General Rants

[sissy]

Hate to agree but have to with that Haro .That and potholes .I moved down here in 2004 and they were rerouting people in Chatham VA to build a new bridge well it finally got done last year and it was a 2 lane bridge that replace the old 1 1/2 lane bridge ,think if the built it to be 4 lanes They are slow as mud flows here doing things .They tore up Riverside drive in Danville 3 months ago and are still blacktopping it to this day .I sad they were slowwww .Funny thing is I saw 3 men working on it yesterday when I went to the bank and saw 3 men working and coated 8 men either leaning on shovels or just standing around .The guy with the stop and slow sign forgot to turn it around and had slow for me and the guy at the other side had slow ( I could see stop from my side on his sign ) ,well that does not work when it is only one lane and you are going 2 different directions .I waited and the guy started yelling at me and I had to yell out the window at him .

 

[mgmine]

My new favourite rant....road construction. The last section of Hwy. 407 is being pushed through our area, from about 10 miles west of us to its final destination some 10 miles east of us (I'm guessing at distances). It crosses the main north/south road just two miles south of us. Half of the n/s roads in this area are closed at any time, and a number of east/west roads are closed semi-permanently. Some days we have to go 4-5 miles out of our way to get where we want to go! To make matters worse, all the traffic from the now-opened part of the 407 is now forced to take back roads which were never meant to carry that kind of traffic, SO.... wait for it.... the local municipality is widening roads, further impeding the flow of traffic! Add heavy gravel trucks rumbling through small villages, and you have, well... a REAL P.I.T.A!!!
John

My rant on that road is the cost. Going from the 401 to the 400 without a transponder is about $15.00. Even if you have a transponder it's over $10 dollars.

 

[MitchM]

My rant on that road is the cost. Going from the 401 to the 400 without a transponder is about $15.00. Even if you have a transponder it's over $10 dollars.

What are you talking about? What's a transponder used for?
Is it tied into Facebook?
I need to get out more.

.

 

[mgmine]

What are you talking about? What's a transponder used for?
Is it tied into Facebook?
I need to get out more.

.

The transponder is the electronic thing that you have in the car that sends data on who you are and bills you. Without that they have to look up your license pate number to bill you. Around Toronto there are many many license plates covered in blue. I could be wrong but I'm guessing that the blue somehow hides your plate number. I have never seen so many blue plate covers anywhere else. But then again I have never been on a road that charges so much to use it.

 

[MitchM]

I was last in Ontario the day after the Barrie tornado. 1985.
No doubt a lot has changed. I hear Ontario has nice (read..expensive) wind powered electricity generators...
What a mess that is. Goodbye Premiere Wynne.

.

 

[sissy]

Turnpike fees went up in NJ

 

[peter hillman]

Having a little mechanical knowledge sucks when relatives ask for car repairs. Sure, I know MY car, I'd have to learn YOUR car. Another check engine light here we come.

 

[sissy]

built them and can repair only some of it .I let my friend Alex fix it .Cheaper than a headache

 

[mgmine]

I was last in Ontario the day after the Barrie tornado. 1985.
No doubt a lot has changed. I hear Ontario has nice (read..expensive) wind powered electricity generators...
What a mess that is. Goodbye Premiere Wynne.

.

Ontario is big on solar too but again very expensive electricity.

 

[mgmine]

Having a little mechanical knowledge sucks when relatives ask for car repairs. Sure, I know MY car, I'd have to learn YOUR car. Another check engine light here we come.

I don't even open my hood anymore. I used to love tinkering under the hood and restoring cars. Now I have to take out the manual to find the dip stick. After twenty minutes I called the dealer and was told there isn't one in the car. To change the spark plugs on another car I have to take off the front wheel. Problem is that the car is so low I can't even get a jack under it. One might ask how do you change the tire? You don't it didn't come with a spare only some kind of a pump. Same with the car with no did stick.

 

[sissy]

My house is all electric no other utilities here and bill has been 150 dollars a month or less .I wish they would bring down the cost of solar .They do have companies here that rent solar systems and they get the rebate and they maintain them but you get the extra back from the utility company .I buy only Fords since I get employee discount .So far my 2001 explorers are holding up great and only minor repairs .Rotors and brakes on hubby's and brakes on mine and oil changes .New tires also .I can't complain .I did put in new air filters and a new fuel line on mine and new batteries but they were easy to do .

 

[MitchM]

I visited a home close to here that was completely off grid. They had R90 insulation in the ceilings and R45 in the walls.
It looked impressive until I saw their battery room. There was a lot of heat generated from the charging electronics and the batteries had to be topped up frequently with distilled water.
It seemed to be a fire hazard, not a setup where you could leave the house for an extended period of time.

 

[mgmine]

The cost of solar is down the problem is that solar on a small scale is not practical. As Mitch points out the batteries are huge and very expensive. In addition you need a lot of room for enough panels to power you home. If you live in a cabin and have minimal needs then maybe you can get by. If you live in a house in the city then solar or wind will not work for you. We need the grid. At some point in time the grid will disappear just like the telegraph did. Let the Green party live on solar for a few weeks in the winter and see how long they oppose fossil fuels.

 

[sissy]

I have seen 3 houses here also and those batteries scare me and they are not cheap either .I wondered also about the smell from the batteries .The room had funny smell to it and wondered if it could be toxic .I know it gave me a headache and the odor stayed with me ,similar to when you use to much bleach and the odor stays around a long time .My attic has 6 feet of blown in insulation but the downside is you have to go up there with a rake to fluff it up.I have seen solar here and wind .I just had the house built to be more energy efficient as I could .Heat pump uses the most energy in my house .I look all the time at my network I set up with my utility company and can see what each is using .At least that gives me an idea if something is not working right

 

[texmaster]

The wife has a white fake poinsettia with Christmas lights and none of them work. I am not looking forward to this.