Life's Minor Annoyances

[The Devil's Grandmother]

Aw shit. My male best friend just called me to say we need to do a wellness check on my female best friend tomorrow. She hasn't responded to my texts for a few days, but that's not terribly weird. But I don't think I'm going to sleep tonight. Fuck.

I haven't posted for a while. I miss all y'all. I'm ok, other than my fem friend and my garden not giving me any tomatoes this year.

[Jaglavak]

So, how's your friend doing?

[Solfy]

Originally Posted by The Devil's Grandmother

I haven't posted for a while. I miss all y'all. I'm ok, other than my fem friend and my garden not giving me any tomatoes this year.

Nice to see you checking in, DG. Bummer about the tomatoes.

[Radical Edward]

WELCOME BACK BITCHES

First of all, I am here to report that the AstroAI brand battery jumper / tire inflator works like a freaking dream. Woke up one morning, car wouldn't start. Kablam, had it jumped in 30 seconds. Worth every single penny.

Also, I fell a few weeks ago and fucked up my left foot again. Supposed to get an MRI, but don't have the funds. The doc suggested an ace bandage to stabilize it, but what I have discovered is that KT tape is a more permanent solution. It holds pressure and stabilizes, and you can wear it for 3-5 days in a row. Also comes in pretty colors.

Hooks. Get some decorative hooks to hang shit all over your house. I have hooks by my bed and recliner to hang yarn in a bag so cats can't eat it and get a lovely linear foreign body. Got dogs? Hang a leash by doors you frequently go out. Hang your keys, your purse, whatever you got. I have scissors hanging by my pet food bins so I don't have to go looking for them when I open bags (curse you Purina for getting rid of string-opening bags!!).

Currently keep earrings in a container in my bathroom next to my getting ready for work stuff, there's about 5 pairs I rotate through. Am currently brainstorming a better/quicker option than sorting through them every morning.

AND CHECK YOUR FUCKING OIL

[Jaglavak]

You're not allowed to get hurt. See? Its right there in the rules.

[ellipses]

Originally Posted by Radical Edward

PS, always fighting over covers? You can get a blanket bigger than the size of your bed. Got a full size? Buy a king bedspread. I sleep alone but I did it and it's been AMAZING

I did this to replace my useless and ugly dust ruffles! Those dust ruffles were always out of alignment and just annoying. So, for my queen size bed I bought two king size blankets. One is a little fuzzy and warm and that's my winter cover, one is a lightweight jersey knit kind of thing and perfect for warmer weather! Of course both these blankets are used more as sheets than blankets, but eh, whatever! and because they are so big and drape over the whole bed to the floor, I no longer require ugly and useless dust ruffles!

[Radical Edward]

Tbh I didn't know that dust ruffles still existed. Haven't owned one since the 80's.

[thorny locust]

Originally Posted by The Devil's Grandmother

Aw shit. My male best friend just called me to say we need to do a wellness check on my female best friend tomorrow. She hasn't responded to my texts for a few days, but that's not terribly weird. But I don't think I'm going to sleep tonight. Fuck.

I haven't posted for a while. I miss all y'all. I'm ok, other than my fem friend and my garden not giving me any tomatoes this year.

So what happened? That was last August!

Is she OK? Are you OK?

[The Devil's Grandmother]

Originally Posted by Jaglavak

So, how's your friend doing?

As my best male friend said, "She failed her wellness check". We called the coroner's office and eventually the police. All y'all, make that will you've been thinking about, especially if you hate your legal next of kin.

My September was derailed as I tried to help her brother clean out her hoarder-like* house, but I eventually reached the point where I just couldn't do any more. It's his problem now.

*It was clean, but there was just So.Much.Stuff!

[thorny locust]

I'm really sorry for your loss.

[JackieLikesVariety]

Originally Posted by The Devil's Grandmother

My September was derailed as I tried to help her brother clean out her hoarder-like* house, but I eventually reached the point where I just couldn't do any more. It's his problem now.

I'm so sorry!

you did your best helping, so don't feel bad about that.

[Radical Edward]

WELCOME BACK HEIFERS

You know what rubs me the wrong way? The lack of a ceiling fan in my bedroom. You know what chaps my ass? Wiring up new ceiling fans. But you know what exists? SOCKET CEILING FANS BABY. It'll probably be ugly and not a permanent solution, but it'll keep me from straining my neck and arms this year at least.

You know what burns my biscuit? The tool set I'd been using for years for my CR-V is too bulky to use on my Accord, everything is way more cramped and I can't get a ratchet onto the serpentine belt tensioner properly. Gonna get a really skinny ratcheting wrench from the Amazon for fifteen bucks. If that won't work, ..... shit I guess I'll just pay someone to do it idk.

AND CHECK YOUR FUCKING OIL

[ellipses]

I have come to the conclusion that my entire life at this point, is just a series of minor annoyances. Everything annoys me! Maybe it's just old age (get off my lawn!) or maybe it's depression or maybe it's just that life is really just that annoying. Or maybe it's a character flaw on my part.

But I am increasingly intolerant of petty misdemeanors. I'm sick of cleaning the hair and grunge out of the bathroom sink and shower, 'cuz my roommates can't be bothered to clean up after themselves. I'm sick of cleaning kitchen counters and putting shit away to where it belongs, because my roommates can't be bothered. I'm sick of my roommates' pets wandering into my room at will 'cuz their owners can't be bothered to pay attention to them. And I'm sick of having to keep my room door closed all the time because of that. I'm sick of becoming more and more agoraphobic 'cuz I just don't want to deal with others. I can't even deal with the people in my own house, never mind the outside world.

And I'm sick of feeling that it's all my own fault. It's all because I avoid interaction. If I could just interact more, nothing would be annoying, lol! It's all because I'm not right. If I was like them, there would be no problems.

But I'm not like them.

[Dragonlady]

The only suggestion I have is to put a screen door on your room.
It's not all you, that sounds annoying as fuck.

[Metal Years]

L'enfer c'est les autres

[JackieLikesVariety]

Originally Posted by ellipses

I'm sick of feeling that it's all my own fault. .

it isn't: your roommates sound awful.

[Radical Edward]

Ring ring, it's me.

It's about to be insanely cold again, hopefully without all the ice but it def will be below freezing for several days in a row. I've already turned off the water to my washing machine.

My house is old, and some of the windows have old storm windows. Some of them work, but some of them are just the frame with all the glass and screens missing. today I got a roll of clear plastic and wrapped it double around the frames, then put them back in the windows. Probably not as good as real glass, but better than just no storm window at all.

Also can't find my fucking staple gun, which I didn't necessarily need for this project but like, where is it? Did someone break into my house and steal ONLY my staple gun?

Unrelated to minor annoyances because this is a major, major problem: I went into the spoooky basement looking for the staple gun (it was not there) and noted that the bottom of the ground floor toilet is leaking into the basement bathroom. Everything is wet. There isn't a standing puddle, but the wetness goes all the way out into the hall. I stuck a pot under it but that's not going to do shit. Is this a repair that I can do myself?

[Random Precision]

Maybe. It depends on just what is leaking. It could be the water fill line, the wax ring or flange under the toilet or the drain line going to the sewer.
You're going to want it to be the fill line because at least that is clean water. But any of those are fixable by a relatively handy homeowner.
The only case I can think of that would be beyond your reach is if the floor around your toilet is rotted and needs to be rebuilt.
This would be akin to having to fix all 3 of the other possibilities AND rebuild a chunk of flooring.
Let's hope it isn't that, but if the leak goes on for too long, it will be.

[Scuba Ben]

With the forecast for the coming week being such that the snow blower asked me if it could come inside tonight, I think I need to finally put up the insulation around the hot water lines. The house is late-1950s with modern windows, except for the original windows in the unheated basement.

[Radical Edward]

Originally Posted by Random Precision

Maybe. It depends on just what is leaking. It could be the water fill line, the wax ring or flange under the toilet or the drain line going to the sewer.
You're going to want it to be the fill line because at least that is clean water. But any of those are fixable by a relatively handy homeowner.
The only case I can think of that would be beyond your reach is if the floor around your toilet is rotted and needs to be rebuilt.
This would be akin to having to fix all 3 of the other possibilities AND rebuild a chunk of flooring.
Let's hope it isn't that, but if the leak goes on for too long, it will be.

Honestly it could have been leaking for 6 months, I never go in the basement.

I'll probably just call a plumber. If I clget it taken apart and then can't get it together I'll be in trouble

[Jaglavak]

IME the wax ring is the usual culprit. Followed by the gasket between tank & throne, or the gasket under the float valve gizmo in the tank. The job is usually straightforward, but the toilet is a heavy bastard and you'll probably need some help. Taking the tank off first really helps lighten the load but can end up being its own little adventure too.

You can get the water out by turning off the water, flushing, and then deftly pouring a big bucket of water in the bowl as fast as it will take it. The momentum magically slurps the bowl almost completely dry.

If the angle stop hasn't been closed in awhile you can save some hassle by cleaning off the crud & dust from the valve stem before you close the valve. Also a shot of spray lube will help make sure you don't end up with a leaky angle stop.

[thorny locust]

Or you can call a plumber. If you've got the money, that's the way I'd go. It takes at least two people to pull a toilet (I've been one of them once), and there's always the chance that the valve will break.

[Radical Edward]

Oh I do not and will not have the money. I just turned the water off to the toilet and will just have to spend infinity remembering to do it.

[ellipses]

so, one of my minor, not so minor, annoyances in my life was/is that my bedroom seems to be one of the coldest rooms in this house. There is a heating grate in the room, but it's pretty small and didn't do a very good job at keeping the room warm. So...I thought about getting a room heater. I thought about it. But I didn't really need something to keep the whole room warm - I just wanted to keep myself warm!

I found on amazon a small heater. Just 500 watts, just $15, just a personal space heater. I thought that might work since I just wanted to keep my face and my hands warm - I thought that might work. I was right! I bought that heater and it does keep my personal space warm! I have also found that the heat has to go somewhere and where it goes is in the rest of my room. I used to find that I would leave my cold room and walk into the hallway to warmth! But now, as often as not, I leave my room to find the hallway much cooler. It's definitely one of my best amazon purchases! I'm almost tempted to leave an amazon review. Almost...

[Radical Edward]

They do make little fans you can put in place of the grate on your air vent, to give a little boost to the heat that does come out of it. You'll need it to be close enough to an outlet tho, and my old house only has 2 outlets per room. I guess back in 1944, what more could you need to plug in than a lamp and a radio?

[Jaglavak]

Forced air furnaces have dampers in the ducting, often built into the grate in each room. They are supposed to be adjusted for equal temperature in all rooms by partially closing the ones nearest the heater. Return air flows through hallways to a single return register.

So if someone upstream has their damper full open, their room will be toasty and your room will be frosty. Also if you keep your door closed that chokes off airflow to your room even if the dampers are correctly adjusted. If a little electric heater does the job, that could be a better option than having another thing to argue about.