Post a bad thing that happened in your life today

[Ed Rooney]

As I said, I don't know what the cause or causes are. This alarm craziness has been going on for at least the past 18 months that I've been here. I don't want to go on a crusade in my senior years. I'm trying to live a simple, quiet life. What I want is to move out. Most of you will have read what happened with that. 

[Cecile Marion]

Wishing you the best, Ed, and hoping you’ll be able to soon move into a more suitable place. Making that happen is probably where I’d put my energies if I were in the same situation. Besides the crazy alarm situation, it sounds like there are other problems you’d also like to be rid of. But what a pain this alarm system seems to be!

[wiskerke]

6 hours ago, sb photos said:

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.

 

We once had a little spider in one of our sensors. Took us weeks to figure that one out. We suspected the neighboring cat first, because the first or second night after the alarm had been installed it had managed to sneak in during the daytime and had stayed out of sight when our wing in the building was closed for the night..

In the mean time we got penalties and even (temporarily) kicked out of the insurance.

That was after we had the alarm go off at half past ten each night because that was when the heating switched off and the curtains that hung over it began to sway. That took us a week to figure out.

This was a really expensive security firm with it's own alarm monitoring center.

After the spider we got thousands of euros computer damage from some punks that had broken in a couple of floors above us and had turned open the fire hoses. We had no sensors for water.

The good thing: the insurance paid for everything. Even for being a week out of business. And they sent in a salvage team.

Nobody ever tried to break into our wing. But I had to do the 3,3km / 2 miles by bike or car in record time many times because of all the alarms. After a while we divided alarm duty between two of us. This was a studio for traditional graphic arts and computer training center we had until in the end subsidies ran out after the dotcom bubble had burst.

 

Oh and the remedy: a can of compressed air for the smoke alarms.

 

wim

 

[sb photos]

I remember when back in the 80’s I worked for a service company with contracts with ICL, IBM, Sun Microsystems and more. Often when I was opening up, or sometimes just walking to the entrance, the alarms would go off. The clue to what was happening was the time. The heating was set to turn on just before staff arrived. It warmed up a hopper full of polystyrene chips hanging from a cord in the stores, so with heat and movement the alarm would go off. The simple fix was to ensure the stores staff lowered the hopper onto the floor before leaving. One morning I remember a police woman standing outside our entrance with the alarm going full pelt joking that we would have to stop meeting like this. In Ed’s case surely the alarm will indicate which sensor is being tripped, unless it’s the alarm electronics intermittently failing.

[gvallee]

When I was working in Paris for an investment bank, for several weeks regularly, an anonymous phone call was received with a bomb threat. By law, we had to evacuate each time. When did it happen? As regular as clockwork, on a Friday at 4pm...

 

 

[Betty LaRue]

I’ve had two packages of dried apricots in my pantry for awhile with the hopes of feeling like I could bear to stand in the kitchen long enough to make fried pies with them.  I decided I’d just do it. If I had to sit in the middle of it, I would.

I put the apricots in a pan, enough water to cover, and set them on simmer to soften.

Then I came in here to the forum. 😫

Scorched and ruined apricots. I should have set the timer. Now I have doors open to get rid of the smell, which is what alerted me!

I prefer fried apple pies, (so does my family) but I can’t find dried apples. I’ll look on Amazon.

[Cecile Marion]

I think Amazon has them, but you could also try a health food store or store like Whole Foods.

[RyanU]

Alamy released the new contributor contract

[Betty LaRue]

On 15/05/2021 at 12:52, Cecile Marion said:

I think Amazon has them, but you could also try a health food store or store like Whole Foods.

Yes, Amazon had them. Delivered to me in one day. Yippee.

[Allan Bell]

47 minutes ago, RyanU said:

Alamy released the new contributor contract

 

That goes for all the individual smaller contributor. Including ME.

 

Allan

 

[Colblimp]

Alamy f**ked me and thousands of other people over.

[Ed Rooney]

4 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

Yes, Amazon had them. Delivered to me in one day. Yippee.

 

Now wait a minute, Betty. This is the bad news post. You're not supposed to yell 'yippee' here. 

[Betty LaRue]

14 minutes ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

Now wait a minute, Betty. This is the bad news post. You're not supposed to yell 'yippee' here. 

Lol! It’s a 3lb bag, lots of fried apple pies to be made! That could be bad news/good news. Bad for me, good for the eaters.
Right now I can’t take my meds for arthritis/back pain because of a stomach scope Wednesday. The meds can cause bleeding. No way can I make fried pies until I’m back on them again, and even then...they just take the edge off. Maybe I can do it by the weekend. Bad news is it’s really hard to want to do something I used to do at will, and now have to think hard about. Like is it worth it?

My problem is my love language is making delicious things for my family to eat. That's getting harder and harder.

[Steve F]

When the Alamy homepage profiles an aerial picture of Petite France, Strasbourg, as viewed from the Cathedral, but it's not one of yours... 😭

[Allan Bell]

When I got back from my walk I read the latest posts on you know where. Depressed again.

 

Allan

 

[sb photos]

Was just checking some recents zooms, and noticed that a batch of lapsed Live News uploads from 2018 hadn’t had any super tags applied. Rectified that, but must check more of the older uploads. I thought I had previously gone through them. A good point is they were still found, and there have been other zooms and sales on the same topical subject and organisation.

[NYCat]

I just had a really bad experience cat-sitting. I think it was not really a bad cat but a bad situation and I can’t work for that client again. She has two Russian Blues. They were very interested in the coat and scarf I had left on a sofa. I was amused until the boy cat really got into my scarf. I didn’t mind that he was rubbing with his head to mark it but when he started using his teeth and claws I knew I had to get it away from him. There was a brief struggle during which he accidentally stabbed one of my fingers with his little dagger of a claw. I cried out in pain and that may have been what upset the female cat— along with the fact that I had been struggling with him. She started hissing and yowling and trying to attack me. I just kept moving away but I had to pass a sofa and she jumped up on the back and jumped on my arm. I have 5 little wounds from that. I was heading to the bathroom to tend to my finger and they both followed. Luckily, they went into the bathroom ahead of me and I shut them in. I finished doing the litter, etc. in safety. 

So this is a bummer. I’m not really concerned about the money. I am fine without it. My nice client is going to have to find someone new and I can’t recommend anyone since they might be attacked too. Probably this was a unique incident but I won’t count on that. Rather sad.

 

Paulette
 

[MizBrown]

Is the male cat altered?  I paid to have my time-share cat neutered because of spraying.   The owner's grandmother and I had a little chat and she overruled the husband who didn't want it done.  If both are intact breeding cats, that may be part of the problem.  

 

 

 

[Cecile Marion]

Sounds terribly traumatic, Paulette! Glad it wasn’t worse.

[Ed Rooney]

That sounds very scary, Paulette. I was just about to mown about my building again with no hot water and no elevator for this long weekend . . . but I think I'll skip it. 

[NYCat]

Both cats are altered but I think there was something romantic about the male cat’s behavior with my scarf. Cats can get very very scary when they are panicking and I think she may have been protecting him. I’ve had a very nice email from my client. She offered to pay for any medical care. No need for that. I only have small punctures and no scratches. The little female is usually sweet but I’m not taking any chances.

 

Edo, that building of yours is unbelievably awful. I hope you can find a way to move. There must be some social services there that might help you.

 

Paulette

[NYCat]

I do find it amusing that I have photographed so many wild beasts and it was a six pound kitty that had me on the run.

 

Paulette

[Betty LaRue]

11 hours ago, NYCat said:

I just had a really bad experience cat-sitting. I think it was not really a bad cat but a bad situation and I can’t work for that client again. She has two Russian Blues. They were very interested in the coat and scarf I had left on a sofa. I was amused until the boy cat really got into my scarf. I didn’t mind that he was rubbing with his head to mark it but when he started using his teeth and claws I knew I had to get it away from him. There was a brief struggle during which he accidentally stabbed one of my fingers with his little dagger of a claw. I cried out in pain and that may have been what upset the female cat— along with the fact that I had been struggling with him. She started hissing and yowling and trying to attack me. I just kept moving away but I had to pass a sofa and she jumped up on the back and jumped on my arm. I have 5 little wounds from that. I was heading to the bathroom to tend to my finger and they both followed. Luckily, they went into the bathroom ahead of me and I shut them in. I finished doing the litter, etc. in safety. 

So this is a bummer. I’m not really concerned about the money. I am fine without it. My nice client is going to have to find someone new and I can’t recommend anyone since they might be attacked too. Probably this was a unique incident but I won’t count on that. Rather sad.

 

Paulette
 

😱how awful. Cats can be ferocious when they want to be, and if they manage to sink their claws in you, and bite, you have to hold perfectly still until they get bored and calm down. I’ve been there, stupidly on the farm when I was eight. My mom was cleaning chickens. I took some throwaway raw parts out to feed my cat. I held it up high to make her jump for it, just playing. Bad move. She jumped, sunk her teeth and claws in, and I had to do the freezing thing or my arm would have been shredded if I’d yanked away.  It was my first ever cat, and I learned a lesson.
Cats aren’t like dogs, who will jump and delicately take the treat without hurting you. Cats can turn into wild things.

I don’t blame you for ending the job. They would remember, and whatever scent that got him excited you might have on you again.

Of course, there are bad dogs, too. I dove through an open car window to get away from an attacking German Shepard.

Watch your wounds, because for some reason, cat scratches seem to get infected a lot, and they sting and hurt longer than dog nips.

[sb photos]

15 hours ago, NYCat said:

I just had a really bad experience cat-sitting. I think it was not really a bad cat but a bad situation and I can’t work for that client again. She has two Russian Blues. They were very interested in the coat and scarf I had left on a sofa. I was amused until the boy cat really got into my scarf. I didn’t mind that he was rubbing with his head to mark it but when he started using his teeth and claws I knew I had to get it away from him. There was a brief struggle during which he accidentally stabbed one of my fingers with his little dagger of a claw. I cried out in pain and that may have been what upset the female cat— along with the fact that I had been struggling with him. She started hissing and yowling and trying to attack me. I just kept moving away but I had to pass a sofa and she jumped up on the back and jumped on my arm. I have 5 little wounds from that. I was heading to the bathroom to tend to my finger and they both followed. Luckily, they went into the bathroom ahead of me and I shut them in. I finished doing the litter, etc. in safety. 

So this is a bummer. I’m not really concerned about the money. I am fine without it. My nice client is going to have to find someone new and I can’t recommend anyone since they might be attacked too. Probably this was a unique incident but I won’t count on that. Rather sad.

 

Paulette
 

 

That was a really bad experience. Long ago a neighbours Russian Blue cat moved in with us when he realised our ginger tom cat was no longer on sentry duty. He was driven out of his house by two new fierce dogs that didn't accept him. He was the most passive friendly cat that has shared our home, completely ignoring birds and would beg to share chocolate or crisps with us. He was one of two cats that lived to 20.

[NYCat]

Yes, I love Russian Blues. These two were sweet too. Until they weren't. I think I needed to find a different way to get the scarf but the whole thing was so unexpected. He had become much too excited about the scarf. Of course, I always smell of many cats. Dogs in elevators with me are always curious about all my smells.

 

Paulette