suggestions?
ailuropoda melanoleuca torontonensis
of Boston city council or of the repeated urgings to get tested
*together* with potential playmates before sex, but since there's not
a whole lot of other traffic visible, I thought I'd venture into the
territory of *me*me*me* questions.
less than 48hr into the new year, my washing machine died.
Fortunately, the death was not spectacular, just a ceasing-to-
function; so I removed the water therein by bail and bucket, not with
mops and apologies to the person who lives directly below. So I
arranged with Murray-the-salesman at the Hudson's Bay Company for
stackable twin washing and drying machines to arrive in exchange for a
certain number of beaver pelts, point blankets and other valuable
trinkets.
the washer is a horizontal-axis, front-loading, no agitator model,
which makes it green & energy and water efficient - thus exempting it
from sales tax, and I get a $60 rebate from the city for cutting water
consumption. after removing seven buckets of water from its
predecessor, this lower water use can only be a good thing.
[striking while the iron was hot, and piggybacking on a single
delivery charge, I also purchased a new wash-disher, which was the
major appliance I'd actually been planning to purchase next, before
pump-failure forced the issue. as biiig arnold can testify, the
washdisher was a rather more extended - ie 6 week - story; but as so
often happens, I digress]
Living in a condominium apartment as I do, floor space is at a
premium. so the washer and dryer were indeed stacked and fastened
together properly, by the big butch delivery people (and having
watched them do it, I can confirm that the assembly fee was the best
$35 I ever spent). They are now neatly tucked away into the purpose-
built and duly plumbed closet.
But I still have two unresolved issues, and wonder if the assembled
company can assist with suggestions, serious or humorous (or
preferably both).
a) the laundry closet is too small. Initially it had a folding door
with which to hide away the laundry machines, but the ones presently
sitting there are about 10cm too big front-to-back, and so jut out
into the hallway by about that much (and the folding door is
downstairs in my storage locker). Now I really don't want the washer/
dryer, nift-ee though they are at their assigned domestic task, to be
the chief decorating feature of my hall. What to do, what to do? The
walls, by the way, are painted a butter yellow shade, but I'm not
prepared to spray paint the appliances that colour to get them to fade
into the background. At the moment there is a sheet (remarkably close
in colour to the walls) draped across them, but I can't help feeling
there is a better solution out thar somewhere.
b) the delivery/assembly guys from the Hudson's Bay Co took away the
corpse of the deceased washing machine (and dryer, it was a combo
unit). What they did NOT take away were the bits left over from the
stacking of the new washer and dryer. There are various brackety
things, and levelling screw/feet removed from the dryer, and the lid
of washer; all removed in the uniting process. I spoze I could bring
myself to discard the hardware, but there's still this honking great
washer lid. It's the size of a card table, and white enamelled
steel. I spoze I could put legs on it and turn it into a table, but
it's white enamel, not green felt, so wouldn't quite work as a card
table; and besides, there's that floor-space-at-a-premium issue. So,
what to do with this stuff?
shirley the motssisi can come up with ideas for these domestic
conundrums for yr panda. thank you in advance.
obMotss: moi, and Murray-the-salesman
.
ailuropoda melanoleuca torontonensis
with apparently a dysfunctional decorating gene wot all homos are
spozed to be born with
Julian
And bizarrely, my father, who was most definitely heterosexual,
did. Go figure.
As to your dilemmas:
- If you're reasonably sure that you won't be moving
during the life of the new washing machine and dryer, it's
probably wise to steel yourself, so to speak, and throw the
extra parts out. If you're sure you don't need them with
the present configuration, and that configuration isn't going
to change, they are now effectively useless. (And if you do
manage to throw them out, I salute you, because I'd have
a very difficult time doing that. But then I have house with
an attic, and there are 3 things-with-picture-tubes--two monitors
and a TV, I think, all dead--that I haven't gotten around to throwing
out myself).
If you really feel a need to keep them, can they live under your
bed? That's a large space with a low ceiling, can could work for
such things.
- I hesitate to offer decorating advice, being genetically
challenged in that respect, but I think what you want to do
is visually force the closet to be deeper. Depending on budget
and condo rules, you could (in descending order of cost and
nuisance):
* have the closet re-built to be 10 cm deeper, and
put the door back over the deeper space
* Get some sort of curtain or door on a U-shaped
rod or lintel (? is it a still a lintel if it sticks out?) to
surround the machines. A door would be more attractive
but more expensive.
And if that creates a corner in the hallway where the new door
sticks out, you might put something in that corner like a tall
but narrow plant, but I'm getting beyond the boundaries of my
competence.
Congratulations on the new appliances. May they serve you
well and efficiently.
Julian
Max Vasilatos
> I don't have the decorating (or the clothes-shopping) gene, either.
> And bizarrely, my father, who was most definitely heterosexual,
> did. Go figure.
I believe there's a Canajun Recycling gene that applies here with regard
to the leftover steel bits, though in Our Panda's case, there might be
an English Override [tm].
JTEM
wrote:
> the washer is a horizontal-axis, front-loading, no agitator
> model, which makes it green & energy and water
> efficient - thus exempting it from sales tax, and I get a
> $60 rebate from the city for cutting water consumption.
*Sigh*
We need something like that here...
chris....@utoronto.ca
> > I don't have the decorating (or the clothes-shopping) gene, either.
> > And bizarrely, my father, who was most definitely heterosexual,
> > did. Go figure.
> I believe there's a Canajun Recycling gene that applies here with regard
> to the leftover steel bits, though in Our Panda's case, there might be
> an English Override [tm].
One of the suggestions I've received from folk here in Trawna [since
I'm clearly beset with Separation Anxiety(tm)] is to keep the lid (in
the storage locker downstairs, not on my dining table, which it is
currently monopolising, or under my bed where there are already quite
a few storage boxes) until the warranty runs out on the washer.
It's not as if I haven't had this problem before... when I first moved
into my current building, I was in apt 2101 (I'm now 57 steps down the
corridor, in 2108), and it had no laundry machines at all. Hoicking
all my linens down to the riverbank to launder them and then spreading
'em on the greensward to dry got old very fast, and even the
laundromat downstairs palled. I purchased essentially the same
equipment (10 model years earlier) shortly after I moved in, and for
the first time watched the big-butch-assembly dance. I never DID
throw that washer lid out, it lived in my storage locker for seven
years. Then I moved down the corridor (to more bedrooms), and when I
moved my stuff from one locker to the next, I left the washer lid
behind, since Russell and Phil (obMotss) who had purchased apartment
2101 were now the proud owners of aforesaid washer + dryer.
However, I am not planning on moving out of 2108 until I go to a
retirement home, and the storage locker is crammed to bursting, so I'm
going to have to get stern with myself sooner or later. As Max
pointed out, there may well be a Canajun Recycling gene kicking in
here.
the last time I actually laid eyes on the folding door was the day I
moved stuff between the two lockers, back in 2005. It's waaaay at the
back, behind all my boxes of *stuph*. I think there's a bedframe and
two wooden chairs back there too (items that came with 2108, not that
I brought with me from 2101).
Both Julian and Kenru (the latter in PVT EMAIL) are urging me to bite
the bullet and give the steel enamelled thingoe the old ho-heave, as
I'm not personally ever going to un-stack them. But I'm not there
yet. a waterproof plant table?
Kenru (who has actually used the now-deceased former washer himself)
wondered about the box-in screen made of foamcore painted wall-colour
that hid the former machine. That screen (of course) doesn't fit the
new machines, and should I spoze go to the storage locker if I can't
re-fit 'em.
do you notice a certain inability to actually discard things? that
may be the root cause.
Maybe I got that way drinking Ovaltine(tm). That allowed me to wake
up **##GAY!!##** in the morning, but may have inhibited my ability to
discard.
.
crouching chemist, hidden panda
trouble is, the washing machine ISN'T hidden
Cornelia Wyngaarden
55262ac7-151a-46f8...@c11g2000yqj.googlegroups.com,
"chris....@utoronto.ca" <chris....@utoronto.ca> wrote:
>
> crouching chemist, hidden panda
> trouble is, the washing machine ISN'T hidden
Okay Mr. Panda, I will suggest four things that you need to do.
1. Throw the damn things out, you do not need them nor do you need to live
in a scrap yard.
2. Go to your damn locker and throw out almost everything you have there.
Alternatively you can give stuff to sally ann or any other charity that has
junk stores. Get it? JUNK.
3. Check how those burley boys installed the W/D combo. Where is the air
vent, where are the taps, is there really no play in the back. I had this
problem myself recently and discovered that by moving it one inch sideways I
could wriggle the set back two inches and my doors then folded neatly over
the pair. I did this myself :).
4. If there is no other solution you could check out the back wall and what
is on the other side. If it is a closet you could do something like cut a
hole for the air-hose from the dryer and gain 10cm that way. If that does
not work (it could be an outside wall or your neighbour), you could build
small extensions onto your presently existing portal like this|_ _| and
frame out a new portal, donšt forget to gyprock the top and hang you bifolds
into the new space.
I am replacing my bifolds with some nifty wooden louvered types. It will
look precious. Oh and I will be throwing out the old doors.
corry throwing things out and 10cm isn't that much
Ken Rudolph
> Kenru (who has actually used the now-deceased former washer himself)
> wondered about the box-in screen made of foamcore painted wall-colour
> that hid the former machine. That screen (of course) doesn't fit the
> new machines, and should I spoze go to the storage locker if I can't
> re-fit 'em.
I suppose you've rejected my idea of a tasteful wall-yellow round
shower curtain hanging from the ceiling, opening to reveal the
washer-dryer.
Or how about a room divider screen (or 2) artfully positioned:
http://www.iroomdividers.com/
--Ken Rudolph
chris....@utoronto.ca
> > crouching chemist, hidden panda
> > trouble is, the washing machine ISN'T hidden
[corry to the rescue, talking good sense]
> Okay Mr. Panda, I will suggest four things that you need to do.
>
> 1. Throw the damn things out, you do not need them nor do you need to live
> in a scrap yard.
you see, this is the kind of sensible reframing and rephrasing of the
issue that is tremendously helpful. The votes are going 100% for
discard-the-steel, and the phrase "scrap yard" does put things in a
different light.
> 2. Go to your damn locker and throw out almost everything you have there.
> Alternatively you can give stuff to sally ann or any other charity that has
> junk stores. Get it? JUNK.
That's a rather larger project, but I have actually decided [since
Reading Week] to a long-term project of doing precisely that, though
starting in my apartment. I've been living in the current venue for
3.5y now, and if the boxes haven't been opened in the interim, chances
are rilly good I don't need them. I'm presently (ie during term time,
six weeks to go) on the spend 10-15min a-day-tidy-and-sort scheme;
when the schedule loosens up, I'll go for bigger projects.
But I must add that forcefully phrased suggestions from others are
most useful in telling my inner pack-rat to shuttup.
There's actually quite a lot of paper, from the rainbow-type groups
I've been associated with over the years, and I'm going to make
substantial donations to the Canadian Lesbian/Gay Archive; they're in
the process of moving at the moment, but I'm aiming to have bankers'
boxes full of paper ready to ship as soon as they're open for new
items.
There's also a fair amount of stuff that falls into the JUNK category,
I will allow. and de-accessioning is a target to hold.
> 3. Check how those burley boys installed the W/D combo. Where is the air
> vent, where are the taps, is there really no play in the back. I had this
> problem myself recently and discovered that by moving it one inch sideways I
> could wriggle the set back two inches and my doors then folded neatly over
> the pair. I did this myself :).
unfortunately, there is no room back there. The other side of the
back wall is actually inside my study (ie second bedroom), but the
back wall contains the plumbing, both incoming and outgoing, and the
ventilation access - so the back wall is not moveable. And the back
of the machines are as snug to that wall as the plumbing and dryer
vent will allow. I know, coz the dryer vent tube fell off and I had
to reinstall it myself (with muscle help from Ken-my-electrician-buddy-
upstairs, there's no way I could move the big lump of steel myself),
which entailed dragging it out and shoving it back in again.
> 4. If there is no other solution you could check out the back wall and what
> is on the other side. If it is a closet you could do something like cut a
> hole for the air-hose from the dryer and gain 10cm that way. If that does
> not work (it could be an outside wall or your neighbour), you could build
> small extensions onto your presently existing portal like this|_ _| and
> frame out a new portal, don¹t forget to gyprock the top and hang you bifolds
> into the new space.
Part of my difficulty is that it's not in a corridor. the front hall
is octagonal in shape, with the face of the laundry closet being one
of the sides of the octagon. The two adjacent sides on the octagon
are doorways, so there's a limit to how far forward I can go,
especially with actual drywall. That also precludes a three-section
freestanding screen that has been suggested, as the side panels would
actually project through the doorways. But I'll certainly put your new-
drywall suggestion onto my (previously rather scanty) list of possible
solutions, along with Kenru's suggestion (in another post) of a
curtain on a rail far enough out from the wall.
> I am replacing my bifolds with some nifty wooden louvered types. It will
> look precious. Oh and I will be throwing out the old doors.
my doors will make it to the recycle / garbage area (once I see them
again). Part of the difficulty in living in a highrise is not having
a kerb that's just outside the front door. I've run into this problem
recently while cleaning out the apartment of a recently-deceased
friend. There's all sorts of furniture and stuff that would be better
re-used by someone else than sent to landfill via a dumpster, but how
to do that? A lesbeing friend of mine lives in Victoria in a house
she recently inherited, and her house-tidying up [ie excavation]
process has been much assisted by the locals. She calls it "Christmas
in reverse" -- put things you don't want out by the kerb, and within
2days tops (usually a matter of hours) someone will have removed them
to a better home. But living in a highrise, I can't do that.
> corry throwing things out and 10cm isn't that much
[that would be throwing suggestions out, as opposed to white enamelled
steel plates; throwing them out is MY job]
.
manly in possession of far too much STUFF panda
David W. Fenton
wrote in
news:562a847a-2239-4268...@s20g2000yqh.googlegroups.co
m:
> shirley the motssisi can come up with ideas for these domestic
> conundrums for yr panda.
I would have a hard time throwing out the top. Is there room against
the ceiling of the washer closet to attach it with four brackets at
the corner?
On the subject of the extra 10cm, I'd say some kind of tasteful
curtain is the only solution. But Corry's ideas about checking to
make sure there's no wiggle room is certainly worth looking into.
--
David W. Fenton http://www.dfenton.com/
usenet at dfenton dot com http://www.dfenton.com/DFA/
Frank McQuarry
> shirley the motssisi can come up with ideas for these domestic
> conundrums for yr panda. thank you in advance.
I think you should paint a mural on the front of your washer/dryer; a
nice domestic scene, perhaps.
chris....@utoronto.ca
> I would have a hard time throwing out the top.
I'm glad I'm not alone in that.
>Is there room against
> the ceiling of the washer closet to attach it with four brackets at
> the corner?
now THERE's a storage location I hadn't thought of. Of course, I'd
have to come up with more brackets - or mayhap just use the levelling-
feet (which look like thumb-sized black plastic threaded bolts).
> On the subject of the extra 10cm, I'd say some kind of tasteful
> curtain is the only solution. But Corry's ideas about checking to
> make sure there's no wiggle room is certainly worth looking into.
I think what I really want it to do is disappear as much as possible -
a door that closed would work; or something wall-coloured would be
ideal. The predecessor machine had a box/screen made out of foamcore,
painted wall-colour, that completely covered both machine and
aperture. Of course that box contraption doesn't fit now. And the
good thing about fabric is it drapes and assumes the shape it's put
in. Ah well, it's not going to get solved overnight, but I *do*
appreciate the suggestions coming in. Thinking cap still in place.
.
chris =|= chemist by day, panda by night
chris....@utoronto.ca
> I think you should paint a mural on the front of your washer/dryer; a
> nice domestic scene, perhaps.
frank, honey, I can paint a wall, or I can paint items of furniture.
but painting something with more than one colour, painting something
to actually look like a scene or vignette, or indeed anything other
than a monochromatic hue, is QUITE beyond my skills. I'm still at the
stick-man stage of representational drawing.
you're very kind to suggest same, but I know my limitations.
manly gimme a broad brush panda
Dennis Lewis
>
>... painting something with more than one colour, painting something
>to actually look like a scene or vignette, or indeed anything other
>than a monochromatic hue, is QUITE beyond my skills. I'm still at the
Oh, darling, I can relate. In the film "Newcastle,"
<http://www.theherald.com.au/news/local/news/general/gay-undertow-to-newcastle-surf-film/1277718.aspx>
the wall of the older brother's bedroom has a magnificent mural of a
giant wave cresting toward the ceiling against a magnificent sunset.
And an one episode of "Paranormal State," the team investigated a
house that had a kid's room with a mural of a park or field, with
giant blades of green grass and a big yellow sun in the center.
If I had the artistic ability to create something that impressive on
my bedroom wall. Maybe I could apply for part of the stimulus package
to procure the services of a needy artist. ("Now, Mr. Lewis, your
application appears to be in order, except for Question 11 -- will
this work be visible to the public?" "Uh ... on Friday and Saturday
nights, sure ... if they're male. And preferably around midnight.")
Dennis Lewis
>
>I hesitate to interrupt the riveting news of stenographic transcripts
>of Boston city council or of the repeated urgings to get tested
OK, a follow-up to my post last month about attending a performance of
Max Bruch's "Violin Concerto No. 1" -- this weekend I attended a
performance of Max Bruch's "Violin Concerto No. 1."
And no, it wasn't another performance by Giora Schmidt, and it didn't
require a four-hour drive. The soloist at this concert was Andrew
Sords, who treated the audience to an encore of Chopin's "Lullaby"
following the Bruch.
<http://www.andrewsords.com/>
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
Is *every* attractive young violinist doing Bruch's Concerto #1 this
year? I'm all set if it comes up as a question when I'm a game show
contestant -- "Now, Dennis, for $1 million, identify this melody."
(Later, in a police station -- "How could you know that? You had to
have cheated!")
Cornelia Wyngaarden
afa5e50a-7448-4bcf...@w35g2000yqm.googlegroups.com,
"chris....@utoronto.ca" <chris....@utoronto.ca> wrote:
oh, oh, oh, [hand up in the air]
build a fake bookcase or better yet stretch a canvas 10cm deep and paint a
bookshelf with all very clever book titles, like a theatre prop, it would be
light enough to allow you to put hinges on one side to swing like a secret
door.
The canvas painting/door could express your English boyhood fantasies and
appear to be a good joke/wizard library.
corry
chris....@utoronto.ca
> Okay Mr. Panda, I will suggest four things that you need to do.
>
> 1. Throw the damn things out, you do not need them nor do you need to live
> in a scrap yard.
this morning, on my way to the streetcar, I lugged the white enamelled
steel card-table-top down to the recycle area (along with
miscellaneous brackety things and levelling feet) and left them there
with nary a backward glance.
> corry throwing things out
manly me too panda
no longer living in a scrapyard
Max Vasilatos
>>>I think you should paint a mural on the front of your washer/dryer; a
>>>nice domestic scene, perhaps.
>>frank, honey, I can paint a wall, or I can paint items of furniture.
>>you're very kind to suggest same, but I know my limitations.
> oh, oh, oh, [hand up in the air]
>
> build a fake bookcase or better yet stretch a canvas 10cm deep and paint a
> bookshelf with all very clever book titles, like a theatre prop, it would be
> light enough to allow you to put hinges on one side to swing like a secret
> door.
>
> The canvas painting/door could express your English boyhood fantasies and
> appear to be a good joke/wizard library.
I think he needs to hire someone to paint it, but trompe l'oeil, yeah.
Blunt and Opaque
>[sense-talking Corry]
>> Okay Mr. Panda, I will suggest four things that you need to do.
>> 1. Throw the damn things out, you do not need them nor do you need to live
>> in a scrap yard.
>this morning, on my way to the streetcar, I lugged the white enamelled
>steel card-table-top down to the recycle area (along with
>miscellaneous brackety things and levelling feet) and left them there
>with nary a backward glance.
I am so proud!!
--
Piglet, pig...@piglet.org .''.
.''. *''* :_\/_: .
:_\/_: . .:.*_\/_* : /\ : .'.:.'.
.''.: /\ : _\(/_ ':'* /\ * : '..'. -=:o:=-
David W. Fenton
news:49ac75e1...@news.west.earthlink.net:
> Chopin's "Lullaby"
Er, what? I know that Brahms wrote one, but I don't know of one by
Chopin, unless, I guess it is referring to the Berceuse.
Cornelia Wyngaarden
"Max Vasilatos" <vasi...@gmail.com> wrote:
A case of beer and a couple of good pasta dinners and a young man that is
willing to show his talents.
heh, heh, heh, she said talents.
corry
Robert S. Coren
David W. Fenton <XXXu...@dfenton.com.invalid> wrote:
>d...@sprynet.com (Dennis Lewis) wrote in
>news:49ac75e1...@news.west.earthlink.net:
>
>> Chopin's "Lullaby"
>
>Er, what? I know that Brahms wrote one, but I don't know of one by
>Chopin, unless, I guess it is referring to the Berceuse.
And why shouldn't it be? It's an exact translation.
--
---Robert Coren (co...@panix.com)------------------------------------
"In my youth I did best with nothing on." --Jess Anderson
chris....@utoronto.ca
> >> I think he needs to hire someone to paint it, but trompe l'oeil, yeah.
quite possibly. (and getting someone ELSE to paint it, definitely).
Facing it across the octagon is another tall (real) bookcase. Corry,
you're an artist: would you think attaching wood/moulding to the
canvas/board to simulate shelves would work? or would that work
against the trompe l'oeil?
hinges wouldn't work, the washer is too snug in its hideyhole, so I'm
thinking of something like a lidless box with one side missing (which
would be the floor-side), and the other three box-sides sliding
between washer and cubbyhole walls east and west and over the top. I
hadn't thought of canvas on a frame, the predecessor device was a box
made of painted foamcore, which was light, but rigid and held its
shape; but canvas might well work too. (scribbling notes)
[andrew]
> Good grief, who ever would have thought that a washing machine could
> cause so much fuss and bother.
hey, it was a diversion from gitterings-on about transcripts of boston
city council meetings (another of which has appeared in the interim).
And I'm certainly benefiting from the conversation, myself.
> I'd be ruthless and banish it to the
> bathroom or the kitchen myself.
that is to laugh. the footprint of the washer is more than 75% of the
available floor space in either bathroom - put it there and the
bathroom door wouldn't open or close. the kitchen isn't much better -
the floor of the kitchen is about 4.5x the size of the washer
footprint, and I've already got a cart (moveable counter space, which
is in preciously rare supply in there) and a pantry cupboard in the
kitchen. Add in a washer, and I wouldn't be able to open the fridge,
or the oven, or the wash-disher. Besides, the laundry cubbyhole has
appropriate plumbing and venting, which neither kitchen nor bathroom
have.
[corry]
> >A case of beer and a couple of good pasta dinners and a young man that is
> >willing to show his talents.
well, I'd need to FIND said young artistic man with talents first...
manly laundry artiste panda
appreciative of suggestions
Dennis Lewis
>
>>Dennis Lewis wrote:
>>
>> Chopin's "Lullaby"
>
>Er, what? I know that Brahms wrote one, but I don't know of one by
>Chopin, unless, I guess it is referring to the Berceuse.
Since it was an encore, I'm not able to check the program. I
attributed it to Chopin because, during Andrew Sords' introduction of
the piece, I "flashed" on the "Keeping Up Appearances" scene in which
someone tells Hyacinth that Emmett is playing a Shubert piece. Then
Hyacinth tells Elizabeth how much she's enjoying the Shubert piece and
Elizabeth replies, "It's Chopin." So it was either Shubert's or
Chopin's "Lullaby" -- definitely not Brahms'.
(And Giora Schmidt didn't play an encore in Charleston.)
David W. Fenton
news:gomgq3$ds6$1...@panix1.panix.com:
> In article <Xns9BC3E844F6D75f9...@74.209.136.92>,
> David W. Fenton <XXXu...@dfenton.com.invalid> wrote:
>>d...@sprynet.com (Dennis Lewis) wrote in
>>news:49ac75e1...@news.west.earthlink.net:
>>
>>> Chopin's "Lullaby"
>>
>>Er, what? I know that Brahms wrote one, but I don't know of one by
>>Chopin, unless, I guess it is referring to the Berceuse.
>
> And why shouldn't it be? It's an exact translation.
But nobody I know ever calls it anything but the Berceuse.
David W. Fenton
news:57081741-1993-4fc3...@r28g2000vbp.googlegroups.co
m:
> a diversion from gitterings-on about transcripts of boston
> city council meetings (another of which has appeared in the
> interim).
Do you have some disability preventing you from killfiling the
S*kl*d or something? *I* certainly don't see any of this crap.
David W. Fenton
> [corry]
>> >A case of beer and a couple of good pasta dinners and a young
>> >man that is willing to show his talents.
>
> well, I'd need to FIND said young artistic man with talents
> first...
And who could paint.
Frank McQuarry
> chris....@utoronto.ca wrote in
> news:57081741-1993-4fc3...@r28g2000vbp.googlegroups.co
> m:
>
>> [corry]
>>>> A case of beer and a couple of good pasta dinners and a young
>>>> man that is willing to show his talents.
>> well, I'd need to FIND said young artistic man with talents
>> first...
>
> And who could paint.
>
You'd hang it way too low, anyway.
Jack Hamilton
wrote:
>hey, it was a diversion from gitterings-on about transcripts of boston
>city council meetings (another of which has appeared in the interim).
>And I'm certainly benefiting from the conversation, myself.
I haven't seen a one of them. Do you need a better kill file or
newsfeed?
chris....@utoronto.ca
> >hey, it was a diversion from gitterings-on about transcripts of boston
> >city council meetings (another of which has appeared in the interim).
> >And I'm certainly benefiting from the conversation, myself.
> I haven't seen a one of them. Do you need a better kill file or
> newsfeed?
I read via google news at work. no killfile ability, and no new
software going on this computer. (yes, I read at home too, but I
really don't want to be dealing with two different interfaces for
reading the same newsgroup).
I don't read the threads about "lets all get tested TOGETHER before
sex", since I have no interest in living in cloud-cuckoo-land; and I
don't read threads on boston city council transcripts, since I have no
interest in wearing a colander lined with aluminum foil on my head;
but they do appear in the table of contents so I see them going by.
And there wasn't anything else in the traffic - or am I (via
googlesnooz) missing summat?
For the first 12 years of reading soc.motss, I read newsgroups via trn
(with its killfile), the way gawd intended, but I don't have access to
the unix stuff any more either.
.
manly stuck in a web browser panda
chris....@utoronto.ca
> >> I'd be ruthless and banish it to the
> >> bathroom or the kitchen myself.
> >that is to laugh. the footprint of the washer is more than 75% of the
> >available floor space in either bathroom - put it there and the
> >bathroom door wouldn't open or close. the kitchen isn't much better -
> >the floor of the kitchen is about 4.5x the size of the washer
> >footprint, and I've already got a cart (moveable counter space, which
> >is in preciously rare supply in there) and a pantry cupboard in the
> >kitchen. Add in a washer, and I wouldn't be able to open the fridge,
> >or the oven, or the wash-disher.
> Well of course, the kitchen, and especially the oven, is sacro-sanct.
> What has surprised me is to learn that a relatively large apartment
> (e.g. second bedroom, serving as study) has been designed with such a
> small kitchen and bathroom. Many here tend to think that all things
> North American are more generously sized; it came as somewhat of a
> surprise that there was so little space for something like a washing
> machine.
the fridge is much more important chez panda than the oven. i live
alone, so I'm usually preparing food for one, and manage pretty well
with the microwave and toaster oven for most things; but the fridge is
where most of the food is.
I actually have two bathrooms (built back-to-back, they share the same
plumbing stack), though they're pretty much the same footprint, about
3x the size of a standard bath. 1/3 bath, 1/6 sink, 1/6 toilet, 1/6
vacant space and 1/6 for the swing of the door. Since I'm the only one
living there, and can only use one bath/shower at a time, I've
decommissioned the second bath. The (blue) bathroom that opens off
the bedroom is full-service; the (yellow) bathroom that is in the
hallway (and next door to the famous washer-dryer closet) is toilet
and sink only. If you pull back the shower curtain there, you'll see
that the bath is covered with a sheet of 5/8" plywood and has shelves
atop. All sorts of stuff stored there, from the extra leaf to the
dining table to the repair kits by way of iron and the stock of
kleenices. But yes, Corry, those boxes will get Seriously Looked At
And Weeded this spring/summer.
The yellow bathroom [well, it was pink at the time of the story] is
the first one I used when I moved in - coz it was the only one that
had a shower curtain. I don't bother closing the bathroom door
usually when I'm in the tub - I live alone (sense a theme here?).
About 45sec into the shower, when I'm good and soaking wet, the smoke
detector starts to shriek. I dash, dripping, into the hallway to shut
it up and discover that the detector is literally 20cm from the
bathroom door. Almost as bright as putting it directly above the
toaster. Anyway, I had to shower with the door closed (and keep it
closed for about 10min after the shower) to avoid penetrating wails.
So THAT was the bath that got covered over and converted into a
storage area. I mean, there's 3 cubic metres behind that shower
curtain - who wouldn't want that much more space?
There IS space for a washing machine provided in the apartment, but
not quite enough if the householder is stupid enough to want a full
sized machine. I've owned "apartment sized" machines before. One of
them wouldn't do a full set of double sheets and pillowcases all in
one load. That made almost as little sense as taking the laundry down
to the riverbank.
All that said, my kitchen is remarkably poor in counter space as well
as storage, even for this building. The only really useable
counterspace that isn't occupied by things like microwave ovens is
directly above the washdisher - does that give a size estimate?
I have 1035sq feet (96.2 sq metres) floor space, which is typical for
a late-1980s apartment in Toronto. Old apartments, built in the 60s,
are enormous in comparison; and the more recent ones are
claustrophobically small. In a neighbouring building that is about 5y
old (and fairly typical for downtown toronto) my friend has a 2bed
that is 835 sq feet. The master bedroom just about holds a double
bed, but not much more, and the second bedroom a single bed - any
bigger and it would be permanently against one wall.
There is a lot more room if you move out to the suburbs. My sister
lives in Mississauga, and her house was a 4bed split level. When she
had three sons and my mum living there, they extended it and it's now
7 bedrooms (not all with beds in these days). The saw-off is that I
live a 20min walk to work, people out in the burbs have a 60-90min
commute or more one way. I have less floor space, but an extra seven
hours in my life where I'm not travelling between points A and B.
.
manly not quite ready to renovate the kitchen panda
KLS
wrote:
>For the first 12 years of reading soc.motss, I read newsgroups via trn
>(with its killfile), the way gawd intended, but I don't have access to
>the unix stuff any more either.
Same here, and I blame Microsoft for the death of our university's VAX
system. Damn. I loved trn. At least Agent is ok, but it still
doesn't screen out crossposts the way I want.
Katie, admittedly not a whiz at this stuff
Frank McQuarry
> On Wed, 04 Mar 2009 19:05:12 -0600, Frank McQuarry
> <fmcq...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>> (Filling in for MissKinley)
>
> Where *is* she, by the way - back in the wilds of darkest Mexico?
I'm not really sure, but she has been having usenet access issues of late.
David W. Fenton
news:TNmdnYVqE5zcuDLU...@earthlink.com:
> David W. Fenton wrote:
>> chris....@utoronto.ca wrote in
>> news:57081741-1993-4fc3...@r28g2000vbp.googlegroups
>> .co m:
>>
>>> [corry]
>>>>> A case of beer and a couple of good pasta dinners and a young
>>>>> man that is willing to show his talents.
>>> well, I'd need to FIND said young artistic man with talents
>>> first...
>>
>> And who could paint.
>>
> (Filling in for MissKinley)
>
> You'd hang it way too low, anyway.
I like it hung low, don't you?
David W. Fenton
news:01e8a529-38e1-4163...@a39g2000yqc.googlegroups.co
m:
> I read via google news at work. no killfile ability, and no new
> software going on this computer.
Have you considered Thunderbird Mobile?
http://portableapps.com/apps/internet/thunderbird_portable
I am an e-acquaintance of the guy who created the portable apps
project, and I'm sure it's good. You basically install it on a USB
stick and carry it with you. If you can use a USB flash drive, this
should work. It would be nice if there were a real dedicated news
reader that is portable, but Thunderbird is as good as it gets, I
think.
David W. Fenton
news:p380r4tor3t29tigt...@4ax.com:
> What has surprised me is to learn that a relatively large
> apartment (e.g. second bedroom, serving as study) has been
> designed with such a small kitchen and bathroom. Many here tend
> to think that all things North American are more generously sized;
> it came as somewhat of a surprise that there was so little space
> for something like a washing machine.
Urban vs. suburban.
On the other hand, my apartment is pretty damned urban, and has a
pretty huge kitchen (though not particularly roomy bathroom).
My wonderful roommate is leaving at the end of March, and I need to
find a new roommate, and I'm considering what to do if the new
roomie has living room furniture. I could easily move the current
living room furniture (all of which is mine except for the TV) into
my bedroom (which is humungous) and the kitchen. The futon might end
up in the kitchen if the new roomie has a nice couch, and that might
be quite fun for dinner parties.
But this is not at all a normal NYC-area apartment -- it's one of
the many reasons I'm so thrilled with it, because it has so much
room at such a reasonable rent.
David W. Fenton
news:cbc73633-e2fc-4101...@a39g2000yqc.googlegroups.co
m:
> repair kits
I read this as "repair kilts" and thought that you'd make a very
*interesting* plumber...
chris....@utoronto.ca
> > repair kits
[david]
> I read this as "repair kilts" and thought that you'd make a very
> *interesting* plumber...
nonononono - my kilt is hanging in the study (aka "second bedroom")
cupboard.
I don't do plumbing. not when I live directly above 18 other
apartments, and gravity being what it is. I hire the pros. Sean-the-
plumber who did the wash-disher (and new taps for the washing machine)
was wearing jeans both times he visited. quite hetero, but a very
pleasant guy to chat to.
[in all these visits - three from the HBC delivery/install folks, two
from Sean-the-plumber, once from the folk who installed the new heat
pump and thermostat - did the disco music swell out of nowhere and the
clothes fall in many directions leaving only the toolbelt and the work
boots. but then, I wasn't wearing my kilt at the time of any of the
visits, so maybe it was partially my fault. I was *quite*
disappointed, in the abstract sense, with the lack of X-rated
amusements. In the actual instances, they weren't nearly as hot as
the gentlemen in the pornogravure either. sigh.]
.
manly but the wash-disher works panda
Dennis Lewis
>
>... Sean-the-plumber ...
Mais bien sur! One would expect a Canadian plumber to have a sexy
first name like "Sean" rather than something mundane like the United
States' "Joe the Plumber," who doesn't want Obama raising the tax on
people earning more than $250,000 a year because he sure as hell can't
pay tax on a salary of $40,000 a year, so how will he be able to
satisfy the IRS once his earnings quadruple?
>,,, who did the wash-disher (and new taps for the washing machine)
>was wearing jeans both times he visited. ...
I hope they were loose enough to provide an adequate amount of
cleavage while he was working under the sink.
Frank McQuarry
> In article <FKCdnSj64t5nwS3U...@earthlink.com>,
>
>> I'm not really sure, but she has been having usenet access issues of late.
>
Not really.
chris....@utoronto.ca
> [Our Manly-Panda-With-A-New-Dishwasher mentions]
> >... Sean-the-plumber ...
> [dennis]
> Mais bien sur! One would expect a Canadian plumber to have a sexy
> first name like "Sean" rather than something mundane like the United
> States' "Joe the Plumber,"
Sean is an independent contractor who's been working for the Hudson's
Bay Co for 20+yr. He was ruefully complaining to yr panda about his
son changing dad's cellphone ringtone (it was a rather odd song when I
heard it)
> >,,, who did the wash-disher (and new taps for the washing machine)
> >was wearing jeans both times he visited. ...
> I hope they were loose enough to provide an adequate amount of
> cleavage while he was working under the sink.
I believe in giving clear instructions and then staying OUT of the way
of the professionals - so I was in my study, not in the kitchen. Sean
has a fairly flat butt, not bodacious at all, so I wasn't even tempted
(especially in the absence of cheezy 70s disco muzak...)
Today (hey Corry! are you taking note here?) I excavated and discarded
two boxes of stuff, finding lots of paper recycleables, some garbage,
and a few things to actually keep (eg markers, scissors and a box of
pins). In that heap were the instruction booklets for the washer-
dryer purchased 10yr ago and now (still) in apt 2101. I wondered
about giving them to Russell and Phil, who still own them, AND the
washdisher there (also found that instruction booklet); but figgered,
if they haven't figgered out how to use 'em by now, what's the point.
It's two steps forward and one step back of course.
When I came home last night, there was a large plastic bag hanging
from my bathroom door, containing (you'll never guess) a toilet tank
lid.
It all started when I moved into 2101 (in 1998), and the bathroom
there was hugely overendowed with mirrors (making a small bathroom
with one person in it appear like a much larger bathroom crowded with
17 people), and almost no storage space - all there was was a medicine
chest that was all of 7cm deep.
I solved this (and cut down the hall-of-mirrors effect) by getting one
of the over-the-toilet-tank shelving units from HomoDepot. While my
toilet tank was a standard size, it turned out the lid (with moderne
shaping, flaring at the front) was just that little bit too big to fit
under the shelving unit. What to do, what to do? I purchased a pre-
made white melamine shelf (also from HomoDepot), which was fitted out
to sit neatly atop the toilet tank (where it remains, with the bogroll
stock atop). I could not bring myself to throw out the toilet tank
lid, so it went down to my storage locker (right next to the washing
machine lid - this was back in 1998, first washer).
About five years later, my friend Don (obMotss) moved into the
building. The previous owner, in moving out, managed to break the lid
of the toilet tank, and was going to get another. "Wait a minute", I
said, when told the story, and so Don inherited my bogtanklid. (all
the loos in the building were installed at the same time and the same
variety of course).
I moved to 2108. The shelving unit moved, and the toilet tank lid
from 2108 moved to the capless tank in 2101.
Fast forward to last fall, when I get a phone call. Don is rather
rattled, he's managed to break the tank of his loo (I never asked how
that happened, it seemed rather rude somehow) and had a bathroom full
of water. He *had* managed to shut off the inflow, and I went to help
him with Noyes Fludde. Fortunately he too has two bathrooms, so was
able to take his time in replacing the broken bog. He actually bought
one of them thar high-efficiency, not nearly as much water per flush
loos, and got hisself a $60 rebate from the city.
But my conversations recently about what I do with lids to washing
machines reminded him... while the broken loo got discarded in
October, he kept the lid, and now I have it back. on the floor of my
front hall right now, but I think it needs to find the locker. Sigh.
.
manly how can I get more storage space panda
Cornelia Wyngaarden
5cff16d2-e857-4df8...@g38g2000yqd.googlegroups.com,
"chris....@utoronto.ca" <chris....@utoronto.ca> wrote:
Well done Chris! Good start but...
> manly how can I get more storage space panda
throw everything out that you haven't touched for the last five years
because you do need it.
I just took a sofa apart bit by bit because I like space more than things.
corry
Cornelia Wyngaarden
Wyngaarden" <cor...@telus.net> wrote:
>
> throw everything out that you haven't touched for the last five years
> because you do need it.
>
obviously don't need it <sigh>
corry who managed to piddle the whole day away instead of meeting several
deadlines and who wishes she lived in a world without obligations
chris....@utoronto.ca
> > throw everything out that you haven't touched for the last five years
> > because you do need it.
>
> obviously don't need it <sigh>
I wondered if you'd catch that
oh, understood. but I *am* keeping the toilet tank lid - while I can't
see the washing machine being de-coupled, the shelving situation in
the bathroom may well change.
still, if I keep going with today's start, I'll not need as much.
there might even be more room for Kenru on his next visit - he had to
deal with a desk that looked more like a pile of papers with chrome
legs last time he was here.
right now, i'm going on Heloise's "five minutes or five things" rule-
of-thumb.
One of the things I found and didn't discard was a set of photos from
Pier 21 in Halifax [where a lot of immigrants-by-ship landed in the
middle years of the last century - think "ellis island", for those of
you who live in the USA]. did you come through Pier 21/Halifax,
Corry? I seem to recall you saying you sailed on the *Niew Amsterdam*
or something like that. (me, I came on *Carmania* and landed at
Quebec)
> corry who managed to piddle the whole day away instead of meeting several
> deadlines and who wishes she lived in a world without obligations
to quote Major Hoople, fap!
.
chris =|= chemist by day =|= panda by night =|= recovering packrat
Cornelia Wyngaarden
5a96475c-395d-49d4...@a12g2000yqm.googlegroups.com,
"chris....@utoronto.ca" <chris....@utoronto.ca> wrote:
>
> One of the things I found and didn't discard was a set of photos from
> Pier 21 in Halifax [where a lot of immigrants-by-ship landed in the
> middle years of the last century - think "ellis island", for those of
> you who live in the USA]. did you come through Pier 21/Halifax,
> Corry? I seem to recall you saying you sailed on the *Niew Amsterdam*
> or something like that. (me, I came on *Carmania* and landed at
> Quebec)
We landed in Quebec City as well, disembarked from the Jan van
Oldebarnevelt.
Many years later I had lunch in a great restaurant overlooking the old
landing site.
>
> to quote Major Hoople, fap!
>
Where is my cigar and my fez?
corry
Chris Hansen
wrote:
Have you tried looking in La Panda's second bathroom storage space?
Chris "Everything ELSE seems to be there--I thought of taking a quick trip to
Trawna to look for one of my thumb drives Chez Panda." Hansen
--
Chris Hansen | chris at christianphansen dot com
http://www.christianphansen.com or
http://chrishansenhome.livejournal.com
"Everything I know about being an evil cult leader,
I learned from my cat." Mike Jankulak