I feel like I have abandoned this site. :(

I need to get back in the swing of things and start posting again.

I feel like I have abandoned this site. :(

I need to get back in the swing of things and start posting again.

 

Any updates on the model railroad layout?

Actually yes, I just haven't been up there in a while. Same with Williamsport. I work Downtown and go to college six blocks away, but I have been too busy to get any coverage.

Trying out a new screenname

Trying out a new screenname

 

Oh Lawd a new case of "Urban Ohio Sybil"  AKA CDM-itis (see photo)

 

 

Oh...I'm not feeling your new screen name.  Ditch it - and fast!

Trying out a new screenname

 

Good thing modern browsers remember usernames, 'cause that would suck to type in every time.

Well, I havent fought in the golden gloves for 20 years, and I was thinking a CleveChiNola type name

Wouldn't CleChiNola look better?

 

LOL! @ MTS

HOORAY

 

for the Cincinnati streetcar groundbreaking!

 

Edit: All Aboard Ohio's write-up:

http://allaboardohio.org/2012/02/17/cincinnati-streetcar-breaks-ground/

"An important event in Ohio transit history occurred on Feb. 17, 2012!"

HOORAY

 

for the Cincinnati streetcar groundbreaking!

 

Huzzah! It's about god d@mn time. Haven't followed the Cinci Streetcar thread much since the election, but I'm glad it's finally happening. A long hard fought battle, indeed.

^ I figured some people were interested but not following too closely, which is why I posted that in here.

 

PARTY! :D

I have encountered in my bar crawl march around Northside Chicago areas two glorious walmarts in extremely beautiful 100 year old buildings.  Walmart needs consider ditching the shitty suburban model for this new experimental concept

No idea where to post this, but I overheard an interesting conversation yesterday.  Three older gentlemen were talking about downtown Cleveland development and one of them mentioned that he had heard that Key Tower has foundation/structural issues and has started to lean slightly to the South.  He also seemed to think that some work had already been done (unsuccessfully) to shore up the tower and stop the lean.  Anyone ever heard of foundation issues with Key Tower?

 

These men also echoed comments heard here regarding FCE being bums for doing development work seemingly everywhere but Cleveland.  Oh, and they also didn't seem to be too fond of the RTA proposal for the lot at W6th and Superior... probably because all of these men seemed to be owners/operators of establishments on W6th.

The Leaning Tower of Key.

No idea where to post this, but I overheard an interesting conversation yesterday.  Three older gentlemen were talking about downtown Cleveland development and one of them mentioned that he had heard that Key Tower has foundation/structural issues and has started to lean slightly to the South.  He also seemed to think that some work had already been done (unsuccessfully) to shore up the tower and stop the lean.  Anyone ever heard of foundation issues with Key Tower?

 

These men also echoed comments heard here regarding FCE being bums for doing development work seemingly everywhere but Cleveland.  Oh, and they also didn't seem to be too fond of the RTA proposal for the lot at W6th and Superior... probably because all of these men seemed to be owners/operators of establishments on W6th.

 

I find that hard to believe it's leaning.  Deep caissons will go down to bedrock.  They travel a long distance (a couple hundred feet) typically so there is enough force in all directions to keep the caisson stable...thus it's unlikely crushing forces or distress from neighboring structures is sufficient enough to damage the foundation.  Any displacement that could possibly happen would be limited to the superstructure....and if that was the case, you'd be hearing it from a legitimate source.

 

But settling is a real issue that occurs in all cities and sometimes larger, mostly low to midrise pre-war buildings, but the methods of piling / slab foundations back then were pretty inferior to what we have today. 

In some smaller-scale construction projects I've seen them apply load tests to caissons and bridge piers before they start to build on them. I'm guessing they probably conducted some rigorous testing on the support structure of Key Tower before they started construction.

 

I remember reading that before Terminal Tower was built (mid-1920s), no buildings of significant mass were built on its site because the area is ancient river delta with unstable soil and deeply-buried bedrock. If my memory is correct, there may be as many as two hundred caissons supporting Terminal Tower. They go down two hundred feet to bedrock, and some of the caissons are ten feet in diameter.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!  Happy Mardi Gras y'all

^ it has already begun on music channel's sound of the seasons on tm cable -- i can listen to cajun music for like 15min then it drives me up the wall -- i hate when they bump my electronica off there for these random holidays lol!

 

I have a question regarding unemployment benefits.

 

I had, what I thought was a pretty stable job. I got laid off out of nowhere, through no fault of my own. I have never filed for unemployment in my life until a few months ago, even when I had the chance because I knew that getting a government check would make me lazy in terms of looking for the next job and quite frankly they don't give you enough money to survive on anyway so I never wanted that to be any part of my focus. However, I REALLY needed any source of income and I was really p!ssed off at my employer for letting me go, so I kinda did it out of both necessity and spite, even though I was entitled to it. The application online is so simple; I thought for sure it would be smooth sailing, but 3 weeks after I filed, I recieved this document in the mail which stated who all I've worked for in the last (probably 14 or 15 months) along with what I earned from those two employers, based on what the person they contacted, representing the company, has said they have on record. The second to last company I worked for reported the exact amount I remember making and the exact number of weeks or months that I remembered working. My LAST employer, who I had been with for 6 months, told the unemployment office that I only worked with them for 6 WEEKS and that I only made 400 DOLLARS TOTAL!! Are you kidding me!? People who make minimum wage, part-time, make more than that!! That's not even believable! This company tried to get out of paying unemployment benefits by creating a MAJOR lie. It's not like they were even in the same ballpark, reporting my pay and number of weeks that I worked. This really bothered me because if they did that to me, causing me to be denied unemployment benefits when I truly needed it and deserved it, then they're probably doing that to everyone.

 

I filed an appeal and sent them probably over 20 paycheck stubs along with some paperwork I had to send in, to show them how much money I made and for how long I worked. I was p!ssed off that I even had to spend the time to do all of that. I shouldn't have even had to pay for the damn stamps to mail it in! Not my error in the first place. Fast forward (about 3 months later)-- out of nowhere, I recieved a fat paycheck from the unemployment office, (Wohoo!! Take that b!tches--you had to paayyyy meee!!!)

 

Anyway, even though I feel victorious for finally getting paid for the period of 5 weeks that I was unemployed, I still have a major concern:

 

Will my last employer get in trouble for their BLATANT LIE when reporting my income to the Unemployment Agency? I think companies have a duty and a certain degree of responsibility to uphold in reporting fairly accurately, their workers' (or previous workers') earnings. They wouldn't be able to get away with lying to the IRS. More than recieving this lump sum, I'd love to see them get reprimanded in a way that causes them to never do it again. Because they falsified my earnings, I didn't get that money when I REALLY NEEDED IT THE MOST and I don't want that to happen to others. It's not fair when you pay into something and have to dispute it to death just to be a minor beneficiary of the program. I just wanted what I was entitled to for 5 weeks. All of the money I made through them is black and white, clear as day, displayed on a computer screen and can be retrieved in a matter of seconds; there's simply no excuse for them to say I made practically nothing through them and that I only worked there for a few weeks.

 

Is this sort of thing pretty common or did I just happen to work for crooks who underestimated me?

^Sounds like fraud to me...

I'd think that the State keeps track of these things and would take action against a repeat offender.  Fat chance getting anything more aggressive than that.  It would be considered burdening job creators ("Clearly government has made it too hard for businesses to pay what they owe to the system so we should get rid of it").

Why it's important to consider tomorrow when you want to do something today, especially when passion is involved....

 

Feb 15, 2012

Naked, bound woman in Subaru was part of a sexy romp

 

A little Valentine's Day romantic role-playing went wrong for a Portland, Ore., couple after police found the woman bound and naked in the back of a Subaru driven by her lover, the Portland Police Bureau reports.

 

....After police were tipped that a naked woman was seen bound and gagged in the back of the blue Subaru Legacy at a supermarket, police went on the lookout. The witness provided police with a license plate number even though the driver reassured him the couple was just fooling around.

 

The cops were waiting in force -- nine squad cars -- when Harbar and Pelzner pulled their car into the driveway at home. Embarrassed? We suppose.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2012/02/naked-bound-woman-in-subaru-just-an-amorous-couple/1?csp=obnetwork#.T0vFlYd5GSo

"Mr. Harbor was hard pressed to explain the shovel and six foot hole dug in the backyard"

 

Sexy romp, indeed.

I'd think that the State keeps track of these things and would take action against a repeat offender.  Fat chance getting anything more aggressive than that.  It would be considered burdening job creators ("Clearly government has made it too hard for businesses to pay what they owe to the system so we should get rid of it").

 

That's HORSE SH!T. Not your point, but how employers can get away with screwing you over like that. Lucky for me, I had a record of all the times I got paid by them. A lot of people might not keep record of their pay, making it even harder or impossible to dispute. They must have been banking on that, or apathy on my part.

 

Corporations get away with so much more than employees can, it seems. If I lied and kept making claims each week after the 5th week, saying that I was unemployed when in fact I was, then according to the website, I have a 9 out of 10 chance of being audited and would face criminal prosecution and would have to pay it back.

I'd think that the State keeps track of these things and would take action against a repeat offender.  Fat chance getting anything more aggressive than that.  It would be considered burdening job creators ("Clearly government has made it too hard for businesses to pay what they owe to the system so we should get rid of it").

 

That's HORSE SH!T. Not your point, but how employers can get away with screwing you over like that. Lucky for me, I had a record of all the times I got paid by them. A lot of people might not keep record of their pay, making it even harder or impossible to dispute. They must have been banking on that, or apathy on my part.

 

Corporations get away with so much more than employees can, it seems. If I lied and kept making claims each week after the 5th week, saying that I was unemployed when in fact I was, then according to the website, I have a 9 out of 10 chance of being audited and would face criminal prosecution and would have to pay it back.

 

I  think if they pull that stunt again they'll get in trouble.  No unemployment office wants to go through all the paper work for dispute resolution.  They just need to settle the matter.  However if this is repeatedly happening, yes they could get in trouble for fraud.  Why else are employers required to put up those posters in the break room that say "Know your rights"

 

 

So the parents are in town tomorrow.  They only come to Chicago about twice a year, but the few days before I'm always cleaning my apartment like I've never before.  Dousing things in bleach, windex, dishsoap, whatever.  Usually my place is "decent clean."  At least clean to the eye when guests come over, and the washroom is cleaned and disinfected once a week.  But I tend to leave stuff out.  Beer bottles may sit on the counter for a couple days.  I'll dust off shelves maybe once a month, when really it should be every other week.

 

However, my mom is very fastidious.  She'll notice dust behind the bed, the disorganized area beneath the sink, a crumb beneath the fridge....and then she'll start cleaning.  That's usually when more often than not, an argument begins.  I'll tell they are on vacation, but no, moms gotta clean. 

 

I took all the crap I couldn't organize and sort and threw them in a closet, which I then locked.  That was at least half the battle.

 

Wish me luck.

Good luck with the parental visit. My parents lived only 25 miles away. Mom, too, was a fastidious cleaner and very efficient at it, but they didn't visit often. More often, I stopped by their place on Saturdays.

 

Although I clean much less frequently than I ought to, I do know how to do it well. One thing I learned when refreshing my rental property after smokers moved out was that white vinegar is an excellent cleaner for windows, counter tops, appliances, and other hard surfaces. It's non-toxic and environmentally safe and a big plus is that it leaves a place smelling clean and fresh.

^Also good for getting funky smells out of the laundry.

So everything went well.  My mom cleaned of course.  Found the dust under the bed.  But it was good relaxing weekend.

WTH?! I was involved in a minor car accident 2 days ago. I wasn't hurt or anything, it was minimal damage and all of a sudden I have chiropractors blowing up my phone asking me if I want to come in to their office! The only person I gave my number to was a police officer at the scene of the accident. I don't appreciate them giving my number out like that.

If you filed a police report, that's public domain. They probably have someone going through recent reports for exactly that kind of info

A coworker had the same thing happen. Apparently by the time she got someone to pick her up and give her a ride home she already had messages from chiropractors. I'm curious whether that's a violation of the "do not call" lists.

It is unless you've gone to that chiropractor before.

If you filed a police report, that's public domain. They probably have someone going through recent reports for exactly that kind of info

 

This is bull. I was in the passenger seat, I wasn't the one driving that rear-ended someone. No one was hurt or injured and the only information I gave the police officer was my name and phone number. They shouldn't be allowed to make your cell phone number public record. I'm sick of getting all these calls at work from Chiropractors. It's crazy, it's not even someone representing their company, the doctors themselves are calling me. Chiropractors are frickin' ambulance chasers.

^ Good you aren't hurt, but that would be annoying.  I remember once a lawyer gave me his card after I got doored by a driver.  I got a small scrape on my knee and the bike was fine, sheesh I'm not going to sue. 

WTH?! I was involved in a minor car accident 2 days ago. I wasn't hurt or anything, it was minimal damage and all of a sudden I have chiropractors blowing up my phone asking me if I want to come in to their office! The only person I gave my number to was a police officer at the scene of the accident. I don't appreciate them giving my number out like that.

 

Sounds like an ambulance chasers. 

So the parents are in town tomorrow.  They only come to Chicago about twice a year, but the few days before I'm always cleaning my apartment like I've never before.  Dousing things in bleach, windex, dishsoap, whatever.  Usually my place is "decent clean."  At least clean to the eye when guests come over, and the washroom is cleaned and disinfected once a week.  But I tend to leave stuff out.  Beer bottles may sit on the counter for a couple days.  I'll dust off shelves maybe once a month, when really it should be every other week.

 

However, my mom is very fastidious.  She'll notice dust behind the bed, the disorganized area beneath the sink, a crumb beneath the fridge....and then she'll start cleaning.  That's usually when more often than not, an argument begins.  I'll tell they are on vacation, but no, moms gotta clean. 

 

I took all the crap I couldn't organize and sort and threw them in a closet, which I then locked.  That was at least half the battle.

 

Wish me luck.

 

Honey, that is never going to end.  My mother insists on telling me how to run my houses.  She and my aunt were in NYC for a week a couple of weeks ago and she insisted that my linen closet isnt properly arranged.  That I dont have enough food in the house for me or my nephew.  I buy the wrong oranges.  I have too many security alarms on the house.  Why is the TV so big?  etc...etc...etc...

 

I remind her who pays the bills.  which only give me a 24 hour break.

If you filed a police report, that's public domain. They probably have someone going through recent reports for exactly that kind of info

 

Correct. Every accident I've been in that required a police report results in months of mail, phone calls, etc. Eventually it goes away.

I have an annuity but I Need-Cash-Now :(

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can't get that out of my head!

Are you tired of paying too much for diabetes testing supplies?

 

Enjoy the convenience of getting catheters delivered directly to your door.

 

Have you or a family member become ill from taking Avandia?

 

You can get a Hoveround scooter delivered directly to you at no out-of-pocket cost. 

I particularly love the elderly person who declares " I got my Scoot 'N Doo at no cost to MEEE!

 

No cost to you, gramps, but plenty to me. Now why don't you scoot on down to McDonalds and get a hamburger with a coffee.

Are you tired of paying too much for diabetes testing supplies?

 

Enjoy the convenience of getting catheters delivered directly to your door.

 

Have you or a family member become ill from taking Avandia?

 

You can get a Hoveround scooter delivered directly to you at no out-of-pocket cost. 

 

It's MY money and I want it NOW!!!

Live Links Anyone?

I particularly love the elderly person who declares " I got my Scoot 'N Doo at no cost to MEEE!

 

No cost to you, gramps, but plenty to me. Now why don't you scoot on down to McDonalds and get a hamburger with a coffee.

 

Oh they'll scoot alright.  They'll plow over all the able-walking pedestrians on their way.  Those things go fast. 

I wonder why Penguins always wear tuxedos.

I wonder why Penguins always wear tuxedos.

 

They're always over-dressed for the occasion. Like a bunch of little MTS's running around the arctic.

I particularly love the elderly person who declares " I got my Scoot 'N Doo at no cost to MEEE!

 

No cost to you, gramps, but plenty to me. Now why don't you scoot on down to McDonalds and get a hamburger with a coffee.

 

Oh they'll scoot alright.  They'll plow over all the able-walking pedestrians on their way.  Those things go fast. 

 

In the office were I last worked prior to retirement, there was a kid who used an electric wheelchair. He was a menace. We had narrow aisles and cubicles with six-foot partitions, and everyone got into the habit of carefully looking both ways before stepping into the aisle, to make sure Kevin wasn't coming at full speed. His chair was quiet and he always went as fast as he could, and never gave any warning when he shot past someone from behind at close clearance. I never got used to that.

They're always over-dressed for the occasion. Like a bunch of little MTS's running around the arctic.

you mean antarctic right? :D

Wow, really? I had no idea. I thought they were bi-polar lol