Useless Conversation

[Chimpy]

Ahh I forgot about the some new spam thread.

[IainC]

You can tell he's a legit diplomat because he has a diplomats.com email address.

[WayAbvPar]

I like the tech support phone calls the best. I can make them waste 15 minutes on me while I jerk them around, and then laugh at them when I tell them I am in IT.

[Sky]

So it looks like the sewer pipe is backed up. Did what I could on my end (with my 16' auger), so it's likely either in the yard or it's a city issue. Hopefully a quick augering will clear it, otherwise it's going to be hella expensive. Unless it's a city issue, and then god knows how long until I have water again...

[MahrinSkel]

So it looks like the sewer pipe is backed up. Did what I could on my end (with my 16' auger), so it's likely either in the yard or it's a city issue. Hopefully a quick augering will clear it, otherwise it's going to be hella expensive. Unless it's a city issue, and then god knows how long until I have water again...

Tried sulfuric acid (sometimes labeled as "Main Line Cleaner")?

--Dave

[Sky]

Tried it overnight last night. Seems like there's enough flow to let the chemicals past, but not enough to let the kitchen sink run for more than a couple minutes.

Left a message with the plumber's answering service last night, but didn't hear back a couple hours after they opened. So I called and their office person said 'oh yeah, you're in the system' after being on hold five minutes. So....

And this is the most professional plumber in town. Should've went into plumbing.

Sure hope I can fix this today and I don't need to pay an excavator. Anyone want to buy some miniatures? :D

[Chimpy]

Just booked tickets to go to London for a few days in October. Had done a search and Norwegian had round trip from Chicago for $375. I checked to see what I could get via miles and Delta had a crazy low frequent flyer point (36k) round trip that I just barely squeaked into from ORD to LHR (via connection in ATL). Taxes and fees were somewhat high at $187 but it looks like 2/3 of that is UK passenger fees.

Staying in a private room in a hostel in the west end for $310.

Sure the trip is short, but I am not going to regret it since the chance for flights and hotel under 500 bucks for several days in London is not something that comes up very often.

[Samwise]

Over the three day weekend I took the plunge and got a Purple mattress (the squishiest level-4 version).  It's on the cheap end compared to some of what some of y'all sleep on, but considering my last mattress was literally the cheapest thing I could find when I bought it and it was pushing 10 years old by the time I got rid of it, it's a pretty substantial upgrade from what I'm used to.  Went to the local mattress store on Saturday to try different models out, and the mattress showed up on Sunday, with a bunch of free pillows thrown in that I think might normally cost more than my old mattress did.

Usually I wake up once or twice during the night and then wake up on my own around 7am when it's time to start thinking about getting ready for the day.  This morning I slept straight through to 8am and was almost late to work.  So I might have to start setting an alarm, but aside from that I'm pretty happy with my purchase.

[01101010]

Over the three day weekend I took the plunge and got a Purple mattress (the squishiest level-4 version).  It's on the cheap end compared to some of what some of y'all sleep on, but considering my last mattress was literally the cheapest thing I could find when I bought it and it was pushing 10 years old by the time I got rid of it, it's a pretty substantial upgrade from what I'm used to.  Went to the local mattress store on Saturday to try different models out, and the mattress showed up on Sunday, with a bunch of free pillows thrown in that I think might normally cost more than my old mattress did.

Usually I wake up once or twice during the night and then wake up on my own around 7am when it's time to start thinking about getting ready for the day.  This morning I slept straight through to 8am and was almost late to work.  So I might have to start setting an alarm, but aside from that I'm pretty happy with my purchase.

I have been VERY curious about this mattress for the wife and I. I'm a side sleeper and have the hip and shoulder as my pressure points and have yet to find a mattress that would work without having to take a loan out to cover. I might shoot you a message in a few months to see how it holds up. What stores have Purple in their showroom? I'd love to flop around on one before ordering...

[Samwise]

They have them at a few Mattress Firm locations around here.  Being able to try them in the store was one of the main selling points; other fancy mattresses folks have recommended to me don't have as much local retail presence so I'd need to make a special trip to test-drive one.

I'm a side sleeper too which is why I went with the squishiest version.  Make sure to get a good pillow to go with it that supports your neck at the correct angle to your shoulders.

[Chimpy]

I just booked my flight to Japan for the end of February to go skiing in Niseko (near Sapporo).

[Sky]

Mattresses are always worth overspending on, if it's the right kind, of course. And don't forget to get a good quality mattress topper. I was able to stack a bunch of discounts to get a $500 down topper and $250 down pillow for under $200. Worth every penny if I had paid the full shot. And the old topper I had, which was nice but not this nice, preserved my mattress. Looked almost new when I popped the old topper off, and the bed is 10 years old now.

[schild]

good mattresses don't need a mattress topper tho

[Yegolev]

Travel tally for my wife in 2018 will be 10 foreign countries, if plans hold.  Mine will be 7.  Does not count NOLA, Biltmore, Hilton Head, or WDW.

Then I'm asked why I'm not completing more weekend-sized chores.

In other news, my son asked a girl to the dance.  She said yes.

[Teleku]

 It’s all down hill from here.

[Yegolev]

Next stop: The Internet Dating thread.

[Samwise]

good mattresses don't need a mattress topper tho

My old mattress had a topper and I'm inclined to agree.  The squishy purple stuff is 20x better than the topper on my old mattress was and I wouldn't want an inferior padding in between me and it.

[Nebu]

good mattresses don't need a mattress topper tho

I've slept on a thin mat or futon most of my life with zero issues.  I'm inclined to agree.  I went to a 10" talalay (sp?) mattress when I was having some back issues and it was firm yet forgiving.  Other than the heat that it held, I could see it as a nice compromise.

[Sky]

You're a goddamned spartan warrior though.

I took the idea from a b&b in the Finger Lakes just before I bought the house. Loved the bed there, so basically recreated it at home.

[schild]

nebu and i have basically the same mattress

and i'm the opposite of whatever a spartan warrior is

[Nebu]

nebu and i have basically the same mattress

and i'm the opposite of whatever a spartan warrior is

A tip for you.  If you flip it over with the base layer facing up, it's perfect.  That squishy crap they put on the top 2" is worthless.

I'm no Spartan either.  Appreciate the thought though!

[schild]

nebu and i have basically the same mattress

and i'm the opposite of whatever a spartan warrior is

A tip for you.  If you flip it over with the base layer facing up, it's perfect.  That squishy crap they put on the top 2" is worthless.

I'm no Spartan either.  Appreciate the thought though!

mine doesn't have squishy crap on top, it's a 14" deep tile of pure latex.

Edit: Sorry, 12"

[Nebu]

mine doesn't have squishy crap on top, it's a 14" deep tile of pure latex.

Edit: Sorry, 12"

Explains the price difference.  I can't afford what you sleep on!   

[Rasix]

Saw a car going down the other side of the road today very slowly, weaving back and forth, then going onto the sidewalk, and then back onto the street. You could not see a driver at all. It was kind of heading toward me and my son when someone getting cash at a nearby bank ran out and stopped the car. Mentioned for people behind the car to call 911. Fucking yikes. Heat, seizure or OD: take your pick.
 

[Yegolev]

I choose black widow.

[01101010]

My 55" LCD living room TV wouldn't turn on Friday night - scoured the internet for possible fixes. Of course shit happened 14 months after purchase. Luckily it looks like a single capacitor is the cause of most of the problems with my line of Samsung. Will be tearing the back panel off tonight to see.

Sunday my lovely wife misjudged the garage door opening and bumped the front of the car then over corrected and scuffed the entire back fender against the garage. Spent the better part of the evening with some WD-40 and a magic eraser taking off the layer of garage white paint to see what the damage was underneath... got too dark to really tell but look like it actually will just buff out. Front will need a respray though due to the quarter sized chip she managed to take out above the fog lamp.

Rant over...

[RhyssaFireheart]

So Friday night left the dog out to do his business at about 8:30.  He came right back in, was all full of energy and playing with his toys, then laid down next to my chair until we went up to bed.  Husband prompts dog to get up and move (since he was blocking the way) and dog gets up favoring his front left paw.  Figured he laid on it wrong or something since he didn't make any noise when I felt his leg.  Went to bed.  Get up early Saturday morning, dog's still not using left leg, and whined a bit when I bent his wrist.  Okay!  Off to emergency vet because it's 6am and regular vet doesn't open until 8.  Get to ER vet, they take us to a room and start to check on him, but they have an emergency coming in (turned out to be a dog with bloat, needing surgery, no idea outcome though :( ) and won't be able to do anything until 11am with us.  Off to home we go to wait another hour for regular vet to open.  They can see us right away, take x-rays which show swelling around joint and foot, but basic bloodwork comes back fine.  Wrap up paw, have painkillers, come back Monday morning.  Dog spends rest of weekend making us feel guilty as hell because he's hopping around on 3 legs, but he's eating fine, drinking, doing his business, actually trying to use his foot sometimes. 

Husband takes dog back to vet this morning, still has swelling around joint, more detailed bloodwork is still fine (aka his white count isn't elevated) but dog yelped when they bent joint.  So now he's got a full leg bandage with a hard splint on it and we need to make an appointment with a Ortho vet to make sure it's not ligament damage.  Other possibility is an auto-immune disorder (since it's only in one joint) which might require steroid meds to manage.  That'll go along lovely with the fact that he's allergic to grass as it is.  No idea how we're going to pay for any of this.  Fucking annoyed that anytime we think we're getting ahead, something happens.

[Trippy]

Hope it's not serious.

[01101010]

My mother's dog actually tore his ACL and needed surgery to repair it. So far, this dog's medical bills outweigh my own when I was growing up. Human child, 1 ER visit for 6 stitches to the head. Dog has had a multitude of little skin ailments and then the ACL thing. I gloat when I can... but yeah, vet stuff is no joke is terms of money. Guess that would be why pet insurance is quickly growing into a thing.

[Sky]

Cost of pet health care is one reason I'm hesitant to get another cat. I like having one around, but if you want to be a responsible pet owner, it's gotten very expensive. And frankly, the quality of care out here in the sticks isn't really worth it. The docs are good but they can't afford any equipment to do any real work. And if they did get some, it would be ridiculously expensive to take your pet there, so....

I'm good playing with the neighbor's new puppy. Bonus is I don't have to scoop shit.

[RhyssaFireheart]

I'm going to hell for thinking my dog hopping around like this is funny and he's going to get fat from all the treats he gets out of guilt (because I think it's funny).  Husband's been calling him "Clubber".  Doesn't stop him from hopping up on the bed on his own, going up and down the stairs, or really anything else it seems.

I seriously think he's playing it up even more to get more sympathy and treats.  

Vet said to wait a week until we get the consult, since it really might just be a sprain, but sheesh.  I don't think it's the ACL since it's his wrist that's affected and not the elbow.  Still doesn't rule out ligament damage though.

[HaemishM]

When we first found my dog Spud, he had a broken front paw. Vet put a cast on it and within 2 days, he was consistently outrunning my perfectly healthy pug terrier Fluffy. That dog loved to run.

[Morat20]

My tiny dog -- all of 14 pounds of former street urchin (all we'd done so far is have her spayed and gotten her shots, heartworm checks, etc which we went to SNAP for not my regular vet) -- just came running in one night a few weeks ago. Jumped on the couch, snuggled into my wife, and then I look over to see a two inch long, inch wide gash down her side. Starting right behind the shoulder. In perspective, that's from right behind her shoulder to almost the base of her rib cage.

You could see her shoulder muscles working. The dog had effectively degloved herself -- two inch long gash, then whatever caused it she either fell or it rose up, because it just yanked that skin right off the muscle. Bled surprisingly little, so we cleaned it, packed it, and took her to the vet the next morning.

No idea how she did it in my backyard. Best guess was a bit of chainlink fence sticking out at the right height. I bent it back and policed the rest of the yard, but there's places I can't even see that a tiny dog can get to.

Took two layers of stitches (the vet said she might be able to staple it under a local but...she looked really iffy). 430 bucks for full anesthesia, stitches, antibiotics, and pain meds.

Dog literally gave no fucks. Didn't try to lick at the stitches, just slept a few days and then it was a nightmare keeping her from jumping on and off stuff, and we had to put a shirt on her to keep her from scratching the stitches until they were pulled.