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Not representative

Posted on June 13, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by Lukas Kloeppel on Pexels.com

Recently I was tasked with finding a used car to purchase for my daughter. A process I am not fond of, let alone knowing my daughter is now old enough to be out on the road on her own. Scary times I tell ya!

Anyway, looking for a used car these days is tough. People are shady.

People are shady.

Hundreds of car ads on multiple platforms and driving by, stopping and looking, at cars on the side of the road with signs in them. It is hard to find a quality used car for a decent price. Or, I should say a decent car for an inexpensive price.

I wanted something that I didn’t have to worry about my 16 year old being on the side of the road in the dark somewhere but also knew it wasn’t going to be in perfect condition. The problem is that when you take all that into consideration and then add in a relatively limited budget, well let’s just say an ice cube in hell has a better chance. LOL

People are shady.

I already knew that point, but as I looked at cars online and then would go look at them in person I found a great majority of them were misrepresented in the ad. The body condition was accurately reflected in the photos. The interior was purposely misrepresented for obvious or glaring flaws. The engine leaked oil. The description left out the mile on the vehicle. Windows didn’t work. Mold growing on the interior? Come on.

Anyway, we found a car. I am not sure it was as great a deal as we first thought. New brakes all around after purchase and the key FOB doesn’t work even after the battery replacement. It is even possible the engine was pressure washed to hide a small oil leak.

I didn’t expect perfect, but people are shady.

Have you had similar purchase experiences from buying this online? Got a horror story to share?

Voluntold

Posted on June 12, 2019 by backuphill

photography of a person pointing on something

Photo by Lukas on Pexels.com

I think there is a little bit of this in everyone.

You have something planned for the day, either at work or in your personal life. You have things ready to go and then all of the sudden you find your plans have changed.

Not because you want them too, but because you have been “voluntold.” Maybe you have heard of it. Maybe you have been the unwilling victim.

The boss. The wife. The parents. Maybe you missed a meeting. Maybe you were selected because of your “qualifications.” Maybe you’re just unlucky.

I am sure you have run into it at least once.

No one likes it.

And yet, we all have maybe done it to someone at the same time. Ah, sweet revenge…

Infested

Posted on June 10, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by Egor Kamelev on Pexels.com

Taking care of a yard, along with all the other things around the house when you’re not at work, can be a pain in the rear. Limited time, limited funds, limited knowledge. Sometimes you can work around two of those, but when the trifecta hits there can be a severe case of the weekend warrior blues.

Thankfully, I have less of those blues than I used to. However, there are somethings in the yard that just irritate me to no end!

There are some flowering trees in the front yard – cherry, plum, whatever. I can’t remember. All I know is they have white blossoms on them in the Spring when they bloom. Anyway, they have taken some work to keep them under control (they grow really fast!) and pruning them is no joy.

This year, they are infested with aphids. Like INFESTED! The trees look sickly and the leaves are falling off like it is late Fall. I can handle bugs in most cases, but for some reason aphids gross me out.

Yesterday, I hope I took care of the infestation. I did some research and bought some spray for the trees. Let me tell you, I sprayed the hell out of those trees! I want those things gone and I want the trees to still have leaves for the summer. So, I went to war.

If I can remember, I’ll let you know if I won.

What insect gives you the eebie-jeebies and just can’t handle?

I don’t want you…

Posted on June 7, 2019 by backuphill

white and black soccer ball on side of green grass field during daytime

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Kids. They can be so confusing.

When my daughter was really young she used to tell me that she “didn’t want me.” I, of course, knew she was mad at me and knew that she wasn’t really speaking truth, at least the truth of a 2-3 year old.

Now I find myself in the later years, as she is a teen, saying more things that start with, “I don’t want you…”

Most of the time is related to a request for her independence and I respect that. I shouldn’t need or want to do everything for her. I am willing to let her explore things on her own and allow her the freedom to have success and to make mistakes. I may not always be happy about the choices, but they are hers to make. I can, of course, choose not to honor the “I don’t want you…” if I know the choice or decision isn’t in her best interest and is dangerous.

She now has a job. It’s doing something she likes (kinda, kids don’t really like to work) and in a sport she has enjoyed for a long time. She has been reffing soccer games for the parks and rec. For the most part, she has enjoyed it and she has been successful at it this year.

I once said, shortly after she got the job, that I was going to come watch her some time. Her response was, “Dad, I don’t want you to come watch me ref games.” When asked why she said that was just weird, that parents aren’t supposed to go to their kids’ place of work just so they can watch them. OK, get that. We visited my son at Taco Bell shortly after he got his first job just to tease him a little but it wasn’t to sit and watch him during his whole shift.

So, to honor her request, I have stayed away. Part of me wants to go watch her and be proud of the job she does, but I can also do that just sitting at home. I don’t have to see her to know she is doing the best she can, really enjoying what she is doing at the time, and be proud of her too. Right?

Am I correct in honoring her “Dad, I don’t want you…”?

Why can’t kids come with a damn instruction manual?

white and black soccer ball on side of green grass field during daytime

A little uneasy

Posted on June 3, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

I didn’t sleep well last night.

You know that feeling like something just doesn’t feel right in your stomach? Yeah, I had that. All night I felt like something was going to happen at one end of the body (TMI?). I would fall asleep and then wake up a short time later, always on the verge of something but nothing really happening.

Except lack of sleep. It was a rough night for getting good sleep.

I woke up this morning with less of the uneasy feeling but it is lingering. Still seems to be a battle between whether the day will end up with a “tossing of the cookies” or the “squirts”.

Good think my cube is close to the bathrooms at work. I will be splitting time between the two, I think.

Ugh

Posted on May 31, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by Min An on Pexels.com

It’s meeting time again and I just don’t wanna go.

‘nuf said.

Perhaps I can hide on the toilet like I do at home when I don’t want to do something.

Trailer park

Posted on May 16, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by Djordje Petrovic on Pexels.com

Sometimes you do nice stuff for people. Sometimes you don’t.

Sometimes people take advantage of your niceness. Sometimes they don’t.

There are some people staying in my yard, in a trailer. Let’s call them, family. This is the second time they have stayed in the yard, only the first time they were staying in a bigger POS than they are in now. This accommodation was made within the last 15 years, the former was at least 30.

Regardless, I didn’t have much of a say in whether or not they moved into the yard the first time and once again I didn’t have much of a say about their return either. Sometimes, against your better judgement, you have to do nice stuff.

What I didn’t want was for the yard to start looking like a trailer park. What I am getting is that the yard is starting to look like a trailer park. The living space and storage of the trailer is slowly creeping outside and into the yard.

Sometimes nice…isn’t.

Welcome to the trailer park.

Communication busted

Posted on May 15, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by Gratisography on Pexels.com

Things around here are just not working.

Have you ever had a hard time talking with someone because you just don’t have anything to talk about? Or, had a hard time just because every time a conversation starts it ends up in a disagreement?

Not only do we live in a society that seems to have a hard time having a conversation, but often we find the same thing happening in our personal relationships too. There is just no way to break down the walls and just no way to carry on without conflict. So, everyone does their own thing and then nothing gets any better. Really, it just gets worse. The next time you try to engage someone the meltdown just comes that much more quickly.

What’s left is perpetual egg shell walking and no real relationships, just shallow surface existence.

The death of conversation is upon us.

Little caulk

Posted on May 13, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

There are some things in life that require a little more skill that just a weekend warrior can handle. Tasks that are sometimes necessary, but also dreaded at the same time. A skill that can’t be improved unless you do it a lot.

I don’t get to use caulk much, but when I do I try to make a mess out of it.

OK, not really, but I sure could use more practice! No, wait, I don’t mean that either because more practice would mean more things that needs to be sealed or fixed or leaks stopped…so scratch that. Should I be wishing for more caulk in my life? How about if I am just magically bestowed with great caulking skills?

So, the weekend saw me use the sparse caulking skills I have on a project that I had been putting off for about a month. It is now done. Some places on the job turned our rather well, if I don’t mind saying. AND other places look like a blind person was doing the job (it’s sealed, but looks messy). Good thing I am not being graded on this or I probably would have scored a C- on looks (some nice beads but also messy in places) but a A- on “there ain’t no water getting through that.”

Thankfully, I don’t have any more caulking jobs in the foreseeable future.

Any weekend warriors/DIYers out there that have projects they are putting off or absolutely hate doing?