Post a bad thing that happened in your life today

[Steve F]

1 hour ago, Ed Rooney said:

My attempt to move to a different studio flat has fallen apart. I’ve been in this building with the fire alarm going off and this badly designed flat with its tiny kitchen and wheelchair bathroom for 18 months now. I’ve never been late paying my rent and I’ve not gotten into any drunken brawls in the hallway or the lobby. I assumed my perfect record was enough to guarantee an easy okay in changing apartments. I was wrong. My letting agency has added another thick, pointless layer of bureaucratic BS to the mix. 

 

I was supposed to fill out a seven-page questionnaire, giving all my personal information to another company, a third party. I told my agency to forget it, and I withdrew my bid and the notice of leaving the flat I’m in. 

 

Today, I went over to the building I was hoping to move into and copied down the names of four other rental agencies that are on signs at the entrance. Maybe I can make something happen with one of them. 

 

Ed, good luck. Renting can be a real hassle...!

[Steve F]

Just now, Marianne said:

 

Good luck with the camera. If you'd had a backup with you, it could've meant two repairs.... ask if they do rush repairs for pros. Nikon did that for me once long ago - less than a week vs. a few weeks. 

 

Great, my plan of having no backup camera has been vindicated!! 😅 I'll see how much they charge. Currently saving up for a house at the moment......

[Betty LaRue]

On 09/05/2021 at 16:24, Steve F said:

 

Well, the Timpson's soles are very hard, but those wet floors were lethal. The architect has picked an indoor tile for what is essentially an outside area...

My daughter did the same thing. But no backpack. Her husband found a job in another state. She flew up to house hunt. At the end of the rainy day, he let her off in front of the hotel door. Her feet went out from under her in the wet entry. She hit on her bottom, and didn’t think she was hurt. 2 days later, on the plane back, her back seized up. She didn’t connect it to the fall. It continued, over the next couple of years, to go downhill until she had to have a spinal fusion. One night she had an epiphany and realized it was from the fall. The fusion didn’t help, and now she goes to a pain clinic to manage her severe pain. A life changed forever. 
Tiles should never be of the smooth variety in any place that will collect rain or snow. I had rough ones installed in my kitchen because sometimes a few inadvertent drips will do you in. My sister had the smooth ones installed in her kitchen and she slipped and broke her arm.

Edited May 11, 2021 by Betty LaRue

[Betty LaRue]

7 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

My attempt to move to a different studio flat has fallen apart. I’ve been in this building with the fire alarm going off and this badly designed flat with its tiny kitchen and wheelchair bathroom for 18 months now. I’ve never been late paying my rent and I’ve not gotten into any drunken brawls in the hallway or the lobby. I assumed my perfect record was enough to guarantee an easy okay in changing apartments. I was wrong. My letting agency has added another thick, pointless layer of bureaucratic BS to the mix. 

 

I was supposed to fill out a seven-page questionnaire, giving all my personal information to another company, a third party. I told my agency to forget it, and I withdrew my bid and the notice of leaving the flat I’m in. 

 

Today, I went over to the building I was hoping to move into and copied down the names of four other rental agencies that are on signs at the entrance. Maybe I can make something happen with one of them. 

What’s the deal with you being treated that way? Is there no heart for seniors? It seems there should be an advocate who could cut through that c**p.

[Steve F]

4 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

My daughter did the same thing. But no backpack. Her husband found a job in another state. She flew up to house hunt. At the end of the rainy day, he let her off in front of the hotel door. Her feet went out from under her in the wet entry. She hit on her bottom, and didn’t think she was hurt. 2 days later, on the plane back, her back seized up. She didn’t connect it to the fall. It continued, over the next couple of years, to go downhill until she had to have a spinal fusion. One night she had an epiphany and realized it was from the fall. The fusion didn’t help, and now she goes to a pain clinic to manage her severe pain. A life changed forever. 
Tiles should never be of the smooth variety in any place that will collect rain or snow. I had rough ones installed in my kitchen because sometimes a few inadvertent drips will do you in. My sister had the smooth ones installed in her kitchen and she slipped and broke her arm.

 

Betty, wow, so sorry to hear about your daughter. Now I'm nervous. I played squash yesterday and everything seems to be ok, can just feel a slight ache from the fall.

 

Think I'll write to Reading station and complain, it's ridiculous.

[Ed Rooney]

Out here in Nomadland, bureaucracy has gotten out of control. A principal of British law is you're innocent until proven guilty. Yet I'm being required to prove my innocence in order to qualify for shelter. I had trouble in Mexico, Canada, Spain, and Ireland too. Even with my Irish passport, they danced me around in circles.

 

That's an awful story about your daughter, Betty. It makes my problems seems so trivial.

 

The NHS has been on my side from the start, but they have been a little busy with some annoying bug of late. Am I going to have to find a lawyer (called a solicitor here)? Maybe. For the time being, I will adjust to the situation I have with the fire alarm, tiny kitchen, and odd bathroom. I have, after all, been living here for a year and a half.

 

Steve, where you doing any dance steps at the train station?  

Edited May 11, 2021 by Ed Rooney

[Allan Bell]

7 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

Out here in Nomadland, bureaucracy has gotten out of control. A principal of British law is you're innocent until proven guilty. Yet I'm being required to prove my innocence in order to qualify for shelter. I had trouble in Mexico, Canada, Spain, and Ireland too. Even with my Irish passport, they danced me around in circles.

 

That's an awful story about your daughter, Betty. It makes my problems seems so trivial.

 

The NHS has been on my side from the start, but they have been a little busy with some annoying bug of late. Am I going to have to find a lawyer (called a solicitor here)? Maybe. For the time being, I will adjust to the situation I have with the fire alarm, tiny kitchen, and odd bathroom. I have, after all, been living here for a year and a half.

 

Steve, where you doing any dance steps at the train station?  

 

Pity you can't disarm the alarm. (NOTE: Not advocating that you do it) Just disable the false alarms.

 

Allan

 

[Betty LaRue]

8 hours ago, Steve F said:

 

Betty, wow, so sorry to hear about your daughter. Now I'm nervous. I played squash yesterday and everything seems to be ok, can just feel a slight ache from the fall.

 

Think I'll write to Reading station and complain, it's ridiculous.

It always pays to have something to back you up. Like the phone number of a witness, or a complaint to management at the time. I worked in a Workman’s Comp insurance division for a few years, and my husband was a safety inspector during his career. My mind always goes to safety issues.

Had my daughter brought her fall to the attention of the hotel people, she might have had her medical expenses that her insurance didn’t cover (deductibles) paid for. She’s had 15 years of treatment, and that will continue the rest of her life. They have spent thousands out of pocket in deductibles.

I’m not advocating suing at the drop of a hat. I am advocating to make it known to whomever is at fault when you suffer an accident due to someone else’s negligence. The complaint, then, is on the record, and if something bad happens to you as a result, you have options.

Edited May 11, 2021 by Betty LaRue

[Betty LaRue]

9 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

hat's an awful story about your daughter, Betty. It makes my problems seems so trivial.

 

No one’s problems are trivial. That would mean because of the genocide in World War II, the fact that someone who lost a leg in the war had a trivial happening.

We all own our problems and to us, they sometimes loom large and affect our whole way of life and our peace of mind.  I’ve been sympathetic to the many hurdles in your path from the NYC fire onward. Frankly, I don’t know how you’ve managed to withstand them. I might have crumbled long ago. Sharing them with us at least gives you an outlet.

During my caregiving time, my sister was going through much of what I was. Many times one of us would call the other, crying, to vent. By the end of our talk, we’d be laughing together. I’m really not sure if I’d have made it through without that connection and emotional release.

I know you’re a tough guy, and like some of us, independent and loathe to ask for help. An ear is easy to lend.

[Steve F]

On 09/05/2021 at 23:24, MDM said:

 

I prefer to hand in and collect it as well. I am only 45 mins from London on the East Coast Line and if I travel off-peak it is too bad for a day return with tube. I should say my last trip to London was before the pandemic. I don't know if you need to make an appointment now. It used to be you just drop in, including sensor cleans.  Check the website before you go. They are very accommodating. 

So I had my daytrip to London. 3 hours door to door, not bad from Basingstoke!! I kept walking past all these pubs with people sitting outside in the sunshine whilst I'm walking past hot and thirsty. And I kept seeing all these things I wanted to photograph - guess I'll treat it as a scouting trip!

 

Thanks again for the tip. They're giving me a quote in 2 days, they were very professional.

[Steve F]

3 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

It always pays to have something to back you up. Like the phone number of a witness, or a complaint to management at the time. I worked in a Workman’s Comp insurance division for a few years, and my husband was a safety inspector during his career. My mind always goes to safety issues.

Had my daughter brought her fall to the attention of the hotel people, she might have had her medical expenses that her insurance didn’t cover (deductibles) paid for. She’s had 15 years of treatment, and that will continue the rest of her life. They have spent thousands out of pocket in deductibles.

I’m not advocating suing at the drop of a hat. I am advocating to make it known to whomever is at fault when you suffer an accident due to someone else’s negligence. The complaint, then, is on the record, and if something bad happens to you as a result, you have options.

 

I didn't think of that at the time (because that sort of thing never happens to me (until it does!!)). Was too busy checking I had all my limbs and fingers and toes etc... Kind of wish I was traveling with someone I knew now...

 

Guess they may have me on CCTV, my brother wants to see the clip for some reason....

[Bryan]

On 10/05/2021 at 22:20, Marianne said:

 

If you have Amazon and/or Netflix you can stream directly onto your laptop without the need for anything other than a WiFi connection. I wonder if one of those Amazon Fire devices (which bring in way more than just Amazon & Netflix, including some free channels) that plug into your TV via a usb port work with your computer? We just got one (for our TV) to replace a Sony streaming box (about 5 years old) that was no longer supported by Amazon and Netflix. Amazon gave me a coupon so I could get it for free. And of course a couple of months of BritBox subscription & they've made back the coupon. I love British tv dramas. 

Thanks Marianne, but we don't subscribe to either Amazon or Netflix, we just pay the BBC licence fee. Plus the WIFI on campsites is normally very limited. You can stream stuff early in the morning before the world has woken up, but not during the day.  We just use it for the news, weather and e-mail etc, but that's stuff that we can do on the smartphone. I need a gadget that can take a signal through a conventional aerial and convert it into a live TV programme on a laptop, but I don't think that they make them anymore.  Boringly, I watch virtually no drama, but I like to see the documentaries and similar, with a particular passion for The Repair Shop, which might not have escaped from the UK as yet?

[Marianne]

16 minutes ago, Bryan said:

Thanks Marianne, but we don't subscribe to either Amazon or Netflix, we just pay the BBC licence fee. Plus the WIFI on campsites is normally very limited. You can stream stuff early in the morning before the world has woken up, but not during the day.  We just use it for the news, weather and e-mail etc, but that's stuff that we can do on the smartphone. I need a gadget that can take a signal through a conventional aerial and convert it into a live TV programme on a laptop, but I don't think that they make them anymore.  Boringly, I watch virtually no drama, but I like to see the documentaries and similar, with a particular passion for The Repair Shop, which might not have escaped from the UK as yet?

 

I don't know about an aerial to laptop - I know my daughter got a flat aerial setup for her TV which saves a lot. We got a great deal on our cell phones and hugely reduced home internet/TV bill, saving us over $3,000 a year by switching to our current cable provider, so we didn't opt for the aerial, as you can't get home internet where we live unless you buy a TV package to go with it.  With my husband working from home for over a year now, it's a good thing we have a strong internet signal. I think there are little dohickeys you can but to strengthen the internet signal, but maybe that's only if you have a cable/wire connection and not wifi - but you should check. It would be nice if you could boost the campsite wifi.

 

Maybe @gvallee Gen can recommend something when she's back as she also lives on the road - how cool that must be! I'm jealous of you both!

Edited May 12, 2021 by Marianne

[Mr Standfast]

20 minutes ago, Bryan said:

Thanks Marianne, but we don't subscribe to either Amazon or Netflix, we just pay the BBC licence fee. Plus the WIFI on campsites is normally very limited. You can stream stuff early in the morning before the world has woken up, but not during the day.  We just use it for the news, weather and e-mail etc, but that's stuff that we can do on the smartphone. I need a gadget that can take a signal through a conventional aerial and convert it into a live TV programme on a laptop, but I don't think that they make them anymore.  Boringly, I watch virtually no drama, but I like to see the documentaries and similar, with a particular passion for The Repair Shop, which might not have escaped from the UK as yet?

 

Repair Shop is worth the licence fee!

[gvallee]

3 hours ago, Marianne said:

 

I don't know about an aerial to laptop - I know my daughter got a flat aerial setup for her TV which saves a lot. We got a great deal on our cell phones and hugely reduced home internet/TV bill, saving us over $3,000 a year by switching to our current cable provider, so we didn't opt for the aerial, as you can't get home internet where we live unless you buy a TV package to go with it.  With my husband working from home for over a year now, it's a good thing we have a strong internet signal. I think there are little dohickeys you can but to strengthen the internet signal, but maybe that's only if you have a cable/wire connection and not wifi - but you should check. It would be nice if you could boost the campsite wifi.

 

Maybe @gvallee Gen can recommend something when she's back as she also lives on the road - how cool that must be! I'm jealous of you both!

 

 

Sorry Marianne, I can't help. We didn't watch TV at home (when we had a home), so we didn't have one installed in our motorhome. The guy who did the motorhome conversion had to ask us twice to make sure he had understood correctly LOL!! We recently watched a classic Australian movie on my laptop via a free Netflix session. No more free sessions now. We only watched it because it was a piece of Australiana and it was raining. We see that other caravans and motorhomes have either a foldable roof arial or a satellite dish, and a TV set. Sometimes, they're able to take it outside under their awning. Thank you very much!! 👿 

 

For access to the internet, we have a Telstra dongle plugged into my laptop. We also use a Belong subscription for phones/tablets. We have a satellite phone for emergencies in places with no comms. So much technology on board! Oh yes, and an EPIRB (life saving device).

[Betty LaRue]

One of our fuel pipelines computer was hacked by a country unmentioned here, and shut down. It affected the east coast , not my area, and many gas stations in the east have run out of gasoline. While my area has plenty, I needed a fill-up anyway, and fuel prices are skyrocketing...a hike approaching double (in my area) from over a year ago. The newspaper said it’s the highest per gallon it’s been since 2014.  I filled up before it got even higher.

The hack has been fixed, but the fuel only travels in the pipeline about 5mph, so it’ll take awhile.

Sometimes I think computers doing what people used to do will be our ultimate downfall.

[meanderingemu]

9 minutes ago, Betty LaRue said:

 

Sometimes I think computers doing what people used to do will be our ultimate downfall.

 

Things people do, like carrying gasoline in plastic bags?  😉

[Phil Crean]

1 hour ago, meanderingemu said:

 

Things people do, like carrying gasoline in plastic bags?  😉

Just the other day I saw an iMAC wander down the road with a plastic bag full of gasoline! Strange I thought, don't they run on Diesel?🤔

Phil

 

[spacecadet]

On 11/05/2021 at 16:41, Betty LaRue said:

It always pays to have something to back you up. Like the phone number of a witness, or a complaint to management at the time. I worked in a Workman’s Comp insurance division for a few years, and my husband was a safety inspector during his career. My mind always goes to safety issues.

Had my daughter brought her fall to the attention of the hotel people, she might have had her medical expenses that her insurance didn’t cover (deductibles) paid for. She’s had 15 years of treatment, and that will continue the rest of her life. They have spent thousands out of pocket in deductibles.

I’m not advocating suing at the drop of a hat. I am advocating to make it known to whomever is at fault when you suffer an accident due to someone else’s negligence. The complaint, then, is on the record, and if something bad happens to you as a result, you have options.

 That may be useful for such thing as loss of income and damages, but NHS treatment is paid out of taxation- you don't have to sue just to pay for treatment, and you can't be bankrupted by medical bills either.

You should try it. As a country I mean.

[Allan Bell]

4 hours ago, Phil Crean said:

Just the other day I saw an iMAC wander down the road with a plastic bag full of gasoline! Strange I thought, don't they run on Diesel?🤔

Phil

 

 

iMacs' don't wander and, as you say, they don't run on Diesel but my how they gallop on electricity.

 

Allan

 

[Ed Rooney]

 

My building's fire alarm has gone off 3-more-times in the past 24-hours. The head of the building's management company (a nice young woman) told me the extensive system tests they did yesterday show no flaws in the system. They say the alarm is being set off by tenants cooking or burning incense.

 

I have no way of knowing what the truth is.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 14, 2021 by Ed Rooney

[Allan Bell]

1 hour ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

My building's fire alarm has gone off 3-more-times in the past 24-hours. The head of the building's management company (a nice young woman) told me the extensive system tests they did yesterday show no flaws in the system. They say the alarm is being set off by tenants cooking or burning incense.

 

I have no way of knowing what the truth is.

 

 

 

 

 

I believe you said a way back that you were being wakened by the alarm in the early morning. Surely people aren't cooking or burning incense then so it must be something else. Can you not impress that on them?

 

Allan

 

[MDM]

1 hour ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

My building's fire alarm has gone off 3-more-times in the past 24-hours. The head of the building's management company (a nice young woman) told me the extensive system tests they did yesterday show no flaws in the system. They say the alarm is being set off by tenants cooking or burning incense.

 

I have no way of knowing what the truth is.

 

 

 

 

 

That is nonsense and, if it were true, then it indicates the alarm is faulty in any case as cooking or incense burning could not set off a building alarm (a smoke alarm in an apartment perhaps but not a building alarm). Fire safety is actually a very serious and topical issue in apartment blocks - (Grenfell and the recent vote in Parliament to lay it on the apartment owners rather than the builders have made it a hot topic). You and the other tenants need to get on to the landlord to get it fixed as a serious safety issue as well as a terrible annoyance. I don't know anything about your legal rights and that would be a last resort but there are several Citizens Advice places in Liverpool which might be worth investigating.

Edited May 14, 2021 by MDM

[Betty LaRue]

Future news story

 

10 people lost their lives yesterday in an apartment building fire. Occupants of the building ignored the fire alarm because of numerous false alarms. Cause of fire under investigation, but the fire Marshall suspects the fire was started from a wiring short in the alarm system that caused the numerous false alarms.

[sb photos]

2 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

My building's fire alarm has gone off 3-more-times in the past 24-hours. The head of the building's management company (a nice young woman) told me the extensive system tests they did yesterday show no flaws in the system. They say the alarm is being set off by tenants cooking or burning incense.

 

I have no way of knowing what the truth is.

 

 

 

 

They are lying to you Ed. If the alarm has an intermittent fault and is tested while it is working properly it will pass diagnostics and tests. Also we have alarms/sensors in our hall and on the upstairs landing. We regularly have joss sticks burning in the hall under the sensor and it doesn’t trip the alarm. On the upstairs landing my wife using hair spray does set it off. The person you spoke to is either trying to pull the wool over your eyes or isn’t qualified. Hope you eventually get it sorted.