Small Talk: "I'll Take Non-Show Chat For $400, Alex."

[shapeshifter]

13 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

...it was 7°F in Metro Atlanta.  I am proud to announce my pipes did not freeze, although pipes in the complex's laundry room did. They're in the ceiling, with no unit above, so the entire ceiling has collapsed and the room is flooded.... 

Reading this reminds me once again that the first deep freeze of every winter I invariably forget to let the water trickle from the faucet furthest from the water intake to the building/house/unit.  
This winter was no exception.
However, asking my Smarter Than The Average Bear poster-friends on the Jeopardy! board*:

Since...

• the president of the condo board told me when I moved in last year that some owner left his toilet running non-stop for 3 months which ran up the condo's water bill by $1,000s, which the owner had to pay, and since...
• all 3 units in our building are occupied, and since...
• the power has not gone out here during the 2+ days of Winter Weather Warnings that power could go out due to damaging winds, and since...
• my weather person tweeted this, am I out of the woods with regards to pipes freezing and don't have to worry, that is, don't have to trickle water from the farthest faucet?

*Not asking neighbors because the custom is that we only talk when accidentally seeing each other outside our condo apartments.

ETA: Sent an email to the board president asking about this, but he is habitually slow to reply.

Edited December 25, 2022 by shapeshifter

[possibilities]

Shapeshifter: Sad to say, I think it's impossible to know for sure if you need to worry, without experience with your particular building.

 

Prevailing Wind, my sympathies! That is a harrowing story!!! A collapsed ceiling is awful by any measure.

 

[shapeshifter]

39 minutes ago, possibilities said:

Shapeshifter: Sad to say, I think it's impossible to know for sure if you need to worry, without experience with your particular building.

Thanks for responding.

The condo board prez just told me via email "No action on your part is needed," so that should at least cover me legally. 
The condo that would most likely get water damage already got flooded this past summer due to sewer line build up (which got taken care of), and that condo's owner was thrilled to get new flooring out of his insurance, so I guess I won't worry. 

[30 Helens]

On 12/25/2022 at 11:47 AM, shapeshifter said:

Thanks for responding.

The condo board prez just told me via email "No action on your part is needed," so that should at least cover me legally. 
The condo that would most likely get water damage already got flooded this past summer due to sewer line build up (which got taken care of), and that condo's owner was thrilled to get new flooring out of his insurance, so I guess I won't worry. 

Probably too late to be of help now, but food for thought in case of a future event:

I live in Texas, in a house built on a pier-and-beam foundation. I drip faucets any time the temps go into the 20s, because while my pipes are wrapped, they are still vulnerable. Your condo may have better insulation.

But if you think there’s cause for concern, my actions would be based on who pays for potential damage. If it’s the condo board, then I would say you did the right thing. You got them to advise you in writing, so anything that happens is on them.

But if you (or your personal insurance) foots the bill, then I would go ahead and drip the faucets. You might get new floors, but you would be out the deductible and the cost of any raised premiums. Also make sure your policy even covers water damage— on many policies, including mine, that’s a rider. 

Just my .02. Hope you’re much warmer now!

[Browncoat]

And sometimes, even if you turn on the faucets, your pipes can break!  One of mine in my crawl space broke (I'm not entirely sure what is causing the leak -- it might just be a problem with a place in the PVC piping where two pieces are joined together) despite my running the water!  <sigh>  It's always something...

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, 30 Helens said:

But if you think there’s cause for concern, my actions would be based on who pays for potential damage. If it’s the condo board, then I would say you did the right thing. You got them to advise you in writing, so anything that happens is on them.

But if you (or your personal insurance) foots the bill, then I would go ahead and drip the faucets. You might get new floors, but you would be out the deductible and the cost of any raised premiums. Also make sure your policy even covers water damage— on many policies, including mine, that’s a rider. 

Thanks for this, @30 Helens! As usual, you explained the information clearly and concisely. 
Sometimes I go back and read a post of mine that got no reaction and realize my sleep-typing was really not so smart as I imagined.🙃😉

Since I really would like to replace the horrible old carpeting, if the recent record lows temperatures are just a warm up (heh) for the rest of the winter, it might be cheaper to not run the water, especially since I have the email from the board president, and since I plan to move out as soon as I can find something more suitable——although that could be another year from now.

[possibilities]

I just noticed there's no edit button anymore. I need to proofread more times before posting, because I notice mistakes when it's too late, even though I do proofread at least once or twice before clicking the dreaded button to make it all visible to the world.

[dgpolo]

2 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I just noticed there's no edit button anymore.

If it is -your- post, edit is under the three dots in the top right hand corner, if it is not your post you only get -share.

[possibilities]

Aha! I didn't think to click the three dots. Why are they hiding everything? 

[shapeshifter]

11 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I just noticed there's no edit button anymore.

8 minutes ago, dgpolo said:

If it is -your- post, edit is under the three dots in the top right hand corner, if it is not your post you only get -share.

Just now, possibilities said:

Aha! I didn't think to click the three dots. Why are they hiding everything? 

The 3 dots (aka the "kebab" icon) was always the location of the Edit button for one of the "themes," possibly the Default Theme, I don't recall. 
But the upper right of any web page is the last place left-to-right language users look. I couldn't find it either. 
And hiding it under three dots is not particularly helpful either. 
I'll try posting about this on the Site Update thread.

[Prevailing Wind]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

And hiding it under three dots is not particularly helpful either.

 

They could easily hide the "report this post" icon there & put edit back where it belongs. I think we all use edit more than we report posts.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I think we all use edit more than we report posts.

This is my objection to making Edit a two-click process rather than one; I'm sure most people don't need to edit as great a percentage of their posts as I do, but it must be a feature used frequently enough it should be one click to access, like quoting.

I mentioned this in the thread for feedback about the site update when the changes were first implemented.  No response yet.

[Jaded]

4 hours ago, Bastet said:

This is my objection to making Edit a two-click process rather than one; I'm sure most people don't need to edit as great a percentage of their posts as I do, but it must be a feature used frequently enough it should be one click to access, like quoting.

I mentioned this in the thread for feedback about the site update when the changes were first implemented.  No response yet.

I mentioned there that when using the dark theme the columns the shows are listed in where we can add/remove what's on our personal list turn completely white when hovered over. So to edit our lists the light theme has to be used. The print, how close together the names are and the little spot next to each show to click on to add/remove makes it clunky too. I also added that I knew it was a theme issue. I was hoping for at least an acknowledgement that they know it's happening since they approved my post about it.

[possibilities]

Everything I do on the site takes twice as many clicks as it used to. 

[zoey1996]

Happy New Year!

[Trey]

22 hours ago, zoey1996 said:

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to you too, and everyone else on the board!

[Prevailing Wind]

Can anyone explain to me the purpose of "conversation starters" at the top of the page?

[annzeepark914]

Happy New Year!! 🎉 And a big thank you to the Primetimer posters who directed me to the J6 game. I **love** it ☺️.

[SomeTameGazelle]

18 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

Can anyone explain to me the purpose of "conversation starters" at the top of the page?

They appear to be various posts from across the site. If it's like another forum I have seen that uses the same base, they're just recent new posts. 

[Mindthinkr]

I’m laughing because right now because I’m having a much easier time dealing with bureaucracy than I am dealing with my whole family.  

[Prevailing Wind]

I'm so happy. I resigned from the condo board today. I won't miss J! on the second Tuesday of every month anymore!! 

[SoMuchTV]

Is anyone watching the new (revived?) game show Lingo?  I don’t see a thread for it but I’m not quite invested enough to start one myself. If anyone starts a thread, I’ll follow it.

I was a little annoyed at the first round.

Don’t read if you want to check out the episode unspoiled:

Spoiler

The two women seemed very quick and like they regularly solve wordl in record time, while the guys kept making really bad guesses but got lucky and won the round. Karma got them in the end though, I guess. 

 

[Quickbeam]

I have a question. Our Direct TV is going up to 250$ a month and the only thing we watch on broadcast TV is Jeopardy. We’re getting rid of it but was curious how others watch Jeopardy without a cable service. Thx! 

[dgpolo]

3 minutes ago, Quickbeam said:

I have a question. Our Direct TV is going up to 250$ a month and the only thing we watch on broadcast TV is Jeopardy. We’re getting rid of it but was curious how others watch Jeopardy without a cable service. Thx! 

I live with my daughter who uses YouTubeTv, the local channels are included so I watch Jeopardy on the local ABC station.

[SoMuchTV]

16 minutes ago, Quickbeam said:

I have a question. Our Direct TV is going up to 250$ a month and the only thing we watch on broadcast TV is Jeopardy. We’re getting rid of it but was curious how others watch Jeopardy without a cable service. Thx! 

Yikes! $250 is nothing to sneeze at!  Where I live, we have a local station that we can pick up with an antenna. Also, we recently dropped cable and went with YouTube tv (65/month after the promotional discounts end. They offer a free trial period if you want to check it out.) Worst case, you can often find the latest episode on YouTube. 

Not sure if that price also included your internet so that might alter the equation. 

[30 Helens]

On 1/12/2023 at 5:52 PM, SoMuchTV said:

Is anyone watching the new (revived?) game show Lingo?  I don’t see a thread for it but I’m not quite invested enough to start one myself. If anyone starts a thread, I’ll follow it.

I watched tonight. (For anyone who hasn’t seen it, it’s Wordle with a little tossup Wheel of Fortune thrown in on the bonus rounds.)  I’m really, really good at Wordle so I was expecting to do better than I did— putting a timer on it really changes things! I actually did better on the WoF parts. But aside from wishing Ru would knock it off with all the fake laughter, I enjoyed it well enough and will probably watch again.

5 hours ago, Quickbeam said:

I have a question. Our Direct TV is going up to 250$ a month and the only thing we watch on broadcast TV is Jeopardy. We’re getting rid of it but was curious how others watch Jeopardy without a cable service. Thx! 

I still have DirecTV, but I consider getting rid of it every year, so I have researched the alternatives:
-All the cable-replacement streaming services such as YouTube TV, Hulu+ Live, Sling, Fubo, etc. offer local channels. But they don’t always offer all the locals, so make sure your Jeopardy channel is included. 
-Antenna. If you can’t watch live, you can also buy a personal DVR to hook up to it.
-Bare bones satellite or cable package. This is what I do. I stream most of the shows I watch, but I still wanted the convenience of some satellite channels, especially the locals, so I downgraded to a very basic package. I even talked them into a discounted price that I continue to negotiate every year.

Also, if you’ve never tried to negotiate the price you pay for your current DirecTV package—assuming you still want it— you might want to give that a try. There are lots of discounts available, you just have to ask for them. How much of a discount can vary, but it can be up to $50-60 a month, depending on who you talk to, what package you have and how long you’ve been a customer. Be sure to ask if the offer obligates you to remain a customer for a set amount of time — most don’t, but some do. The number to the Loyalty Department (where the best deals are) is 866-595-2871. Don’t call the regular customer service line; they won’t help you.

[Clanstarling]

16 hours ago, Quickbeam said:

I have a question. Our Direct TV is going up to 250$ a month and the only thing we watch on broadcast TV is Jeopardy. We’re getting rid of it but was curious how others watch Jeopardy without a cable service. Thx! 

We cut the cord/satellite years ago - but before we did we made sure we could watch Jeopardy.

We manage in two ways - we have a digital antenna that receives local broadcast TV. We record it, but can watch it live if we want.

If weather interferes with reception, then we watch on YouTube. We don't go to a special channel (although what we see is probably on that channel). We just searched for Jeopardy and now it comes up.

[Quickbeam]

Thanks everyone re: cord cutting and Jeopardy. I found that if I upgrade Paramount Plus, I get my local CBS channel streaming which carries Jeopardy. So 5$ is better than 250$. I just had to dig around to make sure I had local access. 

[shapeshifter]

Proof that social media is good for something:

• I asked a librarian if she had a book about Pavlov's dog and Schrödinger's cat? 
  She said it rang a bell, but she wasn't sure if it was there or not.

[zoey1996]

I'm in need of travel advice for Minneapolis/St. Paul. We're adopting a Chin from an organization in Minnesota. Moto is currently in a foster home in Minneapolis. I'm flying up Thursday, arriving around mid-morning. I'll be renting a car, and staying at a hotel in Eagan, not far from the airport. I'll have some free time on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday morning. I already plan to go to Mall of America, probably between landing Thursday and hotel check-in in the afternoon. The foster mom works, so I'll probably have most of Friday on my own. Any recommendations on things to do/see during the day on Friday? I'd be interested in seeing the Mary Tyler Moore statue, but not if I have to drive through a lot of traffic. Maybe a good museum? TIA!

[Bastet]

I recommend you also post in the Vacations thread, which is dedicated to "where to go, what to see, what to eat" recommendations from locals or other visitors about various destinations.

[ebk57]

When these questions come up, I realize I should have taken better notes...  

We unexpectedly enjoyed the Mill City Museum  - https://www.mnhs.org/millcity

We also toured the Guthrie Theatre, because we worked in (and love) theatre - https://www.guthrietheater.org/

I know we enjoyed Surley Brewing, but I can't remember if it was at a now-closed brewpub in town, or if we went to the brewery.  Anyway, the beer is fab.

We also ate at a wonderful Mediterranean restaurant whose name I can't remember and nothing rings a bell when I look at the list of great places to eat, so maybe it closed too?  I know Al's Diner closed, which is too bad because it was fun.  I'm not sure why I'm mentioning places that closed, other than I should have taken better notes. 

We went for baseball (twice - once in the old dome and once in the new place).  You could probably tour the ballpark if you're interested.  It's quite lovely.

The MTM statue is right in the downtown area.  Not sure about traffic, but if you can make it there, it's worth it.  

Have fun! 

[Prevailing Wind]

And Congrats on the new family member!

[possibilities]

Minneapolis used to have a great feminist bookstore, but I have no idea if it's still in existence, as I haven't had contacts in Mpls for 30 years.

[Prevailing Wind]

I use roadsideamerica.com for my trip planning. LOL

 

[ABay]

I was going to suggest that, too!

[zoey1996]

On 1/29/2023 at 3:20 PM, ebk57 said:

When these questions come up, I realize I should have taken better notes...  

We unexpectedly enjoyed the Mill City Museum  - https://www.mnhs.org/millcity

My grandpa owned a grain elevator and mill in my hometown, so the Mill City Museum sounds so interesting! My very first job was selling pop (soda) to the wheat truck drivers when I was about nine years old. My mom was his bookkeeper, so I spent a fair amount of time there. 
Thanks for the recommendation!

[Bastet]

On 1/29/2023 at 4:55 PM, possibilities said:

Minneapolis used to have a great feminist bookstore, but I have no idea if it's still in existence, as I haven't had contacts in Mpls for 30 years.

Assuming you mean Amazon, that's been gone for about ten years.  (I remember reading about its closing, so looked it up.)

[Prevailing Wind]

Looks like The Daily Show is using the Jeopardy! scheme for selecting a new permanent host...

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/kal-penn-biden-interview-daily-show-host_n_640fb048e4b00c3e606fa7d2

Please, PLEASE, take Bialik!

[SoMuchTV]

13 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I was born in 1965, and I can't tell the difference. 

Don't get me started on Don and Dawn, thought-- those aren't even close as far as I'm concerned.

In an alternate lifetime, I’d love to be in a position to explore this. Why is it that I can so clearly hear the difference between wine/whine and pin/pen, but no difference between Dawn/don or merry/ marry/marry or Aaron/Erin? Is it just what we hear growing up? But that doesn’t explain the wine/whine thing because I’m sure my kids have heard both of those from me! 

[Cotypubby]

14 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

In an alternate lifetime, I’d love to be in a position to explore this. Why is it that I can so clearly hear the difference between wine/whine and pin/pen, but no difference between Dawn/don or merry/ marry/marry or Aaron/Erin? Is it just what we hear growing up? But that doesn’t explain the wine/whine thing because I’m sure my kids have heard both of those from me! 

It sounds like you have one of the accents with the Mary/merry/marry vowel merger so you use the same vowel for all. I am from New York where they all have three distinct vowels that would never be said the same.

It also sounds like you have an accent where you say “hw” for “wh-“ words, like Stewie Griffin in Family Guy.

[SoMuchTV]

2 minutes ago, Cotypubby said:

It sounds like you have one of the accents with the Mary/merry/marry vowel merger so you use the same vowel for all. I am from New York where they all have three distinct vowels that would never be said the same.

It also sounds like you have an accent where you say “hw” for “wh-“ words, like Stewie Griffin in Family Guy.

Yep 

[Cotypubby]

Jeopardy contestants use Who/What/Where/When for every answer. I’ve never noticed any of them pronouncing them Hw. None of the three today did. Neither does Ken.

[SoMuchTV]

31 minutes ago, Cotypubby said:

Jeopardy contestants use Who/What/Where/When for every answer. I’ve never noticed any of them pronouncing them Hw. None of the three today did. Neither does Ken.

I definitely think I’m hearing what and when vs wut and wen, but maybe that’s just what I’m expecting to hear. And can we at least agree that who is an outlier here and nobody is saying it should be “whoo”?

Anyway, maybe can we agree that Jeopardy! shouldn’t rely on regional or generational differences in pronunciation (looking at you, Berry vs Barry) that make a difference in scoring?

[possibilities]

1 hour ago, SoMuchTV said:

Why is it that I can so clearly hear the difference between wine/whine and pin/pen, but no difference between Dawn/don or merry/ marry/marry or Aaron/Erin?

The only one of your examples that sound the same to me is wine/whine.

It's interesting that your kids don't share your ear. Do you think it's because of their other parent? Did you all live the same place all your lives, or has there been a move somewhere along the line for one or more of you?

[30 Helens]

1 hour ago, Cotypubby said:

It sounds like you have one of the accents with the Mary/merry/marry vowel merger so you use the same vowel for all. I am from New York where they all have three distinct vowels that would never be said the same.

Interesting, because I am also from New York and I pronounce all of the ma/erries identically.

Here’s an article I found that explores a variety of national linguistic differences: https://www.businessinsider.com/22-maps-that-show-the-deepest-linguistic-conflicts-in-america-2013-6

Marry/Mary/Merry is represented; sadly Don/Dawn is not— although I’m guessing it tracks alongside “crayon”. It just goes to show how much depends on where you grew up— or, possibly, where your favorite English teacher grew up.

I, apparently, grew up just east of the “pop” line. And although I’ve now lived most of my life in Texas, I’ve never been able to say “y’all” unironically.

[Cotypubby]

1 hour ago, 30 Helens said:

Interesting, because I am also from New York and I pronounce all of the ma/erries identically.

By New York I mean NYC. It is solidly “all 3 are different” here.

 

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

In an alternate lifetime, I’d love to be in a position to explore this. Why is it that I can so clearly hear the difference between wine/whine and pin/pen, but no difference between Dawn/don or merry/ marry/marry or Aaron/Erin? Is it just what we hear growing up? But that doesn’t explain the wine/whine thing because I’m sure my kids have heard both of those from me! 

I can hear the difference, but Frasier and Niles Crane are the only “people” I can think of who pronounce the Hw.

[Prevailing Wind]

40 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

I can hear the difference, but Frasier and Niles Crane are the only “people” I can think of who pronounce the Hw.

In 1964-65, my tenth grade biology teacher did.

[shapeshifter]

4 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

In 1964-65, my tenth grade biology teacher did.

Now that you mention it, I’m pretty sure some of my teachers from the same approximate levels and years did too. 
And Mom probably vocalized an occasional Hw for effect.