Random thoughts that are pointless and too dumb to say anywhere else thread: 2015–2018 (plus one)

[JimH5]

Don't know where else to put this. My mom has been in the hospital with lung surgery and I've burned through most of my sick time. I do have FMLA for my mom so there's no worry about my job but it's to the point now where I'd be on unpaid time off. I'm not sure what's the best approach here. I need the money but I'm just a nervous wreck even just waiting in the hospital.

 

Best wishes to your mom on her recovery. And best wishes to you in managing the stress.

 

Are you needed to make decisions, assist in her care, or otherwise be there for daily activities? I trust that she's getting good treatment. Maybe you can stop by the hospital in the evenings or cut out early some days...

 

When my now-deceased mom was hospitalized following her stroke, it was a tough decision on when to go, how long to stay, etc. Glad my sisters were here to do a lot of the daily life stuff.

[CheezWizHed]

You can check with the hospital also to see if they have support systems available for you. For my youngest, my wife was managing a lot of doctor visits and trying to coordinate different doctors at one time. The hospital assigned my son a patient care advocate (or concierge?) that did all of that for her. That might not be the biggest of your concerns, but every little bit helps.

 

Love your mom, but take care of yourself too.

[Patrick425]

Well...in a text conversation with said nephew after their *regional championship* game, I asked what his music is. He picked Written in the Stars, which you might remember as the anthem of the 2011 postseason. That gave me some auntly feelings, because he attended a couple of the 2011 postseason games with us, was a fan of the song at the time, and we fist-bumped every time it was played during those games.

 

My son never had walk up music when he played varsity (although he and his teammates would lobby hard for it every year - even if it was just for senior night or for the season end DH they played at Whitewater every year). However, he now plays for land o' lakes and they have walk up music (well, we played the first game, then got a job that interferes with most of the games they play on Saturdays). As a 19 year old, the walk up music he has chosen is Jimi Henrdrix' 'All along the watchtower' and Zepplin's 'Kashmir'. Ahhh....I have taught him well.

[hawing]

Those are quality walk-up music choices!

[trwi7]

No joke, I've thought about what I would choose as a walk-up song if I was a major league player and Kashmir and All Along the Watchtower are always my top two choices.

[jerichoholicninja]

All Along the Watch Tower my mind goes straight to Craig Counsell, even when I hear it on the radio. The local team I watched growing up had a guy who used Kashmir. I don't remember who he was but my mind always goes there when I hear it. When the Levee Breaks is my personal choice.

[trwi7]

Because I just heard it for the first time in a long time, Money For Nothing would be an amazing walk-up song.

[Patrick425]

All Along the Watch Tower my mind goes straight to Craig Counsell, even when I hear it on the radio. The local team I watched growing up had a guy who used Kashmir. I don't remember who he was but my mind always goes there when I hear it. When the Levee Breaks is my personal choice.

 

The funny thing about my son's choice of Kashmir is I think it's partially influenced by the movie "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (Again, he's 19 - born 16 years after the movie came out). Damone: "When it comes down to making out, whenever possible, put on Side One of Led Zeppelin IV." Then cut to Ratner in the car with his date playing Kashmir (which is actually from Physical Graffiti and not Led Zeppelin IV).

[RobDeer 45]

The funny thing about my son's choice of Kashmir is I think it's partially influenced by the movie "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (Again, he's 19 - born 16 years after the movie came out). Damone: "When it comes down to making out, whenever possible, put on Side One of Led Zeppelin IV." Then cut to Ratner in the car with his date playing Kashmir (which is actually from Physical Graffiti and not Led Zeppelin IV).

 

Love Fast Times and love that quote. I always think of that scene when I Kashmir.

[hawing]

Because I just heard it for the first time in a long time, Money For Nothing would be an amazing walk-up song.

Something in the back of my mind is trying to convince me that Corey Knebel used Money for Nothing in a previous season here. Can't verify that just yet, but with enough internet digging (or a tweet to Corey, if he answered it), I could.

 

Edit: Aha! 2015! The random things I remember.

https://brewers.mlblogs.com/brewers-walk-up-entrance-music-updated-9-8-15-28d89bb8ab30

[hawing]

So, one of our two-year old cats managed to tip over the dehumidifier we keep in the basement. It was full of water, of course. I've seen him use the dehumidifier before to vault up to a nearby dresser, so I'm guessing he pushed off with enough force to knock the thing over. But he's not even a particularly big guy.

 

This is just the latest (and I'd have to say wettest) of his shenanigans. We've had cats for over 20 years and never had one get into as much stuff as this guy does.

[Patrick425]

So, had this discussion with someone in our office about how they toast their bread. This person states that they always just put it at the highest level and then pop it up manually when the bread is toasted at a level where they want it. Never heard of anyone doing it this way and asked, why don't you just set it at the correct level and let it pop up on it's own. She said it's quicker her way (even if this was true, how much quicker do you need a toaster to be?). I didn't get into the whole discussion with her, but isn't the dial just a timer (not something that sets the heat level in the toaster)?

 

So, after this conversation, I did a little research on the internet which confused me even more. I found these two sites that talk about it:

 

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/a13823/why-the-numbers-on-your-toaster-are-meaningless-17517402/

 

http://www.snopes.com/a-toaster-dial-is-for-minutes-not-level-of-toasty-ness/

 

I never assumed that each mark on the dial represented one minute, but I do assume that the higher place the dial, the longer the toast will toast until it automatically pops "more time = more toasty-ness", so it's not any quicker to set it at high and pop it when you think it's done. This is the part that confuses me about those sites:

 

As the narrator explains, most toasters are too cheap to have a timing chip. Instead, they rely upon a metal strip that curves when heated, and the numerical setting simply tells the toaster how far that strip must bend before it triggers the toast to pop.

 

Toaster's technically do not have a timer, but in a sense the metal strip and how long it takes it to curve basically acts as a timer...right? The metal strip always curves at the same rate so the higher you set the dial, the longer the toast will sit in the toaster until the strip is at the correct "curvature". If you don't want it to go to full curvature and are going to hit the manual pop-up at less than full curvature why would you not just eventually figure out the correct setting for that level of curvature and leave it there? There is no "time-saving" going on by setting it at the highest level and manually popping it when you think it's done. Am I missing something here?

[Baldkin]

You're not missing anything. Toasters aren't ovens, they aren't microwaves. They don't have different power settings. They have "On" and "Off".

[Patrick425]

You're not missing anything. Toasters aren't ovens, they aren't microwaves. They don't have different power settings. They have "On" and "Off".

 

Well, it also has a settings dial which is basically a timer (even though it is not technically called a timer). The higher you set it at, the longer the toast will sit in the toaster before automatically popping up (and the longer it sits in the toaster, the darker it gets). You are not adjusting temperature when you set that dial, you are adjusting waiting time. My frustration with the conversation I had a work was that this person is under the belief that if she sets the toaster at the top level and then manually ejects the toast when she believes it is "done" she's saving time (rather than just setting the toaster at the correct level to begin with).

[JimH5]

I agree that the toaster's darkness dial is essentially a timer. But I don't think I would correct someone who was doing it wrong. It's their bread to toast however they want. And if they're in line ahead of me, I'm obligated to tap my foot and wait.

[CheezWizHed]

I agree that the toaster's darkness dial is essentially a timer. But I don't think I would correct someone who was doing it wrong. It's their bread to toast however they want. And if they're in line ahead of me, I'm obligated to tap my foot and wait.

 

Toaster Tolerance? Darkening Diversity?

 

FYI, Blinkers work on a bi-metal strip also. Current runs through them and heats them up until they bend and break the circuit. Breaking the circuit stops the current and the part cools until it makes the circuit again and the process repeats until someone driving down the road honks at you to remind you to turn it off.

[jerichoholicninja]

Watch the episode of Going Deep about how to make toast. It will teach you everything you need to know about how to make toast.

[Patrick425]

I agree that the toaster's darkness dial is essentially a timer. But I don't think I would correct someone who was doing it wrong. It's their bread to toast however they want. And if they're in line ahead of me, I'm obligated to tap my foot and wait.

 

I wasn't really trying to correct her, but rather trying to understand her logic. If you are going to set the toaster to the highest level and then just pop the toast manually when you think it's done, why not just put it closer to the level of when you want it to be done and let the toaster do the work? I understand that it's trial and error, but eventually you figure out the correct setting. It sounded like this is always how she makes toast, even at home.

 

I don't make toast at work, so it was not a matter of waiting for her. The conversation started because someone in the office burnt their toast (someone who has done this before). I was talking to her about this when she stated how she does it and thought well, that's why this person probably burns his toast on a regular basis, because he doesn't expect the toaster to be at the highest level.

[chuckiehacks]

I just love that we're this close to having "The Toast Thread."

[DatHoser]

I just love that we're this close to having "The Toast Thread."

 

Grilled cheese. . . toast. . . Seems like a natural progression.

[MrTPlush]

I never use the dail as a timer. Things toast so quickly and all the different things toast at such different speeds I never found the point to figuring out what to put it at for each item.

[hawing]

I just love that we're this close to having "The Toast Thread."

 

Grilled cheese. . . toast. . . Seems like a natural progression.

Now I TOTALLY want a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hOisAYJTwWE/TrCPTTspz9I/AAAAAAAAM8Y/RIqSBVtAx88/s800/The%2BPerfect%2BGrilled%2BCheese%2BSandwich%2B800%2B1581.jpg

[jerichoholicninja]

Can't believe I posted this in the wrong thread.

 

[GAME05]

I have to get a mousepad for my ticket booth at work. I could just do a plain one, but I was thinking of a custom one with a picture on it. I've been joking about getting one with my face on it, but it would just have knives sticking out of it by the time summer is over. It'd be nice if it could be something particularly ridiculous or annoying. Anyone have an idea?

[LouisEly]

Or something phenomenally cool....