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

[Dallas Tex]

Yep....approximately 959,000 registered voters and 163,000 or so performed their civic duty.

I wonder how many more apathetic aren't even registered? It is frightening how little folks everywhere care about anything.

[htwoopup]

Cycling grump...I have always thought that the cyclists in Transportation Alternatives (which has been the main lobbying group for bike "friendliness" in the city) have actually been bone headed and pig headed and gravely endanger cyclists by what they lobby for.

I can not go on a ride in a "protected" bike lane without being almost killed by car at a rate of about 1 time per 3 miles of riding. They thought by protecting cyclists from cars by parked cars was a good idea. But they forgot that every other street in Manhattan means that cars and trucks have to come across the parked cars and the bike lane to make a left turn...and this is where the cyclist can not see the oncoming car nor can the driver see the cyclist.

I much prefer to have a bike lane with visibility so that I can avoid being squashed like a bug on the front of a truck.

And then they said to the city if you are going to have bike lanes that are not protected then you have to paint them. I always found painted lines on asphalt to be slippery when wet...whole bike lanes painted is slippery in my book.

Oh, and then they have bike lanes that they actually have signs showing that there are legal parking spaces in the bike lane which then forces you into traffic where one gets screamed at by pushy NY'ers stuck in Second Avenue bridge traffic to "get in your lane" which you actually can't. This is a bike lane that is "separate" and not shared and is "not protected". I don't mind the "not protected" but the rest is a total fail.

Typical NYC bike lane by Jon Mandel, on Flickr

I suppose it is better that it is legal parking than the usual FedEx and UPS trucks parked half in half out, delivery guys going the wrong way on e-bikes, etc.

I guess my grump is while it is all well intentioned to do bike lanes and TA's heart is in the right place, it would have been nice for somebody to think a little and not pooh pooh the unintended consequences as not meaningful; because the injuries and deaths in the "mixing zones" don't happen IN the bike lane so the bike lanes are a roaring success.

Ok, I feel better now. I just wish they would fix it for safety which was the original intent.

[Dallas Tex]

Some douchebag cut a fairly substantial cable lock & stole my better half’s bike. Not cool. I believe the opioid crisis has now hit home.....

[72gmc]

^^^ Bad deal. Send a bill to the Sacklers.

[marley]

Some douchebag cut a fairly substantial cable lock & stole my better half’s bike. Not cool. I believe the opioid crisis has now hit home.....

maybe you need the Wall that DJT has promised

[Dallas Tex]

maybe you need the Wall that DJT has promised

Nope, everything’s pointing to a guy that is a homegrown douchebag. Meth addict with rotten teeth. Man, once folks take that path it’s near impossible to change direction. It’s sad and amazing how a person’s goals & values get replaced with the singular goal of acquiring more dope.

[Dallas Tex]

^^^ Bad deal. Send a bill to the Sacklers.

I had to google Sacklers, but now I get it. I find it very easy to believe that decisions made by boards & budgets would turn a blind eye to such matters. Doubtful any individual actually fully acknowledged the issue even to himself. But the challenge to increase sales & meet goals can be overwhelming and can blind a group of folks to the damage their actions (or lack of actions) do.

[72gmc]

If you really want to get your grump on, read up on that family, its deceased and living members, and their roles in the current situation. Since it's now Friday I'll wish you good luck in getting your wife back on wheels.

The Family That Built an Empire of Pain | The New Yorker
The Sackler Family, Purdue Pharma, and the Lawsuits Threatening Opioid Manufacture | The New Yorker

[guido]

Perhaps you will now support universal healthcare for all including drug treatment...

[Dallas Tex]

Perhaps you will now support universal healthcare for all including drug treatment...

So the government can run healthcare as efficiently as they run Public Schools, Post Office, Student Loan Program, and the DMV ?

Putting 20% of our nations economy in the hands of elected officials.......you have more faith in Trump than I do!

[guido]

So the government can run healthcare as efficiently as they run Public Schools, Post Office, Student Loan Program, and the DMV ?

Putting 20% of our nations economy in the hands of elected officials.......you have more faith in Trump than I do!

It couldn't make it more expensive and less effective than it already is.

We can get rid of him at the same time...

[bcm119]

So the government can run healthcare as efficiently as they run Public Schools, Post Office, Student Loan Program, and the DMV ?

Putting 20% of our nations economy in the hands of elected officials.......you have more faith in Trump than I do!

Not healthcare, just the insurance to pay for it, in a single national pool everyone pays into, run by a handful of gov executives being paid a typical gov exec salary of around $200k instead of $30 million.

[ldamelio]

A) This is the grumps thread, not the public policy debate thread.
B) It ain't Thursday

You guys are looking at some serious push-ups.

[Tom]

I'll do pushups. First, how do you thread a new chain through the derailleur wrong and proceed to install the chain pin? I don't know but I just did it. No problem, or at least maybe a little problem because I have a spare just for these sorts of situations. Dig around in the drawer and find the little ziploc with the little bag from Campagnolo and prepare to install. Rip open the little bag from Campagnolo and... its empty. Seriously. Look all over with the 1200 lumen headlight, nope. That bag was empty.

I'm sweating. I'm down to two functional bicycles. This is too close a margin for my tastes.

[thollandpe]

I'll do pushups. First, how do you thread a new chain through the derailleur wrong and proceed to install the chain pin? I don't know but I just did it. No problem, or at least maybe a little problem because I have a spare just for these sorts of situations. Dig around in the drawer and find the little ziploc with the little bag from Campagnolo and prepare to install. Rip open the little bag from Campagnolo and... its empty. Seriously. Look all over with the 1200 lumen headlight, nope. That bag was empty.

I'm sweating. I'm down to two functional bicycles. This is too close a margin for my tastes.

Nightmare, Tom. You need to tape KMC quick links around like emergency ammonia inhalant ampules.

Good luck and god speed.

TH

[Saab2000]

In the grand scheme of things in life I can't be grumpy. That's for context.....

The condo I was supposed to buy appraised significantly lower than we expected meaning the bank won't write a mortgage for me unless I make up the difference in cash. I was willing to do that and bring significant cash to the table but the seller barely budged on his asking price even with some lower comps.

My real estate agent dropped the ball and it cost me the better part of a thousand dollars in attorney, inspection and appraisal fees and I start over at the start line with nothing to show for it. I think it's her job to make sure we know the approximate value of the place we're bidding on. Plus I have to be out of my house in two weeks.

So a great condo in a perfect location for me slips through my fingers.

[Matthew Strongin]

In the grand scheme of things in life I can't be grumpy. That's for context.....

The condo I was supposed to buy appraised significantly lower than we expected meaning the bank won't write a mortgage for me unless I make up the difference in cash. I was willing to do that and bring significant cash to the table but the seller barely budged on his asking price even with some lower comps.

My real estate agent dropped the ball and it cost me the better part of a thousand dollars in attorney, inspection and appraisal fees and I start over at the start line with nothing to show for it. I think it's her job to make sure we know the approximate value of the place we're bidding on. Plus I have to be out of my house in two weeks.

So a great condo in a perfect location for me slips through my fingers.

That's a bummer, but better to loose a couple grand in fees than need to put cash down on a property worth less than your offer/contract. Buying property is expensive, and not just for the actual property you're buying. I doubt your agent would have known how much lower it would appraise, but perhaps, if she feels bad about it, she'd be willing to forgo some of her commission on the one you actually buy to bring down the price a bit.

[Saab2000]

That's a bummer, but better to loose a couple grand in fees than need to put cash down on a property worth less than your offer/contract. Buying property is expensive, and not just for the actual property you're buying. I doubt your agent would have known how much lower it would appraise, but perhaps, if she feels bad about it, she'd be willing to forgo some of her commission on the one you actually buy to bring down the price a bit.

I think she was as surprised as I was. My sister has 'chastised' me for this! She believes in happiness and sometimes you have to throw a little caution to the wind. She's not wrong actually. The amount of money here isn't huge at all over a lifetime.

She and my brother-in-law have been in their dream house in Switzerland now for nearly a decade and it's practically perfect. She said they just paid the asking price and haven't looked back. It's not a bad strategy. Of course, they're in a position to do this.

I'm going to revisit this with my agent and maybe we can find some common ground with the seller. It's not on the open market so we have a bit of luxury regarding the time frame. I can find a place to stay in the meantime.

[Saab2000]

Deal appears to be back on. Motivated parties can bring creativity to the table.

[ides1056]

not Thursday, and totally a first world problem:

My grandparents gave their ranch in the Santa Ynez to UCSB. I was last there after my grandmother died in 1988. I will be in the vicinity in August, and contacted the reserve to schedule a visit, asking to be allowed to walk around the place for a few days, alone, as I know it like the back of my hand and don't want company. This was the response:


Sedgwick Reserve <nrs-sedgwick@ucsb.edu>
6:54 PM (3 hours ago)



Hi Jay,

Thank you for the follow-up about your visit. The UC Natural Reserve System only permits use related to our mandate of supporting university-level research and teaching as well as public service related to our land stewardship objectives. Our mission does not allow approval of unaccompanied visitation to the Reserve that does not fall under those categories. We do not allow visitors without research or university-level coursework to visit the Reserve unaccompanied, and do not approve requests that fall outside of our mission. However, we would be willing to make an exception and accommodate you for an hour-long staff or docent-facilitated guided tour of the field station on a weekday between 9am-5pm during your visit down here. Friday Aug. 16th would work well for us; is that a date that would work for you? Thanks for your understanding of how our policies have evolved.

Onward,
Avery Hardy


Onward?

And Saab, you should be grateful you weren't buying in SF. My aunt's house went for 50% more than the asking price a few weeks back. And it appraised for that. I hope the people who bought it live long an happy lives there.