The ARGH Thread

[Morrigainz]

ZenGwen, sometimes it sure seems like the world is conspiring against you, doesn't it? +1 to you for keeping your shit together and getting it taken care of. Sometimes when I'm confronted with stuff like that, I just break down and cry/break things.

No, once I really did break things. I was mad about something so I took a glass outside and totally threw it against the house. Very cathartic.

[Waldo]

Last night my wife noticed that the A/C wasn't working. The fan was running and the house was only a couple degrees above A/C temp so it took a while to notice.

It would have been nice to notice before I got home from work instead of 11:45 at night.

Checked breakers - working

Grabbed flashlight and went out to A/C unit - out

Checked A/C disconnect with multimeter - working

Made sure everything was correct on the thermostat - check

Looked for obvious signs of trouble - found it

The control wire that tells the A/C to turn on was in a horribly degraded state. I found a section where the main insulation was all gone plus most of the insulation on the wires themselves, and some of the wires were broken. Whoever wired it used cat 5 cable but only used 2 of the leads, so I had to trace which leads were used, I couldn't figure it out with the multimeter. Found it, one of the wires it was using was snapped. This wasn't something I could permanently fix at 12:00 am, but I could ghetto fix it to at least have A/C for the night.

I probably should have turned things off, but control wire is 12V DC and not a big deal. Touching the wires together made the A/C switch crack to life for a second, score. Then I figured it was a good idea to turn it off so flipped the disconnect. I tried twisting the wires together but one end was so weak it snapped again. Had to peel back some insulation and try again, this time I just hooked the wires and left them touching with no twisting. Flipped the disconnect back on and everything was now dead.

Went to check the thermostat, and it indicated it was running on battery power. Uh oh. Could mean that the A/C cracking to life, or a short caused by a little bumbling on my part as I put the temporary fix in, sent a surge back on the wires and fried the control board. Consider me concerned at this point, I had to replace the control board a few years ago and it was crazy expensive.

So I had to go down in the crawl space (we're talking 12:30 am at this point) and take a look at it. It had a fuse on the control board, pulled it, sure enough, burned out. But I had no spare fuses so I had to go run to a gas station to grab some. I couldn't find the right size, but at least one that would work temporarily until I can get to a hardware store.

A little before 1:00 am I put it in, closed everything up, and it came to life. Went over to the A/C unit and it was on too. Woo. We had A/C.

But of course today I'm tired because I stayed up late last night fixing the A/C, and I know that tonight I've got to do some work. I'm going to have to rerun new control wire and replace the fuse with the right size. Not super difficult work, but I'm going to have to go to the hardware store and then run about 50 feet of control wire in the crawl space then hook it up on each end. Fun.

[AKLulu]

@Waldo - Sounds like quite the ordeal! But at least it sounds like you know what you're doing!

[ZenGwen]

ZenGwen, sometimes it sure seems like the world is conspiring against you, doesn't it? +1 to you for keeping your shit together and getting it taken care of. Sometimes when I'm confronted with stuff like that, I just break down and cry/break things.

No, once I really did break things. I was mad about something so I took a glass outside and totally threw it against the house. Very cathartic.

That sounds like an awesome way to overcome anger. I used to go hit the punching bag, but my new gym requires you to wear gloves. Pffft. I never really started calming down properly until my knuckles were bloody. (They also don't provide gloves themselves, lame.) Now I mostly just knit.

[ETFnerd]

(2) Kicked my ass at CF, left, and pulled my thumbnail away from the cuticle turning on my car - I swear, only I can make it through the various coordination things that CF requires, and then injure myself turning a key! AAARRGH!

I always imagined that you drove a mercedes with a push-button starter... weird how you attribute random stuff to people... hahaha...

also, i never understood why long fingernails were attractive... same with long, thick eyelashes, most make up... i also don't get earrings and most jewelry... what's wrong with natural?

[Morrigainz]

Hey, I like my naturally long, thick eyelashes!

@Waldo...I would say that's more than an ARGH. I would say that's an ARGLEFARGLE$%&%^UEOWHIRHETGE($YW$%.

[AKLulu]

I always imagined that you drove a mercedes with a push-button starter... weird how you attribute random stuff to people... hahaha...

also, i never understood why long fingernails were attractive... same with long, thick eyelashes, most make up... i also don't get earrings and most jewelry... what's wrong with natural?

Nothing's wrong with natural and that's how I am most days (with the exception of earrings), but every now and then I like to get all dolled up with make-up and my hair done. I think I like it because it makes me feel sort of special. Like... "I put more work into my appearance for once, yay!" And of course, the point of all adornments, whether make-up, clothing, or jewelry is supposed to be to make oneself more "attractive" by accentuating certain features or drawing attention. Of course, everyone has their definition of attractive too.

Also, I don't that LRB has long nails, it's that the cuticle (the skin at the base of the nail) pulled away. And that hurts like b****! Well actually she said the nail pulled away from the cuticle, but I don't know what she means by that *shrug*

[morethanjustamom]

I always imagined that you drove a mercedes with a push-button starter... weird how you attribute random stuff to people... hahaha...

also, i never understood why long fingernails were attractive... same with long, thick eyelashes, most make up... i also don't get earrings and most jewelry... what's wrong with natural?

Nothing wrong with natural. I abhor makeup, wear no jewelry (except on special occasions, and my wedding ring), keep my nails super short, and always have my hair pulled back into a ponytail. I'm low-maintenance.

[ZenGwen]

I always imagined that you drove a mercedes with a push-button starter... weird how you attribute random stuff to people... hahaha...

also, i never understood why long fingernails were attractive... same with long, thick eyelashes, most make up... i also don't get earrings and most jewelry... what's wrong with natural?

On the one hand - I agree. I "dress up" for the office, which means wearing a nice watch, sometimes earrings, concealer and foundation for an even skin tone, and lip balm. I'm really fancy today, as I have clear nail hardener on. My nails may be incredibly short, but at least they're shiny, right? The main thing I do for my appearance is dye my hair wacky colors! On a night out, I might indulge in lip gloss. I have been known to wear blush approximately twice.

On the other hand, there have been three or four times when I have been hanging out with guys and they have said this, and said something along the lines of "Like, you don't wear any makeup and you look great. And look at that girl over there. Beautiful! And no makeup!" And after looking at the girls for a minute, I can usually tell them tell them - actually, I'm wearing concealer, foundation and lip gloss. So are those girls. And also very subtle blush, eyeshadow just a shade or two off their natural skin tone, and there may not be any mascara there but I think they've definitely been using an eyelash curler... and like me, they probably use specialty face wash and two or three different types of moisturiser. When they see me not wearing makeup, they don't think I look natural and lovely, they think I look ill!

What comes across to people who don't put makeup on themselves as "natural" is often actually just "good makeup" as opposed to "garish makeup". Just sayin'. Which isn't an argument in favor of makeup. More just an ARGH that it's so expected, guys think it's just how girls naturally look.

[ETFnerd]

I can usually tell because when you make out with a girl wearing tons of make up, it ends up all on me... which is kind of gross... sometimes i've looked orange... also i like nibbling on earlobes and earrings kinda get in the way... especially the dangly ones...

[Waldo]

@Waldo - Sounds like quite the ordeal! But at least it sounds like you know what you're doing!

There are positives and negatives to being an engineer.

Positive - I can fix everything.

Negative - I have to fix everything.

Positive - I never have to call people to come fix things for me.

Negative - I never get to call people to come fix things for me.

Positive - I never have to pay people to fix things for me.

Negative - I have to spend the time and effort (and money on supplies), sometimes (usually) doing things that really suck to make the fix.

[Thrillho]

Standard ARGH: Both older kids woke up with their overly-sensitive bitchy pants on this morning, I see. They have so far gotten into screaming arguments about: juice, the Wii, a chair, socks, a blanket, and just now about why the 'other one' wouldn't stop talking.

[AKLulu]

When they see me not wearing makeup, they don't think I look natural and lovely, they think I look ill!

Hahaha, I think this is part of the reason I don't wear makeup often - I don't want it to become expected. Well, that and I'm reluctant to get up earlier than is absolutely necessary in the morning. And when I do look super good, I want people to notice

I can usually tell because when you make out with a girl wearing tons of make up, it ends up all on me... which is kind of gross... sometimes i've looked orange... also i like nibbling on earlobes and earrings kinda get in the way... especially the dangly ones...

And yes, TOO much makeup is definitely bad. I'll agree with you there. And at that point it looks very unnatural. I definitely never wear enough that it would rub off on anyone... unless I happened to continue wearing it when I went to CrossFit... then it would be all over my shirt where I wipe my face on my sleeve... great mental image there.

I can understand how earrings could get in the way of nibbling on ears (and girls DO love having their earslobes nibbled... or at least I do), but usually they don't require much effort to remove. I love my dangly earrings... it's the easiest way to look put-together without actually putting effort in. And really... people don't nibble on my earlobes often, so I don't think they're really getting in the way of much.

[ZenGwen]

I can usually tell because when you make out with a girl wearing tons of make up, it ends up all on me... which is kind of gross... sometimes i've looked orange... also i like nibbling on earlobes and earrings kinda get in the way... especially the dangly ones...

Heh. Yeeeah, I actually had this conversation with my boyfriend yesterday, after he kissed me on the cheek:

"Okay, I'm not kissing you any more. You have makeup on. It is gross."

"It's like a boy-shield."

"Like a condom."

"Yes, like a condom. For my face."

....and then we cracked up and everyone else in the bus shelter edged slowly away. But the point is, he didn't notice I had makeup on until he kissed me!

[AKLulu]

There are positives and negatives to being an engineer.

Positive - I can fix everything.

Negative - I have to fix everything.

Positive - I never have to call people to come fix things for me.

Negative - I never get to call people to come fix things for me.

Positive - I never have to pay people to fix things for me.

Negative - I have to spend the time and effort (and money on supplies), sometimes (usually) doing things that really suck to make the fix.

I hear ya! Of course... I don't have the experience to do much of anything for myself, but growing up in rural Alaska, my dad and brothers took care of everything through self-teaching. My dad is reluctant to even call his brothers for help when something goes wrong at the house. And that puts me at a slight disadvantage now because I don't know how or who to call if I need things done

[Rmas]

Wow, to all of these storie. Arghs just keep happening! Hey waldo when are you B.C next I could use some help! : P

My argh story of the day.

Wake up at 6am (after falling a sleep at 2 am), work for 7 hours get home start to nap, to get ready for my workout. 30 mins in to my nap, a co-worker for my other job calls.

"Hey Riley, i know its really close to my shift but can you work it for me?"(co worker)

"why"(me)

"hey you sound really tired did i just wake you up?"

"yes"

"ok well I have the stomach flu and can't really work"

this was an hour an bit before the shift.

YOU HAVE THE FLU FOR THE WHOLE DAY NOT JUST THE AFTERNOON! the only reason why i took it was because she pleading for my manager to pull a double for her. I wasn't going to make my manager pull a double that is just not nice.

Because of this I'm missing my work-out, and games night, sigh i know first world promblems right : P.

[AKLulu]

Because of this I'm missing my work-out, and games night, sigh i know first world promblems right : P.

First world problems, huh? My only argh right now is that I'm truly and legitimately out of wine *weep*

Oh, and that I want to participate in the "Race Steve to Quito," but.... I don't run... much. And I also don't know the distance to anything around here. Lame excuses, I know.

[bigm141414]

First world problems, huh? My only argh right now is that I'm truly and legitimately out of wine *weep*

Oh, and that I want to participate in the "Race Steve to Quito," but.... I don't run... much. And I also don't know the distance to anything around here. Lame excuses, I know.

www.mapmyrun.com

Can't help ya on the wine though. I'm out too. But I do have scotch.

[AKLulu]

www.mapmyrun.com

Can't help ya on the wine though. I'm out too. But I do have scotch.

Mmm.... scotch. *drool* Where have you been all my life?

[bigm141414]

Right here

[AKLulu]

Haha, Bigm. Oh, thanks for the mapmyrun link too This will definitely be useful.

[LRB]

I always imagined that you drove a mercedes with a push-button starter... weird how you attribute random stuff to people... hahaha...

Ha! It's a 2000 VW Jetta, stick shift. Our 'nice' (and also still 'new') car is the Honda Odyssey, which we've had since August of 2007. And it's not that my nail is long, it's that the SIDE of it caught on the key and pulled away from the cuticle. This is going to be a bitch when it grows out.

Editing to add: as for makeup, I don't usually wear any. Chapstick in the winter, if my lips need it. Otherwise, I rinse in the shower in the morning, put some cheap Oil of Olay moisturizer/sunscreen on my face, and call it done. Just ask Spezzy - she's seen me twice now in the middle of a workday. I do, however, wear jewelry -- my engagement ring, my wedding band, and a watch. Every couple of years I get it into my head that I'm going to be a "real girl," and I buy makeup and wear it for a week or two, and start wearing jewelry also. But it never lasts. And this is why I'm still working my way through the very same tube of lipstick that I bought to wear at my wedding - in 1995. I know I should be more conscious of my appearance, and I know it would look more professional, but mostly I just can't be bothered.

Second edit: the picture of me to the left here is me dressed as Lisbeth Salandar (a/k/a The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) for Halloween in 2010. I'm wearing a fuckload of makeup, nail polish, hair color, the works.

[wildross]

After about five straight years of this, I've just decided that he thinks that he's a car, and has to get the fuel/air mixture just right.

Have you had his sinus/septum checked? (ie is his nose big enough??..or airway, I meant airway).

[wildross]

Last night my wife noticed that the A/C wasn't working. The fan was running and the house was only a couple degrees above A/C temp so it took a while to notice.

....

I probably should have turned things off, but control wire is 12V DC and not a big deal. Touching the wires together made the A/C switch crack to life for a second, score. Then I figured it was a good idea to turn it off so flipped the disconnect. I tried twisting the wires together but one end was so weak it snapped again. Had to peel back some insulation and try again, this time I just hooked the wires and left them touching with no twisting. Flipped the disconnect back on and everything was now dead.

Went to check the thermostat, and it indicated it was running on battery power. Uh oh. Could mean that the A/C cracking to life, or a short caused by a little bumbling on my part as I put the temporary fix in, sent a surge back on the wires and fried the control board. Consider me concerned at this point, I had to replace the control board a few years ago and it was crazy expensive.

So I had to go down in the crawl space (we're talking 12:30 am at this point) and take a look at it. It had a fuse on the control board, pulled it, sure enough, burned out. But I had no spare fuses so I had to go run to a gas station to grab some. I couldn't find the right size, but at least one that would work temporarily until I can get to a hardware store.

A little before 1:00 am I put it in, closed everything up, and it came to life. Went over to the A/C unit and it was on too. Woo. We had A/C.

...

So on my recent trip to Brazil, we decide to replace the 2 pair wire from the computer room to the door intercom with CAT6 cable so we can put an IP phone in. No problem. That lead to a splice in the wire. No problem, probably a 12V DC transformer somewhere in the wall. Pull wires apart, touch to conduit...big spark... Hmm, no they took the 18 Guage phone wire and connected it to the back of the closest outlet. Oh, in Brazil its 230V....

[AKLulu]

First world problems, huh? My only argh right now is that I'm truly and legitimately out of wine *weep*

Oh, and that I want to participate in the "Race Steve to Quito," but.... I don't run... much. And I also don't know the distance to anything around here. Lame excuses, I know.

Problem solved I didn't know the walk to the store was so short! I picked up wine, almond butter, kimchi, baba ghanouj, bananas and a new Yogi tea to try. Happy! Oops... maybe I should have put this in the woot room...