You Know What Really Grinds My Gears?

[Doggett]

Nothings grinding my gears. For the first time in years, Im really happy about my life. Its far from perfect, still a million and one things I need to be getting on with, but nothing bugging me so far.

All is well.

 

And this is why we're OK with not having you around as much.   

I still visit plenty.
Just tricky to get to computer as girlfriend is addicted to FB games, The Sims and online bargains.
 

Slash

More than Axl ?
 

[bob]

friend of mind just left thehouse.....he basically invited himself over ringing the doorbell without even calling beforehand

he does this often, usually when I'm in the middle of something, was the case today and pretty much said the only reason he was here was to kill time before going somewhere else

I want the last hour and half of my life back in a related note

could be that I'm very tried at the moment but today this p**sed me off a lot more then normal when he does this

[Frank81]

friend of mind just left thehouse.....he basically invited himself over ringing the doorbell without even calling beforehand

he does this often, usually when I'm in the middle of something, was the case today and pretty much said the only reason he was here was to kill time before going somewhere else

I want the last hour and half of my life back in a related note

could be that I'm very tried at the moment but today this p**sed me off a lot more then normal when he does this

Show up at  his place  at  three  in the morning some weekend when he wants  to be alone with someone and tell him you had nothing else to do. When he complains, tell him, you know it is inconsiderate when people  show up without calling and leave. 

[Mr. DS]

Working your @ss off for an entire year, donating your time and money to multiple causes, having people pat you on the back constantly and say "you're amazing" and "you're a genius" and yet it when it comes recongnition time no one sees a reason to nominate you for an award.  Matter of fact, some of those people tell you "you don't deserve it". F*ckers...

[Newt]

New 'energy efficient' appliances.  My clothes dryer that "uses 30% less energy"...but does not actually DRY the clothes unless I run it at least TWICE as long as my old dryer.     So a load that used to take 45 minutes now takes at least an hour and a half or longer to DRY.  I'm thinking the "30% less energy" just went out the window.

And my new energy-efficient washing machine that I have to run loads through multiple times before they come out clean (I'm talking mud still clinging to pant legs, that sort of thing). Using 2-3 times as much water and laundry soap in addition to whatever actual energy is involved.

IF IT DOES NOT DO THE JOB, IT IS NOT EFFICIENT.  Efficiency comes form doing the SAME job in the same or less time with LESS energy consumption.

These appliances are not malfunctioning: they are set up to use less energy and do so; they merely do not actually WORK as defined as 'getting the job done'.  That is not what they are designed to do.

And my other current rant: the compact fluorescent bulbs that supposedly will be ALL that will be available shortly: it says right on the packaging that they will last for years but are ONLY to be used in fixtures that have them standing stright UP - such as lamps. Not hanging down, not sideways.  UP.  What the heck am I supposed to put in the ceiling fixtures?  In my barn??  So guess what: they came out with 'new' ones that are OK to hang and put in wall mounts: the only change they made was to take the print about how they should be used straight 'up' off the packaging and to revoke the guarantee that they will last ten years (or whatever it was) So when hung they do not last any longer than the old-style bulbs (I have replaced half of them already) and cost far more per unit.  OH and they do NOT function at full brightness in a cold environment and in fact take a good while to warm up at all, so they are dimmer in the barn in winter than the old bulbs ever were and make visibility a problem: so so much for being equivalent to a higher wattage!  T'aint so for over half the year.  And I have not been able to see any energy savings - but that may be because our electricity is costing more (oh we get a 'discount' (read: the cost went up less) at night: so I can stay up all night, disturbing my family, doing laundry that takes 2-3 times a long being efficient so some selfish a-hole can run an airconditioner all day long?  I don't even HAVE an air conditioner!).   And the packaging says NOT to ever put them in glass globes (which all incandescent bulbs in the barn ARE for fear they will break and a piece of hot filament will fall into hay/straw and start a fire, as I was told and required by my insurance company) I have stood there and watched these lovely CF bulbs self-destruct by MELTING through the tube at the base (new bulbs, straight out of the package), dripping glowing molten glass, and yet they are supposed to be less of a fire hazard and I am told not to put them in the usual safety container. Yeah, right.

Guess I am tired of being treated like an idiot and being fed a load of bumf that I am supposed to accept unquestioningly.    Ever read the SF story "The Marching Morons" by C.M. Kornbluth?  Yeah. Like that. Saying it is so makes it reality. NOT.

OK I'm done for the moment.   

[Menard]

And my other current rant: the compact fluorescent bulbs that supposedly will be ALL that will be available shortly: it says right on the packaging that they will last for years but are ONLY to be used in fixtures that have them standing stright UP - such as lamps. Not hanging down, not sideways.  UP.  What the heck am I supposed to put in the ceiling fixtures?  In my barn??  So guess what: they came out with 'new' ones that are OK to hang and put in wall mounts: the only change they made was to take the print about how they should be used straight 'up' off the packaging and to revoke the guarantee that they will last ten years (or whatever it was) So when hung they do not last any longer than the old-style bulbs (I have replaced half of them already) and cost far more per unit.  OH and they do NOT function at full brightness in a cold environment and in fact take a good while to warm up at all, so they are dimmer in the barn in winter than the old bulbs ever were and make visibility a problem: so so much for being equivalent to a higher wattage!  T'aint so for over half the year.  And I have not been able to see any energy savings - but that may be because our electricity is costing more (oh we get a 'discount' (read: the cost went up less) at night: so I can stay up all night, disturbing my family, doing laundry that takes 2-3 times a long being efficient so some selfish a-hole can run an airconditioner all day long?  I don't even HAVE an air conditioner!).   And the packaging says NOT to ever put them in glass globes (which all incandescent bulbs in the barn ARE for fear they will break and a piece of hot filament will fall into hay/straw and start a fire, as I was told and required by my insurance company) I have stood there and watched these lovely CF bulbs self-destruct by MELTING through the tube at the base (new bulbs, straight out of the package), dripping glowing molten glass, and yet they are supposed to be less of a fire hazard and I am told not to put them in the usual safety container. Yeah, right.

I've actually had good luck with the CFL bulbs. Though, do keep in mind I don't live on a farm, and certainly due south of Canada, and these things probably make quite a difference.

I probably started using CFL around 12 years ago. My interest was the lifetime of the bulbs. Indoors in a standard household they have lasted for years, many more times than any of the incandescent bulbs. That was my interest as I was often replacing incandescent bulbs at least once a month and I did not replace my first CFL bulb for 3 years.

I have never seen energy savings either, at least on a monthly basis. Around here, and I don't know if it's the same there, the electric company charges based on the previous year's use for that month, going back several years, plus rate increases, so the bill is usually higher for the same month year after year. The only difference it makes is in May and June there is usually a ridiculously low electric bill for those months after they actually sent someone out to read the meters.

The bulbs are not good outdoor and cold weather bulbs. They do make specialized CFL bulbs for outdoors and instant start bulbs that are better in cold weather. Of course, the caveat is that they cost more.

I never paid attention to the bulb alignment from day one. I out them upside down, rightside up, sideways, and every which way. About the only difference it would make is in the startup time. Though I generally don't like to use them without a globe or some kind of cover over them (I say this as I'm looking up at my ceiling at two bare CFL bulbs...so I'm an idiot...what's new ).

Though my washer and dryer are older models from years ago, I do have an air conditioning unit that was installed a few years ago, and was more energy efficient, so it doesn't get as cold and it runs a lot longer. That kind of negates a savings that I at least got from the CFL bulbs, that in the summer they put out less heat than incandescent bulbs, so I'm not having my lightbulbs work against my air conditioner.

I think it's all designed to make us spend more. I do like the CFL bulbs, and they do put out a bright light, for me, without heating up the air so much, but my biggest reason is that I'm not changing bulbs very much at all.

[The Gravekeeper]

New 'energy efficient' appliances.  My clothes dryer that "uses 30% less energy"...but does not actually DRY the clothes unless I run it at least TWICE as long as my old dryer.     So a load that used to take 45 minutes now takes at least an hour and a half or longer to DRY.  I'm thinking the "30% less energy" just went out the window.

And my new energy-efficient washing machine that I have to run loads through multiple times before they come out clean (I'm talking mud still clinging to pant legs, that sort of thing). Using 2-3 times as much water and laundry soap in addition to whatever actual energy is involved.

IF IT DOES NOT DO THE JOB, IT IS NOT EFFICIENT.  Efficiency comes form doing the SAME job in the same or less time with LESS energy consumption.

These appliances are not malfunctioning: they are set up to use less energy and do so; they merely do not actually WORK as defined as 'getting the job done'.  That is not what they are designed to do.

And my other current rant: the compact fluorescent bulbs that supposedly will be ALL that will be available shortly: it says right on the packaging that they will last for years but are ONLY to be used in fixtures that have them standing stright UP - such as lamps. Not hanging down, not sideways.  UP.  What the heck am I supposed to put in the ceiling fixtures?  In my barn??  So guess what: they came out with 'new' ones that are OK to hang and put in wall mounts: the only change they made was to take the print about how they should be used straight 'up' off the packaging and to revoke the guarantee that they will last ten years (or whatever it was) So when hung they do not last any longer than the old-style bulbs (I have replaced half of them already) and cost far more per unit.  OH and they do NOT function at full brightness in a cold environment and in fact take a good while to warm up at all, so they are dimmer in the barn in winter than the old bulbs ever were and make visibility a problem: so so much for being equivalent to a higher wattage!  T'aint so for over half the year.  And I have not been able to see any energy savings - but that may be because our electricity is costing more (oh we get a 'discount' (read: the cost went up less) at night: so I can stay up all night, disturbing my family, doing laundry that takes 2-3 times a long being efficient so some selfish a-hole can run an airconditioner all day long?  I don't even HAVE an air conditioner!).   And the packaging says NOT to ever put them in glass globes (which all incandescent bulbs in the barn ARE for fear they will break and a piece of hot filament will fall into hay/straw and start a fire, as I was told and required by my insurance company) I have stood there and watched these lovely CF bulbs self-destruct by MELTING through the tube at the base (new bulbs, straight out of the package), dripping glowing molten glass, and yet they are supposed to be less of a fire hazard and I am told not to put them in the usual safety container. Yeah, right.

Guess I am tired of being treated like an idiot and being fed a load of bumf that I am supposed to accept unquestioningly.    Ever read the SF story "The Marching Morons" by C.M. Kornbluth?  Yeah. Like that. Saying it is so makes it reality. NOT.

OK I'm done for the moment.   

There is a way around that, but it can be a bit pricey: get reptile lights from a pet store. The 25-50 watt ones are pretty much just normal light bulbs that also give off a bit of UV lighting for a couple of months (after that, they're just light bulbs). I can't see those going out anytime soon simply because those animals need both the heat and the light an incandescent bulb gives off to survive in any climate that isn't ideal for them (ie: most homes outside of tropical and desert enviroments).

However, that's a last-ditch deal. Because they're specialty bulbs, they are quite a bit more expensive per bulb than normal ones are.

[AndyC]

I have been giving the same rant about efficiency for years. Using less energy, less water, less whatever, is not more efficient in itself. You have to get the same benefit for less. Why don't people get that?

Aside from everything Newt has said about CFLs, more material and energy goes into manufacturing a CF bulb, and they contain mercury. And they still give off a heck of a lot of energy as heat.

I'm just waiting for the cost of LED lights to approach something reasonable.

[bob]

been looking lately for a job related to what my educational background and "real world" experiences are in and the only local places are looking for college students

 

Here we are a few months later and this is still the case, only it has expanded beyond what my educational and "real world" background is, it seems that everywhere wants college students.

Apparently I'd be more attractive to businesses if I was still in college, never graduated with two degrees and never obtained any experience outside of the classroom.

I don't get this.

[ulthar]

I don't get this.

They are cheaper to hire and employ.  College students are not usually looking for full benefits packages and the like.

If someone without degrees and experience CAN do the job, the employer probably just trying to save a buck in an economic and regulatory climate that makes hiring people VERY expensive.

[The Gravekeeper]

been looking lately for a job related to what my educational background and "real world" experiences are in and the only local places are looking for college students

 

Here we are a few months later and this is still the case, only it has expanded beyond what my educational and "real world" background is, it seems that everywhere wants college students.

Apparently I'd be more attractive to businesses if I was still in college, never graduated with two degrees and never obtained any experience outside of the classroom.

I don't get this.

I wish that were the case around here! I haven't been able to find work in two years despite having a solid resume that I've been dropping off pretty much anywhere that's openly hiring and that I can stand to be in for more than five minutes (only walked away from one place because their music irritated the heck out of me after about 2 minutes). I suspect in a lot of cases around here they're just looking for people who already have a connection to the place.

Mind you, my being an out-of-town student could very well be screwing over my job prospects since the complete lack of summer employment in the city my university is in forces me to go live with my parents or boyfriend in another city so that I don't have to borrow any more money than I need to pay for rent and groceries.

[Psycho Circus]

Working your @ss off for an entire year, donating your time and money to multiple causes, having people pat you on the back constantly and say "you're amazing" and "you're a genius" and yet it when it comes recongnition time no one sees a reason to nominate you for an award.  Matter of fact, some of those people tell you "you don't deserve it". F*ckers...

I know exactly what you mean...

[AndyC]

Companies with automated phone dialers that make you into the caller instead of the callee. Nothing more annoying than answering the phone and finding yourself on hold, waiting for somebody else to pick up, then having to help them figure out who you are and what the call is about. Or you just hear a ringback, as if you had dialed their number.

But the most annoying is the recording that says you have important business with a company that might or might not be named, and gives you a phone number. I get these occasionally from a company I refused to pay for services that were not what I'd been sold.

My policy is to hang up on any and all automated callers. If it's really all that important, a real person will call or something will arrive in the mail. I know who I have important business with, and they respect me enough to call and know what they're calling about.

Much as I am annoyed to receive a call from an Indian guy named "Steve" who can't even pronounce Campbell correctly, at least nobody's trying to make me do their work for them.

[bob]

for the better part of a few months I was having trouble with my on-line banking all because the help section wasn't very clear on what the term access id meant --- and I only needed clarification on that because for some reason it wouldn't access the password which I set up - which was exactly what it was

I know this because when I requested a new one they sent me it

 

[Jim H]

New 'energy efficient' appliances.  My clothes dryer that "uses 30% less energy"...but does not actually DRY the clothes unless I run it at least TWICE as long as my old dryer.   Question  So a load that used to take 45 minutes now takes at least an hour and a half or longer to DRY.  I'm thinking the "30% less energy" just went out the window.

Yeah, that reminds me of the toilets in Michigan.  They passed a new law that reduced the amount of water per flush by like 3/4s.  End result was more clogs.  I mean A LOT more clogs - to the point where I eventually typically flushed three or four times every time.  Very irritating, and the water savings were minimal. 

Interestingly, people were risking a $500 fine and smuggling Canadian toilets in with the old pre-ban tank size to avoid this.  It was that bad.  Those of us who had grandfathered old toilets always worried about something breaking and having to "upgrade".