What did you do today?

[Birkoff]

I am sure he already knows this but a public service announcement to Tall Daughter's hubby Scott: Be careful if you try and get up on the roof to clean the snow off. A friend of mine in Upstate New York slipped and fell to his death while shoveling snow off his roof a few winters ago.

I've road a ladder down from 16', held on tight, bounced around a few time, and since I could feel my toes figured I had survived. Not been on one since.

The house was designed for a typical snow load in the Cascades so I will be content to just let it melt.

 

[Zanne]

Birkoff, yikes. That does not sound like fun. Glad you were ok. I may have told the story that I heard about my paternal grandfather being up on a ladder that was on a lower roof (I think for the porch). He was painting and the ladder started to tip backward. My grandmother saw it and reached through the window and used all her might to pull it back toward the house. It slammed back against the wall but the bottom destabilized and slipped. I was told that the ladder dropped straight down to the ground with my grandfather on it and he allegedly broke every rung on the way down (wooden ladder). I'm sure there is a bit of hyperbole in there. He weighed over 300lbs. I never got to meet him because he died when my father was a teenager.

I got up early and went to get a curbside pickup order from Walmart. I find its easier to do that than to locate stuff in the store because things aren't where they are supposed to be. Plus I wasn't feeling up to it. Been exhausted the past few days. My weight is down to 200 but my A1C is till too high. Had to double up on my meds for insulin resistance. Got an appointment later today to discuss that with the specialist on blood sugar issues. I still produce insulin but I'm insulin resistant.

I pulled out some stray nails, measured & marked screw locations on the back wall of the tub, lined the tub with plastic and taped it on with painter's tape. Wrote notations on screw locations on the tape so when I go to put cementboard up I will know where to avoid driving screws. Also marked some other areas to avoid. I got the new wallset out of the box. The panels have a bit of flex so hopefully they will be forgiving if the walls aren't perfect. Still trying to get them as square & plumb as possible. Might need to add more screws in the center of the top plywood piece. I still need to make a cheat sheet with info on screw locations as a backup in case I am unable to see or read the notations on the tape.

Got some stuff to be able to give the old chiweenie a bath later. He's got dandruff and is itchy even though we got rid of the fleas. Poor thing was so tired this morning he wouldn't get up and move out of my way on the bed when I was trying to get up. Normally he stands and walks to the side, but this time he groaned and rolled on his back instead. I can relate to that feeling. LOL.

 

[BlueSkyHigh]

I can't wait to get Fox war correspondent Ben Hall's new book "Saved" that comes out today. If you don't believe in God after hearing his story of his young daughter "coming to him" in that car blown up by a Russian bomb and telling him he needs to get out of that car, you need to find and watch the interview. Don't fail me Amazon!

Sorry for the reprise. Fox had a two-hour show that aired on Sunday regarding war reporters and the hell that they see that caused me to run through a full, large box of Kleenex. It was hard for my wife, who's from Ukraine and still has family and friends in the thick of it, to watch it. Thank God the war correspondents do what they do in spite of the dangers.

 

[havasu]

Honestly, with the lack of news coverage coming from Ukraine, I wouldn't be surprised if our leaders requested and received a news blackout from the area.

 

[Twowaxhack]

Honestly, with the lack of news coverage coming from Ukraine, I wouldn't be surprised if our leaders requested and received a news blackout from the area.

It’s all a big scam

 

[BlueSkyHigh]

It’s all a big scam

I think the U.N. the W.H.O, and members of our own government are worse.

 

[havasu]

I feel for Ukraine, but now that Xi and Putin have combined forces, and with our lack of leadership in the White House, we are forced into just two choices. Either we continue the course and end up in a world war, where Ukraine still loses, or turn our tail and cower as the second third best military power in the world.

We've lost this game of Chess, and we now have our backs against the wall.

 

[BlueSkyHigh]

What not to do or the saga of someone with just enough knowledge to be dangerous:

Here's a lesson for us all and highlights that I know just enough to be dangerous. I finally got the "ferrule pulled" that I was talking about in another thread but I went about it in an extraordinarily circuitous and expensive route. Here's how:

1. Mistake #1 was not remembering whether or not there was CPVC in the water outlet box. From the picture above it seemed like there wasn't when, in fact, there was. I decided the easiest thing was to unscrew the 3/4" MNPT valve and jury rig some sort of an adapter affair that would allow me to use a 1/2" Sharkbite stop valve. So I got the required copper 3/4" MNPT to 1/2" copper adapter and enough 1/2" copper to make up the adapter. A quick run to a local supply house and an expenditure of $29 for the copper, the solder and the flux. Lucky me already had the torch and some MAPP gas.

2. Mistake #2 was the fact that the threads on the 3/4" MNPT are not "NPT" but finer threads probably FIP or something but I can't be sure. Son-of-a-biscuit-eating-basketball-bouncing #)SDJF)()#@#!!!!! Off to Home Depot to see if I could get something that would work.

3. I then decided to cut the drywall out above the box and see what's what and, wouldn't you know it, there was my CPVC! Time to hack off the CPVC, install a coupling, and run 1/2" CPVC into the box and install the Sharkbite. Another trip to Home Depot and and outlay of $15 or so in CPVC and appropriate solvent and primer and I was good to go. Or was I?

4. Mistake #3 was locking myself out of the house. Luckily the next door neighbor who happens to have a key walked by.

5. Mistake #4 was installing the new CPVC, pushing on the Sharkbite 1/4 turn stop only to find out that I mistakenly purchased a 1/2" to 3/8" Sharkbite instead of the correct on that was 1/2" x 1/4" fitting! The air turned bright blue in hues of blues and violets as I cursed like a sailor venting my anger. Another run to Home Depot to get the right parts.

6. Lesson learned. Call a pro next time!

Before and after photos attached.

 

[BlueSkyHigh]

My wife just awarded me my certification in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

 

[sawsaw]

My wife just awarded me my certification in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

I hope it has a fast approaching expiration date!

 

[Zanne]

I was finally getting a good night's sleep when Mom decided to wake me up at 3:50am. She accidentally let two cats into the living room who are not supposed to be in there because they pee on things and knock stuff down. She was spazzing out because she thought they were knocking things down. I was finally in a good sleep. Best sleep I'd had in weeks, but its like she knows and she has to disrupt it. Every single time I get into a good sleep it seems she has to wake me up. I'd think she was doing it on purpose if it weren't for the fact that there's no way she would know. Anyway, I had taken my meds that make me clumsy (muscle relaxants) so I stumbled out and put out food for the rest of the cats. The two boys in the living room were begging to be let out to get to the food so I opened the door for them and went back to bed. Had trouble getting to sleep.

Stupid arm is still giving me grief. I had to go get a heavy bag of cat food out of the truck and clear some stuff out. I managed to lift a cementboard into the tub-- but my arm hates me for it. I'm going to do the aquadefense on it later.

Also gave the chiweenie a bath because he desperately needed it. He was confused at first, but he seemed to like being sprayed with warm water (I used a spray bottle). He tried to climb out of the sink a few times but when I told him to "stay" he held still.

While I was getting stuff out of the truck I started singing so the cow came over to see me. I used to sing to her while petting her when she was a baby so she wanted to be petted.

I made dinner (heated up frozen fried rice & orange chicken).

Need to put some arthritis cream on my arm and take a nap.

My friend is going on a cruise that his sisters bought for him so he'll be gone for a week, but he still needs teeth pulled. They couldn't pull them yesterday because he has an infection. The dentist said maybe he can stop somewhere on the cruise to get the tooth pulled for cheaper. Gonna be about $270 to pull two teeth back here. I hope he doesn't end up needing a passport because he doesn't have one and they are going to Belize and other places.

 

[havasu]

I'd be real surprised if he doesn't need a passport, especially going into a foreign country like Belize.

 

[BlueSkyHigh]

https://bz.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/information-for-travelers/
He needs a passport if he wants to get off the boat. He may not need a visa but he does need a passport. Staying on the boat can be fun, however, especially if the trip's all-inclusive. Maybe the boat has a dentist and he can get his teeth taken care of. What other places does the boat intend to make a port call?

 

[Zanne]

Thanks, havasu and blueskyhigh. I have to ask him again what ports. I don't think he remembered all of them. I just told him he can't get off the post without a passport. He said he was told otherwise, but who knows.
He doesn't care so long as he doesn't have to work or watch kids. LOL.

I hope they don't run into any problems or bad weather.

I'm waiting for the right time to take my allergy meds and vitamins. Planning on some multigrain cheerios for breakfast. Might go for a short walk if its not too warm out. Already been doing some shoulder exercises this morning- rotations and pendulum ones. Need to do some of the stretches but arm is too sore.

 

[havasu]

All of the ships I've been on, going to foreign ports, would not even allow me entrance onto the boat without a passport, which had more than 6 months before it expired.

 

[BlueSkyHigh]

Other than riding on "The Spirit of Tasmania" from Melbourne, Victoria, to Geelong, Tasmania, and back again, the largest "ship" I've ever been on was 26' and that one didn't require a passport to get to Santa Catalina and back again.

There are rush services that can be had for passports but I am not sure how fast that service is.

If he can't take the cruise and, rather than waste the trip, I'd be glad to "fill in".

 

[havasu]

Here are the requirements for needed paperwork with Carnival Cruise Lines (just grabbed a popular cruise line)

What travel documents do I need to bring? ​

Proper travel documentation is required at embarkation and throughout the cruise. Even though a guest has completed registration using Online Check-in, it is still the responsibility of the guest to present the required travel documents at the time of embarkation. Guests should check with their travel agent and/or government authority to determine the travel documents necessary for each port of call. Any guest without proper documents will not be allowed to board the vessel and no refund of the cruise fare will be issued. Carnival assumes no responsibility for advising guests of proper travel documentation.

Carnival highly recommends that all guests travel with a passport valid for at least six months beyond completion of travel. This will enhance the debarkation experience as delays may be expected upon return to the United States for those without one. Additionally, this will enable guests to fly from the United States to meet their ship at a foreign port should they miss their scheduled port of embarkation and allow guests who must disembark the ship before their cruise ends due to an emergency to fly back to the United States without significant delays and complications.

Europe and Transatlantic Cruises
U.S citizens are required to carry a passport, valid for six months beyond the date of their visit. Guests are not required to have a Schengen Visa or other visas.

Domestic Cruises
For cruises that begin and end in a U.S port, the following WHTI-Compliant Documents are acceptable for cruise travel. These standard forms of documentation will enable the Department of Homeland Security to quickly and reliably identify a traveler. If a picture I.D. is not affixed to the WHTI-compliant document, a picture I.D. is required (a valid, unexpired government-issued photo I.D. for all guests 16 years of age or older). If the cruise includes air travel to or from Canada, a valid, unexpired U.S. passport is required.

• U.S. Passport
• Passport Card
• State Enhanced Driver's License
• Certificate of U.S. Naturalization
• Native American Indians

For cruises that visit Greenland, all guests are required to carry a passport with validity of at least 6 months after the last day of the cruise.
Also acceptable for cruise travel (for cruises that begin and end in a U.S port), U.S. citizens can show proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate issued by a government agency and accompanied by government-issued photo identification. If the cruise includes air travel to or from Canada, a valid, unexpired U.S. passport is required. Guests who have committed or been convicted of a crime may not be allowed into Canada - for more information, click here.
A WHTI-compliant document including:

• U.S. Passport.
• U.S. Passport Card.
• Trusted Traveler Card (SENTRI, NEXUS, FAST)
• Valid Merchant Mariner Document (MMD) when traveling in conjunction with official maritime business.
• Valid U.S. Military identification card when traveling on official orders.

 

[BlueSkyHigh]

Regarding the section on Domestic Cruises one of the possible WHTI-Compliant documents is a "Native American Indians". What the heck does that mean?

 

[havasu]

I didn't see this but sounds like a perk for being a Native Indian. The question is how native? like 10%, 50%, or 100%, or Elizabeth Warren and her 1/512th percent American Indian?

 

[BlueSkyHigh]

Lizzy qualifies. What she qualifies for I'll leave up to the reader to decide.