Random thing you loathe right now.

This poster, currently showing up in my Facebook feed.

Mental health trigger warning

Spoiler:

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/DVhbJO4.jpg)

I had my beef with the positioning and existence of Joker, but this is basically everything I hate about it in a nutshell.

It’s insulting to those of us who struggle with our mental health. I can’t take anyone seriously who thinks this is an accurate picture of what struggling with mental health is.

I don’t know why we as a nation started going back and forth from DST to Standard time I just know we continue doing it to torture parents with small children.

My Nana is dying. She has advanced lung cancer and lymphoma, she's too old to survive the amount of radiation it'd take to kill the cancer, so she's basically been told to stay at home and be as comfortable as she can be while waiting to die. I mean, I get that she's lived a long life and is lucky enough to see her grandkids grow up and also meet a few great-grandkids, but still, knowing that I'm losing her is hard.

Coincidentally, my Aunty's cat, who I love dearly, also had lymphoma. She was euthanised today. On diagnosis, the vet gave the same speech as the doctor did with my Nana, only one day apart. Funny in a dark way, I guess. Their other cat doesn't understand why she's gone.

My daughter needs to be anaesthetised again. Apparently they couldn't get a good enough look at her eye. I can't help but feel there's something they're not telling us. I still sometimes can't sleep right because I get visions of her going under the first time around.

Work is beyond frustrating at the moment. It's hard enough to manage at the best of times, but with the above issues, it's getting too much. Work in general has been an absolute nightmare this year. At least is pays well enough, I should count that blessing.

That so many people on YouTube that I like (or liked) to watch have moved or are moving more and more to live chat format, so that something that used to be about 15 minutes of on-topic and perhaps useful information now takes 2 or more hours of mostly rambling chit-chat (and that in-between 10 or 15 minutes of just saying "hi" and "bye" to people coming and going in the chat.)

Our 6 year old fridge appears to be on the ropes. It's already had multiple parts replaced, and over the weekend, the main evaporator fan died. GE no longer makes or offers the replacement part, but thankfully I was able to order a compatible spare from Amazon. I really miss the good old days when an appliance would last 10 years or more without issue. Why has the quality of these items dropped so drastically?

All our appliances are from the 90’s, or the early 2000’s. I keep waiting for them to really die. The dishwasher started leaking, and replacing the seal would have cost more than a new washer, so we begged the guy to do *something*, and he kind of fluffed up the seal (I know, right?) and it’s still holding 2 years or so later.

But sooner or later, we’re gonna be buying some appliances, and I’m praying we have the money saved up to do it.

ThatGuy42 wrote:

Our 6 year old fridge appears to be on the ropes. It's already had multiple parts replaced, and over the weekend, the main evaporator fan died. GE no longer makes or offers the replacement part, but thankfully I was able to order a compatible spare from Amazon. I really miss the good old days when an appliance would last 10 years or more without issue. Why has the quality of these items dropped so drastically?

Good question. I imagine it's some combination of how things are manufactured in a global supply chain and by fewer manufacturers and probably some level of planned obsolescence. Making nice things that last a long time that have to compete with cheap junk I assume means everything eventually becomes cheap junk.

We bought a washer for our current house from Speed Queen. Our understanding is that there are few appliances like it where you can guarantee they last decades. We, however, tend to want stuff that lasts.

When we had 4 long hair cats we'd regularly buy a new vacuum *every year*. Eventually I'd had enough and we bought a really nice $800 Serenity vacuum. We've had that now for over a decade and we just have to get it serviced once in a while.

So you can still buy quality stuff where things last, there's less industrial waste and parts will be available for decades, but I imagine that's the exception in most things these days.

halfwaywrong wrote:

My Nana is dying. She has advanced lung cancer and lymphoma, she's too old to survive the amount of radiation it'd take to kill the cancer, so she's basically been told to stay at home and be as comfortable as she can be while waiting to die. I mean, I get that she's lived a long life and is lucky enough to see her grandkids grow up and also meet a few great-grandkids, but still, knowing that I'm losing her is hard.

Coincidentally, my Aunty's cat, who I love dearly, also had lymphoma. She was euthanised today. On diagnosis, the vet gave the same speech as the doctor did with my Nana, only one day apart. Funny in a dark way, I guess. Their other cat doesn't understand why she's gone.

My daughter needs to be anaesthetised again. Apparently they couldn't get a good enough look at her eye. I can't help but feel there's something they're not telling us. I still sometimes can't sleep right because I get visions of her going under the first time around.

Work is beyond frustrating at the moment. It's hard enough to manage at the best of times, but with the above issues, it's getting too much. Work in general has been an absolute nightmare this year. At least is pays well enough, I should count that blessing.

I'm so sorry about your Nana, but I'm glad you're getting a chance to make some more memories and say goodbye.

DSGamer wrote:
ThatGuy42 wrote:

Our 6 year old fridge appears to be on the ropes. It's already had multiple parts replaced, and over the weekend, the main evaporator fan died. GE no longer makes or offers the replacement part, but thankfully I was able to order a compatible spare from Amazon. I really miss the good old days when an appliance would last 10 years or more without issue. Why has the quality of these items dropped so drastically?

Good question. I imagine it's some combination of how things are manufactured in a global supply chain and by fewer manufacturers and probably some level of planned obsolescence. Making nice things that last a long time that have to compete with cheap junk I assume means everything eventually becomes cheap junk.

We bought a washer for our current house from Speed Queen. Our understanding is that there are few appliances like it where you can guarantee they last decades. We, however, tend to want stuff that lasts.

When we had 4 long hair cats we'd regularly buy a new vacuum *every year*. Eventually I'd had enough and we bought a really nice $800 Serenity vacuum. We've had that now for over a decade and we just have to get it serviced once in a while.

So you can still buy quality stuff where things last, there's less industrial waste and parts will be available for decades, but I imagine that's the exception in most things these days.

It's the Vimes theory of socio-economic unfairness.

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/VuulA9u.jpg)

I left my keys in my wife's car last night. Her car has the push button start ignition, so you just have to have the fob on you. Instead of keeping my keys in my pocket, I set them in the drink cups, and last night I forgot them in the car.

This morning her car was gone.

well... ****.

that really sucks.

Jayhawker wrote:

I left my keys in my wife's car last night. Her car has the push button start ignition, so you just have to have the fob on you. Instead of keeping my keys in my pocket, I set them in the drink cups, and last night I forgot them in the car.

This morning her car was gone.

Ooof. You are in so much trouble.

Really sorry to hear about that, dude.

That's a fear of mine, for sure. Sorry to hear it Jayhawker.

Robear wrote:

That's a fear of mine, for sure. Sorry to hear it Jayhawker.

Me too on both those counts.

My wife is the kind of person who can't find her phone or keys multiple times a week. And a history of leaving her car unlocked and having it subsequently rummaged through in the night by persons unknown in our driveway.

I just talked to her about Jayhawker's misfortune and she told me that she has decided to never use the manual lock on the door to lock the car - that way it prompts her to lock it using the key as she walks away.

Jonman wrote:

I just talked to her about Jayhawker's misfortune and she told me that she has decided to never use the manual lock on the door to lock the car - that way it prompts her to lock it using the key as she walks away.

Similar but different, our car supposedly automatically locks when the fob gets a certain distance away. However I've realized it doesn't always work, and I've come back to the car many times only to realize it's been unlocked the entire time I was away. I now always manually lock the car with the fob once I'm out and close the door.

Yeah, that's happened to me, and I still sometimes forget to check it. Gotta get better at that.

SallyNasty wrote:
Jayhawker wrote:

I left my keys in my wife's car last night. Her car has the push button start ignition, so you just have to have the fob on you. Instead of keeping my keys in my pocket, I set them in the drink cups, and last night I forgot them in the car.

This morning her car was gone.

Ooof. You are in so much trouble.

Really sorry to hear about that, dude.

Man, it seemed touch and go there. She loved that car, and she cried like it was one of our dogs dying. But she forgave me pretty quick. She tried to take half blame because the only reason I drive it was that she left her laptop at work and needed to do time entries last night, and she asked me to drive her because she was feeling sick. But it really was all me.

I was leaving for work this morning and couldn’t find m keys. I decided to look in her car, only to see a big empty spot in front of our house.

We have full coverage on it, and have paid down enough that we should be fine. Of course, it was my keys. I just spent $150 replacing my Jeep key (she had lost her copy), will need to replace the key for my daughters car, and have a locksmith coming to change the locks to the house.

Not as bad as losing a wallet, but it’s a pain, for sure.

And, Jonman, I’m like your wife. I’ve had my Jeep rummaged through a few times. Our car does the auto antic lock when we walk away, but if the keys are in it, it doesn’t ever get signaled. I have gone back at times if I didn’t hear the beep for it to lock, but, obviously, not always.

I might need to do what I do at work with the key to my drawer, which is use a retractable cord for my keys and keep it attached to my pants pocket.

Right now, I’m hoping it’s just a joyride and no damage, or enough damage to total it out. There is a feeling of violation that kind of just wants a new car. Of course, she only wants that exact car now, a 2016 Mazda CX-3. I’d rather get a 17 or 18, since the 16 was the first year of the model. I would assume they made some little improvements based on feedback and common issues that would make the next couple of models a little better, even if they look virtually the same.

Thanks for the well wishes, everyone.

All my car alarms go off if I even so much as think about using the manual locks. Doesn't matter if I'm inside or outside of the car, have my key fob in hand, have the fob in or out of the ignition...the alarms start screaming. They especially love to scream when I'm in a busy public place, or at 5am when the neighborhood is super quiet.

Heck, the alarms might even go off just because they feel like it and for no other apparent reason, when I turn the key in the ignition.

So I don't dare lock OR unlock the door with anything BUT the key fob to have a good 80% chance the alarms will cooperate.

(Makes me wonder if they'll even make a peep if an actual robber attempted to steal the car. I might begin to wonder if they are a reincarnation of a house/yard dog if they start going off when the mail person or garbage trucks arrive...)

beanman101283 wrote:
Jonman wrote:

I just talked to her about Jayhawker's misfortune and she told me that she has decided to never use the manual lock on the door to lock the car - that way it prompts her to lock it using the key as she walks away.

Similar but different, our car supposedly automatically locks when the fob gets a certain distance away. However I've realized it doesn't always work, and I've come back to the car many times only to realize it's been unlocked the entire time I was away. I now always manually lock the car with the fob once I'm out and close the door.

Yeah my walk away lock doesn't work if I have the trunk/gate open after the doors it seems like. But it also beeps as it does it. So I've learned to listen and if I get 15 get away and haven't heard a sound I grab the keys from my pocket and use the button.

And if I try to use the manual lock button on the door the car beeps like a maniac to keep me from locking the keys inside. So it's basically impossible to lock my keys in the car. But I guess it's possible to leave them in if you don't try to lock.

I have a soft-top convertible. I never, ever lock the doors. The way I see it, I don't keep anything of value in the car. Someone rummaging through my car and coming up empty-handed is far preferable to someone cutting the roof of my car or smashing a window.

Oddly, I can't recall a time that my car has ever been touched.

Coldstream wrote:

I have a soft-top convertible. I never, ever lock the doors. The way I see it, I don't keep anything of value in the car. Someone rummaging through my car and coming up empty-handed is far preferable to someone cutting the roof of my car or smashing a window.

Oddly, I can't recall a time that my car has ever been touched.

Don't you also live in Japan, though?

Coldstream wrote:

I have a soft-top convertible. I never, ever lock the doors. The way I see it, I don't keep anything of value in the car. Someone rummaging through my car and coming up empty-handed is far preferable to someone cutting the roof of my car or smashing a window.

Oddly, I can't recall a time that my car has ever been touched.

I have a standard top and still leave it unlocked. Anything of value in the car is worth far less than the damage caused by someone breaking in. The most valuable thing in there is a Roav Viva which can be replaced for $30. The only thing I'd want not taken is a stuffed Octopus I got at Dollar General for $5. Years ago, I had someone punch the lock out and destroy the dash on my car to steal a $200 stereo (probably worth $50). Damage was roughly $2500. Now I leave it unlocked at home. It's been gone through many times. Roav has never been stolen. No damage has been done to the car. I say go ahead, rummage through it. Take what you need leave what you don't. Just don't damage the car.

LarryC wrote:
Coldstream wrote:

I have a soft-top convertible. I never, ever lock the doors. The way I see it, I don't keep anything of value in the car. Someone rummaging through my car and coming up empty-handed is far preferable to someone cutting the roof of my car or smashing a window.

Oddly, I can't recall a time that my car has ever been touched.

Don't you also live in Japan, though?

No, my car has been in Denver, Washington D.C., Florida, and Southern California. Definitely places where car theft is rampant. Weirdly, other vehicles in the California apartment complex where I lived were broken into, but my car had no evidence of being touched. I'm always really careful not to leave anything visible in the car, so that probably helps.

Also oddly, Japan was the only place where I've had someone try to break into my home. I happened to get up to close a window one warm night (to turn on AC), shortly after I moved into my new home. Looking down, I noticed someone standing next to my car. At first I thought it was a drunk salary-man, but then I saw him start pulling on black gloves. I realised that he was going to break in (to my car, I thought), and so I grabbed a wooden kendo practice sword I had in a corner and came down the stairs. I heard scratching at the front-door lock, and realised that he was trying to come into the house. I decided that my plan was to suddenly unlock the door and shove it open with my body (it was an outward-swinging door), with the goal of knocking him down, after which I would administer a therapeutic beating.

Taking a deep breath, I rapidly unlocked the door and shoved it forward, only to find that in my hurry I had neglected to unchain it. There was a horrified gasp from the other side, and in the time it took me to unchain the door and leap through it, he had hopped the low fence surrounding the parking area for my house, and was running down the street. I vaulted over the fence and, realising that I had no hope of catching him barefoot, started to yell abuse at him. So there I was, at nearly midnight, standing in my underwear in the middle of a Japanese street, waving a stick, and yelling imprecations at the top of my lungs at a rapidly retreating Japanese man. Turning, I discovered one of my new neighbours smoking a cigarette, casually watching what I'm sure he assumed was baseline behaviour for the newly arrived American resident. He actually became a good friend of mine a few months later, and we still laugh about it.

The Japanese police detective decided that it was probably a drunk salary-man who had the wrong house. My argument that drunk salary-men generally don't put on gloves to enter their own home or vault fences when challenged did not persuade him. He was also horrified by my question as to what I was allowed to do to intruders. "Ask them why they are there, and ask them to leave" was his response. I considered this significantly less satisfying than hitting them with a stick, but Japanese law evidently frowns on wood-based justice methods.

I never had another attempt at a break-in though, so presumably the experience of being accosted by a stick-wielding, howling Englishman in underwear was sufficiently terrifying to scare him straight.

And I never locked my car there either. Haha!

Went to taco bell and ordered a couple of crunchy taco supremes and a small (tiny) drink and it came out to be nearly seven dollars! That's more expensive than going to an actual Mexican restaurant and getting a lot more than two tacos. Good grief! I figured Taco Bell prices were probably higher than years ago when you could get something like two tacos for $1, but I never imagined it would be up to something like two tacos for $5 (or more). Ridiculous! (And "fast food" was a misnomer as well since it took a good 10 minutes of waiting for those two tacos. I remember Taco Bell being almost instant.) Won't be going back there again! It's definitely changed for the drastically worse.

Spent the weekend trying to remember which game was being released this week. I knew I was waiting for one.

Last week, I was shoved into a short-notice business trip this week, for a few days. Okay. That sucks, but... Okay.

And today, I realized the game was Planet Zoo. Pre-ordered, if I recall, and should be ready to go now. And me with a few more days of stupid hotel rooms and a long flight home.

ARRRRRRGGGHHHHH!

bekkilyn wrote:

Went to taco bell and ordered a couple of crunchy taco supremes and a small (tiny) drink and it came out to be nearly seven dollars! That's more expensive than going to an actual Mexican restaurant and getting a lot more than two tacos. Good grief! I figured Taco Bell prices were probably higher than years ago when you could get something like two tacos for $1, but I never imagined it would be up to something like two tacos for $5 (or more). Ridiculous! (And "fast food" was a misnomer as well since it took a good 10 minutes of waiting for those two tacos. I remember Taco Bell being almost instant.) Won't be going back there again! It's definitely changed for the drastically worse.

Taco Bell is likely my absolute favorite fast-food stop (ironically for the taco supreme value meal), but I've been pretty shocked at their price increases over the past year or two.

Oh well, at least there's still Popeye's red beans & rice (the family size works just fine as an entree of and by itself).

Popeye’s is expensive too, but damn they have some tasty stuff. Love the smoky flavor in the red beans, but I like the dirty rice even more.

Fast food is not really cheap these days. Used to eat McDonald's just for value menu. Not worth it anymore.

Restaurant foods gone up too but foods at least decent.

Maybe your region has increased their pricing because 2 supreme tacos here is a little over $3

Taco Bell has some tasty items on their dollar menu. I often get a Beefy Fritos Burrito and a Cheesy Bean & Rice Burrito when I want to pick up a cheap lunch. Only costs like $2.17 without a drink. A drink would probably drive the price over $5.