| Author | Message | ||
     Court |
I'm going to be writing a story or woe, remorse and jubilant celebration in the next week as our very own Great Dane takes on his first, and most American of American things, mortgage. In the meantime, I'm occupying my time with one of my favorite things from Algebra class....the dreaded "word problems". Let's start simple: Henrik pays his E-Z Pass account by credit card. Henrik borrows Court's truck to go get his XB. Henrik leaves his E-Z Pass Toll Tag on Court's windshield. NOTE: until this point things were simple. Henrik calls Court to tell him this. NOTE: this is where, by his own hand, Henrik made the situaiton ugly. Henrik lives North of the Verazzano Narrows Bridge. Court lives South of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. The toll for the bridge is $8.00 per trip. The toll for the Brookly-Battery Tunnel is $4.00. QUESTION: If Henrik has a $10,000 credit limit, how many trips must Court make in a month to prevent Henrik from asking Court to help him move from his 4th floor loft? Prize to the winner. | ||
| Spooky |
I hate math! | ||
| Spooky |
416.66 Trips | ||
| Road_thing |
Trick question. However, if Henrik hasn't actually signed his life away to the mortgage company yet, and if he hasn't charged anything else on his card, 417 trips would put him over his credit limit, possibly damaging his credit rating to the point that closing might be delayed, thus negating the need for the request. Hmmm. | ||
| Spooky |
Going by the current toll fee using Henrik's E-Z pass Court would have to make 476.19047619047619047619047619048 trips. Road_thing lets not forget about the interest ether. | ||
| Court |
Okay.......you guys are farter smellers than I at first imagined. Let's step it up a notch.... Most of you know my pal Henrik, if you know him well, this one will be a cinch. If Road Thing or I were moving, we'd start packing things in whatever cardboard boxes we could find in the basement, liquor boxes in the kitchen and what we dug outta the bin at Wal-Mart at 4:30AM, realizing we'd waited till the last minute. Answer the following two questions for Henrik.... If Henrik is moving, all boxes are prepared labeled and stacked so as to minimize inefficiency on the part of volunpals helping to move. Presuming a "Normal Henrik" all boxes are packed, sealed and labeled: A) Minutes before the friends arrive. B) Mid-day - the day prior to moving. C) A day or so in advance. D) 4 days prior to closing. Presuming, once again, a "Normal Henrik", the mean deviation from a straight line when all boxes are arranged and ready to be moved is. A) Less than a cubit. B) Within a foot. C) Within Centimeters. D) Requires laboratory instruments to measure. Okay....take a crack at those two.  | ||
| Spooky |
Since I don't know much about Henrik, I'll give it a try. #1. D) 4 days prior to closing. #2. A) Less than a cubit. | ||
| Awprior |
I say #1) D #2) D | ||
| Firemanjim |
No such thing as a "Normal" Henrik,so I win!!!!But if it could happen it would be D to both.  | ||
| Phillyblast |
When's he moving? And does the Dane need a hand? (If he's buying beer I'll take a train ride) David | ||
| Davegess |
Court you are cruel. Here is Henrik fighting off the chaos of moving and unable to define himself and you are picking on him....Wait, I know Henrik is listening and has reproted the EZ Pass as stolen. Any day now Court is gonna roll through the toll both and have the trooper tear out after him. Better stop the teasing Court, paybacks and all  | ||
| Rex |
Hey Court....any word on the RSS tank? Anyone special I should contact on it and the electronic fuel valves? Thanks, REX | ||
| Reepicheep |
Henrik... just ignore those guys, they are all weirdos. Bill who's neatly stacked boxes included a blueprint of the appropriate floor with the exact spot in the room where each box should go clearly marked. In the same color marker. On every one of the hundreds of identically sized boxes. Which were packed a week before the move. | ||
| Road_thing |
Court--too easy-- D & D, of course. But if I were the one moving, I'd do what I always do--let my checkbook go numb and call somebody else to do it all for me. I mean, once you're in hock up to you eyeballs for a new house, what's a couple grand more? Hell, you could probably even put it on your mortgage. Henrik, being Henrik, will undoubtedly exercise tighter fiscal control than I do. Which is a good thing, 'cause he's still got all that other "unanticipated house upkeep" to deal with--foundation repair, roof repair, plumbing, electrical, extermination, removal of grease stains from the living room floor, etc., etc. ...well, on second thought, Henrik probably doesn't park his bike in the living room. And Henrik's bike probably doesn't leak, either... r-t | ||
| Bomber |
Me and Thang gave ourselves identical b'day presnets when we hit 40-something . .. . .I don't move myself any longer (the mover's agent bout fainted when he saw the books in the old Festung Bomber . . .. . THEN he went to the garage and saw the lathe, mill, 150 vise, and like that . . . .. THEN he scouted out the driveway to the new festung bomber,m and realized a semi could get in, but not out . . .. . . . . .) Henrik's experience will be the antithesis of Thang's and mine . . .. well-organized, efficient, and a veritable ballet of mover-persons, with each and every box deposited not only in the correct room, but close to the eventual location of the boxes' contents . . . . imagine my surprise when I tripped over the mill in the secondary bathroom of the new house! | ||
| Henrik |
Thanks guys ... you're all *much* too kind (yeah right). In reality it'll be "C" and "C" Fireman: Look who's talking  Bill: I'm with you - I can only wish for such organization Oh, and not to worry Court - when you're done with the chores I have lined up for you on Saturday, you'll be too tired to even lift your arms to type. Henrik | ||
| Henrik |
Aaah, cross posting; Fiscal control; you'll get a kick out of this: we (finally) got the keys to the house late Sunday night - take a look around the now empty house and discover even more that needs repair/replacement. Return Monday night to start cleaning (that job we're farming out!!) and go to turn on the steam heat - only to realize that there is a leak in one of the steam pipes. Not a good start - but it'll give you an impression of the house when I tell you that I wasn't at all surprised. Grease stains: no parking of bikes in the *new* living room. I finally got a garage  Ballet of mover-persons; that's *very* funny considering who's going to be helping out Because of all the work the house needs, I'll have to store almost everything in the basement until I get the other floors renovated. We'll be living in the basement as well, but as someone pointed out - then there's only one way, and that's up Bomber - is the mill still in that bedroom?? Henrik | ||
| Firemanjim |
All kidding aside,what did you buy and where are you going to be moving to? P.S.If these guys are anything like fireman,absolutely NO beer until finished. | ||
| Bomber |
Henrik -- nossir, it was imperiously stated that all of "my toys" should be relegated to the sole reason I submitted myself to the move in the first place -- the garage! good choice, as there really wasn't any room in the house suitable for toring the tooling for the poor dear note bene, ballet doen's necessarily imply any grace whatsoever . . . . . .could be a comical ballet, yes? or a frightening one, if said balleterhooligan is carrying anything your better hgalf values | ||
| Henrik |
I'm moving to a small townhouse in Forest Hills in Queens, New York. Nice, developed neighborhood (not going to miss the drugs, prostitution and small-time robberies of Williamsburg) on a quiet side street. Tiny little private patch of back yard with a small 2-car garage in the back. absolutely NO beer until finished. Of course not - I'm not a complete rookie when it comes to moving. We'll have adequate supplies (Philly - we have plenty of people helping, but you're more than welcome), but it will remain in hiding until the last box has been placed and the truck returned Bomber; nice note on the Ballet thing. You're absolutely correct on all counts  Henrik | ||
| Bomber |
Henrik -- congrats on the garage, sir . . .. . it's a great boon to upright mankind! | ||
| Mikej |
" it's a great boon to upright mankind!" It's also a great place to de-stress and hide out from the world for awhile. Almost as good as a writer's/artist's den, but greasier. | ||
| Phillyblast |
Henrik, Congrats - sounds like a great place. Unfortunately this Sat. sucks for me - I'm putting a new front fender and headlight assembly on the mustang,(Coupe meets SUV in snow, film at 11) and to top it off I'm having muscle spasms in my neck and can't turn my head to the right at the moment.  Careful though - I sometimes miss the prostitution, drugs, and small time robberies of my old 'hood in Chicago. (short story, I swear) So I'm driving to a gig one night (I'm a sax player), and stop at the red light up the street from my apartment. There's a streetwalker on the corner, dead of winter, miniskirt, fishnets, f-me pumps, and parka. She's giving me the "hey, over here" for a few seconds, the realizes I'm her neighbor. By way of apology, she toasts me with the forty-in-paper-bag in her hands, then clutches it in two hands and tilts her head back to chug. Mid-chug, she leans against the mailbox on the corner, and proceeds to slide off the curved edge, flat on her back on the sidwalk. In nearly slow-motion, the down parka breaks her fall. The 40 oz. is now bolt-upright on her chest, still clutched between her palms. Didn't spill a drop. So I roll down the window and ask if she's alright, she yells "fine", and starts to get up. Begins to roll on her side, realizes she'll spill her beer, stops, tries again, flails her legs like a turtle on it's back, until she grace(less)fully rocks to a sitting positions, 40 gyroscopically pointed to the sky the entire time like a ferris wheel car. Where she promptly took another long pull. I miss the street show, sometimes. OTOH I haven't stepped on a .38 casing in a while, either. BTW - My boss recommends a book called "The Lost Art of Steam Heat" or something similar - he bought a place last year with steam, it's been a huge help getting it tuned, etc. David | ||
| Ocbueller |
Henrik, Best of luck in the new home. Steam heat is the best. My first home was just about 15mi. from Forest Hills. I installed adjustable valves on each of the radiators to fine tune the individual rooms. My new modern home has a heat pump, it sucks. SteveH | ||
| Henrik |
Thanks guys, I really appreciate it. Right now I've got all kinds of "Buyers Remorse" (I just spent the evening trying to figure out what the heck the previous owner had done to some wiring), but I know it'll be good once I get used to the thought.  Philly; thanks for the book title - I'll need it badly. Steve; Thanks, good to hear about steam - I had my doubts. Do you remember what brand of valves you used? Every single radiator needs a replacement Henrik | ||
| Wyckedflesh |
A site to add to your favorites list Henrik incase you don't already have it... http://www.diynet.com/ | ||
| Court |
>>>>Do you remember what brand of valves you used? Why, in my mind's eye, do I picture a discussion board somewhere on the internet, with someone saying...."ohhh no . . . not the dreaded "what valve?" thread again" This is gonna be great! | ||
| Reepicheep |
Henrik... Don't let the buyers remorse get you. Every time I buy a house, I feel like I am paying 10% too much for it. But funny, every time I sell a house, I feel like I am getting 20% more then I expected, so it all works out in the end. We just signed to build, something I *swore* I would never do. But I can't fight the math. | ||
| Kinger |
Henrik, The book recommended by Phillyblast is a great resource. Being an HVAC engineer I have used it to help figure out the piping in some old commercial buildings. You can also check out www.heatinghelp.com It is a website by the author of the above mentioned book. Good luck with the house. | ||
| Csg_inc |
Hey Court.... About two months from now the thread will be.... Hey Aaron can you Dynoflow test these valves? I think I can make them work 10% better if we smoothe out the intake side and hook them up to some better ECM units....What color wires should we use? Now where was that Buell water pump I saw on E-bay? DAVE | ||
| Road_thing |
>>Ballet of mover-persons get me a picture of Court in a Tu-Tu! r-t | ||
| Ocbueller |
Henrik, Go to the oldest neighborhood hardware store you can find and get the replacement for the pressure valve that screws into each radiator. It has a little movable latch that lets you fine tune each one. They were chrome plated. Don't remember a brand it was about 20 yrs ago. Never had better heat than natural gas and steam radiators. They still make those funky radiator covers made of galvanized steel that you can paint the same color as the walls. SteveH edited by ocbueller on February 25, 2004 | ||
| Henrik |
Wycked; thanks for the link - I'd been by there awhile back for other reasons. Thanks for reminding me. Kinger; that's a fantastic site for steam heat. The guy is even close by on Long Island, should I be desperate for good help I have the book on order already. Thanks. Stephen; I'll be scoping out the neighborhood soon for good shops like that. There is a service sticker on the furnace, so at least I know who *not* to contact for help and/or parts . I hadn't thought of radiator covers. Thanks. Henrik | ||
| Bomber |
H Radiator covers are also available (pre-made!) in wood, if that's more to the liking of the asthetics committee . . . . | ||
| Court |
Well . . . it's done. I'll start out by saying that I did nothing. I got sucked into the work thing that kept me from joining the fun at Henrik's until just following the "actual work". In a nutshell, the Great Dane has made the ultimate New York move from a totally hip Williamsburg loft to a very nice home in Queens. To those of you ill versed in New York Real Estate, this is the city of the "$600,000 fixer upper". The crap they just build next to me, although they set for a couple years, sold for $900,000 and back in my native Kansas none would have fetched $100K. But, this is where it gets better. Not only did Henrik and Melissa (his gorgeous emissary that maintains contact with the world of reality on behalf of both of them) score a killer home, they scored a killer home with a DOUBLE GARAGE. Again, for the sake of illustrating this, go out and try to buy a double knit John Travolta brass buttoned-wide-collar disco suit in Klein, TX at 11:30PM on a Sunday night...that will be INFINITELY easier. Anyway...here, in a few photos is a summary of the facts "according to Court", for the benefit of Henrik's friends about the world.  | ||
| Peter |
Henrik, Well done mate. I guess you already have a CAD layout for the garage? PS. .....and you'd better not put any mirrors in it to distract you.......  | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Lookin good Henrik! Now hurry up and get that place set up like a proper "Mens Crisis Center". Brad | ||
| Steveford |
Hey, Henrik! Your speedo is in so put down the Elefants and get in touch with me, please. |
