I [i]neeeed[/i] some woodworking therapy.... Gimme an e-hug!

[Shady]

Hi folks: been away for a while, courtesy of:

a) Dad's death. He never recovered from my Mother's death 2 years ago, and wanted to 'go' himself, but it was still very difficult when it finally happened a month ago. Now dealing with probate across 3 countries and the Atlantic (sister in Colorado).

b) Going to the doc with a heavy chest cold after a bad dose of flue... I thought it was a chest infection, and wanted some antibiotics to lift it: "No, no, you have double pneumonia and pleurisy..." (As in, here's your GRAM of antibiotics a day...) No wonder I nearly fainted doing my 10 mile cycle .

c) Family crisis: terriers from hell fail to return from walk: children and SWMBO distraught/tearful. Eventually found after a couple of nights of wandering around the Cotswolds in the dark bellowing their names. (while personally wanting to follow up with the shotgun if found...:twisted

Soooo, all in all: knackered, feeling low and fed up, desperate to get into the workshop and chill, but it's still a few weeks away. Gotta fit a trip to Spain in (around work) to sort out parents' estate there, sort out work after funeral absence, get fit again, etc etc. Also feel the need to give the boys more time: their holiday so far has been pretty limp, with Mum & Dad dealing with all this poo...Haven't felt this low since - well, ever, to be honest: maybe it's just middle age kicking in. Somebody make me laff out loud, please... (edit - the 'success' of the italics in the title has at least raised a wry smile...)

 

[Pete W]

Consider yourself hugged. In a manly sort of way, of course .

Best advice I can offer is just to go with it for a while... do the stuff you need to do, and don't fight it - you don't need the extra exasperation. Maybe invest in some inspiration (books, DVDs) and start planning something special for your return to the shop.

Hope things pick up soon!

 

[Argee]

Somebody make me laff out loud, please...

I'll try:

Middle-aged woman has a regular appointment with her gynacologist. On the morning in question she has a luxurious bath, then attends her appointment.

At the beginning of the exam, the doc pops his head out from under the sheet and remarks "Mrs. Williams, may I thank you for making such an effort." A bit surprised, she asks him what he means. He replies "I get to see thousands of women in this practice, but I've never seen one who took so much trouble before an exam."

She thinks no more about this until 6.30pm that evening, when her 17-year-old daughter rushes in from work and says: "Sorry, Mum, I meant to tell you before I left this morning - whatever you do, don't use the sponge in the bathroom - I've got to replace it, it's full of glitter!"

Ray.

 

[Philly]

Shady
Sorry to hear about your woes-I hope you get back on an even keel ASAP!
How about watching a little Norm to cheer you up?
best regards
Philly

 

[Aragorn]

Nearest I can get to an e-hug!
Sorry to hear about your worries.

 

[Chris Knight]

Shady,

It sounds as though you have had a really rotten time and it isn't over yet. My sincere commiserations.

Meanwhile, why don't you bone up on workshop electricity - everyone is talking about buying USA tools, so here is the real story I found on the web about 220 current and why it is so different from 110 volt service.

First of all, it's twice as big.

Secondly, it'll shock you more. Outside of that, 220 is really two 110 volt lines coming to your house from different parts of the globe.

The up and down 110 comes from the northern hemisphere, and the down and up version comes from below the equator.

Without trying to get technical, it all boils down to the direction water flows when it goes down the drain. In the top of the earth, it goes clockwise, while on the bottom of the earth it goes counter clockwise. Since most electricity is made from hydro dams, the clockwise flow gives you an up and down sine wave, while the counterclockwise version gives you a down and up sine wave. Between the two, you have 220 volts, while either individual side only gives you 110 volts.

This is particularly important to know when buying power tools- which side of the globe did they come from? If you get an Australian saw, for instance, it will turn backwards if connected to a US generated 110 volt source. Sure, you can buy backwards blades for it, but that is an unnecessary burden. Other appliances, like toasters cannot be converted from Australian electricity to American electricity, without horrible results. I knew one person who bought an Australian toaster by mistake and it froze the slices of bread she put in it.

If you wire your shop with 220 and accidentally get two US-generated 110 volt lines run in by accident, you can get 220 by using a trick I learned from an old electrician. Just put each source into its own fuse box and then turn one of the boxes upside down. That'll invert one of the two up and down sine waves to down and up, giving you 220. DO NOT just turn the box sideways, since that'll give you 165 volts and you'll be limited to just using Canadian tools with it

 

[Shady]

Thx folks: like the jokes... Chris - you must be a physics lecturer or something... :wink: (Having said which, I always wonder whether my electrical goods are gonna cope with the 20 volt difference across the pond: no problems on the few occasions I've tried it)

 

[Alf]

As the Bard memorably put it:

When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions

Very, very sorry to hear of all your woes, Shady. I was wondering where you'd got too. Consider yourself hugged - in a platonic way, natch...

Cheers, Alf

 

[Anonymous]

What a bad time shady, my commiserations

I reckon the best thing you could do is get into the workshop and use some hand tools - lifts the spirits in no time :wink:

I too offer a metaphorical hug (with a manly slap on the shoulder of course :wink: )

 

[Shady]

Thx all - just make sure all those hugs are 'manly'... :wink: (obviously you're excepted, Alf - make it platonic, but extremely womanly... )

Ah well, I'm gonna tidy the workshop - too low to work, but I can sort out the crud...

 

[kityuser]

chris:
great one


"turn the fuse box upside down...."

I take it that you have to use a left handed screw driver and a sky hook-long weight arrangement.



chuckle

steve

 

[tim]

Shady

I'm really sorry to hear your news. I hope that you are feeling more positive by the day.

I was going to give you a big sloppy kiss =P~ (my wife's away) but if thats not wanted :shock: then hopefully this supposedly true story will make you smile. Seems like a regular event round us!:

From the State where drunk driving is considered a sport, comes a true
story from the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. Recently a routine police patrol
parked outside a local neighborhood tavern. Late in the evening the officer
noticed a man leaving the bar so intoxicated that he could barely walk. The man
stumbled around the car park for a few minutes, with the officer quietly
observing. After what seemed an eternity and trying his keys on five
vehicles, the man managed to find his car which he fell into. He was there
for a few minutes as a number of other patrons left the bar and drove off.
Finally he started the car, switched the wipers on and off (it was a fine
dry night), flicked the indicators on and off, tooted the horn and then
switched on the lights. He moved the vehicle forward a few inches,
reversed a little and then remained stationary for a few more minutes as more
patrons left in their vehicles. At last he pulled out of the car park and started
to drive slowly down the road. The police officer, having patiently waited
all this time, now started up the patrol car, put on the flashing lights,
promptly pulled the man over and carried out a breathalyzer test. To his
amazement the breathalyzer indicated no evidence of the man having
consumed alcohol at all!
Dumbfounded, the officer said "I'll have to ask you to accompany me to the
Police station this breathalyzer equipment must be broken."
"I doubt it," said the man, "Tonight I'm the designated decoy."


Cheers

Tim

 

[Shady]

Thanks folks - out of the trough today: decided to take myself behind the bike sheds for a quick slapping - then got into the garage and cleaned it out from top to bottom: now ready to get stuck in again, once other stuff is dealt with..