The Grumble Thread - No energy for a full on rant.

[Mr Larrington]

Well there's an idea if I get any grumblings, but seriously if a bank can do it for one account, why not them all?

If you hung around with Demons, like I do, you'd know why. They're making your life interesting and user-testing innovative strategies for eternal torment.

In other grumblenews, I've adopted one sporting event, and that's the TdF. So dear radio, which has never been tempted to mention cycling before, why spoil it by telling me who wins the stage, eh? Did you really run out of footballfootballfootballfootballfootballfootballfootballfootballfootballfootballfootballfootballfootball?

The wretched BBC are forever doing that for the Tour, F1, Moto GP ect &, moreover, ect.  Any sport they don’t cover, basically.

The bastards.

[Kim]

Obviously what's needed is for P@nd3m1c Pr0duckt10nzTM® to branch out into other sports, so we don't need to go anywhere else.  Who knows, it might even make foopball interesting.

[Guy]

Obviously what's needed is for P@nd3m1c Pr0duckt10nzTM® to branch out into other sports, so we don't need to go anywhere else. Who knows, it might even make foopball interesting.

+++OUT OF CHEESE ERROR+++

[robgul]

Built-in bathroom cabinetry with no means of accessing the pipework to locate a (possible) weeping leak.    Shower room was re-furbed by the previous owners with very smart "vanity" as the Americas call BUT built in situ with no removable panels/doors etc.   - stupid.

Looks like I'll have to cut away a couple of panels with a flat-blade multi-tool and then work out how to put it back together again.  Aaargh!

[MattH]

In other grumblenews, I've adopted one sporting event, and that's the TdF. So dear radio, which has never been tempted to mention cycling before, why spoil it by telling me who wins the stage, eh?

I basically stop listening to radio news during events like that, though there's always some snippet will leak through.

My current strategy, aided by Eurosport/GCN now showing full 5+ hour stages rather than 2-3 hours of the last bit is to end up so far behind on catch up viewing that I've forgotten anything I'd heard about it by the time I watch it.

[ian]

Built-in bathroom cabinetry with no means of accessing the pipework to locate a (possible) weeping leak.    Shower room was re-furbed by the previous owners with very smart "vanity" as the Americas call BUT built in situ with no removable panels/doors etc.   - stupid.

Looks like I'll have to cut away a couple of panels with a flat-blade multi-tool and then work out how to put it back together again.  Aaargh!

This is my bathroom. I dread the day the cistern breaks, it's going to take dynamite to get to it. That did happen in the downstairs loo and everything had to be ripped out and then put back. It doesn't look as nice the second time around.

[Guy]

Helldesk monkeys. If a site-wide outage is planned for Monday 5th July, would it not be a good idea to tell us about it beforehand, rather than on, say, Wednesday 7th July?

I hope you enjoyed repeating yourself 1500 times when everybody on camp phoned to say they'd dropped off the notwork.

Twats.

[Wombat]

Built-in bathroom cabinetry with no means of accessing the pipework to locate a (possible) weeping leak.    Shower room was re-furbed by the previous owners with very smart "vanity" as the Americas call BUT built in situ with no removable panels/doors etc.   - stupid.

Looks like I'll have to cut away a couple of panels with a flat-blade multi-tool and then work out how to put it back together again.  Aaargh!

I need to access the pipework in mine, which was refurbished by B&Q for the previous owners.  Why did they install two 10kW electric showers in a bungalow with a brand new top spec oil fired boiler?  Idiots, they each cost far more than a pumped mixer shower, and use nineteen billion times more energy (and won't last all that long).  I'll have to get out the Fein Multimaster and slice between the wall tiling on the "clever" end wall they've built at the end of the bath/shower to access the pipework, and attempt to remove several large tiles.  I'll then install a pumped mixer shower, and remove the stupid booster pump they installed, which every time I use any cold water anywhere in the house, bursts into noisy and energy consuming action.  The stupidity of electrically heating the water in the shower has been exacerbated by me installing solar PV, which diverts spare electrons into heating the hot water cylinder, so stored hot water is not exactly at a premium.  Use of cold water in my house involves two pumps firing up, as our supply is from a borehole.  all this pumpery uses a fair bit of my overall electricity consumption.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Football, and I'm sure the same applies to Wombleden and others, yes, even le Tour de la belle Hexagone, can be approached from a non-sports angle. Shirt designs and haircuts are two of the most obvious. Then there's the spectators, the commentators, the choice of adverts (why did they think viewers of this would be potential consumers of that?) and so on.

[Mrs Pingu]

Yes, getting rid of the electric shower in our prospective new place is high on the list of things to be done (just behind get shot of the crap looking electric cooker). I'm not going to enjoy going from a proper mains shower back to a pissy electric one.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Just seen an advert from Condor Ferries inviting to take an "overseas staycation". I think that word doubly doesn't mean what you think it means!

[Karla]

I listed some stuff on the local Facebook free groups.  Countless timewasters later, who all begged for the items and then didn't turn up, they're going in the bin.

Once upon a time I'm sure Freecycle was populated by dedicated hippies who took it seriously. It was pretty bad 3-4 years ago when I used it to get rid of dad's stuff.  Now it seems to be mostly people who think your time is as cheap as theirs 

[Mrs Pingu]

I listed some stuff on the local Facebook free groups.  Countless timewasters later, who all begged for the items and then didn't turn up, they're going in the bin.

Once upon a time I'm sure Freecycle was populated by dedicated hippies who took it seriously. It was pretty bad 3-4 years ago when I used it to get rid of dad's stuff.  Now it seems to be mostly people who think your time is as cheap as that's 

I've got rid of 8 things over the last week on the local Freegle group. So far only 1 person didn't collect and they did at least let me know they weren't going to be able to come after all, was pleasantly surprised.
One advantage with Freegle is it shows you users ratings and will also tell you if a particular user hasn't been replying to messages.

[robgul]

Seeking advice on fora - why do people a) not read the question, and/or b) reply with no relation to the original question?

I should add that yacf and the forum that used to be a club that had an interest in cycle touring are the noble exceptions for cycle related issues . .

I've been doing/fixing various things in our house and needed some basic guidance on a few matters . . .  if I say it myself, my skills in these areas in terms of doing the work are pretty good but (even I  ) don't know everything!

I've posted what I think are reasonable questions on a few building/plumbing/electrical fora and almost zilch response to the actual question, but quite a few erroneous posts - plumbers are worst*

* and plumbers in the flesh are also beyond the worst in terms of :  responding to enquiries, actually turning up to look at a job, returning to do the job.  How do they manage to stay in business?

[Mrs Pingu]

Hey Windoze,
That thing you did this morning where you decided to do an update without asking for permission while I was in the middle of giving a customer webinar, that was really helpful.
No love,
Mrs Pingu

[Kim]

Seeking advice on fora - why do people a) not read the question, and/or b) reply with no relation to the original question?

That's easy:

a) Just like in every other aspect of life, People Don't Read Things Properly.  At least on forums - where nobody has any obligation to do anything - it's merely irritating, rather than in a work context or when you're trying to obtain goods and services from them.

b) People don't have the answer to the original question, but might have some tangentially related information/experience that they consider potentially helpful, or at least interesting.  It's a community, not a support medium.  That said, when I write technical posts, I'm writing for the people who find it in future via search engines as much as the OP of the thread.  What goes around comes around.  (Ob-xkcd.)

Also, some people just like the sound of their own voice, or think it's a game.  It's the internet, just scroll past.

[robgul]

Seeking advice on fora - why do people a) not read the question, and/or b) reply with no relation to the original question?

That's easy:

a) Just like in every other aspect of life, People Don't Read Things Properly.  At least on forums - where nobody has any obligation to do anything - it's merely irritating, rather than in a work context or when you're trying to obtain goods and services from them.

b) People don't have the answer to the original question, but might have some tangentially related information/experience that they consider potentially helpful, or at least interesting.  It's a community, not a support medium.  That said, when I write technical posts, I'm writing for the people who find it in future via search engines as much as the OP of the thread.  What goes around comes around.  (Ob-xkcd.)

Also, some people just like the sound of their own voice, or think it's a game.  It's the internet, just scroll past.

Yep - agree point a) but my experience re point b) in the stuff I'm seeking to find out about has posts that aren't remotely applicable or even tangentially valuable to anyone. 

I'd like to think that fora contributions I might make are of use to the original enquirer

.... I do quite a bit of scrolling past . . .

[rafletcher]

Next door had their fence replaced. I think the relative they used isn't really used to doing domestic fences.  Mini-digger with an auger to drill post holes (said minidigger having been driven back and forth across our pation for access), then lashings of wet concrete around the bases. Annoying when our border is only 18" wide, so last night was spent chiselling off some of the over-splash.  Then I went to get some wood out of the car. Our side gate - which is an opening at the end of their fence - only opens 3/4 of the way before grounding. It's been re-hung about 1/2" lower - presumably because the screw holes were getting knackered after he'd had it off a couple of times already  .  So Friday afternoon's job is to take it off again and remove some material from the bottom.

[Cudzoziemiec]

There's a line in Bright Lights, Big City, "Visiting your own six a.m. Lower East Side of the soul." Well, I invite Mr McInerny to visit my own four a.m. Lower West Side of the screeching seagulls. Noisy avian pirates. The great attraction of an urban kite population is to keep down the seagulls.

[ian]

I have the day off, no plans, thought a lovely pleasant lie-in was called for. Maybe arise about 11am, have a coffee on the patio, angle for a pub lunch, generally have a chilled day.

9.06am.

'BeeeRRRRRrzzzzzTTTTTTTTzzzzzzbeeerrrrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTT' says Mr Chainsaw and 'GGGGGGGRRRRRGGGGGLLLLLLLRRRRRGGGGG' says Ms Wood Chopper in response.

Every-fucking-time. Of course, now I'm up they're done, they were just taking off some road overhanging branches (phew, I like that tree, and it stops everyone up the hill seeing me at the bedroom window in my pants, so it also performs a vital community service).

[T42]

The rain is off, the road is dry, the clouds are clearing from the sky. I need to ride, I know I can, but I'm stuck here awaiting a god-damned delivery serf. 10:00 to 19:00 indeed. Bastards.

[ian]

Tired and listness now, because we stayed up till 3 am catching up on TdF, and in these plague times, I have become accustomed to my 8 hours a night minimum. Coffee just made me jittery. I'd have a nap, but as I'm taking the day off, it would feel just like a workday.

[ian]

Maybe I should just start on the beer. It's a holiday and a nice man brought me 24 cans of 360 Degrees Brewing's output (honestly, we just stumble across these places when wandering around) and my wife isn't here to supervise.

I thought I would dedicate my time to getting another pair of hiking boots, one of the current pairs has developed self-cooling features and the second pair is still wet from the weekend and, as a consequence, smells like something you wouldn't want to meet. But I'd like to buy another pair of the same – without the smell – as they're very comfy and I can then throw the stinky pair in the washer.

Which meant thirty minutes scrutinizing pictures of hiking boots like it's some weird variety of p0rn because nowhere on the boot does it say what model they are. Then finding a lot places that have them not in my size or that do have them in my size, but hey, we're European and do you know what we don't do? Ship to the UK anymore, that's what.

[robgul]

email from British Cycling this morning "Your membership expires in 3 days and your benefits will no longer be valid"   This is the FIRST and ONLY notification I've had for renewal - one would think it was in BC's interest to notify and collect the dosh?

The only "benefit" that is of use to me is the insurance which covers the requirements of the two cycling clubs where I'm a member.

. .  . now what if I had been away on a tour and my benefits expired?

They would probably argue that the onus was on me to check the renewal - but things don't work like that . . . I can't think of anything I have that has to be renewed, other than my passport, where there is not a mechanism of reminders/invoices etc.

[grams]

If you’re on direct debit BC take the dosh and inform you weeks later.

I got a text reminder from the passport office 6 months before expiry. Which is still too late if you’re going somewhere that needs 6 months left.