Maybe Dibs was born on the date line - 6th description suits him better.

Posted by: Arkady at November 6, 2009 4:09 PM in response to Open Thread

Denton - If he keeps sneezing, yes, take him to the vet - he may have an upper respiratory problem similar to the one Hari has had.

Posted by: Arkady at November 6, 2009 3:48 PM in response to Open Thread

Some machines leave an inch of water on purpose - look at your Use & Care book. But I'd check for obvious clogs too - again, look in the book to see maintenance & cleaning.

Posted by: Arkady at November 6, 2009 2:22 PM in response to Clogged (New) Dishwasher?

I sometimes find Bing to be better than Google - obviously, the only time I go thre is when I'm not happy w/ what Google's turning up.

Posted by: Arkady at November 6, 2009 2:20 PM in response to Open Thread

Dogs are excited that you're at home on a Friday - take them out (& stop the meds.)

Posted by: Arkady at November 6, 2009 11:57 AM in response to Open Thread

Wow! I'm torn between being green w/ envy & thanking my stars it's yours, not mine. What a job! But how terrific! Good luck - can't wait to see how it goes. Will you be working as your own GC w/ subs?
(And don't you want to throw out that chandelier w/ the glass globules? I'll take it down for you & haul it away if you do...)

Posted by: Arkady at November 6, 2009 11:10 AM in response to Welcome to The Albemarle Reno Blog

Cricket is actually just a modern-day version of an old Druidic rite celebrating the few days of sunshine on the sceptered isle.

Posted by: Arkady at November 6, 2009 10:10 AM in response to Open Thread

That map is fascinating - thanks!

Posted by: Arkady at November 6, 2009 10:07 AM in response to Open Thread

Aside from the whip remarks, I think you'd do better to get them at their own game. I'm fighting age & gender & it's worked for me. When I phone my plumber now he tells me I don't need him, I can do it myself. Similarly w/ electricians. Even some really macho masons "saw the light" when they'd run out of sand & I hauled out a 70lb bag I had on hand. Snappy's right - get them to rise to your level otherwise you're cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Posted by: Arkady at November 6, 2009 9:54 AM in response to Contractors & Chauvinism

I share an '84 VW van w/ a neighbor - she pays for it but I move it for alt side & take it for inspection, etc. We do many errands together - CostCo, Terminal Mkt, etc. It's a real beater so we don't trust it to go very far & she rents when she's taking kids to camp or something - we tried Zip but the bigger places make more sense financially.

Posted by: Arkady at November 5, 2009 6:43 PM in response to Subway Service on Weekends Is F@#%ed

Or you might just get a finish carpenter to make them for you.

Posted by: Arkady at November 5, 2009 5:57 PM in response to Drawer Rails

I have ever hated all nations, professions, and communities, and all my love is toward individuals. -Jonathan Swift, satirist (1667-1745)

Posted by: Arkady at November 5, 2009 3:47 PM in response to Open Thread

I'm just back from the d-word & am exhausted. Asked too many questions & now know too much about forthcoming procedure so I can be even more apprehensive. Going out to get consolation choc - to eat while I can.

Posted by: Arkady at November 5, 2009 3:45 PM in response to Open Thread

DH - That's why I do Craig's List & interview the people myself: I want not just good credit, etc., but, since it's a small building, tenants who will fit in w/ the general feel of the place.

Posted by: Arkady at November 5, 2009 3:33 PM in response to Open Thread

Has anyone seen the excerpts from Palin's book? McCain's group were eveidently basket-cases about her selection. McCain, himself, made sure the mic was dead so she couldn't partake in election night speeches.

Posted by: Arkady at November 5, 2009 3:28 PM in response to Open Thread

But, Benson, either way we should be less dependent on limited natural resources such as petroleum. There's a finite supply that *will* run out - aside from the reliance on political detente w/ major suppliers.

Posted by: Arkady at November 5, 2009 3:20 PM in response to Open Thread

I rent to gay couples but one person signs the lease & assumes responsibility. There's no bias invovled - simple business transaction.

Posted by: Arkady at November 5, 2009 3:16 PM in response to Open Thread

There was a survey this past week in UK showing that creationism is waxing there too. Reallly horrifying.

Posted by: Arkady at November 5, 2009 3:13 PM in response to Open Thread

Regardless of whether or not it's strictly needed, I would keep a diary of all your interactions as suggested above. It makes your case more transparent if you do have to take a legal route. I'd also itemize what you've already experienced - such as her having painted w/o permission. It sounds odd that after a seemingly happy tenancy she's suddenly carping - it may be she thinks you'll reduce her rent on the next lease.

Posted by: Arkady at November 5, 2009 2:52 PM in response to Help with Demanding Tenant?

I don't allow shares - one person must be responsible for the contract. It's legal.

Posted by: Arkady at November 5, 2009 2:45 PM in response to Open Thread

You walk an average of a mile every 15 minutes - 4 mph - & that's an easy strolling gait.

Posted by: Arkady at November 5, 2009 10:38 AM in response to Subway Service on Weekends Is F@#%ed

Hey, 6! How's it going?

Posted by: Arkady at November 5, 2009 10:26 AM in response to Open Thread

What's a birthing party? Surely a group can't time the event?!

Posted by: Arkady at November 5, 2009 9:48 AM in response to Open Thread

Aren't decals installed on the inside of windows?

Posted by: Arkady at November 5, 2009 9:39 AM in response to Open Thread

So many variables such as how hot you keep your place, how well insulated the house is, etc. It sounds as if you have an actual place in mind so why not ask the seller what average utilites are - summer & winter if they're not on a budget plan. Same w/ insurance costs. Taxes you already know. How old is the roof? Beyond those categories things are discretionary: renovations, upgrades to appliances, window replacements, etc. Setting aside money for emergencies may depend on how handy you are - many things can be done without needing to hire an expert.

Posted by: Arkady at November 4, 2009 6:26 PM in response to Cost of Owning a Brownstone

You can win - just keep at it. You might want to hire an exterminator - if there're a whole lot of them they can get into drawers & eat clothes & linens.

Posted by: Arkady at November 4, 2009 6:19 PM in response to Mouse Infestation - Help!

I'd always heard that Aladdin were a good company. I wonder if you could bring some pressure to bear on them by telling them you're posting the transaction on 'Stoner & they're going to lose a lot of credibility. They've been given positive recommendations on here & are most likely aware of that.

Posted by: Arkady at November 4, 2009 4:11 PM in response to Cost of Plumbing for Washer?

Thoroseal makes a sealant that is invisible - you'd never know it was there.

Posted by: Arkady at November 4, 2009 3:50 PM in response to Sealing Brick Fireplace

mopar - You've been royally had!

Posted by: Arkady at November 4, 2009 3:49 PM in response to Cost of Plumbing for Washer?

My fave food coloring tidbit is a dye they use on kippers in England. People no longer like the really strong taste of kippers that have been smoked for a long time so they developed a dye that makes them look as if they've been aged. It's called BFK which stands for Brown For Kippers.

Posted by: Arkady at November 4, 2009 3:47 PM in response to Open Thread

CarGar - Very Droll - vd - clap.

Posted by: Arkady at November 4, 2009 2:54 PM in response to Open Thread

Vinca - That's terrific! Thanks again.

Posted by: Arkady at November 4, 2009 2:22 PM in response to Leafing

I thought someone's suggestion yesterday that Stevieb might be What was a likely one.

Posted by: Arkady at November 4, 2009 2:12 PM in response to Open Thread

It looked to me as if the site hadn't been updated from last year so I was still hoping.

Posted by: Arkady at November 4, 2009 1:40 PM in response to Leafing

Minard knows a lot.

Posted by: Arkady at November 4, 2009 1:03 PM in response to Open Thread

Yes, we have more subcutaneous fat but it doesn't matter - men usually are warmer (in a corporeal sense) than women.

Posted by: Arkady at November 4, 2009 11:44 AM in response to Open Thread

My tenants control their own heat. Why don't you post on the Forum & Vinca will have a link to the code?

Posted by: Arkady at November 4, 2009 10:18 AM in response to Open Thread

MM - I'd go on a Fine Woodworking Forum to research the table saw - there're some real duds. FW might also have offerings of people selling them.

Posted by: Arkady at November 4, 2009 10:15 AM in response to DIY Beginner Project?

I'm really disappointed in Virginia's return. Don't think the Corzine loss was linked to overall Dem issues. But neat about upstate NY!

Posted by: Arkady at November 4, 2009 9:58 AM in response to Open Thread

Sent it, Biffy.

Posted by: Arkady at November 4, 2009 9:51 AM in response to Open Thread

For Siegfried Sassoon fans:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/nov/04/siegfried-sassoon-archive-award-cambridge

Posted by: Arkady at November 4, 2009 9:47 AM in response to Open Thread

CarGar - Your headache might've come from sinuses - first really chilly night & heat might've dried out the air. See on the Forum - similar question called Furnace Problem or something.

Posted by: Arkady at November 4, 2009 9:44 AM in response to Open Thread

Biffers - I had springtails this summer & have a really good picture of them that I took so a biologist friend could identify what I had. Give me your email & I'll send it. They leap about - hence the name. If yours are flying, they're something else.

Posted by: Arkady at November 4, 2009 9:42 AM in response to Open Thread

Further down the Forum someone's selling a mitre saw from yesterday.

Posted by: Arkady at November 4, 2009 9:37 AM in response to DIY Beginner Project?

You might need a humidifier - a niece of mine had the same problem & a humidifier seems to've fixed it.

Posted by: Arkady at November 4, 2009 9:31 AM in response to Furnace Malfunction?

I always keep cheese cloth - good for making little packets of herbs so you don't have to pick them out.
I think even coffee filter will work.

Posted by: Arkady at November 3, 2009 4:18 PM in response to Open Thread

Trendy bar/restaurant.

Posted by: Arkady at November 3, 2009 4:15 PM in response to Closing Bell: Gentrification Indicators

Also get in touch with your community board - probably CB-6.

Posted by: Arkady at November 3, 2009 4:14 PM in response to Illegal Dumping, Drugs, Rats

The reasons for the Iraq war were Bush's desire to be macho & one-up his father & Cheney's bloodlust & desire to give a ton of money to Halliburton. It got us nothing except a lot of hate & a massive deficit. It got the Iraq citizenry more unsettled & schismatic & poverty-stricken.

Posted by: Arkady at November 3, 2009 4:04 PM in response to Open Thread

Strain your broth through cheesecloth & then you can reduce it as much as you want - I get mine so concentrated it just fills an ice cube tray (down from a gallon) & I can use one ice cube for a sauce. It's the bits of meat, marrow , etc. that make the stock bitter during boiling so once that's strained out you can go full steam ahead.

Posted by: Arkady at November 3, 2009 4:01 PM in response to Open Thread

Has anyone used Univeral Window Co.in Corona, Bay Ridge Windows and Doors, or Capri Aluminum &Window in Ridgewood?
Thanks.

Posted by: HoneyCom at November 6, 2009 7:03 PM in response to Windows - Recs and Prices

"where they called my husband for a decision, who would have to call me; who would call the plumber/electrician, who would then call my husband back instead of me."

Seems like your husband's fault here, lol. Why didn't your husband just tell the contractor you were in charge, and refuse to discuss it?

Ask him that tonight over dinner :-)

LOL -- we talked numerous times about how asinine it was that contractors refused to call me. It was like they were going through contortions NOT to talk to me. My husband and I would both tell them to stop calling him and to call me, yet they couldn't get it through their thick heads. Like a mental block or something that a woman would have decision making capacity.

I used to deal with this nonsense all the time when I worked in IT as a programmer and doing tech support. I worked at a huge academic medical center and the doctors would always questioned my ability when I showed up to fix their computers; my male colleagues never got second guessed like I did. Since they were essentially paying me, I took more BS than I would have liked, but when I'm doing the hiring, I reserve the right not to work with any contractors who have a pathological inability to respect women!

Posted by: brooklynstyle at November 6, 2009 7:14 PM in response to Contractors & Chauvinism

the stupidest part of this is that some of my employees are women. and we still make dumbass sexist jokes..

Posted by: eman1234 at November 6, 2009 8:30 PM in response to Contractors & Chauvinism

eman1234
since when is making a pass at a woman considered a culture?
You't can't imagine how many men bug the crap outta me on a daily basis.
Tis the season to be jolly.........

Posted by: Ysabelle at November 6, 2009 10:20 PM in response to Contractors & Chauvinism

Listen, the reality is that women get hazed in stereotypically male work environments, and shouldn't need tougher skin than men in similar positions but absolutely do.

As a woman who has worked on way more jobsites than offices, I have survived and thrive because I have a very dirty mouth, am not afraid of conflict and am just about impossible to offend. I also go ahead and sympathize with how weird it looks to see a tiny blonde woman lifting a 100-lb bag of cement, actively point out that I am smaller than my co-workers, and generally don't try to act like everything's normal. I am a novelty, and honestly it's easier and more honest to work with it than it is to work against it.

You can't change people, but you can behave as if you will be treated the way you want to be treated, and empathize with the fact that a lot of people in the trades have very little formal education, come from countries that are really sexist, and live in a much more gendered world than you do. This mixture of integrity and empathy is strong. It doesn't work instantly, and is more about developing relationships than negotiating the hardware store, but it works really well.

Posted by: vanburenproud at November 7, 2009 9:33 AM in response to Contractors & Chauvinism

The surprising thing about this thread is it is full of women I had previously assumed were men.

Posted by: mopar at November 7, 2009 10:36 AM in response to Contractors & Chauvinism

Oh! Well, then it's to be darn difficult to find a carpenter who can fix them.

They broke? Snapped in two? Metal?

Posted by: mopar at November 7, 2009 10:39 AM in response to Drawer Rails

My two cents.
Replacing bathroom fixtures is really easy if all goes as planned, but throw in a leaky shut off valve, corroded pipes, or any of the million other things that can go wrong and things get annoying very quickly. If I were a novice, I would make sure I had a friend on standby who knew what he or she was doing and could come over and bail me out if it came to it. Otherwise you may end up shaving (or worse) in the kitchen sink for a few days.
Installing crown molding in my opinion is more difficult to do than flooring, but it's going to be a lot less intrusive on your life style than the flooring.
If you're doing tongue and groove hardwood, you can get by with a circular saw since if you do it correctly, all of your cuts will be hidden by either baseboard or shoe molding so you have a little wiggle room. Rent the nailer, which will put you on a tighter timeline for getting things done, but it's one of those tools that you're not going to use very often. Laminate click and lock flooring is easier and requires very few tools.
I hate installing crown molding. It's a pain in the neck to get it perfect, and it looks terrible if you don't.

Posted by: Bond at November 7, 2009 12:17 PM in response to DIY Beginner Project?

the little balls fall out. so the inner rail is very loose relatively to the outer rail. I need to buy the replacement assembly. Installing is not that difficult. Than you for attention in any case.

Posted by: bobjohn at November 7, 2009 12:28 PM in response to Drawer Rails

"The surprising thing about this thread is it is full of women I had previously assumed were men."

You sexist :-)

Posted by: denton at November 7, 2009 5:30 PM in response to Contractors & Chauvinism