What did you do today?

[Snoonyb]

Well...Here's what gets me. I'm looking for shower accessories and was looking at grab bars. One down low for Ruby to put her foot on and another up higher for her to hold on to while saving her legs. This product claims to be both stainless steel and aluminum (from Space!)

View attachment 31333

Recycled scrap from one of MUSK'S retrievable explorations?

 

[Ron Van]

Niches can have drainage issues and can pose as a point of vulnerability for water to get behind tile if its not done properly. There are all sorts of options for shelving though-- suction cup, sticky tape, screw in, attach with permanent adhesive, and even tension rod caddies.

I'm currently debating getting a tension rod caddy for mine. I only have shampoo/conditioner & bodywash/facewash- so 2 bottles. My brother uses more products but once he has his own shower I won't need to worry about storage for his stuff. I can use the spot where his bath gloves are for a washcloth later on.

I’m not familiar with bath gloves. What are they for?

 

[Spicoli43]

If we weren't in a massive period of intense global warming right now, I wouldn't even write this. I'm convinced that the only way to escape the Summers of the future when it will be 150 degrees very soon, we should all have houses underground.

To keep making fun of the subject or not to, that's the question.

I am truthfully convinced whether I use the oven or not or open the blinds or not or use fans or not, the temp will not go down until about Midnight.

Underground houses would be literally cool, there were some in MT when I was a kid, but we just rode our bikes around those areas. I don't remember if they were "futuristic" demos or if people really lived in them, but that is an instant solution to summer heat.

 

[Snoonyb]

There was an actor, I can picture, but can't remember his name, who built a dwelling into a hillside using beverage containers as insulators.

The concept is interesting, when you consider that 18" below grade the temp. is roughly 58 degrees.

 

[Eddie_T]

It's scary when one figures what it costs per minute for a smartphone when one divides total expenditure (phone and plan) by the actual minutes used. It's scary to figure what it costs per mile to own and drive a car. If car payments were $1000/mo and one drove 1000 mi/mo the cost would be $1 per mile just for ownership. Then when adding insurance, maintenance and gas it really gets scary.

Even a cat can cost in excess of $700/yr for food. I don't do vets but they could add another $60 or so. Amazingly dogs can cost around $200 less per year to feed than cats. If one does vets about the same unless one has a high maintenance breed like a Doberman.

Sad, but I know of a die hard doomsday prepper who made it her life's work to be off the grid and fully stocked for whatever comes when shtf only to lose the battle to cancer.

 

[Spicoli43]

$60 for a vet per year? It's more than that just to bring an animal in here.

I'll never have a "smartphone". The entire concept aggravates me beyond the cost (you forgot insurance in cast the eggshell screen cracks). I know it's the size of the things that irritate me, but I think it's more deep down than that, like the zombies that walk in front of traffic watching a movie or something. Can't do that at home, can you?

A lady (zombie) walked right in front of me the other day, I was doing maybe 15 behind a store, but I had to press the brakes hard... She just stared at me, and all I could think of was she was on Tranq. She didn't have a phone, or I didn't see it. She didn't raise her hands and say "Oh S, Sorry, My bad"... Nothing... just kept walking.

I checked Verizon, for their Apple phone and a year of service with the cheapest plan available, it was $1760... If I brought my own phones, 4 needed, it would be $1200 for the service.

For me, it's a Military grade flip that cost $129 and the plan that's $100 a year. I get 1000 minutes a month and unlimited texts, don't use the internet because I have that at home... I can drop it off a roof and the only thing that might happen is the battery pops off. If I were to talk on it for 33 minutes a day, I would lose my mind, so I have no problem staying in that boundary. People know they have a very limited time to get their point across, like 5 minutes, or I'll get bored and drift off into space cadet land.

This lady built a Rotary cell phone... I haven't watched it yet, but I would do it!

 

[Eddie_T]

I misinterpreted the pet cost chart. The cat cost includes food and litter, dogs are smart enough to gp outside (watch your step). Yeah, $60 or so seems low for a vet (those guys see you coming). The only good cat would be a barn cat that ate only wild food and table scraps. My cat started out as a feral but my wife wanted him brought in after a snow hung around for a week. My son and DIL had an outdoor Manx that would go for walks with them.

 

[zannej]

It costs $60 just for the office visit here. With shots or any other treatment its generally over $100 per visit for any pet. The dog food is sold in larger bags with less cost per lb than cat food so the cat food is more expensive. The dog food also lasts longer. But then, we only have the two dogs and a lot more cats. The cow feed is not cheap. $15 for sweet feed. $20 for hay with molasses and the fatsos eat it all in one day.

Eddie, that sucks about the prepper dying of cancer. Cancer sucks. It took Terry Love (from the Terry Love plumbing forums) and two of our friends on the flooring forums. I know at least one of the members on the homesteading forums has cancer now.

Bath gloves are sort of like a washcloth made into gloves but they are rougher texture.


Feeling rundown today. Body was not cooperating with doing anything.

 

[ekrig]

I what something in the shower to put stuff on but the idea of a built in niche isn't sitting right with me. I don't know if the tiling is my concern or what. I don't think I could tile in a niche and have it look right or water proof. There will be cement board with a water proof membrane behind the tile but if I put a hole in it for a niche...then there is a potential leak. Maybe I worry too much. Anyway, I was looking at this Stainless niche that drops in and gets sealed around a flange keeping water out of the hole.

Niches have to be done carefully to ensure drainage and everything but the waterproof membrane will wrap everything. One think to keep in mind though is whether the wall where it would be put in is an exterior wall, in which case you don't want to put it there. From some pictures that you shared before I'm under the impression that that might your situation.

The bathroom that I have been (very slowly) redoing has a niche on the wall facing the outside but I've put it there only after I realized that that wall is a foot in from the actual exterior wall with insulation and all.

 

[ekrig]

I checked Verizon, for their Apple phone and a year of service with the cheapest plan available, it was $1760... If I brought my own phones, 4 needed, it would be $1200 for the service.

For me, it's a Military grade flip that cost $129 and the plan that's $100 a year. I get 1000 minutes a month and unlimited texts, don't use the internet because I have that at home...

In my life a smartphone is a necessity because of certain apps that I need for my work, unfortunately. They simply assume that everyone has a smartphone and must be a pretty new at that... :|

It is possible to get similar priced plans for smartphones though. You can get an unlocked iPhone SE for ~$400, or buy used as I did for many years (my wife still has an iPhone 6s) if you are not required to have it on the latest OS. And then I have a redpocket plan for $10/month (1000 mins talk, unlimited messages, 1GB data) using the Verizon network. I've had them for a long time, so their cheapest plan may no longer be so cheap. Still, that works for me.

 

[Spicoli43]

That's what I have, Red pocket 360 from Ebay for $99. (Granted, 5 days short of a year, but who cares)

I wouldn't carry a "smartphone" if it were free.

 

[Eddie_T]

RedPocket seems like the best deal for me if I can choose the Verizon network. Where I live Verizon has the best coverage. For a while Ting Mobile seemed best with its $10/mo unlimited talk but now Verizon is only grandfathered in (and I'm not in). However unlimited (or even 1000) minutes is but an illusion as I don't routinely talk that much. Truth is I don't know how many minutes I use on my landline. I know my average would fall under 1000 minutes but with no roll over I might lose a few calls per year. I could avoid the problem by also using magicJack ($44.99 for first year). However that adds further complication to my system so I just keep procrastinating.

 

[Eddie_T]

Just found a Twigby plan using Verizon network $10/mo with unlimited talk/text (no data). That would cost me $21/yr more than RedPocket with no worries. However if I go with RedPocket $20 would buy me 1000 thousand additional minutes in 100 or 250 minute chunks should I need them anytime during a month. I'm checking with RedPocket to see how long it takes to activate additional minutes (with PagePlus it's almost instantaneous).

I usually speak with my son 20-30 minutes per day so I suspect at present with incoming and outgoing I may be pushing 1000 landline minutes per month. So landline is costing me around $0.047/minute. Presently with cell I'm normally well below the 166 minutes per 120 days I am paying for but the minutes roll over until I forget to renew.

 

[Spicoli43]

I have heard Magic Jack is glitchy for years, but never seen it in action. If they get rid of flip phones, I'll get a landline and only have that. I'll have an emergency sat phone, but no cell phone.

Red Pocket had major issues when they first started, but that seems to be ironed out for me. They carry all the networks, they send you all the sim cards and you plug in the one you want, but the phone must be unlocked.

The only thing I don't like is you have to remember your renewal date and order a day ahead of time because it takes that long to get your code from Ebay. If you forget, people calling you will hear Spanish and you will hear Spanish trying to call someone.

You can track how many minutes you have used on their site.

 

[HandyOne]

I went out and watched som radio controlled airplanes yesterday.
View attachment 20230723_151041.mp4

 

[Eddie_T]

RedPocket has swift response my additional minutes question was already answered.

Thank you for contacting Red Pocket Mobile customer support.​

​

If you were to run low on minutes, text messages, or high-speed data, you may purchase Add-Ons directly from your account at any time, by logging in at redpocket.com/my-lines. Credits will be added to your account immediately after successful checkout.​

​

However rather than chancing a problem trying to save the price of a meal at Micky D's maybe I should just go with Twigby's $10/mo plan w/auto billing.

​

 

[Spicoli43]

You can get auto billing from Red Pocket, but they add fees. I'm just going to keep buying from Ebay and entering the code in my account. I don't know why they charge fees on the site because the Ebay store is theirs.

 

[Eddie_T]

I think most people just don't bother saving money on their phone bill because it can be a bit intimidating plus they're afraid of the unknown. The smart phone crowd prolly pays more per month than we do per year.

 

[Spicoli43]

I guess it's intimidating if their face is in it every waking moment doing videos, watching videos, texting, reading websites, walking into traffic, you know natural selection.

As long as it isn't situational awareness, can't have that.

I don't get it, but we didn't grow up with cell phones or internet.

 

[Ron Van]

Niches have to be done carefully to ensure drainage and everything but the waterproof membrane will wrap everything. One think to keep in mind though is whether the wall where it would be put in is an exterior wall, in which case you don't want to put it there. From some pictures that you shared before I'm under the impression that that might your situation.

The bathroom that I have been (very slowly) redoing has a niche on the wall facing the outside but I've put it there only after I realized that that wall is a foot in from the actual exterior wall with insulation and all.
View attachment 31344

Nice! No, my proposal is to put a niche in a wall that isn’t an exterior wall although there is one wall of the shower on an exterior wall.