHIMAY

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Wednesday, September 18, 2019 1:44 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


For me - I'm still whacking through layers of details of layers of details. And I was trying to keep track of all the things that need doing, that I was going past on my way to doing something else, but I ended up with, no joke, lists of lists ... of lists. But it sounds like you're close enough to the end where you could profitably write it down. Do you have a clipboard? Or a pad of paper with a sturdy back? Or a spare whiteboard? It might be helpful to write things down in one place as you see them / think of them.

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Wednesday, September 18, 2019 2:31 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Man... I'm in some pain today. Half the day gone and I haven't gotten anything done.

I took a real bad fall yesterday. When my friend left after we got the joists up, he had set up a bunch of board cutouts across them by the screen door to span across to the back door of the house. At one point, I needed a 2x12 that was about 4 feet long and in the middle of those boards, so I had re-arranged things.

I neglected to carefully place it, and by the screen door, the new board I had in the middle wasn't extended to a joist right in front of it, but it was hanging just short of it by about 2".

Gravity decided to team up with my stupidity as I walked on it, it see-sawed on me, and I did my best not to get injured but it was pretty much a lost cause. My left leg fell through, and my body kind of twisted. I hurt my right knee pretty bad and fell hard on my left arm right in between my shoulder and my elbow.

It hurt yesterday, but I was able to power through it and finish the task at hand. I knew I was going to be hurting today. I wasn't wrong.


Oh well. I'm not dying or anything. Hopefully I can get focused and salvage the rest of the day.

I'd really love it if I could get motivated to at least do the tuck-pointing on the outside of the cinder blocks. That trench has been unfilled far longer than I can really justify. I just hate masonry work.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Wednesday, September 18, 2019 3:02 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


Jack

Oh dear. I hope you feel better soon!

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Wednesday, September 18, 2019 5:53 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


Hey SIX do you think the damage is limited to bruising, or do you feel like something got twisted along the way? Any big swelling?

Anyway a bag of frozen vegetables can be helpful in keeping the bruising and/or swelling down. I sure hope it's nothing more complicated than bruising tho! Twisted, wrenched joints can take a while to get better!

-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

You idiots have been oppressing the entire sexual spectrum as long as you have existed. I can't wait for the day your kind is dead - WISHIMAY

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