What Irked You Today?

[TonyK]

1 hour ago, ewetwo said:

My luck has never been the best. Example. I'm sure I stop and then go like everyone else at a stop sign. I get pulled over and the officer said "you are suppose to count to 3 when you come to a complete stop before you go again and you didn't". Luckily he didn't give me a ticket. But know days I see people going through red lights. And I get stopped for not counting to 3? Give me a break.

Had a similar thing happen many, many years ago on the way to work. There's a 3 way stop intersection and there was a car that showed up at the same time to the left of me. I waited a bit to make sure he was gonna stop and then I went. Got pulled over by a young cop that claimed I didn't stop! You can't argue with him. He gave me a ticket. I have a clean record and you give me a bogus ticket like that?! Bugs me to this day.

[stitchdup]

treated myself to pizza tonight, might as well have been bread with tom sauce cos there was 9 bits of cheese and 4 of chicken. I paid for a pizza, not a sendwich

[redscampi]

26 minutes ago, stitchdup said:

treated myself to pizza tonight, might as well have been bread with tom sauce cos there was 9 bits of cheese and 4 of chicken. I paid for a pizza, not a sendwich

Where did you find that? We have a Hunt Brothers place right down the road. Those are pretty terrible for what you pay.

Edited December 21, 2023 by redscampi
put payed to it

[stitchdup]

Just now, redscampi said:

Where did you find that? We have a Hunt Brothers place right down the road. Those are pretty terrible for what you get.

just a local takeaway, we dont have any of the restaurant chains on the islands

[redscampi]

Years ago friends of ours honeymooned in Cancun. One night they ordered pizza via room service. The "pepperoni" was slices of hot dogs.

[Mark]

44 minutes ago, redscampi said:

Where did you find that? We have a Hunt Brothers place right down the road. Those are pretty terrible for what you pay.

Those Hunt Brothers signs started popping up at gas stations around here recently.  I was wondering what special acumen they possessed regarding pizza. 

Which also reminded me, what did the Red Baron ever have to do with pizza?

[espo]

50 minutes ago, redscampi said:

Years ago friends of ours honeymooned in Cancun. One night they ordered pizza via room service. The "pepperoni" was slices of hot dogs.

They should have ordered Mexican food instead. 

[Rob Hall]

9 minutes ago, Mark said:

Those Hunt Brothers signs started popping up at gas stations around here recently.  I was wondering what special acumen they possessed regarding pizza. 

Which also reminded me, what did the Red Baron ever have to do with pizza?

Or for that matter, Ceasar... 

[ewetwo]

4 hours ago, BlackSheep214 said:

Impatient drivers. After dropping off the missus to the hairdresser last night, I decided to go to the local mall and Barnes&Nobles. Sitting in traffic, somebody laid the horn on me when I have a long line of traffic in front of me. Not once but twice at two different traffic lights.

The second time an even longer line of traffic due to an accident down the road.

The question begs... where the h*** am I suppose to go with both lanes in my direction stuck in traffic?! Geez... everybody's in a hurry to go.... NOWHERES !!!

 

Boston is the worse for drivers and their horns. Had to live there for 40 days this summer to be close to Dana Farber. Never ever going back to that city. Hated every minute of being there.

[ewetwo]

3 hours ago, TonyK said:

Had a similar thing happen many, many years ago on the way to work. There's a 3 way stop intersection and there was a car that showed up at the same time to the left of me. I waited a bit to make sure he was gonna stop and then I went. Got pulled over by a young cop that claimed I didn't stop! You can't argue with him. He gave me a ticket. I have a clean record and you give me a bogus ticket like that?! Bugs me to this day.

I had a city cop pull me over for doing 40 in a 30 zone. I had to stop behind the cop car because it was 2 lane and he was standing out side the car. On the drivers side. And traffic was coming so I couldn't go around him. I went by and stopped at the traffic light and made me pull over. I even told him I had to stop behind his car because of on coming traffic. I was 19 and owned a nice 1969 Bonneville 2dr HT. Must have thought I was one of the rich kids.

[ewetwo]

4 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

I'd love to see just exactly how that statute is written in your state legal code.   

I know. My sister had them and she suggested to the trapper to release him up in the country. He told her that.

[BlackSheep214]

1 hour ago, ewetwo said:

Boston is the worse for drivers and their horns. Had to live there for 40 days this summer to be close to Dana Farber. Never ever going back to that city. Hated every minute of being there.

I've always hated driving on the Masspike. 

Did I mention I absolutely hate driving in Pennsylvania?

[Ace-Garageguy]

Delete dumb guy post.  

Edited December 21, 2023 by Ace-Garageguy

[89AKurt]

Glad I don't live in Boston!  We have other things, such as ancient history driving in the left lane below the speed limit, mixed with Californians who think it's a race.

What irked me today, which has been building up for months for me, dealing with the County and City building departments.  Picked up a client, who started his journey of dealing with the County before me, he asked them if he needed a permit to rebuild a deck, he was (alleged) told no if replacing like for like.  So he tore it down, then the County shows up and says he does need a permit before the contractor from Phoenix does the job.  That guy applied for a permit, but because he couldn't draw, it was rejected.  So I drew it, got the Engineering, builder applied for the permit.  The County contacts the guy to say he is in violation now because the permit had not been approved yet, it's a $10,000 fine!   I contacted the County via email, asking what is up?  Today I get an email from the County, apologizing for making a mistake, included the email address for the other Department to complain to.  The guy is being savaged by the building department, and the County wonders why so many people don't get a permit.

Once I finish up the 20 +- jobs on my plate, I'm retiring, screw this.

[peteski]

On 12/21/2023 at 3:41 PM, ewetwo said:

Boston is the worse for drivers and their horns. Had to live there for 40 days this summer to be close to Dana Farber. Never ever going back to that city. Hated every minute of being there.

I used to live there. Moved to the suburbs about 30 years ago, and now I avoid it like a plague!  But it is not just Boston.  Drivers in the entire New England area are really nasty.  Actually, I think the same applies to the entire country. We just totally lost our civility when it comes driving (and even politics).  USA is not the same place it was years ago, but we unfortunately can't just make it nice again. Can't go back to the past.  Just have to grin and bear it. Or is it bear and grin it?

[HomerS]

Got a replacement Keurig.  After a test run, boxed the old one up, took it outside, squeezed my fatness around the bar cart and opened the bombay doors.  Square peg right into a square hole.  Dammit....Almost!!!  So much for those aptitude tests of years ago.

As the teenager laughed, I explained those who can...do.  Those who cannot...teach.  That's why I coached little league basketball for both of my sons.

[Tom Geiger]

1 hour ago, 89AKurt said:

What irked me today, which has been building up for months for me, dealing with the County and City building departments.  Picked up a client, who started his journey of dealing with the County before me, he asked them if he needed a permit to rebuild a deck, he was (alleged) told no if replacing like for like.  So he tore it down, then the County shows up and says he does need a permit before the contractor from Phoenix does the job.  That guy applied for a permit, but because he couldn't draw, it was rejected.  So I drew it, got the Engineering, builder applied for the permit.  The County contacts the guy to say he is in violation now because the permit had not been approved yet, it's a $10,000 fine!   I contacted the County via email, asking what is up?  Today I get an email from the County, apologizing for making a mistake, included the email address for the other Department to complain to.  The guy is being savaged by the building department, and the County wonders why so many people don't get a permit.

Once I finish up the 20 +- jobs on my plate, I'm retiring, screw this.

I went many rounds with the building department in Hazlet, NJ.  I owned 2 houses in town. 

I did a total gut job on house 2 for my daughters to occupy.  Halfway through the reno, contractor went bankrupt and walked off the job.  I had done several jobs with him prior, so I was surprised.  I hired a carpenter friend, and we finished the job.  This was a permitted project with proper inspections throughout the process.  We did the final inspection, then I got a letter...  town was looking for an indemnity letter for all the trades on the job, each testifying that the project was done to code.  They KNEW the history of the project, and the trades got stiffed by the primary contractor, so no way was I getting letters from these companies.

I sent the town registered letters, to the building dept and mayor.  I reiterated the situation with the contractors. Then I stated my credentials as a CFM (Certified Facility Manager) with 30 years of experience in doing major renovations within the pharma industry.  I stated that as a professional and the final GC,  I was certifying the construction.  I gave them 5 days to respond with my CO or I would open up a can of worms... first letter to the local press. I went to the house that Saturday and my CO was in the mailbox!  

Later that year I sold house 1.  The inspector fawned over me, showed me one small item he said they'd trust me to finish and gave me the CO on the spot!  

Move forward 10 years I sell house 2. New staff at this point, and inspector actually complimented me on the renovation!   Then he gets outside... he doesn't like the block patio.  It was done with permit and had a final inspection.  Now he states it's 18" over the legal limit.  We are measuring the property from a block wall.  Survey in my hand shows the measurement from inside the block.  He decides to measure outside the block!   Big adoo, lots of actual screaming at the building department, but I have 2 weeks to close the deal.

I call my friend the mason who did the work.  He is equally miffed and agrees to come over and fix it for free.  He took a masonry saw to it and sliced off exactly 18", cursing in Italian the entire time.  I call the town for inspection.  That's when they demand a permit to modify the patio!  I buy the permit and they never even inspected!    That's when my creep of a buyer demands a $5000 discount for loss of the patio width.  I told him to close or walk away. He closed.

Let's just say I will never live in that town again.

 

[ewetwo]

2 hours ago, 89AKurt said:

Glad I don't live in Boston!  We have other things, such as ancient history driving in the left lane below the speed limit, mixed with Californians who think it's a race.

What irked me today, which has been building up for months for me, dealing with the County and City building departments.  Picked up a client, who started his journey of dealing with the County before me, he asked them if he needed a permit to rebuild a deck, he was (alleged) told no if replacing like for like.  So he tore it down, then the County shows up and says he does need a permit before the contractor from Phoenix does the job.  That guy applied for a permit, but because he couldn't draw, it was rejected.  So I drew it, got the Engineering, builder applied for the permit.  The County contacts the guy to say he is in violation now because the permit had not been approved yet, it's a $10,000 fine!   I contacted the County via email, asking what is up?  Today I get an email from the County, apologizing for making a mistake, included the email address for the other Department to complain to.  The guy is being savaged by the building department, and the County wonders why so many people don't get a permit.

Once I finish up the 20 +- jobs on my plate, I'm retiring, screw this.

Kind of makes me glad I'm almost 69. Figure maybe 5 more years od life. Hate to think of where will be as a nation. Outlooks kind of grim. Driers are just the start. Merry Christmas. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

35 minutes ago, Tom Geiger said:

I went many rounds with the building department in Hazlet, NJ.  I owned 2 houses in town...

...Let's just say I will never live in that town again.

And people wonder why I'm so often in a foul mood. "Ewww. He's so angry."

Most of my existence has involved dealing with and compensating for idiocy of this magnitude.

[Mark]

2 hours ago, Tom Geiger said:

 

Let's just say I will never live in that town again.

 

I'd imagine these "inspectors" can provide you with a list of hunting  buddies/campaign donors/"qualified contractors" to do work that would invariably "pass inspection"...

[Tom Geiger]

15 hours ago, Mark said:

I'd imagine these "inspectors" can provide you with a list of hunting  buddies/campaign donors/"qualified contractors" to do work that would invariably "pass inspection"...

Yup. On one house I needed to have electric rerun from the house to the garage. Inspector told me to  "Call Jimmy" and happened to have the business card in his jacket pocket.  I know the job, so I expected the contractor to dig the trench, lay the cable in it and call for inspection.  Nope, I showed up at end of day and the whole project was done!  And I know they never inspected it.

Back when I was a full time realtor in 1981 there was a town where nearly every listing was through a small agency right in town.  I quickly learned it was owned by the building inspector when I listed a house there.   As soon as the listing appeared, he was knocking on the door for an inspection.  He hit the owner for a permit for aluminum siding that they swore was on the house when they bought it.  He slyly told them they would have less problems if they had listed with XYZ realty!  

Maybe 20 years ago in that same NJ shore area, the feds set up their own  paving company.  They managed to bust officials in about five towns for bribe solicitation and other crimes.

[espo]

IE: Building inspection and The County Tax people in general. Had a similar experience with the county building inspector. Replacing the deck on a new home at about 5 years in. The bottom steps of the original deck only rested on the concrete landing on one side and the other was in the breeze. Wonder how they missed that one when it was a new build. Talked to the county and was told that if I replaced it without increasing the size it was all good and no permit was required. Well, he lied. Went back and forth with these brain surgeons for a couple of months before I had to get an attorney to explain to them what they had said and failed to do originally. The next year I'm building raised planting beds around the foundation of the home. The beds ranged in height from two courses of concrete blocks up to four in some places on the sides as the home had a walkout type basement that made it like a two-story structure on the back side. I'm down on my hands and knees setting and shaping the edges on the blocks and notice a car that I had never seen before cruising around the neighborhood. Started noticing him stop and looking at our house and even taking pictures. I approached the car, and he drives off. Next thing we get a notice that our property taxes are going up because of our flower beds and yard plantings. Had to have a sit down with the County Tax Assessor to get them to stop. 

[ColonelKrypton]

On 12/22/2023 at 6:12 PM, Ace-Garageguy said:

And people wonder why I'm so often in a foul mood. "Ewww. He's so angry."

Most of my existence has involved dealing with and compensating for idiocy of this magnitude.

If you have never heard of the "Iron Law of Bureaucracy" before, you will certainly understand after reading this:

https://www.jerrypournelle.com/reports/jerryp/iron.html

I seem to recall that this is the original version:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Pournelle#:~:text=Another "law" of his is,and sometimes are eliminated entirely.

Either wording certainly has a ring of truth.

cheers, Graham

 

 

[Scott Colmer]

The breaker on the pool has been tripping for a while now. We even had a newer one put in because of a code issue discussed in another post. Well, we had a good downpour a couple of days ago and the breaker tripped. I could not get it back. Great. I called the electrician and the can out today (12/24!) the guy knocked on the back door and said he found the problem. There is some wet wiring. Hmm? Then he pointed to the open heater unit. 

Yikes! The entire thing was a rats nest. I cleaned it out and the guy replaced some of the wire nuts. Then I gave it a good round with the leaf blower. I got lucky. No chewed wires and nothing shorted out. The bill was 80 bucks. But  - The fitting on the salt cell was badly cracked and pouring out water.

 

So one more round of repair needed. 

 

[Ace-Garageguy]

29 minutes ago, Scott Colmer said:

The breaker on the pool has been tripping for a while now...

Not the same, but reminds me of a time I had an air compressor that was constantly "burning" the points on the AC pressure relay.

I kept cleaning them with the trusty old point file from the dim recesses of time, she'd run a couple of days, then burn 'em again.

Prior to looking for some obscure electrical cause, the last time before I cleaned them, I examined the points carefully under bright light and magnification.

There was a fried ant carcass making a nice insulator between the points themselves.

I have no idea if ants are attracted to small magnetic fields (like the coil in the relay), but once I sealed the relay housing so they couldn't get in, the problem stopped.

For all I know, they could have been playing some kind of ant "chicken", seeing who could get across the points before they snapped closed. 

Edited December 24, 2023 by Ace-Garageguy