Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

With how unreliable elevators can be, there really should be a requirement for 2 minimum to be installed in residential buildings.

Seems every month there is an article about broken elevators and people with mobility issues stuck in their units because they cannot use the stairs. Elevators are not always fixed in a timely fashion, sometimes taking weeks to repair and get working again.

We have 2 in our building, one is almost always broken and waiting for repair/parts, luckily we have never had both break down at once.

Currently have 1 down, been down almost 2 weeks, the part has to come from Germany.

In the below article, the part had to come from ON via the US to get to Vancouver. (elevator was down for 12 days.)

https://globalnews.ca/news/5371205/v...UCD9N6iDiybBbQ

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

What do you give a man with everything?
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...riendship-dies
Correct, a tree. But it failed to recognise the Trump Kiss of Death.
But wait, what's that I hear?
It's not really dead, Trump has Tweeted that the tree lives. Amazing what a touch from the Messiah will do.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Overlooking a busy street is sometimes interesting. Bus sitting behind a car about 3 car lengths of space, car for whatever reason goes into reverse and smacks into the bus.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

meanwhile in Russia....WTH

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I'm guessing it must be some sort of charity fundraiser.

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The previous post was not meant for this thread, wasn't meant for another, but didn't catch it before it was too late to delete, sorry about that.

This judge is fun to watch.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Apparently it's to slap so hard that you make your opponent step forward.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ing-craze.html

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Bit late, but...dodged a bullet there, I think. I have cause through work to talk to an awful lot of CP people (in all sorts of positions) and I can count the happy traincrew on the fingers of one hand. I gather it was a nice enough place to work 'back in the day' - once you got a bit of seniority you'd end up with something vaguely resembling a regular schedule and the company itself was generally pretty decent - but over the last couple of decades everything got ultra-corporatized, management turned bullying and hostile and trimmed down to bare minimum staffing, maintenance etc; the joke, that I've heard from a couple dozen train crew separately, is 'they spend $50,000 training us and $100,000 trying to fire us', to the point of the field boss type people having quotas of dismissals they're expected to meet.

CN are by most accounts I've heard not as bad, and to be fair I have heard it put about that CP are a bit better now than they were a few years ago (I gather the big boss that dropped dead a couple of years ago was the major villain) but still a far less pleasant environment than it was a few decades ago, notwithstanding that the pay is good.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Some of that actually sounds a lot like the airline industry lol...which is where the bulk of my working life was spent.

I was only applying as the pay was good. I have never worked anywhere with a good corporate culture so sounds a lot like most of the places I have worked.

Airline world management was always looking for ways to get rid of work groups and outsource where they could.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

My stepdaughter has temporarily lost her voice so she's having to write everything down when she wants to say something.

I wrote "Oi!" in her notebook to use if she needs to call me from a different room.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

What was that definition of madness?
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48607423
"Insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting different results" and that says a lot about Macron.
RIP Tree.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Tree's a jolly good fellow...

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I just twigged what you did.. you got to the root of the problem... Leaf it out mate... :D

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:yield:

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Do you ever wonder when you get old, you'll have conversations with your breakfast?

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Sometimes I talk to the people driving around me in traffic, even though I know they can't hear me. I try to offer suggestions on how they might improve their driving.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

My breakfast is not really worth talking to.

Supper on the other hand... ;)

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Do you mean literally...like talking to your sausage (if that's not too suggestive :lol:) or conversations at the breakfast table?

I'm usually the only one up at breakfast time, unless it's a workday for my stepdaughter. So there are conversations then.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

:ohmy: Doesn't everyone?
I also apologise to worms if I squish them when gardening... :eek:

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

I wonder if he would have gotten the jobs with the federal government if he had not mentioned depression. One example why it's best never to tell an employer about mental health. I made that mistake once, and never again.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...tion-1.5174363

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

I heard every word you said. I lip read. :eek:

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I spent most of the week talking to a dog, or just talking out loud in general and I am not old, just gets too quiet and boring otherwise.

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You are not alone there J. I think most dog/cat lovers talk to their furry friends. As for talking to yourself out loud, I do it all the time. :lol:

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In person I mean. I am not around other people much during the week, just me and the dog.

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I often talk to myself out loud ................ I make more sense than a lot of people around me (but that doesn't include OH!)

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Bears like meat pies.
https://globalnews.ca/video/5309918/..._campaign=2019

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

I know what that’s like. My hubby was travelling/working most weeks, only home at weekends.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Can be tough.

I think the dog misses her during the week too, she sleeps 90% of the day away, I take her for walks, and her mission is to get back home as soon as possible, venture too far away and she pulls to go back the direction of home, and who says dogs don't know where they live..lol

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Article brings up some good points. Having rented in various US city's and various city's in Canada, renting in Canada is far more stressful and unstable experience.

https://globalnews.ca/news/5366848/r...anada-germany/

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

That's a very interesting read (I'll need a few more goes at it to take it all in), thanks Js for posting this.

I find the whole rent vs buy intriguing when comparing 'norms', 'mind sets' and obviously relative costs across various (relevant) countries. I don't see Switzerland on the Home Ownership rates graphic, I'll have a hunt for where they rank, but at a guess I would say closer to Germany than Canada.

Edit: Found it, wow!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...ownership_rate

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Surprised in a way to the countries that make the top of the list. We are lucky now that we found a dedicated rental owned by the developer as part of a city program to increase dedicated rentals, so more stability vs renting from an investor landlord who may only own 1 unit.

We are fortunate to be paying 2017 level rent still, currently 1 bedroom in this building through the developer units is $1,975 privately owned units are closer to $2,300 a month.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

I stayed in Canada in 1992/3 while OH and daughter went to NZ for 11 months ...... he was on sabbatical and she on a gap year. I joined them for December and January, but I was alone from end of September to end November, and from beginning February to end of July. Daughter and I were alone together in September as OH had to go to Indonesia on business.

I was working 4 days a week, had things to do on Friday, and made sure I went out during the day on Saturday. Friends came to stay on 3 Saturday nights during that total period, and we went to the Vancouver Opera together.

I kept myself busy in the evenings and from Friday to Sunday evening ......... I read a lot, went for walks if I felt like it (I did a lot of walking on the days I worked!), cooked up a storm on Sunday so that I had meals in the fridge and freezer for during the week, did quite a bit of dressmaking, didn't watch much TV except for the news ..... and usually cleaned one room a day!

No internet, so main contact was by letter and the occasional phone call ............. as it had been for OH and I in the 5 months in 1967 after we got engaged and he had to leave the UK while I had to finish my contract teaching. That time, he returned to England 10 days before our wedding date, to help in final arrangements and to move my stuff from my home to his for the packers to eventually pick up.

I quite honestly never found myself feeling lonely, nor did I talk to myself any more than normal ......... which in those days was usually a swear word and muttering when something went wrong!

We survived, our marriage was strong, and daughter discovered a lot about what she wanted to do with herself in the future by having time to really think about it ...... she changed her university entrance from the Science Faculty to Arts Faculty, for one thing!

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Work can certainly alleviate loneliness even if your not best friends with co-workers simply being around other people can help.

It was easier when I was working, people to talk to and work itself was semi-enjoyable so it was something decent to occupy time.

I do go for walks with the dog, it's just East Vancouver isn't the well nicest area of the city and its very busy, noisy so not very pleasant walks.

Too bad there is no time machine, would go back and tell my young self not to have so many dreams, would have made adult life easier.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Article about Ocean Fall's BC. Would be a neat little place to visit, they seem to get visitors and even have a small hotel next to an abandoned 400 room hotel which was at one time 2nd biggest in BC.

"Calling it a town is a bit of a misnomer. There's no mayor, there's little government representation, but it wasn't always that way. Ocean Falls was once a much bigger deal.

What was once a town of about 3,000 people is now home to about 25."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...ipWH3ku9uKqOoQ

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

https://realestate.mitula.ca/houses-ocean-falls

Ocean Falls real estate - :D

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

A politician in Pakistan had a press conference and live streamed on facebook, but a staffer forgot to take off the cat filter, photos in the article.

https://globalnews.ca/news/5399168/p...7iCp-xH7Bzn5c8

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Ocean Falls had a great swim club back in the day, that produced a lot ofpeople who won big in international meets.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Interesting article.

The map of trees is interesting. Lack of tress on the east side especially DTES leads to warmer surface temps.

When I have to go to the west end of downtown or the west side of the city, all the trees are so nice, and wish we had that kind of tree coverage on the east side.

We had a nice tree in front of our window, it goes up to the 3rd floor, but it never came back this spring, died over the winter. Noticeable difference in the comfort of the apartment without this tree this year.

Now if only the city would come and do something about it. (the city has been made aware of it by more than one resident.)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...lViEYWojst2gBM

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Boaty McBoatface makes important discovery!
A British research submarine known lovingly the internet over as Boaty McBoatface has made an important discovery linking increasing Antarctic winds to rising sea temperatures.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/boat...source=twitter

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

A very Smarty McSmartface boat.