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Paraskavedekatriaphobia — Why Now?
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Paraskavedekatriaphobia

Yes, it’s Friday the 13th again. The 13th falls on a Friday more than any other day of the week, so get over it. It’s only valid in in English and Portuguese speaking countries, so go visit a Spanish-speaking neighborhood for the day.

If you want to blame someone, it’s the calendar of Pope Gregory XIII that created this imbalance. [He obviously didn’t have a problem with the number on any day.]

15 comments

1 hipparchia { 01.13.23 at 7:38 pm }

i tripped over a black cat that was crossing my path today; no major injuries involved, so i guess today was my lucky day after all. 😈

2 Bryan { 01.13.23 at 9:29 pm }

The ones crossing my path aren’t the problem for me, it’s the ones that approach from behind and hit the back of my knee that take me down. 😆

3 Anya { 01.14.23 at 11:23 am }

My favorite form of feline sneak attack (regardless of cat color) is the poorly deployed tail at a blind intersection.

4 Bryan { 01.14.23 at 7:44 pm }

Ah, yes, the feline equivalent of the rope loop covered by leaves that snares the victim.

5 Anya { 01.15.23 at 11:13 am }

Of course, there are always the “cat jokes” that will provoke a loud “YEEK!” such as the Wet Tail Joke (Jessica’s favorite) wherein the cat will sit in a recently used bathtub until her tail is soaked, and the come looking for a tail pet or leg stroke.

Surprise, surprise!

6 Bryan { 01.17.23 at 11:06 am }

It’s even funnier if the night is chilly and they crawl under the covers to your feet. A million laughs 😆

7 Kryten42 { 01.20.23 at 11:23 pm }

Ahhh yes! Well… the Vatican and assorted Popes over the millennia, can be blamed for many idiocies and outright crimes (in many Countries). 🤷🏽‍♂️😈😏

I have found over many Decades of being kitty owned… That when they get really bored, you are in a lot of trouble! The have many creative ways they can amuse themselves at your expense. 😼😹

OT: I was just watching this YT vid by Midas Touch about Dotards latest moronic rant. You probably know about it. But I like this particular explanation, because it does make the case for why it is very likely the leaker was a Dotard/GOP appointed Justice or someone close.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sgDOFzmvkI

I’m waiting for my Louisiana ‘style’ Chicken Portions to roast. They are frozen, and made in New Zealand! But they do taste pretty good.

Speaking of NZ… Seems Jacinda Adern has had enough of Politics. I always said she was one smart Woman! I don’t blame here one bit. But NZ will regret this sooner or later.

And lastly (with apologies)m I just tweeted this about Santos for a laugh! 😹🤔😼
https://twitter.com/Kryten_42/status/1616589929794146305

Apart from all that! I do hope you, Bryan and Anya are both well, happy & safe! Please take care. 👋🏽🖖🏽

8 Bryan { 01.27.23 at 11:00 pm }

I have lost three attempts at responses, Kryten, tenants are driving me nuts. you talk to tenants and tell them they can’t do something because it will overload their electrical system and blow fuses. They continue and not only blow the fuse, they melt the fuse holder. ARRRG. I’m working on installing a subpanel to get around the problem. I tried to hire an electrician, but they started talking about thousands of dollars and the owner won’t go for it.

I have been convinced that Clarence Thomas’s wife, Ginni, did the leaking. She has the attitude, the politics, and the media connections for something like that. To validates their non-investigation the “Supremes” hired former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff without mentioning their financial ties to Mr. Chertoff. Without those ties, Chertoff’s failed handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina should have rendered Chertoff unemployable and living under a bridge, not hanging around with Supreme Court Justices.

I assume the Louisiana style means Cajun spices which make anything taste good.

NZ screwed up. Jacinda Adern was competent and everyone agrees that competency is a rare thing among politicians (Donald Trump, Scott Morrison, George Santos, &c).

I hope your cats didn’t get all of your chicken 😆

9 Kryten42 { 01.30.23 at 12:47 am }

I am truly sad to hear you are having such a bad time with tenants! I would NOT be one of those, I assure you! Because you would never do this: I got an Email Thursday that my rent is increasing AU$20/wk, in spite of all the outstanding repair issues. So I’ve had a very busy few days! It doesn’t sound like much, and under ‘normal’ circumstances, wouldn’t be. But with the cost of everything racing up. it is. Awaiting responses from Consumer Affairs, Vic. And the Vic Tenants Assoc. VTA has all the issues reports from the previous site mangers and Statutory Declarations from various people who have been involved. We’ll see how it goes.

My kitties got their own (Vet. approved) chicken dinner. So, they were happy. And yes, a mild Cajun spiced, but still tasty chicken w/ breadcrumb coating. One of the best I’ve actually tasted outside of Louisiana. but I didn’t have to drink a pint of iced water after!🥵😼 Still pretty pissed about Shrubbery’s handling of Katrina. But totally unsurprised!

Ginni the Leaker would not surprise me. You are most likely correct. You usually are mate! You’ve earned my respect many times over (for whatever that is worth these days, not much I’m afraid). I really hope you are taking care of yourself too my friend. Would be a nice end to outlive all the bastards in both countries and at least go out with a permanent smirk! Or even a smile. 😏😊👍🏽

Well, at least I get my new Notebook some time in the next couple days. It’s at the local AP Distribution Center. IT shipped from Sydney almost 2 weeks ago. So that would be a record for the past couple years! The Lenovo Notebook Division Manager has been very good! It’s a bit of a shock! I even told him that when he phoned this morning to ask if I received it yet after I told him no. He swore! I like him!👍🏽😊

He gave me his eMail address and said that any problems, email him. Real Customer service! From a Manager! I almost needed a respirator!

I said I would be happy to let him know how I go with it and if all is well, give an endorsement. We chatted at length after the order was placed, and I told him what I thought of DELL, Apple and HP (I had been a Manager at Apple and HP and nothing but trouble dealing with Dell & their equipment!) He wanted details, and I had no problem giving him the details I could! He offered me a job! I told him, sadly… That I truly wished I could accept. And explained. Oh well. Life, eh? 🤷🏽‍♂️😖

Take care Bryan. You are a smart man! Don’t do anything stupid!
(Maybe I should take my own advice! I spent a few days in Hospital for minor surgery after a barefoot broken glass incident!) 😉😼

10 Bryan { 02.02.23 at 8:30 pm }

The subpanel is in and they are complaining they can’t abuse the system like they were because the circuit breakers are tripping. Tripping circuit breakers is certainly better than melting fuses. I’m hoping they will leave.

Being barefoot is a problem down here. It isn’t broken glass as most things come in plastic these days. There is no available gravel down here so driveways are filled with crushed oyster shells. I have a large scar on my back from getting too close to dock pilings while watching a shark close to shore. There are also sand spurs, little balls of barbed spikes, that hurt going in and coming out. They are a grass-like plant’s seed pods. Lots of reasons not to go barefoot if you’re not swimming.

Hopefully your package delivery system isn’t as screwed up as the US. The corporations are doing their best to shed employees and make people become “contractors”. Wall Street “analysts” are telling corporate CEOs what their production targets are, and if they miss the target, the corporations need to lay off employees to reduce expenses.

Customer service, what an ancient concept, so last century. 😉

11 Kryten42 { 02.09.23 at 3:13 am }

Sounds like those tenants leaving is a good idea! I’ve had my fill of being surrounded by moronic tenants. 😖🤦🏽‍♂️

Getting around is still a pain in the foot! 🦶🏽😼

I got my new toy last Thursday. Busy setting it up over the weekend & then installing a lot of software I needed or wanted. I have zero complaints! In fact, it has exceeded my expectations. Bit of a shock honestly! I can’t remember the last time anything even met expectations. Mainly because I haven’t had any positive expectations for some years! “Expect the Worst! You can’t be disappointed!” is usually as good as it got. Very nice to finally be “Pleasantly surprised!”

True! usually, Customer Service these days is code for “It’s all your fault! Pay us and we might fix it!” I suspect though, since this is a pre-release Laptop (scheduled for May lunch), I’m a kind of beta tester. 😉 I don’t mind… The discounts alone make it worth it! I’m documenting everything and sent The Boss an email yesterday. He was pleased. 🙂

I hope all is well Bryan & you get to have a sanity break from tenants & Real Life for awhile! 👍🏽😊

12 Bryan { 02.11.23 at 9:51 pm }

I’m happy to hear that your new machine is what you wanted and is generally working as you wish. Yes. my Toshiba laptop arrived with all kinds of bloatware, including recurring ads from the point of purchase. They all apparently do that now.

I had to replace my 9-year-old HP OfficeJet. I have been buying HP printers since the original LaserJet and they have always provided value for the output. I have no argument with the speed or print quality, but the set-up was a major hemorrhoid. If the Internet connection goes down, I can’t use the printer. Given the history of my broadband service, that is not making me a happy camper. Instead of setting this printer up on one computer and adding it to my private network, I had to add an app to every device that would be using it it. Apparently this is a new “feature” of HP wireless printers. The app wants to annoy you with ads saying it would help to “personalize” your experience. I blocked everything except printer performance. I don’t need a company in Idaho wondering why I print vouchers to send money to an inmate in a Georgia prison (I print them for a tenant).

I really shouldn’t complain. I could be an investor in Tesla 😉

13 Kryten42 { 02.17.23 at 1:01 am }

Ever since I worked for HP as an IT Consultant/Contractor/Project Manager then Customer Support Manager (that lasted 4 Months and I quit in absolute disgust & despair), I vowed I would NEVER own an HP product! Same for Apple BTW.

Not just tesla, SpaceX & Starlink are in trouble too. Seriously, everything EM has had anything to do with is in trouble. As it should be.

Been very busy setting up everything for my new toy. I also got a new Docking Station (which is really an extender to make the Laptop a full-blown workstation). It has 2 USB 4.0 ports (which are really 2 Lightning 3 ports, but they don’t have to pay Intel to “certify” them and use the ‘Lightning’ name). I have 2 external Lightning 3 ‘certified’ Drive cases I wanted to use again as they had a LOT of data & s/w on them. I couldn’t use them on the tablet of course. Good to have them back! 🙂

This Laptop has had a surprise for me every day or so. I feel almost like my old Teen or young Adult self when computers were a very new thing! 👍🏽😊

I sent a review & endorsement to my new Lenovo Boss friend (and it WAS honest! There are a couple things they could improve on, but I did not nitpick very minor, ignorable things that pretty much everything made by Man has! Of course, I pointed out the things they did very well & why also. Like, The all Aluminum with NO plastic was bloody awesome! Damn! I missed that! No flexing! No crappy plastic display hinges you KNOW are gonna break after a year… etc!

My oldest external USB3 2TB Hard Drive I got in 2015 is almost EOL. Over 1,100 hrs of ‘actual R/W use with an estimated 100 hrs life left. Which means ‘any day now!’ Took awhile to move almost 2TB of data from it at an avg of 80 Mbps to one of the USB4 SSD’s/ I have a backup of most on the NAS, but decided to copy all of it & see what needed backing up. I’ll retire it. It’s had a good run! Isn’t it nice when a product actually exceeds expectations? And so very rare!

I had a BIG sigh & head shake on my US friend’s behalf (I do that a lot! Even with Biden as POTUS! This is TYT regarding “Pete Buttigieg’s Incompetence EXPOSED By The Agency He Runs”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkTtYzhh4b4

My foot is slowly improving. Easier to move around and much less pain to manage. GP say’s 2-3 weeks and it should be much better.

Well… back to work! I hope you have some Tennent sanity reprieve now. Oh! Coincidentally… the Electrician finally came to check the ancient stupid fuse box stick in the 2nd bedroom Wardrobe, to replace it with a modern circuit breaker system, AS REQUIRED BY LAW for over a decade! He’s coming Monday AM to do the job. Sadly, it won’t be outside, but left where it is. *sigh* Oh well.

14 Kryten42 { 02.19.23 at 2:10 am }

Well… I stuffed up that post! *sigh*

“Lightning” (Apple) should be “Thunderbolt” (Intel)

” Over 1,100 hrs of ‘actual R/W use” (I have NO idea where that came from!)
Should be (as reported by Hard Disk Sentinel v6.10 PRO):
Power On Time: 2739 days, 22 hours
Estimated Remaining Life: more than 100 days
Health: 100%
The hard disk status is PERFECT. Problematic or weak sectors were not found and there are no spin up or data transfer errors.

I did some blinking & double takes when I read the Power on Time! I’ve not had many spinning rust HHD’s last that long! That’s my oldest drive I own right now. This drive deserves to be in a Tech museum as a rarity!

I think that’s all… 🙄🤷🏽‍♂️

15 Bryan { 02.28.23 at 10:25 pm }

Been busy with tenants again and my dryer went out – It’s always something! (I really miss Gilda Radner.)

A relative was a project manager for HP major accounts and they make almost nothing themselves any more. If you don’t have WiFi or are color-blind or don’t have the Internet, you can’t set-up this printer. after it’s set up you can connect with a USB A to B cable but you still print to their app instead of the printer. To copy you have to move the source all the way to the left, instead of to the right like every other HP I’ve owned. It is fast and the quality is good, but you must read the HP “bible” that comes with it instead of plugging it in and using it. Hell, the Quick Start chart doesn’t even mention installing the ink cartridges – assumed knowledge is a pain as you know things like that generate service calls.

Pete Buttigieg is hampered by all of the regulations that the Republicans removed under Trump, including the safety measures on the brakes of rail cars that could have prevented the multiple derailments in the US Midwest lately. Trump’s Transportation Secretary, Elaine Chao was a true piece of work and she went along with the deregulation.

Hopefully this will result in change for better, but the Republicans in the House are too busy trying to prove that “the deep state” persecuted Trump and Hunter Biden was a crook, to protect small towns by the railroad tracks.

Foot injuries are the worst. You can’t not move around, and even with a “boot” or bandages every step will hurt. I wish you a speedy recovery.

Back to picking up after tenants and fixing what they break.