biodork

Good contractors are FN Fantastic. I decided late Monday to see about getting a quote for the porch roof repair and submitted something online through HomeAdvisor.com. Tuesday morning one of the matched contractors called, and actually came out later that morning to take a look and do an estimate. In his opinion it was an easy repair to just replace the front-facing board at the bottom edge of the roof and that there was no other damage to be concerned about (on my side or the neighbor's), and he offered to do the work the very next morning. By noon Wed. it's completely finished and looks a hundred times better. As an added bonus, I'd warned him ahead of time about my obnoxious neighbor who was convinced there would be damage on her side, so when she started to come out and raise a fuss about how I'm supposed to be getting her side fixed, he said, "Don't worry ma'am, we're going to make sure everything is solid in there and she's paying for EVERYTHING." All true, of course, but he was smart enough to know you couldn't have told her there was nothing wrong with her side because she wouldn't have believed it. And even though that nasty old witch got a big smile on her face when he told her that (seriously; what kind of miserable person is happy about such a thing?), I'm thrilled to have it resolved and her off my back (for now).

Man, that's awesome! Now you just gotta find a place to live, or do a long-term hotel suite for a bit.

I don't think it qualifies as a sedan since it's a compact car, but I honestly love my Honda Fit. The mpg is insanely good (I regularly average 35+ for the full tank), the foldable rear seats are awesome for fitting all sorts of stuff you wouldn't think a car that small could hold, and it's surprisingly fun to drive at highway speeds. But, the engine is underpowered, so I wouldn't recommend it if you live somewhere hilly.

That's awesome, CSB! Glad to hear some good fortune is finally headed your direction.

That's awesome! I heard Tacky (ehh, okay) and hadn't caught up on the others, but that was great.

I honestly can't recall how the food was, but eating here was a fun experience years ago when I was last in NYC: http://www.jekyllandhydeclub.com/home.html

Speaking of this: Leading AIDS Researcher, ‘Always Traveling,’ Is Killed on His Way to a Conference While the loss of any and every life on that flight was tragic, this really takes it to another level.

Beautiful pic, weave. And Swamp, that's really awesome about your daughter. I hope they can get her off the drugs!

Still haven't tried that one. Thought about it when I was restocking the bar a couple weeks ago, but opted for two less expensive bourbons instead. Having Elijah Craig tonight, myself.

Sweet -- congrats, again!

Gretzky, cough, cough

Well...? Still looking good after reading through the details last night? For me: 1) The plant I thought the rabbits had killed off a couple weeks ago is showing signs of life, now that I've found a non-toxic repellent (Tabasco / garlic water spray). 2) Spent last Thurs-Friday around Watkins and Seneca Lake, with beautiful weather and clear skies. Only wish I could've stayed longer! 3) The weather here yesterday and today is F'N Fantastic as well -- clear and warm, not humid. 4) After today we're down to just 1 of the 3 summer students, which is much more manageable. Nice kids, but so much extra work having them around!

Lol now you can plant a note suggesting he shower more frequently on your last day. ;)

Congrats!!

Eeew... the smell of curry can be strong even post-shower, so I can't imagine after 3-4 days. Just take some vacation time if you're going to be worthless and smelly!

Ha! I debated having the entire plant removed out of spite, but then I decided that would hurt me as well since I actually like it there. ;) I know, right? I hear her at midnight talking to herself and I hear her all morning talking to herself, but I guess she doesn't actually get out of bed and go downstairs until later in the morning. Unfortunately this lilac bush is just outside both our bedroom windows, so there's a risk that she'll hear me out there even if I go early in the morning.

Good luck, shrader... I hope something works out soon! Lol I don't have blanket dislike for all old people, but this lady has taken it on as a strong part of her identity (she writes "I am 73" at the bottom of most letters) and seems to view her age as some sort of entitlement to push me around. The only reason I didn't push back on the fence thing is because she's right about it being on her side of the property line and the law in PA requires an absurd 21 years of continuous use for adverse possession, so I had no leg to stand on. Yeah. I have no intentions of accommodating her request to be present, but I will attempt to trim them in good faith. I plan to do it early some weekend morning (before she's awake) because if I have to talk to her in person I'll probably end up telling her off.

Fair enough; and I do feel for people with such a condition, but I think that condition is far more rare than the number of stinky folks out there. Sometimes it's just a cultural thing. I used to work with a nice Chinese lady who did not find daily showers a necessity and would sometimes wear the exact same clothes three days in a row.

The paint on my porch has been peeling and in need of repainting for a while, and someone had suggested I try chemical paint stripper. Found a non-toxic one with great reviews, tried it the other weekend, and not only did it not remove much paint, the porch looks worse than before because there's a pale pink cast to it even after heavy washing. Ugh. And the annoying old lady who lives in the other half of my duplex is giving me grief again. First she sent a letter asking me to trim the lilac bush before it becomes a problem with the fence (a legitimate request). She also mentioned that our neighbor across the street had told her about a defect in my porch roof (thanks a lot, man) and that she hopes there isn't damage on her side that I would have to fix. I sent a polite note back letting her know I would take care of the trimming as long as she didn't mind me coming on her side to access the taller branches, and that I would certainly let her know after I've had an estimate on the porch roof if the contracter determines it concerns her as well. A few days later I get a long note asking again to make sure I have the contractor look at her side of the porch so I can have it fixed and suggesting how I should trim the lilac on my side of the property. She goes on to tell me she wants to be present for both projects but she's not an early riser, blah blah and it would have to be after 11am. 1) I don't need her supervision to trim my plants any more than she needs mine to cut her lawn. 2) I already made it clear I would let her know if the problem with my porch affects hers, and she has no reason to believe I won't because I was overly accommodating of her 3 years ago when she decided to make a stink about the fence that had been placed 15 years and 3 owners prior to me. 3) Bitch, you're the one who is retired; I'm not scheduling a contractor for 11am during the week when I should be at work just so your old annoying ass can stand there and make a nuisance of yourself. And I know you're awake earlier than that because I can hear you talking to yourself all morning while I get ready for work. She's always trying to make me feel bad for her because she's always telling me about her age and health problems, but I don't owe her a GD thing and she's making me miserable.

Of course there are exceptions, but generally people of that size and (infrequent) showering habits, hygiene is largely to blame.

Replace weird with lazy and have him living alone, and that's him. I'm much less hostile at work now that he's gone.

Lol I thank God every day that guy is no longer in my lab. I literally kept car air fresheners and jar of strong peppermint lotion at my desk so I couldn't smell him. Blech.

D'oh... wish I'd thought of that and tried on my phone! Curse Apple's ongoing feud with Adobe. :(

Insanity. Soupy probably doesn't take that delay of game penalty if he's logging normal minutes vs playing half the game.

Dang it; how is it the video stream isn't compatible with an iPad? No go on Safari, and didn't see it as an option through the Sabres app. Sigh. Amazing attendance, though... way to represent!