What made me unhappy today ?

[Catrin Lewis]

I've gotten some respite in my car situation, above:

Some very good friends of mine have lent me their spare Saturn Ion until my '04 PT Cruiser gets fixed, or until I buy a new (used) vehicle. I've got till the end of the month to do the latter, unless I want to be illegal with expired inspection stickers on the PT. It won't pass another inspection: it's rusted out underneath.

I said I'd drive it till the wheels fell off, and I practically have.

 

[Madman Starryteller]

On monday evening at 6:30 my dog, Barnaby, got out of the fence. He tried to follow my daughter, who was leaving, she didn't see him, and he was hit by an oncoming car, who swerved onto the shoulder to hit him and did not stop, despite leaving pieces of his car all over the road. He spent two days in Cornell University ICU before we had to admit defeat and let him go. He was only one.

I'm sorry this happened. It's just terrible. I hope they find the person who did this.

 

[Iain Aschendale]

Um, tenant? You mean, if you're renting a place, you have to buy your own AC/heating unit and install it? Does that mean that when your tenancy is up, you take your AC/heating unit with you?

Just curious, but I'm not sure that's what you mean.

Yup, that's exactly what I mean. You buy or bring an AC unit (or four. I have a 3DK apartment, which means three "bedrooms" and a dining/kitchen room. Each one would require a separate AC unit, or we could get a more powerful one to cover both the dining/kitchen and the "bedroom" that we use as a living room, since those are separated by sliding doors that I removed and stored the day we moved in to create one-ish semi-large room in the apartment). When you move out, you need to pay someone to remove your AC units and either bring them to your next place or dispose of them. Better how the plugs are compatible though, because for high-draw things like that there are a different standard of outlets. My apartment has type A outlets (I don't remember the real name, sorry) in some rooms and type B in others. There's a type C as well. Just need to take a snapshot of the AC outlet before you go to the big box electronics store.

Convenient, isn't it? Except for very cheap apartments, total one room shoeboxes. My first was 7-jo size. One jo is the size of one tatami mat, approximately 2square meters, so a 14 square meter (minus bathroom. That's another story) apartment with a bed, a desk, a sink, a single burner gas ring, and a little dorm fridge without even a freezer in it. The furnishings, including the fridge and gas ring, were included, however. My current apartment had window screens and curtains (both of which my first one lacked) when I moved in. Other than that, I had to buy everything.

 

[Rath Darkblade]

Wow. I mean - just ... wow.

I'm not sure about other parts of Australia, or even in my hometown (Melbourne, in the southeast of Australia) ... but when I moved into my current flat, the basic kitchen cupboards, pantry, toilet and bathroom were already in place. (Also the A/C and central heating, plus window screens and curtains). No furniture other than that, but that's OK - I brought all that with me.

You said your first apartment had no bathroom, so I presume you had to share one with another family.

I can't imagine a fridge without a freezer. (Yes, I've dealt with it when I was travelling, but for day-to-day living, a freezer is a very "nice-to-have"). As for having a single gas ring ... again, wow. What if (for instance) you wanted to cook pasta? You need at least two gas rings - one for boiling noodles, one for blending and cooking the sauce. If you had to alternate, by the time your sauce is done, your noodles are cold. :-\

I can't imagine a 14-square-metre apartment, but I suppose that's why they're cheap. (Now I love my two-bedroom apartment even more. I saved up for years to put down a deposit, and I'm still paying off the mortgage, 20 years after buying it - but it'll be mine within 2-3 years, fingers crossed).

 

[Iain Aschendale]

Wow. I mean - just ... wow.

I'm not sure about other parts of Australia, or even in my hometown (Melbourne, in the southeast of Australia) ... but when I moved into my current flat, the basic kitchen cupboards, pantry, toilet and bathroom were already in place. (Also the A/C and central heating, plus window screens and curtains). No furniture other than that, but that's OK - I brought all that with me.

You said your first apartment had no bathroom, so I presume you had to share one with another family.

I can't imagine a fridge without a freezer. (Yes, I've dealt with it when I was travelling, but for day-to-day living, a freezer is a very "nice-to-have"). As for having a single gas ring ... again, wow. What if (for instance) you wanted to cook pasta? You need at least two gas rings - one for boiling noodles, one for blending and cooking the sauce. If you had to alternate, by the time your sauce is done, your noodles are cold. :-\

I can't imagine a 14-square-metre apartment, but I suppose that's why they're cheap. (Now I love my two-bedroom apartment even more. I saved up for years to put down a deposit, and I'm still paying off the mortgage, 20 years after buying it - but it'll be mine within 2-3 years, fingers crossed).

Nah, I had a "unit bath." This isn't mine, but the setup and size are about right

 

[CatrionaGrace]

You must really love Japan.

 

[Rath Darkblade]

Nah, I had a "unit bath." This isn't mine, but the setup and size are about right

View attachment 652

That bathroom is so tiny. Where are you supposed to put any toiletries (toothbrush/paste, shaving gear, deodorant etc.)?

 

[Dante Dases]

First day of holiday and... wow is about the only thing I can say. A rush of exhaustion hitting like a tsunami. Plans laid aside as sacrifice to this almighty, overwhelming sense of being utterly broken and shattered. My plan this holiday had been to plan. And read - read a lot. But that might all be going by the wayside. I hadn't realised how this half-term had worn me down.

It also turns out I've done my hamstring.

 

[Iain Aschendale]

That bathroom is so tiny. Where are you supposed to put any toiletries (toothbrush/paste, shaving gear, deodorant etc.)?

Top of the sink, top of the toilet tank? I think mine had a small shelf. Maybe. The one thing about it was if you were sitting on the commode, you could lean your head on the wall in front of you (the pictured one is the right size but a slightly different layout than mine was). Also, cleaning is easy since all the showerheads in Japan are detachable/on hoses/it's early and my brain won't help me, but anyway you could just strip down and use your showerhead to spray down the whole bathroom (once you took the toilet paper out).

 

[Catrin Lewis]

Please allow me a quick rambling grouse over the used car buying process in this year of our Lord 2025.

In the first place, I'd really rather not. If the undercarriage of my '04 PT Cruiser wasn't rusting out, I'd keep on driving it to 200,000 miles.

In the second place, cars these days are so boring.

Then, when you find a type you'd be willing to settle for, there are so, so many things to consider: age, mileage, condition; features, price, proximity of the seller . . . issues or lack of them depending on the model year . . . whether the dealership will let you take the car to be inspected by your independent mechanic . . . one's own credit rating and where and how to get the best financing . . . not to mention, when can you get off work to go car shopping?

It's enough to make me want to puke.

I brought a lot of this on myself by not working on it this summer, before school restarted. But I wanted to finish out the twenty years of my Little Red Dragon. And it was too darn hot to think of anything.

And I'm dead set on buying another car with manual transmission, 6-speed, preferably, or 5-speed with overdrive. Oh, they're out there if you look, but the choice is not plentiful.

Right now I've got my eye on a 2016 Subaru Forester base model. Saw it online for the first time last Wednesday night. The asking price is more than I was hoping to pay, but still within my limit. And the transmission and features are what I want, assuming they all work. Trouble is, after over 70 days of it sitting on the lot with no one checking it out, as of Saturday at least one other guy is interested in it. I called that day to arrange a test drive, and apparently this other customer made it to the lot before me. Only reason he doesn't have the car already is because it turned out to have a scratch on the rear bumper and the dealer sent it to their body shop to be repainted. When it comes back, it'll be a matter of whoever gets there and likes it first.

This morning I got a text from the dealer saying the body shop hasn't even started the repair, so they're bringing the Forester back to their lot: "It's in too much demand right now."

Oh, great. Even if I do manage to look at it first, there goes my chance of negotiating the price down. On the other hand, it's got more miles on it than my mechanic recommends (116,000 vs under 100,000) and they no longer let customers take the cars to their own mechanics, because, they say, people were bringing them back with parts missing.

You'd think that would comfort me if the other customer scores it. No loss, right? Not really. I'll be terribly disappointed. But I wouldn't be regretting that particular car, rather, the lost chance to get this ordeal over with.

Officially, I have to solve this problem by Friday the 31st, when my inspection expires. Realistically, I'll be pushing it into November.

The PT is still in the shop. I've still got my friends' old Saturn.

 

[big soft moose]

Used car salesmen always say that shit, they make politicians look honest… I doubt there’s anyone else interested

If you just say well that’s too bad, best sell it to him then and walk away they’ll discover he’s not interested after all before you reach the door

 

[Catrin Lewis]

Used car salesmen always say that shit, they make politicians look honest… I doubt there’s anyone else interested

If you just say well that’s too bad, best sell it to him then and walk away they’ll discover he’s not interested after all before you reach the door

It occurred to me this might be the case.

I've pushed the inspection of the PT past the deadline twice before. By rights, it should have expired the end of August. That cuts out the desperation.

 

[Naomasa298]

Was expecting stock in today. Half of it arrived.

Turns out UPS managed to deliver the other half to an Amazon warehouse instead of my warehouse. That ain't ever resurfacing again, and Amazon now have my stuff for free.

 

[Rath Darkblade]

Used car salesmen always say that shit, they make politicians look honest… I doubt there’s anyone else interested

If you just say well that’s too bad, best sell it to him then and walk away they’ll discover he’s not interested after all before you reach the door

I think one of my previous contracts was working in the accounts team at a car yard for about 4-5 months. (My job was to help them chase down overdue debt).

I didn't have much to do with the salesmen, but one of them tried to sell me a car once. I said I already had a car and was happy with it, but he kept pressuring me until I firmly said "No, thanks" and left.

A week later, my contract was not renewed. Coincidence? Gee, I don't know. But I did keep meticulous records, and I know I recovered 90% of the debt.

I do remember that my boss was constantly telling me how happy he was with my performance, until I was let go (with very little notice, I may add). He wouldn't even look me in the eye.

The entire experience left me very sour on the automotive industry, as I'm sure you can imagine...

 

[Naomasa298]

The "A" key on my keyboard keeps getting stuck , forcing me to retype and delete words multiple time.

Need a new keyboard. I suppose I should stop with the sticky stuff in front of the screen, huh?

 

[Rath Darkblade]

Sure, but keyboards aren't expensive nowadays. You can get a fairly good one for about $10 (at least in Australia).

I had a very frustrating morning. I drove to the local Aldi and found a park right in front of the store, but some jerk reversed into it before I could. :-( No biggie, I found another spot ... but someone else zzzzzzzipped into it before I could grab it, got out of his car, and gave me the finger.

Now I was mad. >:-( I parked across the street, went to the traffic lights (where I had a green), and started to cross ... only for a third person to vooooooooooommmmmmm through the red, beeping like a maniac, and giving everyone the finger.

All this was in the space of about 5 minutes. Why does the weekend always bring out the idiots and the jerks? :-(

 

[Catrin Lewis]

The "A" key on my keyboard keeps getting stuck , forcing me to retype and delete words multiple time.

Need a new keyboard. I suppose I should stop with the sticky stuff in front of the screen, huh?

Pop the A off and see if it can be cleaned underneath. If you can clean it, but the key is toast, you can replace keys individually. Lots easier than replacing the keyboard.

I get my replacement keys from Laptop-keys.com.

 

[Naomasa298]

Pop the A off and see if it can be cleaned underneath. If you can clean it, but the key is toast, you can replace keys individually. Lots easier than replacing the keyboard.

I tried that but it's still sticking. It's just a cheap desktop keyboard anyway, not a laptop keyboard, easy enough to just get a new one. I think I've got a functional one in the spares cupboard somewhere.

 

[Naomasa298]

There we go. Order is restored, I can write once more.

 

[Catrin Lewis]

Meant to get to bed early tonight, to get a good start on my November Writing Thing project in the morning. But first I just  had to run up to my study at fifteen to midnight to find something. Wasn't anything I needed right away, maybe by Sunday. But I wanted it located.

I couldn't find it. I looked up there and all over the house for an hour and a half. I still can't find it.

It's a car mount for a cell phone, not the kind of thing I'd casually throw out. I need it, as my Garmin isn't playing nice with my new Subaru. But it's nowhere, and it's driving me crazy.

Oh, I could get another for ten bucks on Amazon. But when you get to be my age, it's distressing to think you might be, oh, I don't know, maybe utterly blanking out and putting random perfectly-good items in the trash.

Which I'm not. So where the dickens is that phone mount?