What did you do today?

Plumbing Forums

Help Support Plumbing Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Maybe for the hundreds or even thousands of people who pass by this forum daily, but have yet to register, would someone like to provide an official answer and the code to back up why the pic of the T&P is incorrect?
 
Maybe for the hundreds or even thousands of people who pass by this forum daily, but have yet to register, would someone like to provide an official answer and the code to back up why the pic of the T&P is incorrect?

There’s no piping connected to it and piped to a safe discharge location.
 
Thanks for the birthday wishes. It was an OK day. No call back from my uncle yet so his wife must be hanging in there still.
Nice job on the water heater!

Had problems with my guts most of the day and not feeling great. My sister called after midnight to say Happy Birthday and she sent me a $50 amazon e-gift card.

Yesterday I took my new computer case and all of the parts that have arrived over to my friend's house so he could assemble it for me. Now just need to get the PSU and then take the hard drives & blue-ray player out of my existing computer. Then my friend will help me mount the bracket for the computer to the wall and build up some protection to keep the cats off the top of it and make sure they can't get close enough to pee on it. It's going above the thick boards my monitor wall-mount is attached to.

I also cooked shepherd's pie last night. Well, my *******ized version. Found some frozen mushrooms in a garlic wine sauce and cooked them first, then did the hamburger meat, drained out the grease into a bowl lined with walmar shopping bags, salted, added cheese & melted the cheese & mixed it in. Microwaved the mashed potatoes, put them in the pan with the mushrooms (which I dumped into a larger pan so I could use the smaller one to cook the hamburger meat). Added butter, mixed it in with potatoes and mushrooms, then mixed in the cheesy meat. I personally like adding some veggies in but Mom doesn't like them so I left them out.
 
Mom has been sick and not able to keep too much down. She threw up everything she ate on Friday. Saturday I got her to drink some chicken broth and eat a piece of toast and an egg. Today I got her to eat a little shredded rotisserie chicken. I picked up more water at Samsclub and then went to Walmart for soup & salad. Samsclub didn't have the chicken so I got some at Walmart even though its not as good.

Last night I got restless and decided to mount my robe hook in my bathroom. The screws were not designed to go into a stud, but I attempted to put them through a stud after pre-drilling, but they were lousy screws and stripped out a little more than halfway in. Then they were stuck. I accidentally scraped the wall in my attempts to get them out. I'll have to figure out how to cover that up later. I'll also have to take pictures. But, after using decking screws with a star bit head instead, I got the hook mounted. Found an adjustable wrench that let me tighten the nut for the protrusion that acts as a double hook (that looks sort of like a whale's tail). Found a set of tiny screwdrivers in the living room on Mom's desk and was able to use the flathead from the set to secure the set screw. I tightened down the set screws for the toilet paper holder too (I didn't have the right screw when tightening them so the posts were slightly loose and slipped to the side). Got them pushed in toward each other more and secured.

I've been e-mailing my uncle. I'm going to try to call him every Thursday. He's really missing his wife and said he hopes he has the strength to get through everything that needs to be done. They'd already made arrangements and pre-paid for cremation & funeral services back in 2019 but he needs to write a speech and designate someone to deliver it if he's unable to. And he has to write the obituary. I can't imagine what its like to try to sum up the life of someone you spent 58yrs with (possibly longer since I don't know how long they dated before getting married). I hate funerals but even if I didn't, there's no way I can go to it. Mom is not fit to travel & I can't rely on my brother to take care of her. I'm hoping my brother can get some time off to go out there but I don't think he can.

Meanwhile, with the colder weather coming in, the cats have been wanting to be indoors more. I really need to start going for walks and doing some yardwork. Need to get the grass & weeds around the house trimmed so I don't have problems with copperheads. Someone on the homesteading forums got bitten by one recently.

I'm about to take a nap I think.
 
Got up sometime after midnight & found my youngest cat, Temjin, dead on the kitchen floor. She was on her side leaning up against the living room door with her back legs in the air, eyes closed, and chin tucked against her chest. She was only 3yrs old and I have no idea what happened. No sign of injury. She hadn't vomited or had diarrhea. A few hours earlier she'd been fine. Put her in the freezer in a bag until I could bury her.

Brother refused to help me dig the hole so I tried by myself after the sun came up. Got chest pains, shortness of breath, & arrhythmia so I had to stop and messaged my friend to ask for help. He agreed and I decided that first I'd have him work on my computer (fewer trips). He installed the PSU to the new computer & got the mounting bracket for the computer attached to the shelf I painted. We had to go to TSC for some bolts bc the screws weren't holding. On the way we stopped at O'Reilly's for power steering fluid & he put some in (he checked and fluid was low-- it wasn't responding well and was making noises when turning).

Brought him out to help me finish digging. He did most of the work but I still helped. Buried the poor kitty & headed inside so he could see my protective setup for the UPS as well as do a dry fit of the computer shelf. He talked to Mom for a bit and then we went to Walmart (his fiance wanted ice cream and Mom wanted ice cream too). The straps for the mounting bracket were too short so we got some bungee tie downs and some mounting thingies. Discussed how to protect the computer once its on the shelf.

Got gas, dropped him back at home, and headed home. I haven't slept since I found Temjin & I'm tired but too agitated to sleep.

I was ugly crying really hard so the dog, Princess, was trying to comfort me. Itsy (2nd oldest cat) came over to lick my forehead and lick my tears away. Later Rupert climbed on me and rubbed my tears away with his nose. My oldest cat, Boo also climbed on me and comforted me.

My back is sore & my hands hurt from the digging, root chopping, and pounding a metal plate (mounting bracket) with a mallet.

Going to take some naprosyn and see if I can sleep.
 
Zane, sorry for your loss. Heart-breaking.

Yesterday, the wife and I got in the car, headed north for thirteen hours and dined on lobster in Bar Harbor, ME. Tired as hell because I drove all the way myself but, damn, it was good. Stopping in New Hampshire at one of the state-run discount liquor stores, tax-free too, was a checking account emptying mistake as well.
 
Last edited:
Yesterday, the wife and I got in the car, headed north for thirteen hours and dined on lobster in Bar Harbor, ME. Tired as hell because I drove all the but, damn, it was good. Stopping in New Hampshire at one of the state-run discount liquor stores, tax-free too, was a checking account emptying mistake as well.
State run liquor stores have that 1930’s German vibe to them.

You should see the look on the employees faces when I say that. Not a F’n clue.

We have also have state run stores.
 
Thanks, Bluesky. I wish I knew what happened. It does look like she died in her sleep though.
Got up early today to start preparing for the new computer. I have a coffee table next to my desk that holds the computer & UPS. Computer was on a rolling stand my father made out of scraps. Had to clean out a bunch of junk that had slipped between the mattress & table. Found an entire pack of new socks that had gone missing. Mattress had shifted so it was pressed against the table and hanging off the boxspring. I cleared enough stuff to try to move it back in place but couldn't get it to budge. Woke my brother up to get him to help. Took less than a minute (and he'd been up 5min before). He was pissed but he left me hanging on the cat burial so I don't feel too bad about it.

Scrubbed the coffee table which was coated in dirt, cat vomit, & cat hair. Scrubbed the rolling stand but it was too filthy so I put shelf liner on it. Pulled out a bunch of cables and set them aside until I can figure out what they are for. Wasn't able to dislodge all of the cables under the coffee table. The wall outlet is under there so I had to gain access. Labeled all of the plugs that were actually plugged in (although, I need to figure out which ones are not in use. I should only have 5 things plugged in). Everything with blue tape got plugged back in and I was able to keep track of where they were plugged in. Will do the same with the cables going in to my computer when its time.

Secured the formerly green fan hood (it's now gloss black) and tethered the basket a little better. Put a face shield up on the side that usually gets hit with cat spray. Had to lie down on the floor once the mattress was moved out of the way so I could get under the coffee table to pull the plug on the old UPS and plug in the new one. The former was easier.

I now have everything plugged up and working. I'm waiting on an extension cord for the VGA for the remote reset button for the computer so I won't have to stand on the bed and reach over to turn it on and off. Once that arrives I'll bring stuff over for my friend to hook up and then he'll come out and mount the shelf and set the computer up. I'm going to get him to help me figure out a better way to shield the UPS and use old shower surround to protect the new computer so cats can't get on top of it.

But this is how things look now. Bethesda was curious about the new setup.
1698081240897.png
The face shield will be adjusted so it isn't right up against the side. I need to get more velcro I think to tether it to the inner side of the basket.
 
Thanks! I was particularly pleased with how the hood turned out when I painted it gloss black. It was green before. It was a hood to direct air for some sort of fan from a Dell. I got it off e-bay for $7. Basket was $5 at dollar store.
The cats aren't sure what to make of it. LOL.
This was the dry fit before I painted the hood. 1698089227675.png
 
I was going to say the kitties were being good and not touching the basket, but Rupert had to prove me wrong. He had to touch it (after I said "now don't touch this"). He looks like he's being smug but he closed his eyes from the flash on the camera.
1698376125071.png
The disgusting stuff on the old computer is why I'm protecting the new one and the UPS. Cat vomit stuck to duct tape.

Meanwhile, in human plumbing news, my friend had to go to the urologist today. But he accidentally grabbed an alcoholic Monster instead of the energy drink one (cans are the same color) out of the darkened fridge. Power company cut his power off bc his bill was due today. 9am and they cut it off. No warning either. They didn't even send him the bill. By their own policy they are supposed to have a 10 day grace period and are at least supposed to wait until the day after the bill was due. But they shut it off at 9am on the day it was due. His applepay messed up-- but they didn't actually bill him. And then they charged him a reconnect fee of $200+. Which meant he couldn't afford to pay it. So I got some cash out of the bank to give him to pay at the local IGA. Power was back on in 20min. He was funny when he was tipsy after drinking though. I took him to McDonalds and he got himself a Big Breakfast so he could get food in his stomach. Of course, I couldn't let him drive after drinking so I took him to the appointment. His shoulders had really been hurting from moving heavy arcade machines the day before and he didn't want to drive anyway.

The waiting room was weird. There was an old sofa that looked like it was from the 70s or 80s, but it was clean and in good condition. Weird lamps. Brick floor. Horizontal wood plank walls and ceiling. Wood beams on the ceilings. Shutters on the inside. Wood valances with curtain rods (but no curtains). Tiny doorknobs. There was a neat coat rack with a mirror and some decorative carving.

Stopped at Taco Bell afterward and he got some nacho fries for Mom. My stomach doesn't like Taco Bell food (or vice versa) so I passed on getting anything. Went to Walmart in Eunice to get a few things and then headed back to his house. I went in to say Hi to his daughter and fiance and then headed home. The nacho fries were cold but they came with a packet of Diablo sauce that said "Sorry Mom".

Cooked for Mom once she got up and I had a salad.
 
My new computer is up and running. I did everything I could to make sure I had all the tools and stuff necessary for my friend to install the shelf for the PC. The ledge created by boards to mount my monitor to the wall sticks out almost 3" in the center, but even with just mounting the bracket (which is secured to the shelf) to the wall, it moved a bit too much for my liking-- which is why I had some shelf brackets to go underneath. The board for the monitor is 1980s red oak & is very dense. Took a bit to drill through to mount the brackets. But the shelf is solid now. Additional bungee tie downs and anchors were installed- friend popped 2 anchors into studs and then 2 into the oak board and crossed the bungee straps over the computer.
I got a 20 pack of litterpan shields (clear plastic sheets 11"x17") that my friend taped together in the center and screwed to the wall above the computer to create a sloping surface that cats can't jump on. Extra sheets were used around the computer to protect it.

The basket on the UPS has successfully protected it from cats thus far.

I still need to bring the old nasty computer back in to set it up as a decoy so the cats will go after it instead of the UPS and they will have a higher spot to sit and placate them. Thus far none of them have attempted to climb on the ledge or try to get p to the computer. They have barely looked at it.

I have a remote switch set up so I can restart and I'm happy that it doesn't restart if simply bumped. You have to hold it down for awhile to reboot so no accidental shut-downs. I have it where the cats can't get to it.

Had an issue after my hard drives were transferred from old pc to new. Windows unregistered and said I needed to authenticate but would not accept the key code I used to install initially. Microsoft told me I'd have to buy windows 11 for over $200. They claimed they no longer support the "free upgrades" to win10. I explained that it wasn't free and that I paid for it, but they said they don't support windows 10. I found a work around for it so the watermark telling me to register windows went away and stuff ran better. If it says your version is not valid it will cause problems with your network card, slow your computer, and cause crashes. Mom was having the same problem after it forced an update from Windows 8 to 10 without her consent. So I used the fix on her computer. Brother had same issue and I fixed it on his while he was sleeping. I might eventually get win11, but I'm not paying $200+ for it.

My friend got some food and I bought a jacket & some thermal pjs for his daughter (she outgrew her old ones) to thank him for the work on the PC.

Yesterday I went to Walmart with my brother, grabbed friend a 20lb bag of rice (meant to find a smaller one but they didn't have any and that one fell off the shelf and landed on my foot and wouldn't stay on the shelf when I tried to put it back). Got some pasta meals for Mom. We just got 4.5lbs of parmesan cheese from samsclub so that will be put to good use.

She wanted Ramen last night and this morning. Probably having pasta tonight. I really racked out today. Mom's dog kept waking me up at night. Think the poor thing is getting dementia. He snaps at nothing. He'll pop up snarling and leaping at stuff. He jumped on top of me about 5x going after cats or shadows. When I pet him he growls. I'm about to make him happy by asking if he wants to "go see Mommy". He'll hop up and wag his tail.

Edit: This is my computer setup.
I had to get an extension for my keyboard, which works out great because now I have more slack on the cable.
1698970839075.png
and yes, I need to clean the wall. LOL.
 
Last edited:
Had an issue after my hard drives were transferred from old pc to new. Windows unregistered and said I needed to authenticate but would not accept the key code I used to install initially.
Windows takes a snapshot of you computers hardware including the processor, memory, video card, etc and uses that to validate registration so if any of the hardware changes this will happen.
Mom's dog kept waking me up at night. Think the poor thing is getting dementia.

and yes, I need to clean the wall. LOL.
Very nice! The computer looks ready for anything the cats can throw at it! What's wrong with the wall?!? I don't see anything untoward. Is your mom's dog named 'Joe' by any chance!
 
Back
Top