Ace-Garageguy

Just blue jays and crows here.

The hoot-owl is back. Every fall about this time, and he's hooting to beat the band tonight. First time this year.

"Time Passages" crooned Al Stewart in 1978, but I still don't know what "time passages" are exactly...though I suppose they could be wormholes.

My current understanding is that it was achieved by investigators working backwards from info that came in on a tip line, about a "suspicious acting" guy whose physical presence in the area where the fire was determined to have started was verified. Phone records filled in a lot of the rest. I don't know if there's a plausible motive as yet.

"CLASS!!!!" screamed Mrs. Loopner at the top of her lungs.

News announcing they got the guy who supposedly started the Palisades fire. Maybe there is a little justice in the world. If he's really the one, I wonder how long it'll take for him to rebuild everything and work off the rest of the damages. Oh wait...it doesn't work like that?

Ah yes, overpaid salaried "workers" with hot-n-cold running benefits. Gotta love 'em. Not a clue in sight.

We live in hope...but I won't hold my breatf. (there's that pesky spllellchick aginge)

"Ago" is almost impossible to start a sentence with, but who cares, because THE LAST POST ISN'T A SENTENCE ANYWAY.

And it's now closing on 4:00 PM. Got everything taken care of that wasn't my job in the first place, at least as much as possible for now, and haven't made a cent. Thanks, idiocracy.

Again and again, sometimes I have to do things over to get them right.

Hardly a new idea, but worth repeating: the book 1984 was not intended to be an instruction manual. Nor were Atlas Shrugged and Idiocracy intended to be utopian visions we should strive for.

Funny thing about how those who populate the lotto lines don't often look to be gainfully employed in anything that requires some skill or intelligence...if employed at all. Frankly, I'm surprised my bank hasn't started selling lottery tickets.

Pun intended, I assume? No joy at the bank. "So sorry. You just out the $35 for nothing. Sucker." New branch manager who's gone from being a teller with no clue to being the boss. Funny thing...I've been with this bank for decades, through multiple name-changes and mergers and buyouts, and with every one, the level of service has declined while the costs have increased dramatically for everything, and branches and even teller machines have evaporated overnight. Probably going to be a $5 "lobby transaction fee" in not too long, if they don't just skin you for it at the door. Got her card anyway. Next stop: a strongly-worded letter to corporate. Will it do any good? Probably not, but I'm sick of the bull everywhere I turn. And the reason it is the way it is is because everyone just takes it...depending of course on what your definition of "is" is. EDIT: And just to add to the fun, the only ball valve the closest hardware store had was the exact same as the one that failed, but molded in green instead of red, carded as the store's house brand. AND...when I got it home, it turned out to have been already cross-threaded on the hose end, and the washer was missing too. Guess I should have looked it over in the store as carefully as I usually do most things now, though it was carded and looked "new" at a glance. Good thing I'm smarter than a plastic ball valve. Barely.

It's shaping up to be a fun day. As I was walking out the door to go to the bank, I heard a POP then siissssss coming from the bathroom. Turned out to be the 6-month-old Chinese ball-valve on the hose to the point-of-use propane-fired water-heater excreted its seal...over 100 psi coming from the main...and drenched the room before I could find the water-meter wrench and get outside to shut it off. Cleaned up the mess, going to the hardware store for a new valve as soon as I get done at the bank. I can't turn the water back on at the meter until it's installed. Signing off fer now.

For a while, IIRC, there was an option that could negotiated through the mods for a specific user to be granted editing access to older posts, which is great if you have time to sift through thousands of photos on your drive to find the ones once used to illustrate text. I personally detest redoing work that I got wrong in the first place, but I'll do it; its MY responsibility. But redoing work that just flat isn't my own fault? Most likely not.

Yup.

I avoid 'em if at all possible, but I let this one slip through. The particular AV used to be very very good, but has recently been getting top-heavy with FOD, and the price has gone way up. NOR do they send an email advising of the impending renew date as they claim. It's all bull. What they DO say is "you are eligible for all this great new stuff that does nothing for significantly more money when your subscription renews" but NEVER provide the actual renew date...and I failed to follow up sufficiently. It's SOP to make quitting stuff online so much hoop-jumping that I'm sure a lot of people get intimidated and give up. There really ought to be a "one-click-end-enrollment" option for every online service.

I've known a few racing weenies over the years...

Well, no big deal. Unfortunately, the last time old threads were allowed to be edited, editing text had the unfortunate side-effect glitch of deleting all the photos in the post that was text-edited...which made them useless...and can't be back-edited to restore the photos. Pretty special, doncha think?

And...during the "chat" required to get a refund, during which they dodge and weave and try to talk you out of it, they give you a confirmation number (which I copied immediately of course) and tell you to "keep it in case there's a problem processing the refund in 5-7 business days". Naturally the confo number is NOT a part of the refund confo email they send you. I wonder how much MORE time I'll have to waste online getting this thievery cleared up if/when the refund fails to materialize.

Well suh, I have some 3D prints in my possession that have zero "layering lines". I also have some that look like Fido's backside, and I'll NEVER buy from those guys again...even if they fix their junk. There's a lot to be said for actually knowing what you're doing, and learning to make a quality product prior to selling it....though that's an idea that's apparently now considered old-fashioned. SEE: Microsoft, just about every LLM AI product out there, etc. EDIT: Also see Dan's post immediately above.

After repeatedly informing one of my antivirus providers to cancel the account, they still put a payment through last week. So I went to my bank last week and put a stop-payment on it...FOR WHICH THEY CHARGED ME $35. I asked "will this stop future payments billed from this company?" They said "YES". This AM I got an email from the antivirus that the payment went through. I've been online with the AV, getting bounced around from site to site to site, going through the REFUND process for an hour. Now I'm going to the bank to rip somebody a new one.

Great looking work so far. Tastefully done, well thought-out and integrated modifications that enhance a cars original lines and character rather than obscuring or competing with them are the highest form of the customizer's art, and you're hitting it. Well done.

Way cool.