Isolated Blurt Thread

Simply undo the four crosshead screws...

I'm trying to wash the kitchen floor while my wife is out for the evening.

The head of my squeezy mop fell apart. No problem, I thought. I have a spare head for it.

I read the instructions:

"Simply undo the four crosshead screws, remove the old head, replace with the new."

Simply!!!

I reached for the nearest crosshead screwdriver. Not one screw would move. I applied WD40 liberally, had a cup of coffee and tried again.

Not one screw would move.

I went to my garage and picked up my largest suitable crosshead screwdriver and returned to the kitchen.

Not one screw would move.

I picked up the dripping wet mop and went out to the garage. I put the mop in the vice, dripping water all over the garage floor as I tightened the vice. I used my largest screwdriver.

Not one screw would move.

I applied a Mole wrench to the handle of the screwdriver.

Not one screw would move.

I picked up my Stilson (large plumber's) wrench.

The screws moved - eventually.

No problem, I thought. I will replace the old screws with new greased ones.

I don't have four suitable screws in that size. What b*****y size are they? They're not imperial. They're not metric. I had to put them back on the new head.

All I have to do now is mop the garage floor, clean my vice, put back my Stilson wrench, my mole wrench, my largest crosshead screwdriver, my normal crosshead screwdriver and then I can start cleaning the kitchen floor.

No I can't.

"Immerse new head in water for a quarter of an hour before first use."

So I came to write an isolated blurt while I wait.

When I've finished the kitchen floor, I won't want coffee. I want a large tot of Navy Rum...

I love reading Og's posts.

JekyllHydeGrl said:

I love reading Og's posts.

Click to expand...

So do I.
But I cannot help feeling that it might be simpler to acquire a new mop at the earliest opportunity.

Handley_Page said:

So do I.
But I cannot help feeling that it might be simpler to acquire a new mop at the earliest opportunity.

Click to expand...

True. The mop-selling shops were shut except for a large supermarket five miles away.

But last night was a rare event. My wife was out of the kitchen for a guaranteed couple of hours attending a meeting. She LIVES in that kitchen, not just for the normal kitchen purposes, but it is her computer room, her study, her library, and it has an impressive sea view. It is the place where she entertains friends and family.

I couldn't afford to waste time driving to the supermarket. I had evicted the two cats, removed all the clutter from the kitchen floor, vacuumed it, prepared the cleaning solution and started to mop when the head fell apart.

I was deceived by the simplicity of the task of putting a new head on the old mop. I thought it might take five minutes maximum - far less time than a round trip of ten miles to a supermarket that might not have the mop I wanted.

The kitchen floor is clean. The mop has a new head. I will buy another mop shortly as a reserve but there is no rush. The old mop head had lasted eight years so the replacement should last at least five.

oggbashan said:

True. The mop-selling shops were shut except for a large supermarket five miles away.

The mop has a new head. I will buy another mop shortly as a reserve but there is no rush. The old mop head had lasted eight years so the replacement should last at least five.

Click to expand...

I wish I had your confidence in the replacement.

Handley_Page said:

I wish I had your confidence in the replacement.

Click to expand...

I have confidence in my DIY skills...






Probably erroneously.

TxRad said:

Long time no hear, Harry.

Click to expand...

I was living my dream. I became a recluse and supported myself by making "Hermits Unite" t-shirts and selling them on e-bay.

Maybe 'supported myself' is a bit of an exaggeration.

Howve you been?

Harry Leg said:

I was living my dream. I became a recluse and supported myself by making "Hermits Unite" t-shirts and selling them on e-bay.

Maybe 'supported myself' is a bit of an exaggeration.

Howve you been?

Click to expand...

Contemplating retirement and then doing it. Quite a stressful undertaking. Very time consuming. The only question left is what now?

Being a recluse is not all that it is cracked up to be. Been there and done that. The peace and quiet are quite good but the dark spaces get lonely. I do like the t-shirt idea. Very imaginative for a recluse.

Harry Leg said:

I was living my dream. I became a recluse and supported myself by making "Hermits Unite" t-shirts and selling them on e-bay.

Maybe 'supported myself' is a bit of an exaggeration.

Howve you been?

Click to expand...

TxRad said:

Contemplating retirement and then doing it. Quite a stressful undertaking. Very time consuming. The only question left is what now?

Being a recluse is not all that it is cracked up to be. Been there and done that. The peace and quiet are quite good but the dark spaces get lonely. I do like the t-shirt idea. Very imaginative for a recluse.

Click to expand...

Good Morning Gents, all.
T-shirts may be fine, but the US Postal service charges an Arm & a Leg, which can be a distraction.

Coffee's on the side for those in need.

TxRad said:

Contemplating retirement and then doing it. Quite a stressful undertaking. Very time consuming. The only question left is what now?

Being a recluse is not all that it is cracked up to be. Been there and done that. The peace and quiet are quite good but the dark spaces get lonely. I do like the t-shirt idea. Very imaginative for a recluse.

Click to expand...

Congratulations! Retirement is a very risky business. Not for the faint of heart. Youre a brave man to even contemplate such an arduous undertaking. Fortunately, a writer of your talent is never without occupation. 'What now?' is always the only question

Being a recluse is an indulgment for a misanthrope such as I. The dark spaces and loneliness insulate the world from my disagreeable disposition and we are both the better for it, i'm sure.

Apparently I misjudged the market for that particular t-shirt. Another endeavour to add to the list of colossal failures which, if I may say, is now quite substantially impressive as far as lists go.

Stay busy, my friend.

Handley_Page said:

Good Morning Gents, all.
T-shirts may be fine, but the US Postal service charges an Arm & a Leg, which can be a distraction.

Coffee's on the side for those in need.

Click to expand...

Im sure Canada Post requires a similar sacrifice but fortunately their services were never required due to a lack of interest and an obvious consumer savvy on the part of the general public.

Cheers

I have been tired and re-tired for a long long time. I got lucky as a software engineer and gave up gainful employment when I was 35. Retiring is easy. It's much better than working for other people, and much easier than working for yourself. What to do with all the free time? Write stuff. Photograph / draw / paint stuff. Make music. Build / destroy stuff. Annoy people, especially family. Travel places to do such and to re-invent self.

Nice thing about going places: nobody knows who the fuck you are, so you can be whatever and whomever the fuck you want. If you've already done the travel thang, stay somewhere and be something / somebody.

In my case, it's a time to put a little something back.

Harry Leg said:

Congratulations! Retirement is a very risky business. Not for the faint of heart. Youre a brave man to even contemplate such an arduous undertaking. Fortunately, a writer of your talent is never without occupation. 'What now?' is always the only question

Being a recluse is an indulgment for a misanthrope such as I. The dark spaces and loneliness insulate the world from my disagreeable disposition and we are both the better for it, i'm sure.

Apparently I misjudged the market for that particular t-shirt. Another endeavour to add to the list of colossal failures which, if I may say, is now quite substantially impressive as far as lists go.

Stay busy, my friend



Im sure Canada Post requires a similar sacrifice but fortunately their services were never required due to a lack of interest and an obvious consumer savvy on the part of the general public.

Cheers

Click to expand...

Retirement's easy, comedy is hard (not that retirement is anything to laugh about).

That very competent actress, Dame Maggie Smith, is quoted in one weekend paper as saying:-

"Old Age is not for Sissies".​

Day 3 of the week, 3rd test of the week, hardest test of the week. Just need to make it through today, ugh.

I've had a head cold since yesterday and I feel like shit...

TheeGoatPig said:

I've had a head cold since yesterday and I feel like shit...

Click to expand...

Please, I beg you,
Don't breathe on the rest of us!
[You might like to try breathing steam, it kills the germs]

I've just had the first phone call asking who I am going to vote for in the General Election - next May.

I don't appreciate such calls. I have too many advertising calls on my landline already - six so far today.

I still have a head cold from Tuesday. This sucks.

oggbashan said:

I've just had the first phone call asking who I am going to vote for in the General Election - next May.

I don't appreciate such calls. I have too many advertising calls on my landline already - six so far today.

Click to expand...

A better reason to have a caller display I have yet to encounter.

TheeGoatPig said:

I still have a head cold from Tuesday. This sucks.

Click to expand...

You'll probably have it for a bit longer.
If it doesn't clear up in a week, it'll take 8 days.

oggbashan said:

I've just had the first phone call asking who I am going to vote for in the General Election - next May.

I don't appreciate such calls. I have too many advertising calls on my landline already - six so far today.

Click to expand...

Every time a rep from a political party would come around asking of they could put a sign on the lawn, my neighbour would tell them he was a huge supporter and they could give him 3 signs. He told all of them the same thing. But he wasnt putting the signs on his lawn. He just wanted the wooden stakes for his tomato plants.
Gotta say I love his politics.

I drove to a place around a mile away from home to get some lunch today. Just after I start driving down the short stretches of roads I get a low tire pressure warning. I check the pressure through my dash and see that it is 20 psi, which is half where it should be. Then I feel tug to the left. Then I check again and see it at 10 just as I pull into the parking lot. I get lunch, eat, go back out to my car and check for a spare. No spare. Just a latex patch and inflation kit. Great. I'll patch my tire without using a jack. Yay. So I read the instructions, hook it all up, get it inflating, and notice that it won't inflate above 26 psi. So I quickly disconnect everything, get back in my car and hit the road. My psi is back down to 20 already. When my house was back in sight it was down to 9, but I had technically made it, so I parked and came back inside to post this. So I guess it worked just well enough to barely get me home. Whew...

Long story short? I need new tires...

TheeGoatPig said:

I drove to a place around a mile away from home to get some lunch today. Just after I start driving down the short stretches of roads I get a low tire pressure warning. I check the pressure through my dash and see that it is 20 psi, which is half where it should be. Then I feel tug to the left. Then I check again and see it at 10 just as I pull into the parking lot. I get lunch, eat, go back out to my car and check for a spare. No spare. Just a latex patch and inflation kit. Great. I'll patch my tire without using a jack. Yay. So I read the instructions, hook it all up, get it inflating, and notice that it won't inflate above 26 psi. So I quickly disconnect everything, get back in my car and hit the road. My psi is back down to 20 already. When my house was back in sight it was down to 9, but I had technically made it, so I parked and came back inside to post this. So I guess it worked just well enough to barely get me home. Whew...

Long story short? I need new tires...

Click to expand...

Good Luck!

My very dear TheeGoatPig,

You have given me your cold. I do not think I like you anymore.

Sincerely,

the good little witch.

glynndah said:

My very dear TheeGoatPig,

You have given me your cold. I do not think I like you anymore.
Sincerely,
the good little witch.

Click to expand...

Dear Glynnda-the-Good-Witch,
Don't you dare sneeze in this direction.
PLEASE ?
HP