mtbakervapor

[kelli]

i don't have cable or an antenna, so i buy sets that are interesting, but cheap. i missed putting firefly on the list. i liked Deadwood except for some scenes that they needed have done. i wished they would have went one more season so we could see rockefellar get skewered.

got my last order for wick and wire in today! phew! ordered some pg, so i can tweak my juices a bit (and cut down on gooped up coils, not to mention the fog appearing on the windows!

talked with dshs this morning. got my food stamps upped, but no cash. i can get some if i qualify for their medical, which i'm sure i can. started that process today, a form is in the mail. dr appt this afternoon and off to ssi tomorrow (God willing).

vaping cinn roll. (cuz everything else is in the living room near the phone)

best of luck with all that stuff, sam dear.

 

[Seanchai]

i don't have cable or an antenna, so i buy sets that are interesting, but cheap. i missed putting firefly on the list.

Aha, in that case, you might be interested to know that the season box sets for L&O:UK routinely go on sale at Amazon for $11. Season 1 and 2 are the must haves (make sure you get region 1 discs, obviously - region 2s A) won't play on a US DVD player and B) even if you have a region free player, Region Two box sets are compiled completely differently, risking accidental rebuys of the same eps). Both Law and Order UK and Broadchurch are available online... *whistles innocently* Broadchurch should be coming out on region 1 DVD soon at a reasonable price. It's only available in region 2 for now.

talked with dshs this morning. got my food stamps upped, but no cash. i can get some if i qualify for their medical, which i'm sure i can. started that process today, a form is in the mail. dr appt this afternoon and off to ssi tomorrow (God willing).

Fingers crossed.

vaping cinn roll. (cuz everything else is in the living room near the phone)

Glad I'm not the only one who does that... "What's next to me?.... that'll do."

 

[Joie]

I agree. Folks and family live in northwestern Indiana and they are asking me to go
back for the holiday get together this year, I don't go in the winter cuz it's too dang
cold up there, but they're all like, 'Oh we grilled burgers outside last new year'. And stuff.
Nope, not moving. Gets cold enough here and that's not nearly what they're capable of
getting.

I know exactly what you mean....it's bad enough here in Illinois......over in northern Indiana is just crazy winters !!!!!!!
Lake effect can put FEET down in a short time.

 

[Joie]

no makeup. seriously nobody else had probs getting on ECF today????

I was ok all day.........a little slow at times.

 

[Seanchai]

I know exactly what you mean....it's bad enough here in Illinois......over in northern Indiana is just crazy winters !!!!!!!
Lake effect can put FEET down in a short time.

Oh yes. I miss Western Michigan dearly (Georgia has *no* natural lakes. NONE. It's inhuman, I tell you!), but I do not miss lake effect snow. Or, as the old joke goes: "Michigan has four seasons: snow, more snow, even more **** snow, and road construction." True of all of the rust belt, in my experience. As is the moniker "rust belt"!

A friend of mine who was born in Virginia, raised in the Gambia and went to college in Georgia just moved to Montreal. I tried to warn her about the weather. "Oh, I just won't go out when it snows." Me: ".... be prepared not to go anywhere for months on end, then...." Her: "You're exaggerating! Besides, snow is so pretty!"

.... she called me yesterday. I've never heard so much bad language, all applied to the formerly "pretty" snow and the "can't possibly be as bad as (I) claim" cold weather. I sympathized, then told her to brace herself for when it *really* gets cold!

 

[DustyZ]

Good Morning MBV friends!!! Everyone knows what today is, right? IT'S KILL THAT DAMN CAMEL DAY BECAUSE HE REALLY GETS ON MY NERVES.......(vapes strawberry shortcake and twitches).......

 

[mcol]

Grew up in northwestern Indiana, near Lake Michigan. Folks and other
relatives still live there. Went back once for Christmas, years ago. Brother
and sister in law wanted to go look at the Christmas decorations in Chicago.
Sub zero weather, and that northern wind blowing. I was crying the whole
time I was so flipping cold. Never have gone back in the winter since.
Many stories as I'm sure all of you former or current midwesterners could relate
about blizzards, and so much snow on the road you couldn't find the car when
you went back for it, then discovered you were walking on it's roof. Icky.

 

[Seanchai]

Grew up in northwestern Indiana, near Lake Michigan. Folks and other
relatives still live there. Went back once for Christmas, years ago. Brother
and sister in law wanted to go look at the Christmas decorations in Chicago.
Sub zero weather, and that northern wind blowing. I was crying the whole
time I was so flipping cold. Never have gone back in the winter since.
Many stories as I'm sure all of you former or current midwesterners could relate
about blizzards, and so much snow on the road you couldn't find the car when
you went back for it, then discovered you were walking on it's roof. Icky.

Yep. I'm from Grand Rapids, and I've definitely got my share of those stories. Part of why we moved is because snow does not play well with having *two* people in wheelchairs in the same family... when my sister and I got too big for mom to carry us through the snow drifts, she unilaterally decided we were moving to somewhere without snow.

I went to Wyoming to visit a friend once, right after Christmas. She greeted me with "Don't freak out when you see all the emergency supplies and food in the car." My reply: "Doesn't everyone keep emergency supplies and food in the car? Flares, ice scraper, jack or two, shovel, bag of salt, change of clothes, extra scarf and gloves, flashlights, batteries, food that won't spoil..."

My friend: "Oh, that's right, you grew up on Lake Michigan."

I don't miss having to keep all that stuff in the car either, although old habits die hard and it tends to all go back in when the cold weather hits here, even though the chances of getting stuck in the snow are far outweighed by the chances of not being able to find bread or milk at the store and only later realizing that there must be a 10% chance of three snowflakes within the next week. I swear Georgians must have a secret recipe for a bread and milk casserole they make when they *think* it might snow. Lightweights.

 

[kelli]

Oh yes. I miss Western Michigan dearly (Georgia has *no* natural lakes. NONE. It's inhuman, I tell you!), but I do not miss lake effect snow. Or, as the old joke goes: "Michigan has four seasons: snow, more snow, even more **** snow, and road construction." True of all of the rust belt, in my experience. As is the moniker "rust belt"!

A friend of mine who was born in Virginia, raised in the Gambia and went to college in Georgia just moved to Montreal. I tried to warn her about the weather. "Oh, I just won't go out when it snows." Me: ".... be prepared not to go anywhere for months on end, then...." Her: "You're exaggerating! Besides, snow is so pretty!"

.... she called me yesterday. I've never heard so much bad language, all applied to the formerly "pretty" snow and the "can't possibly be as bad as (I) claim" cold weather. I sympathized, then told her to brace herself for when it *really* gets cold!

oh is she in for a rude awakening. i was watching a show the other night about people looking to buy houses in alaska. one couple found a house they liked but it had no indoor loo, it had an outhouse. of course the lady said, "oh i have no problem with it". trouble was, it was summer when they looked at the house. i think she would feel a little differently about trudging to the outdoor loo in 4 feet of snow with 60 below wind chills. just sayin'....

 

[kelli]

Yep. I'm from Grand Rapids, and I've definitely got my share of those stories. Part of why we moved is because snow does not play well with having *two* people in wheelchairs in the same family... when my sister and I got too big for mom to carry us through the snow drifts, she unilaterally decided we were moving to somewhere without snow.

I went to Wyoming to visit a friend once, right after Christmas. She greeted me with "Don't freak out when you see all the emergency supplies and food in the car." My reply: "Doesn't everyone keep emergency supplies and food in the car? Flares, ice scraper, jack or two, shovel, bag of salt, change of clothes, extra scarf and gloves, flashlights, batteries, food that won't spoil..."

My friend: "Oh, that's right, you grew up on Lake Michigan."

I don't miss having to keep all that stuff in the car either, although old habits die hard and it tends to all go back in when the cold weather hits here, even though the chances of getting stuck in the snow are far outweighed by the chances of not being able to find bread or milk at the store and only later realizing that there must be a 10% chance of three snowflakes within the next week. I swear Georgians must have a secret recipe for a bread and milk casserole they make when they *think* it might snow. Lightweights.

georgians also don't know how to drive in inclement weather. whenever they get snow or ice there, the news sets up random cameras on the expressways, and the fun begins.....cars sliding and crashing merrily into each other and the guard rails. amazing.

 

[Criticalmass]

i don't have cable or an antenna, so i buy sets that are interesting, but cheap. i missed putting firefly on the list. i liked Deadwood except for some scenes that they needn't have done. i wished they would have went one more season so we could see rockefellar get skewered.

got my last order for wick and wire in today! phew! ordered some pg, so i can tweak my juices a bit (and cut down on gooped up coils, not to mention the fog appearing on the windows!

talked with dshs this morning. got my food stamps upped, but no cash. i can get some if i qualify for their medical, which i'm sure i can. started that process today, a form is in the mail. dr appt this afternoon and off to ssi tomorrow (God willing).

vaping cinn roll. (cuz everything else is in the living room near the phone)

250 for cable + internet with HD channels included.. Uh, no.

So instead I have 100mbps internet and a server that I set up to automatically download our shows as they become available, plus I pay for Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime. So it is all covered. And I'm still paying about half what the cable companies want.

My only gripe is that Warner pulled all of their stuff from Netflix to start their own streaming service. On principal I won't spend the money for it. Warner needs to get with the program and stop being greedy.

 

[MDV39]

georgians also don't know how to drive in inclement weather. whenever they get snow or ice there, the news sets up random cameras on the expressways, and the fun begins.....cars sliding and crashing merrily into each other and the guard rails. amazing.

I like to think my 28 years driving in the snow in NYC with many of them delivering pizza I would hope I was a professional in it by now.

 

[Criticalmass]

georgians also don't know how to drive in inclement weather. whenever they get snow or ice there, the news sets up random cameras on the expressways, and the fun begins.....cars sliding and crashing merrily into each other and the guard rails. amazing.

The people in Atlanta can't drive on the best days. I have had to drive through that city dozens if not hundreds of times and every time I do I feel like I am driving an obstacle course trying to avoid being hit.

 

[Seanchai]

oh is she in for a rude awakening. i was watching a show the other night about people looking to buy houses in alaska. one couple found a house they liked but it had no indoor loo, it had an outhouse. of course the lady said, "oh i have no problem with it". trouble was, it was summer when they looked at the house. i think she would feel a little differently about trudging to the outdoor loo in 4 feet of snow with 60 below wind chills. just sayin'....View attachment 272492

I couldn't even get her to take any of our cold weather gear with her - hats and scarves and such - we've got tons of it, most of it *unworn* because mom still forgets we don't *need* it here, so she'll see something at a good price, grab it, and then remember it's superfluous... so the stuff I was offering her still had the tags on it. She just laughed and said she wouldn't need any of it... when her entire wardrobe are those lightweight summer dresses with African print and hand beading. Truly beautiful, but oh my god, not for *Montreal*! So I'm sending her a care package of all the brand new hats/scarves/gloves she didn't want. Bet they look pretty good now.

An *outhouse?!* In *Alaska*?!.... I have no words.

Actually, I do. (Who's surprised.) In Michigan, we lived in a little farmhouse that was built in 1910 - nothing fancy, single bedroom, no basement, but huge yard and a barn (in which my father kept his Harleys, which is how I knew that shape when I saw it a few days ago.... spent *hours* with those!).

Only trouble was, the lack of basement meant it was on a slab, and my sister and I not being able to walk meant we were *crawling* on said slab all the time. Not so bad on the carpet, but the bathroom was just bare concrete, and in winter, oh god oh god oh god. The day when I was old enough to explain why we would both sob uncontrollably every time we had to go to the bathroom - but only in winter - was a triumphant one. "The floor is so cold it *hurts*, Mom!" We got bathmats in pronto, but it only helped so much. The cold in that room was just *pervasive*.

I have abhored cold bathrooms ever since, cause I associate them with feeling like someone's taking an ice pick to my hands, knees, feet and face. (When you're that small and you have to crawl everywhere, *everything* is close to that awful, so-cold-it-makes-everything-throb floor.)

So, an outhouse in winter? I'd hold it till I burst.

 

[kelli]

lol sean. for one winter i lived in an old farmhouse in vermont. my bedroom was upstairs and a glass of water on my bedside table would literally be frozen solid on a january morning. it took every ounce of gumption i had to crawl out from under the mountains of cover. oh my god it was horrid!

oh btw....vaping green apple today. one of my faves.

 

[mcol]

I hear ya. Here if there is 2" of snow PREDICTED (doesn't have to fall),
they close schools. I'm as bad as they are now, when I see a weather forecast -
"They haven't closed the schools yet?"
I won't venture out in these roads after a snowfall, I'm skeered of the nuts here
that drive one speed on the roads regardless of conditions. So I'm the one that
buys the 3 gallons of milk, 3 loaves of bread and 5 dozen eggs at the mere mention
of snow.

 

[Seanchai]

georgians also don't know how to drive in inclement weather. whenever they get snow or ice there, the news sets up random cameras on the expressways, and the fun begins.....cars sliding and crashing merrily into each other and the guard rails. amazing.

The people in Atlanta can't drive on the best days. I have had to drive through that city dozens if not hundreds of times and every time I do I feel like I am driving an obstacle course trying to avoid being hit.

My mother drives here for a living, and most days I truly think she's probably the only person in the metro area who knows how to drive, so yes, I agree with you. More than that, I can tell you *why* no one can drive here.... driver's ed is not required, and more than that, it's *expensive*.... it was $350 when I was in high school, and that's a good while ago now. The result of this is people in their thirties were trained to drive by their parents, who learned from their parents, who learned to drive on farm equipment. I'm not being snarky, it's the truth.... that's how all of my classmates learned. Who needs turn signals or to know how to merge on a tractor? Thus, everyone here, or at least everyone who grew up here, drives like they're the only one on the road. Add smartphones to that mix and forget it (and if you value your life, maintain a massive following distance).

The number of times I've been in the car when someone coming from the other direction crossed the center line.... thank God Mom is a good driver and we've (so far) always had a shoulder to run onto. 90% of the time I'm in a car, Mom is driving, because I have several friends whom I flat out refuse to ride with if they're behind the wheel. My nerves can't take the bumper riding, hairpin turning, turn-signal-optional driving style of native Georgians.

The city planning of Atlanta was done by five year old children who were first allowed to mainline sugar, I am convinced. Nothing runs true to cardinal directions, three quarters of the streets are one way, and whatever way that is, it's the *wrong* way. When your city's main interchange is officially called Spaghetti Junction, and no one is kidding... that's probably a bad sign.

 

[Criticalmass]

My mother drives here for a living, and most days I truly think she's probably the only person in the metro area who knows how to drive, so yes, I agree with you. More than that, I can tell you *why* no one can drive here.... driver's ed is not required, and more than that, it's *expensive*.... it was $350 when I was in high school, and that's a good while ago now. The result of this is people in their thirties were trained to drive by their parents, who learned from their parents, who learned to drive on farm equipment. I'm not being snarky, it's the truth.... that's how all of my classmates learned. Who needs turn signals or to know how to merge on a tractor? Thus, everyone here, or at least everyone who grew up here, drives like they're the only one on the road. Add smartphones to that mix and forget it (and if you value your life, maintain a massive following distance).

The number of times I've been in the car when someone coming from the other direction crossed the center line.... thank God Mom is a good driver and we've (so far) always had a shoulder to run onto. 90% of the time I'm in a car, Mom is driving, because I have several friends whom I flat out refuse to ride with if they're behind the wheel. My nerves can't take the bumper riding, hairpin turning, turn-signal-optional driving style of native Georgians.

The city planning of Atlanta was done by five year old children who were first allowed to mainline sugar, I am convinced. Nothing runs true to cardinal directions, three quarters of the streets are one way, and whatever way that is, it's the *wrong* way. When your city's main interchange is officially called Spaghetti Junction, and no one is kidding... that's probably a bad sign.

That would explain a lot. I turned down a job at Coke USA in Atlanta based in large part on the drivers. My wife would never survive. lol.

New Orleans is like that with the one-way streets but eventually you do get used to it (cept for the occasional tourist caught going the wrong way down a one-way street). The real fun is when a street is one-way at certain times and then both ways at other times. :O

I wonder if we'll get snow this year. I don't think we did last year (or not enough to matter). I spent a year in Chicago, Il. Coldest winter I ever encountered. The wind made it WAY worse.

 

[Sambuca]

georgians also don't know how to drive in inclement weather. whenever they get snow or ice there, the news sets up random cameras on the expressways, and the fun begins.....cars sliding and crashing merrily into each other and the guard rails. amazing.

we don't get much snow in the convergence zone, and if we do, it's usually gone a day or 2 later.

one year, we had 3 back to back storms. we go down to "life-sustaining" rides only, eg, dialysis, ...., etc. i'm from new hampshire, so i drive along with another driver, Dale (the guy who brought me to the hospital when i had the heart attack) and maybe another. people in seattle have problems driving in sunshine, let alone rain or snow. in the snow, off 1-5 in the city is so-so, off it in the outskirts, not so much. i was way up in shoreline waiting at a .... clinic and the owner calls, "go get Dale". why, my ride'll be ready in a minute? "nope, we're done." Mike had driven off the road on 145th, Dale had wrecked a rim by Virginia Mason.

the year before, i had to pick someone up in Skyway. abandoned cars all over the place. ice everywhere. i brought these folks way up to children's hospital. they were supposed to be done at 2pm. they tried to get me to wait till 4pm. no way, when that sun sets, i'm done. 3pm, i told them to get a room, i left. my mother raised a fool not an idiot!

2010, another bad storm. no one plowed or de-iced except the highways. it was so bad we were supposed to be at 8am, we did out share of rides. the dispatcher, Bo (owner's brother) kept getting me more rides. starts sending me to the kent/des moines area. they had snow that froze, and then another snow that froze and then another snow that froze. not one plow, not one grain of sand on the road. i'm screaming at Bo to stop taking rides down there. it's a skating rink everywhere. Bo's in Arizona out by the friggin' pool! i'm doing one last ride to kent. i turn on 27 pl s, car goes pretty wide. thank God no one is in the other lane. i drop the guy off and Bo calls with a ride in des moines. screaming commences! there is no way i'm driving to that address! there's vertical drop, nearly straight down. i ain't doing it. i get back to the end of 27th pl s. i'm approaching the stop sign, i see a car looking to make the same turn that i had. so as Bo is yelling at me to go to des moines, the car starts to turn and sure enough..it goes wide and right into me. i'm on the phone blaming Bo! this lady gets out of her car, "i'm so sorry".i'm laughing, "you don't have to tell me. been there done that!" now, she doesn't have insurance! i, being the simple sap that i am, i hand her my nextel. "here, press that button to talk, the owner is down in palm springs. whatever mercy he gives you, you got" they make arrangements, i follow her home to make sure we had a good address for her. she gets out of the car and then reaches in the back seat. i hadn't seen the child! man, i started yelling at her. i don't really care if you are stupid enough to drive in the snow (w/o insurance), but for as bad as it was, to risk your child like that...

in new hampshire, it snows, they plow, you drive!

 

[kelli]

That would explain a lot. I turned down a job at Coke USA in Atlanta based in large part on the drivers. My wife would never survive. lol.

thanks for friending me, doug