The Patio

[Buster]

Piranha is suppose to be pretty good tasting...akin to Crappie I'm told

 

[maui21ice]

Just read the original post so I'll build my reply off of that since it's patio related.

God bless my wife. She put in a fire pit while I was away TDY out West for the Reserves in September. Great gift, love it and can't wait to use it next Spring/Summer now that the cold has taken over. Timing kinda stinks since it was put in so late in the year, but a great treat for prepping for warm weather 2015.

 

[PessOptimist]

Just read the original post so I'll build my reply off of that since it's patio related.

God bless my wife. She put in a fire pit while I was away TDY out West for the Reserves in September. Great gift, love it and can't wait to use it next Spring/Summer now that the cold has taken over. Timing kinda stinks since it was put in so late in the year, but a great treat for prepping for warm weather 2015.

Not to worry about subjects here. Almost anything goes and come back often. Permissiveness runs rampant on the patio. Grand children have even been known to lose bathing attire in the pool and not even care.

I wish I had a fire pit today. Chiily here, 45 now, was 26 at about 7AM. Fire up your fire pit and extend the patio season.

I usually sleep in on my AWS Friday but sometime before sunrise from up on the ceiling I heard such a beep, I put my head under the pillow so longer I'd sleep. From the next pillow over there arose such a fuss, I jumped out of the bed knowing I must.

I had to replace a smoke detector battery a couple weeks ago, had since bought a box of new ones but had forgotten all about it. Since we don't change our clocks here shouldn't it follow we don't change batteries in smoke detectors? About 60 degrees in the house so I pulled on some sweats and went to the garage for the ladder. All smoke/CO detectors are conveniently 10-14 feet off the floor. I know, that's where they belong. Last time I saw those batteries they were on the kitchen counter so I'd remember. I finally found them deep in a cupboard under some other stuff. Ahaa! Not my fault I forgot. I fixed the offending beeper and changed the date label (trusty old Dymo tape labels, remember them?) and then decided it would be prudent to wait for day light for the rest. Coffee I started is done and I am wide awake by now so...oh look, a bottle of brandy on the table. Coffee, milk, brandy. It is after all early winter day of note celebrated by some+1 and after noon in central Europe. Mmmm, good coffee. Who’s that on my patio? Oh no it’s that common sense safety culture person from work. Go away. Go back to the workplace, leave me alone to drink my coffee. I may need a couple to get ready for that 14 footer that’s not near a wall. Safety culture person will not leave. OK OK I will get out the big ladder for the high one and put on shoes. Coffee later. While climbing the big ladder I think of the work rule that says we must wear a harness and maintain 100% attachment if over 4 feet off the ground. Should I go to work and get my gear? Oh, wait, they still haven’t figured out what we attach the safety lanyard to while on a portable ladder. I think I’m good.

Mission accomplished I think. One of the devices declared “low battery” after I put the new one in. In what I consider a gender specific voice. Not a nice tone either. I forgot some of these things speak. I will leave the ladder under her for now. She will probably tell me to put it away at some point. Or some gender specific voice surely will.

There was some good out of the early rising. I noticed all the recycling bins along the curb and remembered I had neglected to put ours out. It was full as I neglected it last week too.

After all this it is now noon here and a balmy 47 degrees so I am opening a beer and toasting talking safety devices. How did we ever survive in the dark ages?

While out here I might as well update a couple of other things I have mentioned before.

I made the holiday turkey loaf last weekend and it was great. The herbs and spices from the stuffing mix plus a little garlic and onion plus a little left over breakfast sausage meat made it yummy. No smushing it in a loaf pan, just a big blob of stuff on a cookie sheet makes it brown all over. I recommend horse radish or mustard as an accompaniment. So there Martha Stewart.

The Win7 upgrade to the desktop went surprisingly well. I used a 1Tb drive and software I had around from a failed attempt to ugrade SOs Vista machine. She hated Win7 and then bought a new computer with Win7. The old drive from my desktop is now an additional drive so I didn’t have to transfer a bunch of data files and installing apps was relatively easy though it did take Windows hours to download all the updates. The biggest problem was finding which key to press to get to the BIOS to set up the boot drive sequence. I can’t find the docs for the motherboard I bought when I built the thing. Hard to believe how many years ago that was and how outdated the motherboard is now. Things change so fast for an older fart.

Another computer thing-my cheap, old flat screen monitor got pink eye so a new cheap monitor was ordered for a Christmas gift. The day it arrived old monitor started working correctly and has been since. Yes I did do some troubleshooting as I have actually seen VGA cables go bad but it was the monitor. Did old monitor sense it was destined for recycling because it became aware of new monitor’s presence? The truth is out there.

Beer tastes good so my only plan for today is to cook some pork chops and stuffing on the grill (yeah it takes a pan dummy) and contemplate how good life is. Nothing like the way the stuffing soaks up the pork juices!

Best wishes to all TSPTalkers for the last few days of 14 and future years.

PO

 

[PessOptimist]

Taking a little break out on the patio from removing the entertainment center equipment from the entertainment center that SO decided was unsightly. Someone else than I must have put all that equipment in there over the years. What a jumble of make it work wiring. Part of my job description is installing electronic equipment according to standards. So I would do that at home right? No cables were labeled so correcting that is taking time. What the… is some of this DirecTV equipment all about? I wasn’t here when they did that so I bet the installer explained it all to SO and she was supposed to tell me. In defense of the DTV installer, his cables are very neat, cut to length and labelled. I wonder what he thought about the mess.
SO told me she can do without TV tonight and tomorrow (sniff sniff) but I will try to put something together for her. I will not mention there is a TV in the bedroom.
Time to get back in there and finish up.

Regards

PO

 

[burrocrat]

Taking a little break out on the patio from removing the entertainment center equipment from the entertainment center that SO decided was unsightly. Someone else than I must have put all that equipment in there over the years. What a jumble of make it work wiring. Part of my job description is installing electronic equipment according to standards. So I would do that at home right? No cables were labeled so correcting that is taking time. What the… is some of this DirecTV equipment all about? I wasn’t here when they did that so I bet the installer explained it all to SO and she was supposed to tell me. In defense of the DTV installer, his cables are very neat, cut to length and labelled. I wonder what he thought about the mess.
SO told me she can do without TV tonight and tomorrow (sniff sniff) but I will try to put something together for her. I will not mention there is a TV in the bedroom.
Time to get back in there and finish up.

Regards

PO

whatever you do, don't ever say "well since i'm down here, i thought i would just..." that never works out well and you will get slapped. they like to be asked first.

just straighten the connections and get the lifetime channel going again, then you will be in the berries.

 

[PessOptimist]

Done, TV sitting on hearth, Lifetime, OWM, Hallmark, ION and wherever else she can find I Love Lucy or Blue Bloods or whatever all working.

I learned a few things about DTV and SWM and how it's hooked together. Forget what I said abut the DTV installer, he labelled two cables, those visible outside the cabinet.The rest I had to label in hopes of getting it back together.

Got a 30+ minute briefing on the furniture exchange. Bottom line, someone is coming to take the old furniture away before someone is coming to deliver the new furniture. Something in there about being endorsed by someone famous and white gloves and booties.

Any bets this new furniture will be very heavy, installed smack against the wall and have no access holes for cables?

Time to finish the nattie lite and get to bed. 0430 is approaching. Two years, nine months and 19 days left. Not sure how many working days that is based on a four day week. Too many!

PO

 

[PessOptimist]

WooHoo! The new furniture arrived. One guy, no booties or white gloves. Brought the entertainment center and the coffee table. Coffee table? No one said anything about a coffee table. Nice coffee table.

The entertainment center does have holes for cables and is not all that heavy. The flaw in the design is that while the nice built in shelf at the top is plenty high enough for all components it is so close to the front trim pieces I can’t get one of the components into the shelf. I was on my way to get the sawzall when I reconsidered and re-evaluated.

As most furniture of this type, the back is a piece of cheap stained to match plywood attached with staples or screws. This high quality stuff has screws. Square drive aka Robertson aka scrulox screws. I have no tool for this type. A trip to a hardware store is in the future. I also need to buy some nice Velcro strips to make the wiring pretty.

SO has a doctor appointment tomorrow so maybe I can get the back off, components in and back back on before she returns. She hates it when I start dismantling her new furniture. Glad I rethought the sawzall.

Old furniture? Gone. I don't know where.

PO

 

[PessOptimist]

This is turning out to be...interesting.


The component shelf on the top is not to be used for components so no disassembly required of the furniture. The surround sound receiver and DVD player are to be banished to an enclosed cabinet with doors. Glad these components create no heat! Oops, the receiver is too deep to fit and you couldn't put a disc in the DVD where it was designated to go. The only place this giant receiver will fit is on top of the furnitire so I forsee a new system with smaller components.


This whole surround sound thing is so archaic anyway. Years ago the speakers were alloted a small area in one corner of the room so the only seat "surrounded" is not anyplace there is a seat.


Maybe I can get the DVD player to work through the TV input and still play Mikey Bubbly at high volume.


Stay tuned if you care to.


PO

 

[PessOptimist]

As if anyone effing cares, DVD player plugged in to TV does work to play Chris Botti DVD and CD though sound is said to be substandard, not loud enough to hear the same trumpet notes played over and over for two hours.

Maybe that's the way old rock sounds to her?

Something for you techies out there that hasn't been complained about yet. I notice that the video goes back and forth between color and black and white. Is this some artsie thing or do I have something wrong. I can't test this with another DVD until I get time to watch it through.

As with any customer based system, that will require an outage during low usage.

 

[alevin]

feeling your pain, PO. I finally broke down and bought a DVD player a few years ago so as to watch a couple longtime favorite movie DVDs on "big" screen, as opposed to laptop screen. mid-90s analog 21-inch TV, cable switch box, DVD player + VCR + DVD/VCR switcher box = massive cluster of connector cables going back and forth and around behind the piece of furniture holding all the above. Hunted down instructions on internet to help me put all of the above in functional order, plus had to buy a couple necessary pieces to make it all work. Didn't want to play any CDs, played the handful of DVDs a couple times once wiring task was completed successfully. Primary satisfaction came simply from persistence in figuring how to get it done, and then finally getting it done to point of functionality. It were a challenge, without a doubt. not one I'd be anxious to repeat.

Getting to that point took quite awhile due to need to take many timeouts and then re-energize and sustain the attention span long enough incrementally in between bouts of frustration, before I finally got to the successful watch-DVD movie stage and test the watch-VCR switch as well. limited set of either media in the home library-intentionally. haven't spent much time re-watching those media since the mission impossible was finally accomplished and validated.

 

[PessOptimist]

Sitting here on the patio on my normal AWS day off. Went shopping earlier and forgot some things. Bought some ink cartridges for the old inkjet. YIKES!! Prices are high.

Forgot to take the mail so I walked to the ol’ cluster box (NDCBU to some old timers) and could sense neighbors peering out through window coverings. Got a few strange looks from the BBall players at the park. Walking is suspicious behavior here. I have observed some drive vehicles from two houses away to check mail.

The phone rang and it was an alert for a missing pet cat. I have heard of Amber alerts, Silver alerts and Blue alerts but what is this? Pussy alert? Kitty alert? What would a grey and white Maine Coon/domestic longhair look like anyway? Call back number was two area codes away.
Just me ranting as usual.

PO

 

[PessOptimist]

Just realized I paid more for two ink cartridges than I could have paid for a shiny new "all in one" printer/scanner/copier presumably with full ink cartridges. Will I ever come to terms with the throw away world? Should I ignore those videos of young children in smokey landfills ripping toxic substances out of thrown away devices? This world is getting harder to live in and be a responsible semi greenie.

PO

 

[burrocrat]

Pussy alert? Kitty alert? where can i sign up for that list?

What would a grey and white Maine Coon/domestic longhair look like anyway? i don't know but sounds like it could use a shave, then you could see what it looks like.

Call back number was two area codes away. did you call the number and say "i think the whole neighborhood has seen it"?

...

 

[konakathy]

Before & After: An RV to Call Home | Design*Sponge

I have this grand plan to travel the USA from coast to coast when I retire, but I'm not real sure on the mode of transportation I will use. I've thought of travelling part ways by train, car and/or motor home.

I like the the idea of travelling by train, but then what would I do with the car/ RV when my route begins by rail? I could leave it I suppose at a friends house when I decide to hop the boxcar, I do know lots of people around the country. But then that means back tracking. Anyway, they are just some random thoughts right now. Nothing is in stone.

I came upon the article above and fell in love with this renovation of a '94 Safari Continental. It looks so comfy, not like your typical pimped up RV's...more like how I would decorate my home. I'm wondering now, if I found myself a reasonably, affordable, well maintenanced DTS, I mean RV....I could live with that. :nuts:

These are just some rambling thoughts spinning in my head right now and I thought I'd let'em loose in 'The Patio'!

Aloha

 

[burrocrat]

Before & After: An RV to Call Home | Design*Sponge

I have this grand plan to travel the USA from coast to coast when I retire, but I'm not real sure on the mode of transportation I will use. I've thought of travelling part ways by train, car and/or motor home.

I like the the idea of travelling by train, but then what would I do with the car/ RV when my route begins by rail? I could leave it I suppose at a friends house when I decide to hop the boxcar, I do know lots of people around the country. But then that means back tracking. Anyway, they are just some random thoughts right now. Nothing is in stone.

I came upon the article above and fell in love with this renovation of a '94 Safari Continental. It looks so comfy, not like your typical pimped up RV's...more like how I would decorate my home. I'm wondering now, if I found myself a reasonably, affordable, well maintenanced DTS, I mean RV....I could live with that. :nuts:

These are just some rambling thoughts spinning in my head right now and I thought I'd let'em loose in 'The Patio'!

Aloha

i vote for rv! there are high class trailer park resorts where you get a place to park and a bathroom/outdoor kitchen building with fire ring and stuff and full spa facilities at the clubhouse. or you can just go park in the woods and swim free in the lake somewhere if you want, too.

hey kk, do you get to drive one of those cool postal delivery vans on your job? that would be sweet! i have always had a dream to convert a grumman llv into a studio apartment on wheels and just take off wherever whenever. if the usps gets its new vehicle contract there should be lots of them available as surplus, cheap.

Special Delivery: Automakers Will Get to Bid on a Huge USPS Contract

Have you ever thought to yourself, “the postal service sure could use some sexier rigs”? Well, your silent prayers have been answered, because the federal government has put the wheels in motion to get the nation’s postal workers exactly that.

on a somewhat related note, has anyone here ever had sex in the back of a postal van? that is on my bucket list.

 

[konakathy]

Yep, I'm leaning more to a comfy RV rather than a pimped up LLV. Those LLV's are junk to drive and are always breaking down. Kona has a contract with a mechanics shop that's stands by every morning in our yard waiting to fix one or more of the vehicles.

If you're good at car mechanics and can find the parts, go for it, buy one. There is a guy on the island who bought two of the older model LLV's and made them into ice cream trucks. He modified the inside with freezers, painted the outside with bright tropical colors and even has that catchy ice cream truck jingle blaring around the neighborhoods. So there many possibilities with these trucks, you just need a little ingenuity.

As for your other inquiry.... Yes, I know of two incidents of which carriers have had intimate encounters in the back of the postal vehicle. And NO, it wasn't me. They were busted by fellow employees and customers. It's still a joke around town. Good luck on your bucket list. Happy Trails.

 

[TSP-roulette]

Burro's bucket list: on a somewhat related note, has anyone here ever had sex in the back of a postal van? that is on my bucket list.[/QUOTE]

I can't say that I have, but these are on sale, quite a bargain, buy one and go at it. If you notice it's a three wheeler, if you tip it over your mate'll be pissed.

 

[burrocrat]

Burro's bucket list: on a somewhat related note, has anyone here ever had sex in the back of a postal van? that is on my bucket list.

I can't say that I have, but these are on sale, quite a bargain, buy one and go at it. If you notice it's a three wheeler, if you tip it over your mate'll be pissed.

my mates tend to get mad no matter what, so i don't think the back of a postal van, the alley, or the bathroom at the theatre is going to make much of a difference.

i wonder if maricar could fill us in on proper management protocal when a postal carrier is caught in the back of a van making, uhhh, a baby carrier?

 

[TSP-roulette]

We'll just keep wondering, don't think anybody will comment on that subject. Oh well, carry on my wayward son. Whoa, that reminds me of this great oldie tune.

 

[PessOptimist]

Well gee. Good topic, whatever it is called. Retirement travel? The Patio is good enough.

Burro, The USPS bought over 100,000 LLVs, many, many Windstars and Caravans, and before that DJ-5s. Many of these vehicles were in service well over 25 years. Let’s see, number of carriers times 25 times 365 times 100,000 (don’t forget to carry the bum) = probably. More than once.

KK, I have too thought about train travel mixed with other means of transportation. Some NRPC (Amtrak) routes go through beautiful countryside you could not drive through or would miss the scenery driving through because you would be trying not to drive over the edge. Some parts of the routes are deadly boring until you get in to the cities. A lot of those boring parts are travelled at night. Not always. A thought I have not investigated is train where you think it would be interesting during the day, train all night if you would rather sleep through some territory (you can sleep in your seat but they do have sleeping compartments) and plan to rent a RV one way for parts of the trip. Fly over some parts if you want. The possibilities are endless. It might be a little pricey but go for it.

Just my jumbled thought about a similar dream.

While you are on the trip you can have the surplus LLV you buy fixed up by one of the reality show shops on Velocity channel.

PO

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