Month: February 2012

Categories Nothing Much

Someone picked the wrong week to argue with me

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Former college schoolmate posted on Facebook that the solution to the birth control coverage ‘problem’ was to make the basic forms of the pill availible over the counter (put ’em behind the counter with the decongestants if you want, but OTC no prescription required).

To which someone freaked out that “OMG!! Some one might smoke AND take the Pill and have a stroke!!!” (I paraphrased, they were serious).

I pointed out that if they’re smoking they’re already taking their life into their own hands, so whats your point?

But, but, it might be a teenager!! At least if they have to see an MD first the doc can explain the potential risks!!

I pointed out that most teens weren’t going to admit to smoking OR being sexually active to an authority figure, and even if they do what makes you think they’re going to listen?

But, but, some teenager could end up diabled for the rest of her life cause of a stroke!!

I won’t repeat the rest of the arguement, he finally gave up when the comment count hit 60 (it wasn’t all us, several others chimed in that they liked the original idea). But he picked the wrong week to argue with me…..

Edited: I think there are some logistcal issues that would need to be worked out of the basic concept, but I like the thought.

Categories Links

Links

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Six months later, still no charges filed.

12yr old decides enough is enough.

Blue gnomes result in uproar.

Tazer ball.

If a cop issues you a ticket, showing up at his house to discuss it “man to man” is a bad idea.

AZ deciding if all students should have to pay $2k for school.

7 species that got screwed by mother nature.

Dude, if you’ve missed your exit, just keep going….

NH man shoots wife “while cleaning his gun”, twice.

Firing your teenage employee by text message profanity is perhaps not a good idea.

Categories Bleg

Bleg….or: HELP IT BROKE *sniffle*

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So, most women reading this and at least some of the men are going to know what a hair clip is (they’re sometimes called ‘hair claw clips’ if that helps).  Link picked at random as the best first example I found.

The problem: 99% of the ones available in stores by me are PLASTIC, which means that they break in short order (don’t ask me how I manage it, most other women I know who use the things don’t have that problem).  The few that are metal are HUGE DECORATIVE, and heavy, and not really functional.  (on an interesting note, when they first started being popular they were made out of a different plastic that was softer and held up better, oh well).

The solution:

yes, that’s a plain metal hair clip.  I’ve had it for years (4? 5? something like that).  Its AWESOME.

Till tonight.  Tonight the spring finally broke as I was putting my hair up.  I think I actually cried a tear or two.  I’ve tried for the last 3 years to find more of these clips, but the place where I got it doesn’t carry ANY metal clips any more (except for the big heavy gaudy things….).  Now this was a pretty simple piece, looks like it was stamped out of a piece of stainless, bent into shape, and a spring and pin added.  But I’ve not the skills to do that even if I had the tools (which I don’t).  So….anyone know someone who CAN?  Or know of a place where I can order a couple of these things?  Please?

Categories Dog

Proposed Tibetan Mastiff Breed Standard Changes UPDATE 2

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Proposed changes here.

The AKC Board meeting minutes for the February 10th meeting have been posted on their website here.  Scroll to the bottom of page 3 for the relevant information.

The changes were indeed passed.  They go into effect February 29th 2012.

Excuse me while I go swear at something.

Edited: I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at this line:

There was a motion made by Mr. Gladstone to direct the President to investigate the Tibetan Mastiff Club of America, or any other Parent Club, where there might be restrictive membership policies. There was no second to the motion.

Edited again: effective immediately they’re changing the process for changing a breed standard.  Me thinks they were caught a little off guard by the uproar these changes caused. 

Categories Rants

The joys of homeownership

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Didn’t someone recently do a post on the fun of plumbing in old houses?  Mine’s not even that old (barely 20yrs), and we’ve now had fun with the plumbing twice (in the year and a half we’ve lived here).

Last year about this time the hot water line from the water heater sprung a pinhole leak.  Turned out whoever plumbed it in hadn’t used “pipe”, instead they’d used grey electrical conduit from the heater itself to just before where the pipe goes into the floor.  Don’t ask me why, I have no idea.  Lots and lots of warm water spraying UP at a high velocity.

This afternoon after I got home from work I set a bag of chicken breasts into the sink to thaw.  Ran the sink full of cool water and left the cold tap just barely running on it.

Came back, about an hour ago, and discovered water on the floor leaking out between the cabinets and the stove.  WTF?  There’s no water line there……at least not IN the house, god I hope something UNDER the house isn’t spraying water everywhere…..Grab a couple towels to sop up the mess and start trying to figure out where the water was coming from.  First thought was that the sink overflowed.  It shouldn’t, its a double sink, overflow from one just goes into the other to drain, and sure enough there’s no water trail on the counter.  Sigh.  Start opening cabinet doors, the one closest to the water: no wet inside, the next one: no wet, the two directly under the sink: soaked.  F*ck.

I know, doesn’t look all that bad in the picture right?  Well, that “wood” is cheap pressboard, the water soaked in, it bowed, and promptly funneled it down the hole the pipes come up, where the natural slope of the floor carried it under the cabinets over to the stove, where it promptly seeped out to the middle of the room.

Turns out where the cold water line meets the sink its leaking.  Its not the HUGEST leak ever, I had a hard time finding it actually, which makes me think its been doing that for a few days at least.  F*ck.  Mold.  Ewwww.

Cold water line is shut off with one of those handy little shutoffs you see there (which were MISSING on the water heater I might add).  My father-in-law will be over in the morning to take a look and see what needs replacing.  Not sure how he’s going to fit under there, we might have to figure out if those shelves come out (they don’t look like it), but I think we were going to have to figure that out anyway considering how soaked they are.

Oh, and all of this was done while defending my towels from a giant gold fluffy puppy who thought they made THE BEST toys to take and barrel around the house with EVER, and a little brown puppy who thought they were the BEST tug toys ever…..oh, and that nasty colored water seeping from under the cabinet is YUMMY!!!!!

Why can’t we come into the kitchen anymore???!!!!!
Categories Rants

New Peeve

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If when you go to a site where you purchased the product, and, in order to purchase the product you had to choose a specific thing about the product from a drop down list (size, power rating, etc), and you are there to REVIEW the item you purchased……it would be a good thing for those reading your review at a later date if you put the (size, power rating, etc) in your review so they know which did what you said it did.

Really.  Especially when there’s like 5 options to choose from…..