Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-08T16:19:18-04:00
hOLY cOW! You guys were extremely busy while I couldn't be here. Should I even read all that?!
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-08T16:22:46-04:00
Nope not reading the rest. Started at the bottom, now I'm here after skipping most of the middle. Nice balls pit, TEP!
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-08T16:24:37-04:00
Wait, Geist, you don't beep every time? Crap, I thought that meant you passed the test. Maybe that explained why those guards were yelling to me. I thought they wanted my autograph or something and ran as fast as I could and hid until my plane left.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-08T17:17:25-04:00
Nice. You guys planned to get off just before I could get back, huh?
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-08T17:38:57-04:00
Well you know what? I'm just going to talk like I would have if you were all on now, and you can join if you want.
Epicderpguy 2015-07-08T18:03:23-04:00
And if I didn't join you?
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-08T18:47:45-04:00
Whoops, that's what happens when I talk to myself; I get bored and drift away.
Then you wouldn't get the super awesome special edition 2 for 1 prize pack. Basically, the 88100th comment. Congratulations.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-08T19:14:19-04:00
No? Ok, last chance to claim the prize!
Gabriel Deschênes 2015-07-08T19:49:16-04:00
did someone say prize?
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-08T20:58:03-04:00
Congrats, you nabbed the super-ultra-lucky 88,100th comment! Good on you.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-08T20:58:53-04:00
I'm still proud to have 60,000, 61,000, and 62,000 all within like 36 hours or so.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-08T23:58:17-04:00
Well good night then! This ends the 8-hour marathon of just the Mattress from Sqornshellous Zeta, starring 2 guest stars, Epicderpguy and Gabriel Deschênes! Tune in next time when IT'S HIS LAST FULL DAY OF CLASS THIS SUMMER (other than the final on friday)
Oh, and Good morning, TeP!
Chris 2015-07-09T03:42:34-04:00
Keep Calm and Defuse Kittens.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-09T08:56:41-04:00
Wow. Not even tep. We now rejoin the 17 hour marathon of Zem: the Mattress. That was a special appearance indeed from Chris! Now, I'll be leaving and won't bring my laptop today, so I hope this special marathon is interrupted by some special bulletins real soon. It''s boring around here! But don't worry, I'll be back later in the day. Just after everyone else has left again.
Kristen Demeter 2015-07-09T08:59:15-04:00
Hey. I'm too lazy to read back. Someone give me a quick recap of this mornings' conversation so I can join in? :D :D :D
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2015-07-09T09:04:36-04:00
@Kristen: The recap goes as follows: Iceland is now the world's super power, Jerry Garcia is back from the dead and touring, ice cream is now good for you and now everyone in the United States is allowed to have a few lottery ticket each month.
Kristen Demeter 2015-07-09T09:10:57-04:00
Aww I once wrote an essay for a European Union studies class on why it would make sense for Iceland to be in the EU (we were given a list of 8 countries and asked which would make the most sense....)
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Jerry Garcia, huh? I almost went to the Grateful Dead show last weekend but the show was run in a way that was so against all the things they used to stand for so I decided not to!
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Hell yeah, ice cream is the best. Strawberry, Butter Pecan, and UDF's Cotton Candy are the best three flavors!!!
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Does that mean we'll all win the lottery?
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2015-07-09T09:27:10-04:00
@Kristen: Really? I just randomly picked Iceland off the top of my head.
There were Deadheads that attended my high school many years ago. Pity I never could get into their music much less the concept of traveling to every city where they played at.
Ben and Jerry's had a flavor called "Totally Nuts" that had a Dilbert theme. It was so damn good. They retired it and I nearly cried when they did. I still miss it. A local ice cream shop had a flavor (whose name escapes me at the moment) that was caramel based and was soooo good that I would order a double scoop every single week.
It means that someone will win the lottery. Maybe not everyone but with a free ticket, it's worth the chance.
Kristen Demeter 2015-07-09T09:49:52-04:00
Really really.
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I could never afford to do it even if I had wanted to! Ha. And for all those people that are like, "you don't need money to travel, play it by ear... go to Argentina and just sell brownies on the street corners and you'll make enough money! It'll be fine!" Uhhh, I say no. Because I like being able to predict my income better than that....
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I have a confession to make: I've never had Ben and Jerry's.
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Wait, a FREE ticket? Is that a thing? Really?
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2015-07-09T10:10:21-04:00
Ben and Jerry's is pretty good. I prefer to get ice cream at an independent shop and just bring a pint home with me. (Please support small business)
I'd love to have enough money saved up to travel the world for 6 months to a year. Just bopping from place to place, meeting new people. Will probably never happen in my lifetime outside of me winning the lottery.
I wish free lottery tickets were a thing. It would encourage me to purchase an extra one with my free ticket to double my chances of winning. Sadly, there are stories of people winning the lottery and living worse than when they were broke. (Family fighting, blowing through the money in a few short years, murder)
Well...this could turn into an interesting week next week. People need to start sending ALL the information/approvals/cookies that I request in order to make changes...if they don't, it won't happen. And yes, I want cookies....too lazy to go buy some, I don't bake, and there are none at home. T.T
I do have a Grannie....unfortunately, she lives on the other side of the city from me, and I don't drive(I really should...but 50/50 being lazy and being too busy to go do it).
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2015-07-09T10:40:23-04:00
Grannie can't mail you a box of cookies? There are ways of packing them so that you don't end up with a box of crumbs.
If you are too lazy to travel for some delicious home made goodness, maybe you don't deserve cookies after all.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2015-07-09T11:06:33-04:00
Morning PoT! How is the knee holding up?
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2015-07-09T11:08:12-04:00
@GM: Then you must live in a place where the public transportation is a lot like D.C. or New York. Plentiful.
The next job I get, I'm getting a car. I'm tired of relying on public transit.
Powers of Tesla 2015-07-09T11:13:52-04:00
Hiya @Geist! The new knee is very good, the remaining knee is going downhill I'm afraid.
@GM, In general things are good, we have finally have been issued a permit to build our new home. Excavation is currently set to begin on the 21st, but with all the rain it will almost certainly get pushed back.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2015-07-09T11:50:02-04:00
Awww. Sorry to hear that PoT. Does this mean you'll have to replace the other knee and do PT all over again? (You might be able to get the same person as last time)
You are building a home from the ground up? Awesome! How did you pick the folks who are going to do the building?
Love when people send the same stuff they did before when I request more information...and nothing that they send the second time is different from the first(and the extra items I requested - manager approval, and the timecards affected - aren't included). Is it possible to retrain the world to be able to provide all information as requested?
Powers of Tesla 2015-07-09T12:34:53-04:00
I knew the left knee needed replacing as long as I've known the right needed replacing, I just decided not to do them at the same time, because that seems nuts to me. Yes, we are building a house that I designed from scratch. Our GC is the friend of a friend who is also a home builder.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2015-07-09T12:41:04-04:00
I'd love to have a home that I designed. It would have hidden passageways and look a little like the Addams family home. I don't dare try this unless I could get a contractor I trust and I don't know any of those.
Bring the party to you. You could easily build a casino in the basement, and probably a club while you're at it. Maybe do the whole graveyard-backyard dance party?
Kristen Demeter 2015-07-09T13:10:58-04:00
Ugh, @Geist, I didn't have to build a home from the ground-up persay, but in February I bought a foreclosure that I had to completely guy down to the sub-floors (and in some cases, the floor studs) and the wall studs.... my heart goes out to you.
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6 months in and I finally have a house I can - sort of - live in. It has a bathroom on the top floor, the only sink is in the basement, and I have kitchen cabinets and a stove in the kitchen but no counter-tops and the refrigerator is in the cistern.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2015-07-09T13:18:57-04:00
@Kristen: The person who purchased my grandmother's house had to do the same thing. The pipes were rotten, the roof needs to be replaced, there is no insulation (which is why it was super cold in the winter) and the wood has had termite issues before. The person who bought it will have to put in more than $150,000 just to get it livable.
Kristen Demeter 2015-07-09T13:26:04-04:00
I've only put in $38k so far because I'm doing most of the labor myself (yay YouTube!) but if I had to hire-out all this labor I'd probably be looking at that towards the end....
Powers of Tesla 2015-07-09T13:58:35-04:00
First of all, know that the house is being built in a VERY upscale suburb of Chicago, thank you burst real estate bubble. It has been designed with a swinging bookcase entrance to the office, ;cause I always wanted one. Plus there will be a hidden stash for things in the house and a safe room/storm shelter in the basement.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2015-07-09T14:09:50-04:00
Rub it in, why don't you PoT. :-P
Powers of Tesla 2015-07-09T14:15:06-04:00
I wish I could post up the plans, I'm actually very proud of it. On the second floor will be two bedrooms and a full bath, plus two additional rooms the county knows nothing about. 'Cause I'm sneaky that way.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2015-07-09T14:17:54-04:00
Why does the county need to know about them anyway?
@Geist: Because they are greedy bastards who will add more to the taxes...probably.
Powers of Tesla 2015-07-09T14:27:33-04:00
Building permit issuance for one, taxes for another and the third reason is the village/county requires and additional furnace and air conditioner if your house is over "x" sq. ft. in size, whether the specified and installed HVAC system is sufficient or not. Mine will be more than sufficient and I do not wish to pay an additional several thousand dollars for equipment I do not need.
Kristen Demeter 2015-07-09T14:34:49-04:00
All very good reasons.
Kristen Demeter 2015-07-09T14:38:08-04:00
My county says I can't build a fence with less than 60% visibility (aka no "privacy fence" but chain-link would be okay) that's over 4' tall in my side yard (which is almost a full story lower than my front yard)..... I'm pulling a one-over on them by building a 2-3' wall made from cinderblocks around the side yard, piling up soil against the outside of said wall, covering that with grass seed, and then building a 4' privacy fence on top of that.
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That way, on the inside of the patio I have a 6-7' fence that I can then make cat-proof and have an outdoor feline heaven for my kitties but from the outside it will only appear to be 4' tall!
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....but.... hidden. bookcase. room! Ahhh. Do want.
Powers of Tesla 2015-07-09T14:48:55-04:00
That's how it's done Kristen. We are not allowed any fence at all, unless it is around a pool (required), a dog run (no more than 200 sq. ft. enclosed, and hidden from public view) or an 18" tall fence around a garden plot. Also no un-attached out buildings such as a garden shed unless they are purely decorative in nature, like a Gazebo, and approved by the village board. I am planning to run for village board as soon as we are moved in. I have some crap to take care of and I think it's going to be easier and in the long run cheaper to do it from the inside.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2015-07-09T14:50:45-04:00
@Kristen: is the 60% visibility rule for the front yard or the back? I don't mind people seeing my front yard but I want some privacy when it comes to my veggies in the back.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-09T14:52:32-04:00
Wow, I missed out when not able to get on today! Luckily I'll be able to be on all day for a few days after tomorrow. Then detasseling starts up some time soon. *shudders* *then feels like throwing up*
Powers of Tesla 2015-07-09T14:53:55-04:00
@GM Greedy bastards doesn't begin to cover it. I've been trying to get this started for more than a year and every time I turn around these bastards are back with a new something that has to be paid for or we can't move forward. They are hitting me for a nearly $10,000 "Parks impact fee". Really? Parks?
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-09T14:54:23-04:00
If you don't know what detasseilng is, look it up. Or better yet, look up pictures! Those never fail to make me laugh. They leave out the fact that the mornings are down to 60 degrees, sometimes lower, and soaking wet without fail so not only are you soaked and frozen, your boots weigh up to 8 pounds with the mud. Then just after our lunch, it gets up to 100 or more easily, typically mid-90s, and dry enough to sometimes crack the ground, sunny enough to burn you on a nice day. Not to mention you have to wear a long sleeved shirt or else you get nasty cuts all over your arms, I know from plenty of experience. Oh, and I, being one of the oldest there, have to keep little kids in line, like 13-16 year olds. Who are away from their parents. And with all their buddies. Mostly from the worst school in our county.
Oh, and I get to wake up before 3:30 every day and work from 6 am until 2 or 3 pm most days. And up to 3 hours total on a sickeningly dirty and smelly bus with those same kids. And however nice you think it is, it's not. The only good part is I get paid $15 an hour after working for... what, I think this is my 7th year in a row. Hooray for having a life.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-09T14:55:33-04:00
Why the hell is there ever a fence rule? Are they worried about all the drug lords cooking meth in an open backyard in the middle of the city?
Powers of Tesla 2015-07-09T14:55:41-04:00
I get the distaste for detasseling Zem, are you required to do it?
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-09T14:57:17-04:00
By my parents until I have a great job that pays like that, yes.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-09T14:58:45-04:00
One of my older brothers is one of the bus drivers/supervisors for our crew. He gets something like $24 an hour even while driving the bus. So from about 5am to 4 pm on average every day he gets about that much. That would totally be worth putting up with this crap for.
Powers of Tesla 2015-07-09T15:03:23-04:00
I grew up in farm country, detasseled and worked hay bailing.
This village has a very strict "community appearance Nazi" board. I was required to submit my plans not just for code approval, but for appearance approval (they could have made me redesign the exterior of the while damn thing). I have been told I am not allowed to have solar panels on the street side of my roof, but since that is the roof that points south, it's the only place they can go. It is not in any written code or statute. So I'm going to try and get on the board and work with them to get it changed, and if I can't I'm going to take them to court.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-09T15:07:21-04:00
I really don't understand beautification boards. Those people really are house nazis. I'm so glad to live in a village where you basically don't have many rules. Our neighbors had kids and put up a 6' wood fence to keep out neighborhood dogs and the kids in. Is it really that much of a trouble in most places to have a nice, tall fence? Why do they force you to have to have your backyard open to the public?
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2015-07-09T15:08:28-04:00
This village has a very strict "community appearance Nazi" board
Is moving there really worth all the hassle?
Powers of Tesla 2015-07-09T15:08:40-04:00
Hay bailing was even worse in my opinion. Starting at 5 am follow a truck and throw bales in the back. When the truck was full ride to the barn and throw them off, then stack 'em and head back for more. For those of you not familiar, a hay bale weighs in at a about 50 pounds. Average temp the summer I did it? About 87 to 94 degrees. Lucky for me there was only a week of it.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-09T15:12:37-04:00
I know about that. My dad grew up on a family farm and did that in (no kidding) up to 120 degrees even. And usually for more than a week, probably because there weren't that many people there, only their family. 87 in summer? That's nice though! During detasseling, the sun goes out of its way to point its middle finger at us. We're so happy if the day ends below 90. Or starts above 70, though that means it'll be hot later.
Powers of Tesla 2015-07-09T15:13:26-04:00
@Geist. I've asked myself that question several hundred times since starting this adventure. Had I known about the level of insanity in this village before I had completed the purchase I would have run, screaming, away from it. But once in it was purchased I had to keep going or try to resell the lot, and it took us 4 months to find this one. Plus the guy I bought it from lost a LOT of money on the exchange, I didn't really want to follow in his path.
Powers of Tesla 2015-07-09T15:14:51-04:00
Around here hay comes in the late spring and again in the fall, so at least we avoid the 120's (usually)
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-09T15:17:19-04:00
I'm not quite sure honestly what to think of some of these, but it is sort of a compliment to americans! As lowly as some french think we are, I love seeing some of these travel tips for them. And I LOVE seeing how friendliness makes foreign people uncomfortable!
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2015-07-09T15:19:29-04:00
@PoT: From the sounds of things, even if you get all of the stuff that you want, your neighbors and the board could still be a pain in the arse by constantly complaining about any activities that you do. Like having friends over for a BBQ (noise level too loud) or painting your house a certain color (goes against neighborhood rules). Nah, I wouldn't like to have that kind of headache unless I knew this was going to be an investment that will pay me dividends in the end. (Like as a rental)
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-09T15:22:06-04:00
I don't know what time of year it is, really, I've been lucky enough to avoid it, though my dad did say the heat of the summer.
I love the weather around here though. Basically the northern area of the Ogallala Aquifer is famous for our extreme weather. Down to -20 in the winter, -40 wind chill usually, and up to 120 in the summer, and the spring and fall look like stock market graphs. It'll be so weird if I move to another region or country, which I hope to move to Germany or Switzerland or something like that maybe even for a graduate degree.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-09T15:22:36-04:00
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-09T15:30:33-04:00
Japan's tips are even funnier! Even after just having hosted a student for a year, their culture differences never fail to surprise me!
Btw, when he got back, he accidentally farted in front of his dad. Big mistake. Here, we did it all the time and laughed because we're gross like that, though he NEVER did it here! Then he goes back and all the sudden it's cool? Yeah, he got yelled at for awhile by his dad. He's not doing that again. Our Swiss student on the other hand... ;) that's a great story!
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-09T15:30:55-04:00
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-09T15:33:21-04:00
Oh, I wish Ryo had read those tips, especially #6! It took him the entire freaking year to finally catch sarcasm!
Kristen Demeter 2015-07-09T15:42:37-04:00
RE: "@Kristen: is the 60% visibility rule for the front yard or the back?"
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So in the backyard you can have any fence you want but it must end no further forward than the rear corner of your house. In the back currently I have a tall-ish chainlink fence. Anywhere in front of the rear corner of your house it must be a chainlink or picket-fence style fence with high visibility through it. It's an aesthetics thing and it's a township-wide policy. They have an employee whose full-time job is to drive around and look at peoples' fences.
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I want a privacy strictly around my side yard from the front corner of the house, 19' out to the side, then 27' long, connecting with my chainlink fence.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-09T15:48:12-04:00
See, I think chain fences are ugly and imply a rough neighborhood. Fences that end in the back, unless they meet the house's corner exactly, also look weird to me. Really, I just see fences as weird, but if I had one, I'd want it to be over 5.5' and wood.
We don't have a fence surrounding our backyard. We have one along one side of our garden, and a retaining wall(our yard is lower than our neighbours) on that side so they don't take over our garden on that side.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-09T16:28:25-04:00
It's a nefarious plan by your neighbors to take land. They're starting a war! Beware!
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-09T16:43:32-04:00
Dang. At least I managed to get in on the end of the busy time today. Usually I get on like an hour or two after what must be the lunch hour or something because it's so busy here.
Powers of Tesla 2015-07-09T17:08:43-04:00
I had a neighbor once who said "good fences make good neighbors". And it made sense to me. Still does.
@Geist. Oh yes, color was definitely one of the many exterior criteria, I don't know what I'd have to go through to repaint, but I don't expect that to ever be an issue honestly. I want to live in this place for ten years and then move someplace smaller. As to problems with parties and the neighbors, that is always going to be a crapshoot, you never really know until it happens. Strangely (at least to me) there were never any issues with the exterior design, that sailed right through. I heard about the no solar panels through other sources, I decided to put in all the conduit, junction boxes and electrical panels for that, but not to run the wires. After we get our certificate of occupancy I'll start working on getting my solar panels. I'm not doing anything outside of the expected until we're in the house. Then the gloves come off.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2015-07-09T17:30:42-04:00
@PoT: Watch out about taking the board to court. If you win, then people will sour grapes and they might just get petty. Or they might just have you tied up in court for years. THAT would get costly as well.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2015-07-09T17:31:00-04:00
Ok, I'm out. I'll see you kittens tomorrow. Don't drink to much while I'm gone.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-09T17:33:03-04:00
PoT, the Robert Frost poem that saying came from actually is still unclear whether he was praising fences or hated them. It's really kind of vague and can go either way. And he's kind of dead, so...
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-09T17:35:12-04:00
And having an entire board against you is usually not good odds unless they're notorious in your area for being stingy, puckered assholes. Which alot of the time beautification committees are. I still don't see the point behind them. I mean, some people are so extreme they need a board to keep them in line, but for the most part, it's your house, why can they deny your right to build on your land? If you're Tim Allen's neighbor, a fence is critical!
Powers of Tesla 2015-07-09T17:42:25-04:00
Well since the solar panel thing is based on opinion and not written into the village code in any way, my lawyers think I might have standing. As to how long it takes, who knows? First I try and get inside to do the work, then if I have to I start lobbying, circulating petitions, getting people to work together. Court is a last resort, always. Playing nice and trying to be amenable is always first.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-09T17:44:21-04:00
Legally change your signiature to a middle finger so that every time you make a petition, the first signiature is a middle finger.
Charles Ulveling 2015-07-09T20:08:42-04:00
So, has anyone heard if any of these bad boys have shipped yet?
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-09T20:43:33-04:00
Not until... well possibly mid-next week! Wow, time flew by!
Epicderpguy 2015-07-09T20:44:19-04:00
It happens to all of us.
Kendra Mingo 2015-07-09T21:55:34-04:00
I can't wait much longer! When will my Exploding Kittens be shipped? Any updates?
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-09T22:16:17-04:00
*facepalm* Kendra: just read the 3 comments below yours.
jason tyrone 2015-07-09T22:38:48-04:00
Wtf is going on in here? This is an exploding kittens page about a card game that explodes kittens not a damn message board about fences and solar panels and HOAs. Smgdmfbh
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-09T23:52:50-04:00
Welcome to the internet where communities can arise like fungi in a drainpipe, form a "Kitten Corps", and even have a "latin" slogan.
Catalus Crepitus Communitas.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-09T23:53:17-04:00
Also, Good night, interwebz. Wish me luck on my final tomorrow.
"Downer Dan" Drake 2015-07-10T01:56:51-04:00
I might just have to finally get me one of them fine lookin' kitten corps mugs.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2015-07-10T08:16:14-04:00
Damn. I missed Jason's tampon crisis. Fear not Jason. I've got a few tampons here you can use. Derp ate the Snickers bar so if you are being this way because you are hungry, you are out of luck.
C.F. "The Ex-President" Heyns 2015-07-10T08:36:30-04:00
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2015-07-10T08:47:48-04:00
You're still called Downer Dan? Kittens could fix that. Or a nice KC mug. They really are pretty nice.
Kristen Demeter 2015-07-10T09:52:10-04:00
@Jason.... hahahahahaha.
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I used to agree with you. Then I realized there was no chance. Succumb to the madness, Jason. Join us. Be... one of us.
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one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us............................
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2015-07-10T09:58:51-04:00
*is hypnotized by Kristen's chant*
Sean Kenney 2015-07-10T10:26:03-04:00
I just wanted to be part of the 80,000 + comments.
hOLY cOW! You guys were extremely busy while I couldn't be here. Should I even read all that?!
Nope not reading the rest. Started at the bottom, now I'm here after skipping most of the middle. Nice balls pit, TEP!
Wait, Geist, you don't beep every time? Crap, I thought that meant you passed the test. Maybe that explained why those guards were yelling to me. I thought they wanted my autograph or something and ran as fast as I could and hid until my plane left.
Nice. You guys planned to get off just before I could get back, huh?
Well you know what? I'm just going to talk like I would have if you were all on now, and you can join if you want.
And if I didn't join you?
Whoops, that's what happens when I talk to myself; I get bored and drift away.
Then you wouldn't get the super awesome special edition 2 for 1 prize pack. Basically, the 88100th comment. Congratulations.
No? Ok, last chance to claim the prize!
did someone say prize?
Congrats, you nabbed the super-ultra-lucky 88,100th comment! Good on you.
I'm still proud to have 60,000, 61,000, and 62,000 all within like 36 hours or so.
Well good night then! This ends the 8-hour marathon of just the Mattress from Sqornshellous Zeta, starring 2 guest stars, Epicderpguy and Gabriel Deschênes! Tune in next time when IT'S HIS LAST FULL DAY OF CLASS THIS SUMMER (other than the final on friday)
Oh, and Good morning, TeP!
Keep Calm and Defuse Kittens.
Wow. Not even tep. We now rejoin the 17 hour marathon of Zem: the Mattress. That was a special appearance indeed from Chris! Now, I'll be leaving and won't bring my laptop today, so I hope this special marathon is interrupted by some special bulletins real soon. It''s boring around here! But don't worry, I'll be back later in the day. Just after everyone else has left again.
Hey. I'm too lazy to read back. Someone give me a quick recap of this mornings' conversation so I can join in? :D :D :D
@Kristen: The recap goes as follows: Iceland is now the world's super power, Jerry Garcia is back from the dead and touring, ice cream is now good for you and now everyone in the United States is allowed to have a few lottery ticket each month.
Aww I once wrote an essay for a European Union studies class on why it would make sense for Iceland to be in the EU (we were given a list of 8 countries and asked which would make the most sense....)
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Jerry Garcia, huh? I almost went to the Grateful Dead show last weekend but the show was run in a way that was so against all the things they used to stand for so I decided not to!
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Hell yeah, ice cream is the best. Strawberry, Butter Pecan, and UDF's Cotton Candy are the best three flavors!!!
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Does that mean we'll all win the lottery?
@Kristen: Really? I just randomly picked Iceland off the top of my head.
There were Deadheads that attended my high school many years ago. Pity I never could get into their music much less the concept of traveling to every city where they played at.
Ben and Jerry's had a flavor called "Totally Nuts" that had a Dilbert theme. It was so damn good. They retired it and I nearly cried when they did. I still miss it. A local ice cream shop had a flavor (whose name escapes me at the moment) that was caramel based and was soooo good that I would order a double scoop every single week.
It means that someone will win the lottery. Maybe not everyone but with a free ticket, it's worth the chance.
Really really.
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I could never afford to do it even if I had wanted to! Ha. And for all those people that are like, "you don't need money to travel, play it by ear... go to Argentina and just sell brownies on the street corners and you'll make enough money! It'll be fine!" Uhhh, I say no. Because I like being able to predict my income better than that....
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I have a confession to make: I've never had Ben and Jerry's.
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Wait, a FREE ticket? Is that a thing? Really?
Ben and Jerry's is pretty good. I prefer to get ice cream at an independent shop and just bring a pint home with me. (Please support small business)
I'd love to have enough money saved up to travel the world for 6 months to a year. Just bopping from place to place, meeting new people. Will probably never happen in my lifetime outside of me winning the lottery.
I wish free lottery tickets were a thing. It would encourage me to purchase an extra one with my free ticket to double my chances of winning. Sadly, there are stories of people winning the lottery and living worse than when they were broke. (Family fighting, blowing through the money in a few short years, murder)
Well...this could turn into an interesting week next week. People need to start sending ALL the information/approvals/cookies that I request in order to make changes...if they don't, it won't happen. And yes, I want cookies....too lazy to go buy some, I don't bake, and there are none at home. T.T
Also, morning everyone.
Morning GM. You need a Grannie in your life who will bake you sweets nearly every day of the week.
I do have a Grannie....unfortunately, she lives on the other side of the city from me, and I don't drive(I really should...but 50/50 being lazy and being too busy to go do it).
Grannie can't mail you a box of cookies? There are ways of packing them so that you don't end up with a box of crumbs.
If you are too lazy to travel for some delicious home made goodness, maybe you don't deserve cookies after all.
Oh, I'm not too lazy to travel for the cookies, too lazy to get my license. That's all.
Good morning all.
Morning PoT. How's it going?
Morning PoT! How is the knee holding up?
@GM: Then you must live in a place where the public transportation is a lot like D.C. or New York. Plentiful.
The next job I get, I'm getting a car. I'm tired of relying on public transit.
Hiya @Geist! The new knee is very good, the remaining knee is going downhill I'm afraid.
@GM, In general things are good, we have finally have been issued a permit to build our new home. Excavation is currently set to begin on the 21st, but with all the rain it will almost certainly get pushed back.
Awww. Sorry to hear that PoT. Does this mean you'll have to replace the other knee and do PT all over again? (You might be able to get the same person as last time)
You are building a home from the ground up? Awesome! How did you pick the folks who are going to do the building?
Love when people send the same stuff they did before when I request more information...and nothing that they send the second time is different from the first(and the extra items I requested - manager approval, and the timecards affected - aren't included). Is it possible to retrain the world to be able to provide all information as requested?
I knew the left knee needed replacing as long as I've known the right needed replacing, I just decided not to do them at the same time, because that seems nuts to me. Yes, we are building a house that I designed from scratch. Our GC is the friend of a friend who is also a home builder.
I'd love to have a home that I designed. It would have hidden passageways and look a little like the Addams family home. I don't dare try this unless I could get a contractor I trust and I don't know any of those.
@Geist: If you ever build that house, you better have massive Halloween parties.
@GM: Of course I would. When I'm not going to places like Las Vegas to party
Bring the party to you. You could easily build a casino in the basement, and probably a club while you're at it. Maybe do the whole graveyard-backyard dance party?
Ugh, @Geist, I didn't have to build a home from the ground-up persay, but in February I bought a foreclosure that I had to completely guy down to the sub-floors (and in some cases, the floor studs) and the wall studs.... my heart goes out to you.
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6 months in and I finally have a house I can - sort of - live in. It has a bathroom on the top floor, the only sink is in the basement, and I have kitchen cabinets and a stove in the kitchen but no counter-tops and the refrigerator is in the cistern.
@Kristen: The person who purchased my grandmother's house had to do the same thing. The pipes were rotten, the roof needs to be replaced, there is no insulation (which is why it was super cold in the winter) and the wood has had termite issues before. The person who bought it will have to put in more than $150,000 just to get it livable.
I've only put in $38k so far because I'm doing most of the labor myself (yay YouTube!) but if I had to hire-out all this labor I'd probably be looking at that towards the end....
First of all, know that the house is being built in a VERY upscale suburb of Chicago, thank you burst real estate bubble. It has been designed with a swinging bookcase entrance to the office, ;cause I always wanted one. Plus there will be a hidden stash for things in the house and a safe room/storm shelter in the basement.
Eat your damn heart out Batman
Batman?! Hell, I'm eating my heart out! Swinging bookcase entrance?! HELL YES!
Rub it in, why don't you PoT. :-P
I wish I could post up the plans, I'm actually very proud of it. On the second floor will be two bedrooms and a full bath, plus two additional rooms the county knows nothing about. 'Cause I'm sneaky that way.
Why does the county need to know about them anyway?
@Geist: Because they are greedy bastards who will add more to the taxes...probably.
Building permit issuance for one, taxes for another and the third reason is the village/county requires and additional furnace and air conditioner if your house is over "x" sq. ft. in size, whether the specified and installed HVAC system is sufficient or not. Mine will be more than sufficient and I do not wish to pay an additional several thousand dollars for equipment I do not need.
All very good reasons.
My county says I can't build a fence with less than 60% visibility (aka no "privacy fence" but chain-link would be okay) that's over 4' tall in my side yard (which is almost a full story lower than my front yard)..... I'm pulling a one-over on them by building a 2-3' wall made from cinderblocks around the side yard, piling up soil against the outside of said wall, covering that with grass seed, and then building a 4' privacy fence on top of that.
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That way, on the inside of the patio I have a 6-7' fence that I can then make cat-proof and have an outdoor feline heaven for my kitties but from the outside it will only appear to be 4' tall!
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....but.... hidden. bookcase. room! Ahhh. Do want.
That's how it's done Kristen. We are not allowed any fence at all, unless it is around a pool (required), a dog run (no more than 200 sq. ft. enclosed, and hidden from public view) or an 18" tall fence around a garden plot. Also no un-attached out buildings such as a garden shed unless they are purely decorative in nature, like a Gazebo, and approved by the village board. I am planning to run for village board as soon as we are moved in. I have some crap to take care of and I think it's going to be easier and in the long run cheaper to do it from the inside.
@Kristen: is the 60% visibility rule for the front yard or the back? I don't mind people seeing my front yard but I want some privacy when it comes to my veggies in the back.
Wow, I missed out when not able to get on today! Luckily I'll be able to be on all day for a few days after tomorrow. Then detasseling starts up some time soon. *shudders* *then feels like throwing up*
@GM Greedy bastards doesn't begin to cover it. I've been trying to get this started for more than a year and every time I turn around these bastards are back with a new something that has to be paid for or we can't move forward. They are hitting me for a nearly $10,000 "Parks impact fee". Really? Parks?
If you don't know what detasseilng is, look it up. Or better yet, look up pictures! Those never fail to make me laugh. They leave out the fact that the mornings are down to 60 degrees, sometimes lower, and soaking wet without fail so not only are you soaked and frozen, your boots weigh up to 8 pounds with the mud. Then just after our lunch, it gets up to 100 or more easily, typically mid-90s, and dry enough to sometimes crack the ground, sunny enough to burn you on a nice day. Not to mention you have to wear a long sleeved shirt or else you get nasty cuts all over your arms, I know from plenty of experience. Oh, and I, being one of the oldest there, have to keep little kids in line, like 13-16 year olds. Who are away from their parents. And with all their buddies. Mostly from the worst school in our county.
Oh, and I get to wake up before 3:30 every day and work from 6 am until 2 or 3 pm most days. And up to 3 hours total on a sickeningly dirty and smelly bus with those same kids. And however nice you think it is, it's not. The only good part is I get paid $15 an hour after working for... what, I think this is my 7th year in a row. Hooray for having a life.
Why the hell is there ever a fence rule? Are they worried about all the drug lords cooking meth in an open backyard in the middle of the city?
I get the distaste for detasseling Zem, are you required to do it?
By my parents until I have a great job that pays like that, yes.
One of my older brothers is one of the bus drivers/supervisors for our crew. He gets something like $24 an hour even while driving the bus. So from about 5am to 4 pm on average every day he gets about that much. That would totally be worth putting up with this crap for.
I grew up in farm country, detasseled and worked hay bailing.
This village has a very strict "community appearance Nazi" board. I was required to submit my plans not just for code approval, but for appearance approval (they could have made me redesign the exterior of the while damn thing). I have been told I am not allowed to have solar panels on the street side of my roof, but since that is the roof that points south, it's the only place they can go. It is not in any written code or statute. So I'm going to try and get on the board and work with them to get it changed, and if I can't I'm going to take them to court.
I really don't understand beautification boards. Those people really are house nazis. I'm so glad to live in a village where you basically don't have many rules. Our neighbors had kids and put up a 6' wood fence to keep out neighborhood dogs and the kids in. Is it really that much of a trouble in most places to have a nice, tall fence? Why do they force you to have to have your backyard open to the public?
This village has a very strict "community appearance Nazi" board
Is moving there really worth all the hassle?
Hay bailing was even worse in my opinion. Starting at 5 am follow a truck and throw bales in the back. When the truck was full ride to the barn and throw them off, then stack 'em and head back for more. For those of you not familiar, a hay bale weighs in at a about 50 pounds. Average temp the summer I did it? About 87 to 94 degrees. Lucky for me there was only a week of it.
I know about that. My dad grew up on a family farm and did that in (no kidding) up to 120 degrees even. And usually for more than a week, probably because there weren't that many people there, only their family. 87 in summer? That's nice though! During detasseling, the sun goes out of its way to point its middle finger at us. We're so happy if the day ends below 90. Or starts above 70, though that means it'll be hot later.
@Geist. I've asked myself that question several hundred times since starting this adventure. Had I known about the level of insanity in this village before I had completed the purchase I would have run, screaming, away from it. But once in it was purchased I had to keep going or try to resell the lot, and it took us 4 months to find this one. Plus the guy I bought it from lost a LOT of money on the exchange, I didn't really want to follow in his path.
Around here hay comes in the late spring and again in the fall, so at least we avoid the 120's (usually)
I'm not quite sure honestly what to think of some of these, but it is sort of a compliment to americans! As lowly as some french think we are, I love seeing some of these travel tips for them. And I LOVE seeing how friendliness makes foreign people uncomfortable!
@PoT: From the sounds of things, even if you get all of the stuff that you want, your neighbors and the board could still be a pain in the arse by constantly complaining about any activities that you do. Like having friends over for a BBQ (noise level too loud) or painting your house a certain color (goes against neighborhood rules). Nah, I wouldn't like to have that kind of headache unless I knew this was going to be an investment that will pay me dividends in the end. (Like as a rental)
I don't know what time of year it is, really, I've been lucky enough to avoid it, though my dad did say the heat of the summer.
I love the weather around here though. Basically the northern area of the Ogallala Aquifer is famous for our extreme weather. Down to -20 in the winter, -40 wind chill usually, and up to 120 in the summer, and the spring and fall look like stock market graphs. It'll be so weird if I move to another region or country, which I hope to move to Germany or Switzerland or something like that maybe even for a graduate degree.
Oops, forgot to post the link 3 comments down! http://mentalfloss.com/article/55306/11-french-travel-tips-visiting-america
Japan's tips are even funnier! Even after just having hosted a student for a year, their culture differences never fail to surprise me!
Btw, when he got back, he accidentally farted in front of his dad. Big mistake. Here, we did it all the time and laughed because we're gross like that, though he NEVER did it here! Then he goes back and all the sudden it's cool? Yeah, he got yelled at for awhile by his dad. He's not doing that again. Our Swiss student on the other hand... ;) that's a great story!
Crap! Sorry, here're the Japanese tips:
http://mentalfloss.com/article/55140/10-japanese-travel-tips-visiting-america
Oh, I wish Ryo had read those tips, especially #6! It took him the entire freaking year to finally catch sarcasm!
RE: "@Kristen: is the 60% visibility rule for the front yard or the back?"
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So in the backyard you can have any fence you want but it must end no further forward than the rear corner of your house. In the back currently I have a tall-ish chainlink fence. Anywhere in front of the rear corner of your house it must be a chainlink or picket-fence style fence with high visibility through it. It's an aesthetics thing and it's a township-wide policy. They have an employee whose full-time job is to drive around and look at peoples' fences.
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I want a privacy strictly around my side yard from the front corner of the house, 19' out to the side, then 27' long, connecting with my chainlink fence.
See, I think chain fences are ugly and imply a rough neighborhood. Fences that end in the back, unless they meet the house's corner exactly, also look weird to me. Really, I just see fences as weird, but if I had one, I'd want it to be over 5.5' and wood.
We don't have a fence surrounding our backyard. We have one along one side of our garden, and a retaining wall(our yard is lower than our neighbours) on that side so they don't take over our garden on that side.
It's a nefarious plan by your neighbors to take land. They're starting a war! Beware!
Dang. At least I managed to get in on the end of the busy time today. Usually I get on like an hour or two after what must be the lunch hour or something because it's so busy here.
I had a neighbor once who said "good fences make good neighbors". And it made sense to me. Still does.
@Geist. Oh yes, color was definitely one of the many exterior criteria, I don't know what I'd have to go through to repaint, but I don't expect that to ever be an issue honestly. I want to live in this place for ten years and then move someplace smaller. As to problems with parties and the neighbors, that is always going to be a crapshoot, you never really know until it happens. Strangely (at least to me) there were never any issues with the exterior design, that sailed right through. I heard about the no solar panels through other sources, I decided to put in all the conduit, junction boxes and electrical panels for that, but not to run the wires. After we get our certificate of occupancy I'll start working on getting my solar panels. I'm not doing anything outside of the expected until we're in the house. Then the gloves come off.
@PoT: Watch out about taking the board to court. If you win, then people will sour grapes and they might just get petty. Or they might just have you tied up in court for years. THAT would get costly as well.
Ok, I'm out. I'll see you kittens tomorrow. Don't drink to much while I'm gone.
PoT, the Robert Frost poem that saying came from actually is still unclear whether he was praising fences or hated them. It's really kind of vague and can go either way. And he's kind of dead, so...
And having an entire board against you is usually not good odds unless they're notorious in your area for being stingy, puckered assholes. Which alot of the time beautification committees are. I still don't see the point behind them. I mean, some people are so extreme they need a board to keep them in line, but for the most part, it's your house, why can they deny your right to build on your land? If you're Tim Allen's neighbor, a fence is critical!
Well since the solar panel thing is based on opinion and not written into the village code in any way, my lawyers think I might have standing. As to how long it takes, who knows? First I try and get inside to do the work, then if I have to I start lobbying, circulating petitions, getting people to work together. Court is a last resort, always. Playing nice and trying to be amenable is always first.
Legally change your signiature to a middle finger so that every time you make a petition, the first signiature is a middle finger.
So, has anyone heard if any of these bad boys have shipped yet?
Not until... well possibly mid-next week! Wow, time flew by!
It happens to all of us.
I can't wait much longer! When will my Exploding Kittens be shipped? Any updates?
*facepalm* Kendra: just read the 3 comments below yours.
Wtf is going on in here? This is an exploding kittens page about a card game that explodes kittens not a damn message board about fences and solar panels and HOAs. Smgdmfbh
Welcome to the internet where communities can arise like fungi in a drainpipe, form a "Kitten Corps", and even have a "latin" slogan.
Catalus Crepitus Communitas.
Also, Good night, interwebz. Wish me luck on my final tomorrow.
I might just have to finally get me one of them fine lookin' kitten corps mugs.
Damn. I missed Jason's tampon crisis. Fear not Jason. I've got a few tampons here you can use. Derp ate the Snickers bar so if you are being this way because you are hungry, you are out of luck.
http://9gag.com/gag/aBr1g8Z
You're still called Downer Dan? Kittens could fix that. Or a nice KC mug. They really are pretty nice.
@Jason.... hahahahahaha.
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I used to agree with you. Then I realized there was no chance. Succumb to the madness, Jason. Join us. Be... one of us.
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one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us. one of us............................
*is hypnotized by Kristen's chant*
I just wanted to be part of the 80,000 + comments.