Octopus Overlords

No one takes donated stuffed animals anymore due to lice.

I figure it's easier to let them keep the critters in a toybox than be the Big Meanie taking their friends away.

Somehow I got mild food poisoning over the Christmas break. Threw up a little this morning, stayed in bed all day, skipped two meals, finally got enough strength to walk downstairs for some noodles. Still can't figure out where I got it.

EDIT: I'm running a fever too. F***. Have to go get my ice pack and generic nyquil.

Wife just texted me about her schedule, letting me know she'd be home later than expected. I responded "No worries, I'm still working on this stupid client issue. So much for having a day off today!"

Realized right after hitting "send" that the message went to my boss (who had just sent me a message), and not to my wife.

Whoops. Damage control...ENGAGE!!

My friend owns an Aquarium Service company (Aquaholics) and they got a Mimic Octopus! I want it so bad, but I'd have to get a several hundred gallon tank.

Its really cool. But as Ive gotten older Ive begun to think its not that great to keep intelligent stuff caged for human amusement. Heck maybe for that guy its better because he would get food and be safe but at the same time lonely and bored.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Fri Dec 29, 2017 9:17 am Its really cool. But as Ive gotten older Ive begun to think its not that great to keep intelligent stuff caged for human amusement. Heck maybe for that guy its better because he would get food and be safe but at the same time lonely and bored.

I hear ya. It may be better off protected and such, but I don't think I could afford the upkeep on a huge saltwater tank either. Hopefully, some rich person with loads of disposable income will pick it up and make him/her happy.

Courtesy of Lowering the Bar via Boing Boing:

The driver of a DeLorean modded to resemble the version from Back to the Future didn’t impress a Texas state trooper for hitting 88 mph.

Mark Shields, who was driving his car to an event, told KHOU he thought the officer was joking when he pulled him over for the time-traveling speed. Shields said the trooper responded by saying he doesn’t “joke” about his job.

Shields said the trooper continued to ask about the car and questions related to the movie, but ultimately handed the butthead a ticket.

Tonight I was making the last caloric blowout of the holiday season: meat loaf and scalloped potatoes. Wife breaks her vegetarianism for my meat loaf, but only once a year.

I finished preparing the spuds and went to pop them into my preheated oven -- there's a 15-minute window to mix the meat loaf and have them finish cooking at the same time. The oven wasn't on. It broke. The internet tells me that it needs a new igniter.

So now I've got a tray of scalloped potatoes ready to go and three pounds of thawed meat, and the earliest I can get a repairman is next Wednesday. I will mix up the meatloaf tomorrow and freeze it, and the spuds should last in the fridge, but it's going to be sub-optimal.

Why do these things always happen on holiday weekends?

Kraken wrote: ↑Sat Dec 30, 2017 2:45 am The oven wasn't on. It broke. The internet tells me that it needs a new igniter.

This happened to me a couple of weeks ago, only it was in the morning and I had quiche about to go in.

It was a $35 part on Amazon and I wired it in myself. It wasn't too hard other than just reaching the damn part, that left a few bruises.

I swore the last time this happened I wouldn't pay some dude $250 for 20 minutes of work again.


Disclaimer: I had electronics class in Grade 9 and I work on Xerox machines now so I'm inclined to get in there and take shit apart.

Z-Corn wrote: ↑Sat Dec 30, 2017 8:00 am

Kraken wrote: ↑Sat Dec 30, 2017 2:45 am The oven wasn't on. It broke. The internet tells me that it needs a new igniter.

This happened to me a couple of weeks ago, only it was in the morning and I had quiche about to go in.

It was a $35 part on Amazon and I wired it in myself. It wasn't too hard other than just reaching the damn part, that left a few bruises.

I swore the last time this happened I wouldn't pay some dude $250 for 20 minutes of work again.


Disclaimer: I had electronics class in Grade 9 and I work on Xerox machines now so I'm inclined to get in there and take shit apart.

Was your dad a TV repairman? Do you have an ultimate set of tools?

My igniter/heating elemement has died three times in 15 years. They want $150 for one at the appliance outlets (which I begrudgingly paid the first time) but they are $25 via knockoffs from the Internet. Replacement for my oven was easy but the then it's old.

BTW, did look up your model oven and see what was involved? Mine was 7 bolts easy to get at 1/4 inch bolts and two ceramic electrical caps. Very very easy, even for a moron like me.

I was tempted to order an igniter and try to do it myself, even though it might have involved moving the gas line out of the way to get to the igniter housing. I am glad I didn't; I managed to get a local appliance guy out here this morning (!) and he determined that, while it's the igniter 99.9% of the time, "you hit the jackpot" and it's actually the thermostat. I already paid him $85 for the call and now it will be an additional $165 for the part. Most modern ranges use computer chips instead of thermostats nowadays so nobody keeps those in stock.

He can order the part on Tuesday and install it on Thursday (no additional labor). OR we can replace our 5-year-old range for somewhere around $500-600, plus installation. I installed the current one but I hate working with gas lines and am inclined to let a pro do it this time, so I'm expecting up to another $100 for that.

Wife factors in the sunk costs of $60 for last night's dinner out + $85 already paid for labor and sees a total repair cost of $310 for something that cost us $500 five years ago. I see a choice between spending either $165 or $600-ish, because the other $145 is gone regardless. Plus I don't know how long we'd have to wait for delivery ("free") and installation ("available for an additional fee" for gas ranges, amount unspecified).

I would rather spend $165 than $600 and get it working next Thursday rather than replaced (most likely) some date after that, possibly long after. OTOH, a new range would be kind of nice to have even though the one we have is new-ish, and I'm wary of throwing good money after bad. Meanwhile, I need to try to salvage the food that I can't bake now (maybe using the microwave), make a new menu plan that shuns the oven, and do my weekly grocery run a day early. Looks like I'll be spending all day dealing with food one way or another.

We have until Tuesday to decide, since he can't order the part before then, and I seriously doubt that Lowes or Home Depot are doing installations over the holiday weekend so I probably won't lose any time by waiting. Gonna try to nail down exact price and delivery date before I decide.

I'd be shocked if Lowe's or Home Depot couldn't get you one delivered by Thursday at the latest. The same guy who did you troubleshooting could probably also do the installation and sounds like he's free on Thursday.

I remembered why I installed this one myself: Our hookups are not up to code. I don't have a three-prong grounded outlet, and there's no shutoff valve near the gas line terminus. So I'd have to either install it myself again, or hire both an electrician and a plumber to make it comply.

There are very few 20" ranges on the market. None of them are self-cleaning, so I can't get that upgrade. The only two name brands at Lowes and HD (Amana and Hotpoint) only come in white, and their off brands (Premier and something else) get very poor reviews.

Given all of these complications, I'm just going to repair the one that I put there five years ago. We hope to renovate the kitchen within the next 2-3 years anyway, and that will entail getting a new full-sized range anyway. If I were to buy a new 20"er now I'd most likely be replacing it in a couple of years.

As the appliance guy put it before he left, "You're going to need a $40,000 upgrade." I think I'll go with $165.

Rip wrote: ↑Sat Dec 30, 2017 10:49 am

Z-Corn wrote: ↑Sat Dec 30, 2017 8:00 am

Kraken wrote: ↑Sat Dec 30, 2017 2:45 am The oven wasn't on. It broke. The internet tells me that it needs a new igniter.

This happened to me a couple of weeks ago, only it was in the morning and I had quiche about to go in.

It was a $35 part on Amazon and I wired it in myself. It wasn't too hard other than just reaching the damn part, that left a few bruises.

I swore the last time this happened I wouldn't pay some dude $250 for 20 minutes of work again.


Disclaimer: I had electronics class in Grade 9 and I work on Xerox machines now so I'm inclined to get in there and take shit apart.

Was your dad a TV repairman? Do you have an ultimate set of tools?

That scene was ABSOLUTELY going through my head as I typed my response and I was trying to figure out a way to work it in!


Kraken, glad you at least got the problem diagnosed...

Well this is cool:

My wife has been doing genealogy the old fashioned way (family letters and such), and she just discovered that one of her relatives gave the opening prayer at the Gettysburg cemetery dedication just before Lincoln's address.

Holman wrote: ↑Mon Jan 01, 2018 12:59 pm Well this is cool:

My wife has been doing genealogy the old fashioned way (family letters and such), and she just discovered that one of her relatives gave the opening prayer at the Gettysburg cemetery dedication just before Lincoln's address.

Talk about being upstaged....

Kraken wrote: ↑Mon Jan 01, 2018 1:41 pm

Holman wrote: ↑Mon Jan 01, 2018 12:59 pm Well this is cool:

My wife has been doing genealogy the old fashioned way (family letters and such), and she just discovered that one of her relatives gave the opening prayer at the Gettysburg cemetery dedication just before Lincoln's address.

Talk about being upstaged....

She may have stolen the show. I don't think the Gettysburg Address was all that well received at the time.

The stealth bomber, plus escorts, passed right overhead on its way out from the Rose parade. That was most impressive. It felt like having one of those destroyers from Star Wars fly by. The sound and rumble were apocalyptic. People came out of their homes in various states of "oh God, I'm so hungover" to see what was about to destroy the neighborhood, it was hilarious.

edit: Btw, cellphone videos don't do it justice, they can't capture the low end bass and the thunderous rumble that you can feel in real life. Also, it looks massive in person as it flies overhead, on video it looks like a plane, not particularly large or small.

What struck me most is its totally silent until it flys over. Least thats how it happened to us.

Yeah, I think that's what freaked people out most. Unlike a regular jet, where you hear it approaching from a distance as it gets louder, this was quiet. Then suddenly it sounded like the world was ending, then it was quiet again. However, there were two fighters escorting it. So for all I know the noise was actually from the fighters. The only reason I don't think so is we've had fighters fly over before and they don't sound that monstrous by themselves.

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Wed Dec 27, 2017 1:50 pm One of Mrs. Skinypupy's main goals over the holiday break was to get the kid's rooms organized and cleaned up. She has spent the last 4 hours organizing everything in the Wonder Twins 4.6's room into labeled bins. Legos, books, action figures, etc. She just had the very serious talk with both of them about how everything needs to be put away in it's place before they get out something else to play with, and that she expects them to be big boys who can keep their rooms clean.

I give it a max of 2 hours before she's in tears because their room looks like a bomb went off in it again.

We also did a stuffed animal purge this morning. Each kid got to keep 10 animals on their bed, another 6 in their toy bin, and we’re donating the rest. We are donating over 150 stuffed animals.

The tears that came from that little exercise were outrageous. You’d think we were sending actual family members to face the firing squad.

We also tackled kids' rooms over the break. Finally broke down the twins' cribs into day beds and moved around dressers and bookshelves between their room and their brother's. The best part was my daughter before bed time looking up at me and saying, "Thank you, daddy, for making us big kid beds."

I also want to find whoever invented Allen wrenches and punch him (or her) really hard in the face.

ImLawBoy wrote: ↑Tue Jan 02, 2018 11:29 am I also want to find whoever invented Allen wrenches and punch him (or her) really hard in the face.

One of the side benefits of my past obsession with hobby level radio control cars is that I bought some great tools, including rounded allen head screwdrivers that do a great job where those little damn wrenches would make you want to punch something in the head. The ball end allows them to be used at an angle to the hex nut and being a screwdriver loses some torque advantage but makes up for it in convenience. If necessary you can switch back to the allen key (and possibly a hammer) to torque it down or get it loosened.

A google search tells me they are "Ball End Hex Drivers" which seems like a reasonable name.

coopasonic wrote: ↑Tue Jan 02, 2018 11:38 am A google search tells me they are "Ball End Hex Drivers" which seems like a reasonable name.

Nice try. There's no way I'm being tricked into googling that.

Ball end allen wrenches will give you back the lost torque.

Harbor Freight.

The T-handles might do a decent job of splitting the difference.

Holman wrote: ↑Tue Jan 02, 2018 1:35 pm

coopasonic wrote: ↑Tue Jan 02, 2018 11:38 am A google search tells me they are "Ball End Hex Drivers" which seems like a reasonable name.

Nice try. There's no way I'm being tricked into googling that.

Just don't search for a used set...

If I can't jam it into my chuck, I don't want it.

Life in the middle of nowhere. I have two packages to return, one to Amazon, one to Comcast. Both involve pre-printed UPS shipping labels.

No place around here takes UPS.

I contact Comcast. They tell me I can take it to a UPS store. That's a 50-mile round trip. Are they volunteering the gas?

Oh, well then you can take it to the nearest XFinity store.

That's twice as far.

https://wwwapps.ups.com/pickup/schedule?loc=en_US

There may be a charge or they may not like your location, but it's probably worth checking to see if it is cheaper than your other options.

I'll trade you my 10 minute ride to a UPS drop-off spot for your Comcast. Definitely look into the UPS pickup. I'm sure it'll be worth whatever the small fee is. Or spawn camp your next Amazon delivery and beg the driver for help.

omg Oreo thin mints are awesome

Walmart releases top-selling products in each state for 2017

Sure, I totally believe that the Ghost in the Shell DVD was the top selling item in WalMarts in Connecticut in 2017. That totally makes sense.

Apparently pencils are too sharp for Alabamians.

Tennessee is buying game discs for a system that was discontinued 18 months ago.

Moliere wrote: ↑Fri Jan 05, 2018 9:07 am Walmart releases top-selling products in each state for 2017

Spoiler:

Alabama: Crayons
Alaska: RV & marine antifreeze
Arizona: L.O.L. Surprise! Dolls
Arkansas: Chocolate
California: Protein powder
Colorado: Peanut M&Ms
Connecticut: "Ghost in the Shell" DVD
Delaware: Spiced jelly candy
Florida: Sparkling cider
Georgia: Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Chairs
Hawaii: Barbie farmer doll
Idaho: My Little Pony mini-collection
Illinois: Erasers
Indiana: Instant coffee
Iowa: Water-softening crystals
Kansas: Ozark Trail tumblers
Kentucky: 4-by-6 photo prints
Louisiana: Root beer extract
Maine: Brownies
Maryland: Glue sticks
Massachusetts: Refrigerators
Michigan: Lavender-scented cleaning products
Minnesota: Flamin’ Hot Cheetos
Mississippi: Oil-less fryer
Missouri: Life Savers
Montana: Madden NFL video games
Nebraska: Pressed makeup powder
Nevada: Dog treats
New Hampshire: Cinnamon-flavored toothpaste
New Jersey: Pool salt
New Mexico: Cat food
New York: Cheerios
North Carolina: Mayonnaise
North Dakota: Watermelon-flavored gum
Ohio: Grape-flavored drink mix
Oklahoma: Barbecue sauce
Oregon: Humidifiers
Pennsylvania: Plastic hangers
Rhode Island: Christmas lights
South Carolina: Coin banks
South Dakota: Orange juice
Tennessee: Disney Infinity Power Discs
Texas: TV wall mounts
Utah: Personal travel care kits
Vermont: Sweet canned corn
Virginia: Coolers
Washington, D.C.: Great Value French Fried Onions
Washington State: Vanilla frosting
West Virginia: My Life As Dolls
Wisconsin: Green Bay Packers bath mat
Wyoming: Flannel shirts

Those aren't the actual "top sellers" -- they were deemed the most "interesting" among the top 25 sellers for each state. If the list seems weird, then it's working as intended.

Ohhh, it's also Walmart.com - not the brick and mortar stores. That makes it quite a bit different.

Baby Jesus was not in my bread! I don't have to make tamales! This is good because I don't know how to make tamales.