Post a bad thing that happened in your life today

[NYCat]

2 hours ago, Bryan said:

We've just returned from our elder son's house. where we used the bath then found water dripping through the lounge ceiling ! I drilled a hole to let the water flow but couldn't identify the source of the leak. He'll have to get a plumber to lift floorboards and investigate. 

 

Then we both came down with what I think was Norovirus, sickness and diaorrhoea.   It's good for losing weight !

 

Not the best of trips !

 

Oh no. I hope you are feeling better. I'll be OK through Sunday but I keep trying to think of where I can go and enjoy myself and have a bathroom available after the weekend. I am near the lovely Rubin Museum but it is not open Mon - Wed. I need to take it a day at a time. Of course, if necessary, I can ask the workman to leave the bathroom for a bit. And at least two neighbors are likely to be fine with a visit from me.

 

Paulette

[Betty LaRue]

21 minutes ago, NYCat said:

 

Oh no. I hope you are feeling better. I'll be OK through Sunday but I keep trying to think of where I can go and enjoy myself and have a bathroom available after the weekend. I am near the lovely Rubin Museum but it is not open Mon - Wed. I need to take it a day at a time. Of course, if necessary, I can ask the workman to leave the bathroom for a bit. And at least two neighbors are likely to be fine with a visit from me.

 

Paulette

So sorry you must be inconvenienced like that, Paulette. A real bummer.

[NYCat]

1 hour ago, Betty LaRue said:

So sorry you must be inconvenienced like that, Paulette. A real bummer.

 

Thank you, Betty. When this sort of thing is bothering me I say "It's not cancer." Just a reminder that I have had worse problems. I know you understand.

 

Paulette

[Betty LaRue]

2 hours ago, NYCat said:

 

Thank you, Betty. When this sort of thing is bothering me I say "It's not cancer." Just a reminder that I have had worse problems. I know you understand.

 

Paulette

Yes, I do. These annoyances eventually pass. Like my upstairs bathroom & lower floor flood. In my rear-view mirror now.

[NYCat]

So my kind neighbor had told me she was leaving Sunday and returning Wednesday late night. I thought that had me covered for 3 days of access to her bathroom. Well her flight was cancelled and the trip is not happening. Somehow, she never let me know. So at 7AM I was at her door in my robe with my towel. I couldn’t open it because the top lock was on and I don’t have that key. She had been asleep but woke up, let me in and told me to go ahead while she went back to bed. I did get my shower but don’t understand why she didn’t let me know. The lead pan in my shower was put in on Friday but they need to test it and don't work on the weekend so it is happening today. The plumber arrived at 8:30 and put water in the lead pan. Someone will come back later to see if it has leaked. No idea what time but probably not until the afternoon. So whatever happens with the lead pan there won’t be any tiling started until tomorrow. Feeling somewhat stressed. It's not cancer.

 

Paulette
 

[Dave Richards]

Feeling a bit glum today. Our eldest son and his partner relocated to Northern Ireland just over a year ago and we visited them last weekend. Hard leaving when we had to return home on Monday. 🙁

Renewed car insurance today. Price jacked up a lot but I believe it's the same with most, if not all, other insurers. 😠

[Bryan]

6 hours ago, Dave Richards said:

Feeling a bit glum today. Our eldest son and his partner relocated to Northern Ireland just over a year ago and we visited them last weekend. Hard leaving when we had to return home on Monday. 🙁

Renewed car insurance today. Price jacked up a lot but I believe it's the same with most, if not all, other insurers. 😠

Yup our car insurance premium has also leapt up, despite no claims or change of circumstances. I was motivated to do some research and found that the increase was actually less then most folk are having to deal with.  Just wondering how many train/taxi fares I could cover with the annual cost of running a car, i.e. depreciation, fuel,  MOT/servicing/repairs, and insurance etc  At some point we will probably get rid, but at present the wave of transport related strikes make that option unattractive.

[spacecadet]

19 hours ago, Bryan said:

how many train/taxi fares I could cover

The one thing you can't cover is needing transport NOW. You never know what's coming down the pike.

[Betty LaRue]

On 02/10/2023 at 09:16, NYCat said:

So my kind neighbor had told me she was leaving Sunday and returning Wednesday late night. I thought that had me covered for 3 days of access to her bathroom. Well her flight was cancelled and the trip is not happening. Somehow, she never let me know. So at 7AM I was at her door in my robe with my towel. I couldn’t open it because the top lock was on and I don’t have that key. She had been asleep but woke up, let me in and told me to go ahead while she went back to bed. I did get my shower but don’t understand why she didn’t let me know. The lead pan in my shower was put in on Friday but they need to test it and don't work on the weekend so it is happening today. The plumber arrived at 8:30 and put water in the lead pan. Someone will come back later to see if it has leaked. No idea what time but probably not until the afternoon. So whatever happens with the lead pan there won’t be any tiling started until tomorrow. Feeling somewhat stressed. It's not cancer.

 

Paulette
 

Has the issue resolved, Paulette? Is your own shower fixed?

[NYCat]

3 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

Has the issue resolved, Paulette? Is your own shower fixed?

 

Maybe by the end of the day today. I stopped writing about it here because the whole thing had started to bore me. My neighbor has been wonderful about letting me know when she's out and now she's away until tomorrow afternoon. So I have been able to shower across the hall and this morning I could even do it first thing in the morning, as I prefer. I haven't run into anybody as I've walked across in my robe and slippers, carrying a towel. The work on the shower was delayed three times because of the plumbers. One day my guy was furious at them and got on the phone with the contractor and carried on a bit in either Bosnian, Croatian or Serbian. I had to look up what language is spoken in Sarajevo and, apparently, it can be any of the three. This is the 9th day of not having a proper bathroom and sometimes I've been stressed out about it. I do like a peaceful home.

 

Paulette

[Allan Bell]

19 minutes ago, NYCat said:

 

Maybe by the end of the day today. I stopped writing about it here because the whole thing had started to bore me. My neighbor has been wonderful about letting me know when she's out and now she's away until tomorrow afternoon. So I have been able to shower across the hall and this morning I could even do it first thing in the morning, as I prefer. I haven't run into anybody as I've walked across in my robe and slippers, carrying a towel. The work on the shower was delayed three times because of the plumbers. One day my guy was furious at them and got on the phone with the contractor and carried on a bit in either Bosnian, Croatian or Serbian. I had to look up what language is spoken in Sarajevo and, apparently, it can be any of the three. This is the 9th day of not having a proper bathroom and sometimes I've been stressed out about it. I do like a peaceful home.

 

Paulette

 

 

I think we can all appreciate that feeling.

 

Allan

 

[Bryan]

8 hours ago, spacecadet said:

The one thing you can't cover is needing transport NOW. You never know what's coming down the pike.

I think that I know what is coming down the pike long term Mark, but at some time before that I will be considered unfit/unsafe to drive. 

 

We've discussed going carless, and it won't be problem free, so we will probably hang on to our aged motor for the foreseeable future, while trying to minimise its use. 

 

Just driven home from Leeds in torrential rain, not much pleasure in that, while last week I actually achieved an on time, uncancelled, ride on a Transpennine train - that's one success out of three attempts with that company.

[NYCat]

10 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

Has the issue resolved, Paulette? Is your own shower fixed?

 

Tomorrow is the big day. Everything except putting up the doors is done! I can have a morning shower across the hall and Sunday in my very own place.

 

Paulette

[Betty LaRue]

13 hours ago, NYCat said:

 

Tomorrow is the big day. Everything except putting up the doors is done! I can have a morning shower across the hall and Sunday in my very own place.

 

Paulette

Happy for you. The work ethic of the crew is horrible. Around here, when someone only has one bathroom, the work is treated as an emergency & done quickly, even on weekends. When I was having renovations done 5 years ago, even though I had a full bath next door to my bedroom, my master bath was gutted one day and rebuilt the next, except for the tiled floor done the next day. That included new cabinets, countertop, stool, (stool set after floor was done), & shower, tile & all, with a tiled sit-down bench in the shower. (That bench sure came in handy after my back surgery)  I waited one or two days before I could use the shower, but because I had to wait a day to walk on the newly tiled floor it was a moot point. So something like 4 days the shower was out of use.

 

IMO I think your problem is with your landlord being too cheap to hire a reputable plumber. He saved money by hiring foreigners who work on the cheap & who knows, may not even have valid plumbers’ licenses in the USA. Why else would the shower pan, replaced a couple of years ago, fail, if it were done right the first time? Of course, I could be totally wrong.

Sorry for the rant but it just makes me furious by how inconvenienced you’ve been, my friend.

I wonder how long it will be before the new shower pan fails?

[NYCat]

I have my shower today! I don't think it is the landlord's fault. His workers will come on weekends but plumbers (who probably have a union) will not. We are using a big plumbing company that has it's headquarters out of Manhattan. We used to have a really nice plumber and his assistant. He was a great guy and was our super for a while. Now it is all impersonal with the big company. Our foreigners here in NYC come from around the world. Our landlord hires a lot of people from the former Yugoslavia and they are great. When I am getting medical care I sometimes wonder what we would do without our Asians, who are also wonderful. Most of the medical technicians are Asian. I am not a fan of that big plumbing company.

 

A friend of mine has a house on Long Island and she got an entirely new bathroom in one day. I see that advertised on TV. I wonder if it is achievable in a Manhattan apartment.

 

Our Yugoslavian contractor called me at end of this Saturday to see if I am happy with my shower. Yes. Definitely happy. 

 

Paulette

Edited October 7, 2023 by NYCat

[Mr Standfast]

All our ancestors were foreigners. Just sayin...

 

In other news...John Lewis is selling Xmas trees! 

[Michael Ventura]

22 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

He saved money by hiring foreigners who work on the cheap & who knows, may not even have valid plumbers’ licenses in the USA.

 

Not sure what you mean by "foreigners", around here, nearly all the trade workers are immigrants...either recent immigrants or a generation or two away from coming to the USA.  I am a first generation American.  I would only hire people who are licensed and insured.   Last year I hired a Latino guy to redo my driveway and build a retaining wall, I asked him for proof of work license and proof of insurance and he provided it.  He was far cheaper than others, who provided a quote, and the work was excellent.

[spacecadet]

On 06/10/2023 at 22:15, Bryan said:

I think that I know what is coming down the pike

OH smashed her elbow coming off her bike in Trier last month.  Care was exemplary there, but here, there are clinics, appointments, and so on in great profusion.  We have such good public transport that I haven't had to drive her at all. You would probably not be in that position.

One second, on our way to the wine stand. The next, a fortnight in hospital.  That sort of "coming down the pike".

[spacecadet]

46 minutes ago, Michael Ventura said:

Not sure what you mean by "foreigners"

Pretty sure I can work out what's meant there.

[Bryan]

21 minutes ago, spacecadet said:

OH smashed her elbow coming off her bike in Trier last month.  Care was exemplary there, but here, there are clinics, appointments, and so on in great profusion.  We have such good public transport that I haven't had to drive her at all. You would probably not be in that position.

One second, on our way to the wine stand. The next, a fortnight in hospital.  That sort of "coming down the pike".

Hope she makes a swift recovery !  My missus once fell off her bike in France and damaged her hand. It wasn't thought serious at the time, but she now has a slightly crooked little finger, I recall that an obliging jeweller cut off her rings, as her fingers has swollen, but wouldn't accept any payment.

 

More memories. We once cycled from Koblenz to Trier and back, lots of vineyards along the valley and lovely old villages. My background screen on the PC shows a ferry coming along the Moselle with a castle in the background, taken back in the days of film.  I also recall torrential rain in Koblenz, so we grabbed the opportunity to shelter in a laundrette and wash some of our clothes.  Happy days.

[Rebecca Ore]

5 hours ago, Mr Standfast said:

All our ancestors were foreigners. Just sayin...

 

In other news...John Lewis is selling Xmas trees! 

 

And Walmart in Managua.  Nicaragua doesn't have Thanksgiving,so once the July festivals are over, it's time to start selling Christmas. 

 

Meanwhile, no water at the house for a number of days.   Sent laundry to the country with Luis.   We're supposedly going to have partial water back by Monday.   All convenience stores (around one such per block) sell bottled water at all times. 

 

Some of the local plumbers are very good.  My landlord does it cheap, so I've learned to hire someone and pay for a faucet that can have the washers changed.

[Betty LaRue]

6 hours ago, Michael Ventura said:

 

Not sure what you mean by "foreigners", around here, nearly all the trade workers are immigrants...either recent immigrants or a generation or two away from coming to the USA.  I am a first generation American.  I would only hire people who are licensed and insured.   Last year I hired a Latino guy to redo my driveway and build a retaining wall, I asked him for proof of work license and proof of insurance and he provided it.  He was far cheaper than others, who provided a quote, and the work was excellent.

In Oklahoma City, a Mexican crew put on a new roof for us & their work ethic was superior. They were used to very hot weather, & worked right on through the heat of the day.

What I meant, Michael, I that new people do come into the country & it is a fact that in some instances, Americans crew bosses hire them because they work for cut rate prices. How does that crew boss know what their credentials are in their old country, on their say so? If they didn’t have certificates with them, you think they’d be turned down?  And I would imagine some error-prone work is forgiven by boss-man because they work so cheap.

My white roofing owner (we were friends of a sort) actually told me that was what was being done, and that was 25 years ago. He said it was the bottom line quote to the homeowner or insurance company that counted, an if he didn’t do it like everyone else in the business, the other companies would undercut him & he’d lose business. 

The problem for me is I couldn’t communicate with the crew, who spoke no English. So when they climbed my peach tree at lunch & stripped it of my peaches, I could only stand out there, shake my head & glare at them. It didn’t work.

I did feel sorry for the previous crew that worked on my roof because they lost their jobs. That crew cleaned up their mess. The latter one left nails everywhere & some shingle bundle papers blown against the fence. I had to get hold of the owner to get it cleaned up. After my flat tire. My main nit is the lack of being able to communicate.  
I had my roof again destroyed by hail after moving to Wichita. That crew was also Hispanic, but one man spoke English, the way it should be, so I communicated with him. “Would y’all like some iced tea?” He said yes & everyone scrambled down. They also left my property spotless.

Yes…I live in hail country, so quite often have new roofs or repairs.

[Rebecca Ore]

21 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

In Oklahoma City, a Mexican crew put on a new roof for us & their work ethic was superior. They were used to very hot weather, & worked right on through the heat of the day.

What I meant, Michael, I that new people do come into the country & it is a fact that in some instances, Americans crew bosses hire them because they work for cut rate prices. How does that crew boss know what their credentials are in their old country, on their say so? If they didn’t have certificates with them, you think they’d be turned down?  And I would imagine some error-prone work is forgiven by boss-man because they work so cheap.

My white roofing owner (we were friends of a sort) actually told me that was what was being done, and that was 25 years ago. He said it was the bottom line quote to the homeowner or insurance company that counted, an if he didn’t do it like everyone else in the business, the other companies would undercut him & he’d lose business. 

The problem for me is I couldn’t communicate with the crew, who spoke no English. So when they climbed my peach tree at lunch & stripped it of my peaches, I could only stand out there, shake my head & glare at them. It didn’t work.

I did feel sorry for the previous crew that worked on my roof because they lost their jobs. That crew cleaned up their mess. The latter one left nails everywhere & some shingle bundle papers blown against the fence. I had to get hold of the owner to get it cleaned up. After my flat tire. My main nit is the lack of being able to communicate.  
I had my roof again destroyed by hail after moving to Wichita. That crew was also Hispanic, but one man spoke English, the way it should be, so I communicated with him. “Would y’all like some iced tea?” He said yes & everyone scrambled down. They also left my property spotless.

Yes…I live in hail country, so quite often have new roofs or repairs.

 

"No" is "No" in both languages, just a bit more like "Noh" in Spanish.   Shaking finger at people is the scolding sign.   Also, a lot of jobs here feed people when they work 8 or 9 hour days or nights.   My British friend lets her housekeeper cook whatever she wants with my friend's ingredients.    Luis harvests all he mangos that fall into my yard from the neighbor's tree, and included some chopped greenish ones in a salsa preparation that grew vinegar mothers. 

 

Also, plenty of people will understand some English.  I have had "who gets to practice which language" discussions with the local coffee shop.  

[Betty LaRue]

1 hour ago, Rebecca Ore said:

 

"No" is "No" in both languages, just a bit more like "Noh" in Spanish.   Shaking finger at people is the scolding sign.   Also, a lot of jobs here feed people when they work 8 or 9 hour days or nights.   My British friend lets her housekeeper cook whatever she wants with my friend's ingredients.    Luis harvests all he mangos that fall into my yard from the neighbor's tree, and included some chopped greenish ones in a salsa preparation that grew vinegar mothers. 

 

Also, plenty of people will understand some English.  I have had "who gets to practice which language" discussions with the local coffee shop.  

My neighbors in Oklahoma City were great. He spoke English but she didn’t. But she made us tamales as a gift & I made desserts for them, the husband was the go-between.

We had neighbors two houses down, she was a registered nurse & a good person. But her son began hanging with a bad guy & got into trouble, drugs. The Hispanic neighbor caught the boys trying to steal his lawn mower at 2 a.m. to get drug money. He had a gun, but only brandished it & told the teens to get out, then later informed his mom. She eventually moved to get her son away from the bad influences.  That seldom works. He had established his lifestyle and was about 17 by then.

When he was around 12, I paid him to model for me once. Indoors & outdoors. He was a sweet, shy kid & took directions well. He never later tried to steal from us because we were friends. Our mower sat outside (covered) behind an unlocked gate.

The funny thing was my neighbor raised Fancy pigeons in a coop in his back yard. It was their squawking that made the guy get out of bed & catch the boys.
Here in Wichita, the teens travel in groups of 2-4 & break into cars that aren’t garaged. So many have doorbell cameras & film them. Obvious they are kids in hoodies.

Before I knew the neighbor had these pigeons, this one showed up & I caught it perched on my window sill. I did everything trying to find the owner when he was just across the street! 😆 Here it is inside one of our Gray’s outdoor cage.

After I knew…

Edited October 9, 2023 by Betty LaRue

[Bryan]

12 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

My neighbors in Oklahoma City were great. He spoke English but she didn’t. But she made us tamales as a gift & I made desserts for them, the husband was the go-between.

We had neighbors two houses down, she was a registered nurse & a good person. But her son began hanging with a bad guy & got into trouble, drugs. The Hispanic neighbor caught the boys trying to steal his lawn mower at 2 a.m. to get drug money. He had a gun, but only brandished it & told the teens to get out, then later informed his mom. She eventually moved to get her son away from the bad influences.  That seldom works. He had established his lifestyle and was about 17 by then.

When he was around 12, I paid him to model for me once. Indoors & outdoors. He was a sweet, shy kid & took directions well. He never later tried to steal from us because we were friends.

I guess I grew up in gentler times. We lived on a council estate where nobody had any real money, but crime was very rare and drug usage not an issue. I had a happy childhood. There were no cars, the streets were our playground.

 

Where we live now at one point we had an African lady living next door and an Indian family, who are still our friends as well as our neighbours. We did have a difficult British born guy next door for while, but, fortunately, he moved away.  I hope that I don't live to regret saying this, but we've very little trouble in these parts, one of the kid's bikes was pinched many years ago, but nothing since.  When we moved in to what was a new development most houses contained families with young children. They have now flown their nests so we are mainly an older, dare I say elderly,  community. Our lads still maintain friendships with some of our neighbours' children, despite living many miles apart.  We have some of the lowest house prices in the UK here, but I'm very happy with my surroundings.