start a victory garden and ration your IRRATIONALLY ANGRY feelings, part 3

My cd player slowly dying. It's been 18 years but it should remain with me forever and things should be built to last and so on. LIke maybe the thing lasting so loing if it was bought iu 2005 is the opposite of planned obsolescence or going against what one would assume that meant.
& not sure if this would be salvageable if I could take it apart and swap out the laser unit. & put it back together and so on. I'm not confident I would get it back to working and reconstructed perfectly. Maybe I need to take an electronics course and learn to repair this and the sewing machine properly.

THought it improved a lot yesterday. Actually got back to reading discs right away instead of flashing reading for ages.
But was back fuzzing out a disc later on.

I've grown accustomed to this thing as my main cd player. Don't want to let it slip away.
But getting discs making weird beating , tapping , electronic distortion noises and fuzzing out when they are attempted to be played is a pain. Washing the discs doesn't seem to sort things either.

First step is to get the service manual for the specific model - there will be adjustment trimpots for the laser diode. You might be able to pump it up a little and get more life out of the existing one.
Actually step zero is to get a CD laser cleaner disc - they are a standard CD with fine hairs sticking out in the middle of a track. Obviously not something to do often, but they can get rid of accumulated dust which may be an issue too.

cd lens cleaner is something that is used regularly. Even daily. The one i use has a lens cleaning solution that is dropped on the lines of hairs.

I used to be able to only take the machine lid off and clean the lens once in a blue moon, has been more frequent recently.

I got the manual online yesterday and found out that the way the machine was built I need to take the front off before I get to take the section including the guard for the cd laser off. That was the bit that had me wondering if it would reconstruct easily.
I did get at the laser unit lens with isopropyl alcohol a couple of times.

Also never know which cd is going to get a negative play. Fuzz out, start making that weird rhythmic noise or whatever.
So bit of a pain.

every single t-shirt here

https://twitter.com/miahtao

they keep serving them up to me as ads and I keep clicking on them out of grim curiosity, all the comments are "got to get this t-shirt!" aaaaaaaaaaa

― the world is your octopus (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Tuesday, April 25, 2023 3:39 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

I used to get those ones with text that covered the whole back like ' Im a proud Arkansan Taurean MAMA BEAR and proud American and this is my address and social and debit card pin"

the more I click on them the more they appear, it's becoming a problem

https://i.postimg.cc/brL946Zt/Screenshot-20230426-231909.jpg

imagine you were working in a cafe and you had to serve someone wearing that

Man those shirts are getting darker, wordier, and more violent.

"BACK OFF I am a functionally illiterate ASSHOLE I bought this shirt because COOL SKULL and I WILL KILL YOU"

https://vangogh.teespring.com/v3/image/-expMvIbE3-ojB0UUZMdNMRA-Bc/800/800.jpg

When you're walking towards someone on a narrow pavement alongside a busy road and because they can see the all the dangerous cars coming they move away from the road to let you pass, when really it's much more dangerous for you to be next to the road because you can't see them coming.

Had a cop once call that the 'Sui-side"

I read a bit of a book years ago that talked about walking on country lanes that said you should walk on the side of the road facing oncoming traffic for safety. So have had that as an understanding for years, unfortunately it doesn't seem to be universally shared.

I think there is supposed to be a single direction that people ride on the bicycle lanes between pedestrian path and road too that is frequently ignored,. Have heard that a lot of people get hit by bikes coming in the opposite direction than expected.
I need to get back on a bike since I have one that I think works though saddle too high or at least was when I tried it out.

Oh well.

Yeah, I always learned as a kid to walk or bike in the opposite direction of traffic so the cars would see you. Those were suburban roads though. I'm still confused by it all.

Yes this is a thing where you can hear equally persuasive arguments for completely opposite recommendations.

I generally ride a bicycle with traffic, or in traffic. But that is subject to hyperlocal conditions. I maintain that my physical vulnerability (relative to the driver of a two-ton car) is salient. They can kill me instantly while barwly inconveniencing themselves. To me, that means I get a bit more of a right to decide what to do and not do. YMMV.

Walking is also very situational and depends on several factors.

My 'hood is pretty pedestrian-friendly but there are still rampant perils.

Barwly? Wtf, I mean barely

interesting! i always thought the reason not to bike against traffic was because you're both converging on each other, shortening the time it would take for a wayward vehicle to cream you than if you were both going the same way (but otoh, you can't see them if you're going w/ traffic).

all of our bike lanes here have arrows on them and sort of make the decision for us (they point with traffic)

If that wasn't clear I was talking about pedestrians being hit by bikes going along lane in wrong direction , not cars being hit by them.

Stevo, in my experience pedestrians and cyclists (and, in posh areas, equestrians) generally have common cause. The enemy is the people driving big motorized metal death cubes.

I don't think I have had a significant negative biker/walker interaction in fifty years of doing both almost every day.

never had a negative interaction as a pedestrian with a cyclist myself either (haven't ridden a bike in years sadly as well).

did once hit a guy on a bike with my car, which fortunately was a minor incident when the smoke cleared, but was pretty scary in the moment. they were riding across the street on their bike, not in the crosswalk, but in the middle of the road, while we were stopped at a red light. I was maybe four vehicles back.

the light was likely already green when he started his journey, I didn't see him until he was near my car, and when it was my turn to go, I lightly accelerated only to finally see him rapidly approaching to my right - too late to stop, and I hit him and he fell. got out to help him up and apologized and another passenger and I offered to take him to the hospital, but he shrugged it off, said it was his fault, and that he was ok. he was bleeding a little on his arm, we offered again and he insisted he was fine and that he messed up and then took off.

not fun. also why i'm a lot more anxious about scanning every inch of road now.

my negative interactions with cyclists as a pedestrian usually occurs when they're riding their bikes down the goddamm sidewalk.

^^^^

there's one particular road with a hipster bar scene that is utterly devoid of bike lanes where cyclists pretty much exclusively use the sidewalk and I just wind up walking in the road because of not wanting to be constantly being startled from behind

when did it become acceptable to just drastically change plans at the 11th hour? like I don't mean "oh hey, we were going to have our friend's birthday dinner at Bar A, but we're going to Bar B instead", when both bars are within miles of each other. but like completely and fundamentally changing them.

so today's a packed day. It's my brother's birthday, I had tickets to the Orlando City match (as a season ticket holder), and I'd been invited to see the band Massacre at a local venue. Originally had just planned to just go to the soccer game, as the fam and I are having dinner with the bro and his fiancee tomorrow, then go home after, as it'd be too late to get to the Massacre show. then last week, my bro's best friend invites me to a dinner they're having for my bro tonight at Buca di Beppo at 7.

I figured it'd be good to see him on his birthday, so I said fuck it, and sold the soccer tickets. The Buca is ten minutes from my house, which is perfect. and because of that, I realized I could probably make the Massacre show after all, as dinner is likely to be done by 8:15 - 8:30, and the show is also 10 mins from my house. so I told that friend on Thursday I'd be good to go, and bought a ticket. it'd work perfectly, as I could go from Buca, to my house, take care of dad, and then continue East to the venue. a fun night with a variety of people.

not a peep from the best friend in the FB Event since the day he invited me, until this morning. at 11 am, the friend announces that he's changed the location from the Buca in Maitland to the Buca on 192 in Celebration, a difference of 26 miles, 45 minutes. he states it's because it's more centrally located for most of them.

so now that's a 90 minute, 52 mile round trip, a trip I'm in no mood to take after the awfulness of last night, but also would obliterate my plans, as I wouldn't be able to make the show on time, so would have to eat the ticket and bail on the friend.

The only reason I accepted the invite is because of how centrally located it was. if his friend had chosen this alternate location initially, or even several days ago, I probably would have just opted not to go, keep my soccer tickets, and just see him on Sunday as we originally planned. Instead, he pulls a bait and switch at the 11th hour. of course, the gathering is a surprise - my brother only knows he's going there, doesn't know that other people are coming, so I can't talk to HIM about it.

so I responded somewhat pass-agg to the friend that I was no longer going as the new location no longer worked with my plans, and that I'd just see him tomorrow. it's for the best because his friends and I are like oil and water, we don't dislike each other, but I always feel alienated around them. I'm sure friend is talking me up like I'm some asshole now but come the fuck on bruh.

Sympathies. My family of origin has been like "let's just wing it" since approximately 1953. You can't ever pin them down about basics like "precisely where shall we meet, and when?" These people (whom I love) are always like, "we'll see."

I don't love it but I'm used to it. However, it infuriates my wife, who would understandably prefer a modicum of accuracy for planning purposes.

when did it become acceptable to just drastically change plans at the 11th hour?

Acceptable, I can't say, but cellphones definitely accelerated the practice.

in my bro's case, I get why they're the type that wing it, almost all of my bro's friends live near the theme parks because they almost all work there. and almost none of them have dependents at home, so they just assume everyone's like them and lives out that way and doesn't actually have to plan their day or actually base said plans on the distance of the drive to said place.

honestly I'm somewhat relived and amused as this place doesn't fit their style at all. His friends, being theater kids who struggle with punctuality, like to drop in at random points of the night rather than being on time. most are on a fixed income, so they want to ensure they don't order anything too mega expensive and then like to abruptly ask for their checks whenever they feel like leaving.

Buca di Beppo is family style, with no individual sized portions - meals either feed 3 or feed 5. If you're not bringing a +1, you have to find someone else to share with, unless you want to order 3 times the food you can eat in one evening, take most of it home, and pay $30 for it. any solo diner who partners with a couple to order and share food will then have to figure out how to split up the bill, and likely both parties will be wanting to leave the dinner at different times. and the entire table isn't just going to split the check evenly as there are certain to be friends who are coming after rehearsals who are only there to drink.

the restaurant's meant for your group to be in and out in 60-90 minutes, and they'll be there probably several hours, with frustrated waiters trying to keep everything together.

also guarantee that the number of people who show up will be three times the amount that RSVPed, lol. some will show up that werent even invited.

A pet peeve has always been flakey friends who make plans for the daytime and then cancel them when they wake up with a hangover or w/e. But since retiring from the social scene I've realised that being a person who actually follows up with plans you make when you're out of an evening is highly unusual and not expected by anyone. Suspect it all has something to do with being in the habit of always stubbornly pushing myself to do things I don't feel like doing in the moment, which is ultimately a coping mechanism for ADHD.

Agree with both sides, if possible. I still haven't forgotten my friend who called me at nine on a Sunday morning, saying she was on her way over to take me to the horse track. Apparently the night before, after a few sips, I had even gotten to the point of saying, "Even if I say I'm too tired to go, ignore me and just pick me up!"

Only threw up once on the way. Won $80. Asked her where her boyfriend (now husband) was, and she replied, "Oh, he just said 'fuck that,' rolled over and went back to sleep."

My father is the king of "Call me when you're about to leave."

I say, "We'll be there at two."

He'll say, "Call me when you're about to leave."

I'll say, "Just look out your door at two."

He'll say, "Can you call me once you take the exit?"

Etc.

hoping you threw up outside the car!

I did. Fortunately, I hadn't said anything like, "And if I say 'pull over,' don't do it!"

lol!

yeah being in a car that you aren't driving with a hangover is almost a recipe for nausea.

one of the funniest drinking fouls was when we were all going to my friend's bachelor party in 2012. I was driving the groom and a few friends, and groom's brother was in another car. he was pretty much lit up when he got in the car, and then at our first rest stop, the driver of said car was angry because apparently groom's brother yacked all over the back seat of his car. just 90 minutes into the bachelor party trip

I just gave pplains' father the business for texting me while driving. He took it as well as someone not in the mood for my safety lectures could take it.

my friend in california just said "ope" to me

i fucking hate "ope" but i tolerated it as long as it was just an upper midwest thing

as a former midwesterner i stan "welp" but nope, i guess it's gonna be "ope"

"She will not ope her lap to saint-seducing gold" (Romeo to Benvolio)

an "ope" in plymouth is a short street that connects to a longer street or square of the same name (viz here adelaide street, which is much longer and goes crosswise a little further along): there's several of them tho (according to the local paper) none in the rest of devon

https://i.imgur.com/BJsP3zK.jpg

Didn’t realise this referred to the previous post, was trying to work out why this sign made you angry.

well that would certainly be irrational but actually i like it and was just making inconsequential conversation

No, it was interesting! I am just easily confused!

A windstorm knocked down the fence between our neighbors and us in the fall of 2019. They're finally getting a new one installed today, almost four years later. My kids were pissed that for the duration of deep covid, when everyone was stuck at home, *that's* when the fence was missing, when privacy was at a premium. And now, with three of our collective kids out of the house at college, and only one left in high school here, *that's* when they're finally getting around to putting the privacy fence back. We like our neighbors, it wasn't a big deal to us (adults), it wouldn't have been a big deal if they had never replaced it. Hence the "irrational" part, because why now, neighbors? You should have done it years ago, when it would have served more of a purpose.

i hate it when they show things in the little between-projects shots in The Repair Shop that aren't being worked on that week

websites that require you to click on Sign Up to get to the sign in page for existing accounts

the armenian alphabet

Regular-length albums pressed out onto three sides on vinyl so you have to hover over the damn thing and change the record every 13 minutes.

people who assume a question is being asked as an attempt to "bail" on them and not just a question so I can be planful.

example:

"what time did you want to do dinner tonight?"
"why - you got something else you're doing? If you want to reschedule, just ask to reschedule?"
"No - so I can add it to my calendar properly!"

"it looks like I am working on <xxx> assignment - I haven't done this before, so I wanted to ask a few questions about what is expected."
"if you don't feel comfortable taking this on..."
"NO, I DO, but I am just want to understand the assignment a bit more!"

Omg I'm with you, I hate that shit. That is one of my mom's favorite passive aggressive tools in her arsenal and it drives me bonkers:

"What time did you want us to be out there for dinner on Sunday?"
"Oh I take it that means you are too busy..."
"No, I'm just planning ahead so I know what time you'd like us there..."
"Just forget it then, we'll do it some other time."
*seething rage*

i've started saying "stop selling" to my mother as a joke, i.e. when I agree to something, you don't need to keep securing my approval

lol

omg yes my mum does this too
invents an absolutely nonexistent subtext & then we somehow end up having to re-plan the same plan just to reassure her that there are no ulterior motives

utter insanity