Get Your Grump on Thursdays - Was (What's chapping my @ss today?)

[Saab2000]

The area I live in in Virginia Beach has one (1) through route to get to the rural roads to the south of town. That route is closed now for 6 weeks to replace a culvert, forcing us onto a really busy, narrow road for about 1.5 miles, which doesn't seem like much but if you know Princess Anne Rd. you know what I'm talking about. It's barely appropriate for automotive traffic it's so narrow.

A really, really bad place to ride has just become a much worse place to ride.

Improving the road situation around here would constitute federal tyranny to Don't Tread on Me! crowd in Virginia....

[David Tollefson]

FAA audit this week. I was just put under the interrogation spotlight. I hate nervous sweat. Apparently I answered the questions correctly, however.

[Nierman]

Not so grumpy as I am saddened. The guy I've worked beside for nearly 20 years - the guy who hired me - just told me his wife is dying of cancer. She's felt sick for a year but she's always been a bit of a weird bird, going on and on about the government and poison food additives and holistic alternatives to health care, and this has created a helplessness in my friend I have no clue how to comfort. She finally got checked (breast cancer), now the mass is so large they cannot do surgery but she won't do chemo. She's unrecognizable. She's bleeding. She's wasting away. Any urging from her family only adds more bricks to her wall. The mind can be unimaginably strong and weak at the same time.

[Saab2000]

FAA audit this week. I was just put under the interrogation spotlight. I hate nervous sweat. Apparently I answered the questions correctly, however.

What do you do for the FAA? I think you've told me but I have the recall of a goldfish....

If you've got nothing to hide you've got nothing to fear. That's how I go to work and I welcome FAA oversight.

[robin3mj]

Now entering our 3rd month of severe sleep deprivation.
Twins, born small, each with their own individual and joint minor health issues leads to a max of 5hrs sleep a night for yours truly, and rarely more than 3hrs in a row. I am dragging.
Side grump- we’ve brought in a night nanny a few times to get us a solid 8hrs of sleep, and while great, it’s shockingly expensive, and only serves to remind one just how tired we are when nighttime rolls around the next day.

We have every advantage available to us, and this is still incredibly hard. I can’t imagine how people manage who don’t have the flexibility and resources that our socio-economic status affords.

[David Tollefson]

What do you do for the FAA? I think you've told me but I have the recall of a goldfish....

If you've got nothing to hide you've got nothing to fear. That's how I go to work and I welcome FAA oversight.

I work for a large US commercial airplane manufacturer, not the FAA.

[Vlad Luskin]

Got on a scale this morning for the first time in over a year. Where's that how to lose 20 lbs thread? Ugh...........................

[roseyscot]

Broken chain on my mid morning ride at the furthest possible point away from home and I didn't have a chain tool with me. I rode north, while my wife was running errands south. At least she was kind enough to come pick me up. What causes a road bike chain (Ultegra 6800) with 3000 sunny day miles on it to suddenly pop at a pin? Would have expected it to fail much sooner if it was installed poorly.

[Matthew Strongin]

Broken chain on my mid morning ride at the furthest possible point away from home and I didn't have a chain tool with me. I rode north, while my wife was running errands south. At least she was kind enough to come pick me up. What causes a road bike chain (Ultegra 6800) with 3000 sunny day miles on it to suddenly pop at a pin? Would have expected it to fail much sooner if it was installed poorly.

Been hitting the gym lately? Too many watts?

I'm back in the office and my allergies are out of hand. After two weeks out of the office where I felt great, this proves that I'm allergic to my job.

[roseyscot]

Been hitting the gym lately? Too many watts?

That's the only possible solution. I am so strong after 3 weeks in the gym that bicycle chains need to be re-engineered to withstand my new strength. Ha!

[Brandon White]

Broken chain on my mid morning ride at the furthest possible point away from home and I didn't have a chain tool with me. I rode north, while my wife was running errands south. At least she was kind enough to come pick me up. What causes a road bike chain (Ultegra 6800) with 3000 sunny day miles on it to suddenly pop at a pin? Would have expected it to fail much sooner if it was installed poorly.

Did it pop at THE pin? Or just a random pin? Do you clean your chain with Simple Green?

[spopepro]

Here's a snapshot of my wife leading 5.8 sport.



But that's awesome, why is this in the grump thread? Because she's wearing XC skiing trousers in that shot. No one makes technical trousers in her size. Sure, they have "lifestyle" stuff that's big enough, and there's technical men's stuff up to a 42" waist, but apparently big girls don't do awesome outdoor stuff or something. Grumble grumble...

[dashDustin]

ok, real grump...probably because I'm hangry.

oldest was assigned a project 5wks ago. he's in 5th grade and this is an advanced level class. their major project. he was to do part at home, and part in class. the class work stuff is getting done with some poking and prodding. stuff at home is not. 2 week Christmas vacation was supposed to have been spent getting it knocked out. it did not. project is due next Thursday. in reality, that leaves us tonight through Sunday night. Monday he goes to his dad's house, where it won't be done. History has repeated itself multiple times. enough that teachers have noticed.

last night, after Scouts, wifey was informed about a camping retreat this weekend, a father-son thing, for the oldest. he likes "camping", and was happy to do something with me. that makes me happy on many levels. we'd leave Friday after work and get back Saturday, mid-late afternoon.

what doesn't make me happy is the fact that none of the project has been completed, and that we weren't told of the retreat before last night. schedule is to leave immediately after work on Friday. at this point in time, i am very strongly leaning towards saying "sorry, bud. this project has to be finished before you go to your dad's house. you have known about this project for 5 weeks, and it hasn't even been started." i do feel that part of this falls on wifey and i, but the major point of the class is to teach the students to do work independently, without aid. another reason they were given 6 weeks to complete it. so that they could work on it, ask questions, revise, not have to worry about family obligations or schedules, etc.

i don't really know that he can get the project knocked out Sunday (I'm assuming Saturday night would be a wash). and procrastination is not something i want him to think is ok, especially in this grade when assignments have all sorts of cushions.

i want to take him camping, but i also want him to realize that there are actually important things that need to be taken care of before installing the latest mod for Minecraft.

this parenting thing is hard. at least, doing what you think is correct is.

am i in the wrong saying that we can't go camping because at this time the project takes priority, and that there is no compromise for having it finished Sunday night?

(we also have to get a lot of camping supplies....)

[Chad]

Did it pop at THE pin? Or just a random pin? Do you clean your chain with Simple Green?

Is that a problem? If so, that would be my grump, i've been using it for years.

[spopepro]

Is that a problem? If so, that would be my grump, i've been using it for years.

It's not a good idea, but as long as you don't soak it in simple green it's probably OK. Something about hydrogen embrittlement and questions about the chemical composition changing over time... I don't think anyone ever cleared it up completely, but there are loads of anecdotes from people who have wrecked steel parts and the signs point to simple green as the problem.

[Brandon White]

Is that a problem? If so, that would be my grump, i've been using it for years.

A friend that started to clean with Simple Green broke 2 DA chains after a few months of use. He may have soaked them for a short period. He then talked to a PRO mechanic (my friend did some team photog work for Jamis) who said Simple Green will just eat away at the metal - again, maybe if soaking. I don't think using it for a scrub down would be as bad.

[j44ke]

The area I live in in Virginia Beach has one (1) through route to get to the rural roads to the south of town. That route is closed now for 6 weeks to replace a culvert, forcing us onto a really busy, narrow road for about 1.5 miles, which doesn't seem like much but if you know Princess Anne Rd. you know what I'm talking about. It's barely appropriate for automotive traffic it's so narrow.

A really, really bad place to ride has just become a much worse place to ride.

Improving the road situation around here would constitute federal tyranny to Don't Tread on Me! crowd in Virginia....

I used to ride on Princess Anne Rd. when I lived in Norfolk. I wasn't very smart about picking routes back then, but I believe it was the only road that went where I wanted to go - a big loop out from Norfolk, through Virginia Beach and back. Back then it was narrow and it had a drainage ditch on both sides of the road. So not only did it not have a shoulder, it didn't even have ground to either side of the road. It was road or water. Fortunately I never had to pick, though there were some close calls.

Most of the road system updates in Virginia were delivered by Sen. John Warner. The man could deliver federal funds to the state like Moses delivered the Israelites to Palestine. First part the Red Sea, etc.

[becomingblue]

this parenting thing is hard. at least, doing what you think is correct is.

am i in the wrong saying that we can't go camping because at this time the project takes priority, and that there is no compromise for having it finished Sunday night?

That's almost a Norman Schwarzkof quote: “The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it.”

Pain before pleasure, same as us adults. Hang in there.

[htwoopup]

ok, real grump...probably because I'm hangry.


this parenting thing is hard. at least, doing what you think is correct is.

am i in the wrong saying that we can't go camping because at this time the project takes priority, and that there is no compromise for having it finished Sunday night?

For what it is worth, this is one of those do as I say not as I did comments....what my daughter (who is now 26 and through grad school and loving adult life) said to me at Christmas break her freshman year in college was, "You know, the only reason I am doing well is because your ex-wife (her mother) is a beotch and made me do every bit of my homework the second it was assigned. All of the kids who had parents like you who are all about fun are on academic probation."

Oh, and she did party a lot in college but still did well and also found what she loves to do for her work that pays for her life.

There is a middle ground I am sure. But I would suggest (having been the guy to mess up my half when it was my turn) that you gotta draw the line and stay firm. They learn pretty quickly without realizing that it will help them in the future which seems an eternity away to them at the moment.

[cash]

ok, real grump...probably because I'm hangry.

he's in 5th grade and this is an advanced level class.

5th grade? Is this normal for 11 year olds?

Assigning a major, multi-week "project" to a 5th grader seems excessive. Maybe I'm completely out of touch with the current educational system.