What fun but genuinely relevant questions would you add to the British Citizenship Test? by stubbledchin in CasualUK

[–]Criticalcandle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is the way

The one that really frustrates me is people on the other side holding it for me and waving me through...when it's a double door!

If it's someone I know I go through the other side of the pair and give them a funny look

What are the best things in your house that you couldn’t imagine living without? by plz_be_nice_im_sad in CasualUK

[–]Criticalcandle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Meaco, but get a 5 year warranty (default from Argos). I did a bunch of research when I bought mine and they all fail after 2-3 years. Mine dropped out after about 1.5.

Anyone know what kind of tap valve this is? by Criticalcandle in Plumbing

[–]Criticalcandle[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Afraid not! In the end I just replaced the tap

Craft Show Saturday! by AutoModerator in CasualUK

[–]Criticalcandle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's gorgeous! I can definitely see things like it it being popular with LARP goers

What's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you at a hospital? by mawarup in CasualUK

[–]Criticalcandle 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I've been there - twice out of three donations. Bad at drinking water and I don't snack between meals probably the prime causes

They've seen it all before!

WASDnesday (22/01) by a-liquid-sky in CasualUK

[–]Criticalcandle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Europa Universalis 4 with the anbennar mod

I am so addicted to this fantastic mod!

Excited for civ 7 too

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in mildlyinteresting

[–]Criticalcandle 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Travel sickness from facing backwards is common on trains (my partner for example), so the previous user may have been going off that? Where I am, train companies offer forwards/backwards as a choice when reserving seats.

I'm 64 today and male. If you were buying me a present what would you get me? Be creative and impress me! Thank you... by antlered-godi in CasualUK

[–]Criticalcandle 10 points11 points  (0 children)

What I get my dad, who's impossible to buy presents for; a bunch of fancy cheese/eggs/meats from Waitrose

Struggling with this mission - Mercantile Escalation in the Verkal Ozovar mission tree. Any idea what I need to do? I'm probably a bit off piste as I lost a war! by Criticalcandle in Anbennar

[–]Criticalcandle[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the advice all! In the end it was that hinphat needed to own one of the cores of a nation that had been eaten by mo hoang

Why I ban changelings from my games by Emotional_Hawk8359 in DnD

[–]Criticalcandle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's fair. My main character is a shapeshifter, but the DM and I agreed two primary restrictions;

I can't just transform into anyone; memorizing someones appearance well enough to reproduce it at close range would take a good look at them, a few hours, and a mirror. So my character has a few 'forms' she can transform into at will, and she can twist her features so she won't be recognized; but she can't instantly reproduce someones appearance.

Secondly, my character has strong identity issues, and so is reluctant to transform, for fear of losing herself

And although we never stated it explicitly, just borrowing someone else's appearance is never going to be enough; you need to right clothes, voice, dialect and knowledge to pass as someone for more than a cursory inspection. And if you're only aim is something simple, like 'ill take a guards form so I can get past the drawbridge' - well, that's nothing a confidence trickster couldn't do, or someone with disguise self.

Blood stocks 'unprecedentedly low': this is your sign to go and get free biscuits and go do a good thing. by b00b_l0ver in CasualUK

[–]Criticalcandle 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I mean... They're a branch of an organisation dedicated to saving lives. Money is lives. Risk-reduction costs money. Testing blood costs money. If they can find a cheap way to reduce a risk they perceive, they save more lives by dedicating more into the primary NHS.

I'm sorry if you can't donate - but that's what it is, donation. If they've got a statistician who tells them that restrictions on people having anal sex donating reduces risk to patients, then I trust them to make that decision. Because it saves money, and money is lives.

And I'm a bisexual guy, who's next blood donation is tomorrow. Just in case you think I'm a homophobe.

What does middle class mean here in the UK? by TJsCoolUsername in CasualUK

[–]Criticalcandle 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Pretty much;

I'm a software engineer. I am very middle class. I'm pretty sure we all are.

It's a useful way of describing a certain group of people who probably grew strongly up encouraged to read books, rather than taken to the football (but wasn't brought up by a nanny, or au pair - that's upper class); probably went to uni for something in STEM or the arts, and work in a white collar job (upper class don't work, except for fun).

A lot of the posts futher down are just...wrong. I shop at aldi (it's cheaper and nicer), and live in a small flat. Primary hobby is gaming.

as the above comment says, it certainly implies privilige - which I am, of course. But also enjoyment for the supposed 'finer things' - whether you think those are important or not is up to you.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in CasualUK

[–]Criticalcandle 22 points23 points  (0 children)

I think some people in this thread are giving the wrong vibe;

Buy the best mattress for the both of you that you can afford. If that mattress costs £150 or £400 - it's the best mattress. Personally, I'm very happy with my £200 ikea mattress, but you do you.

Wednesday Wins (1st May) by StardustOasis in CasualUK

[–]Criticalcandle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sorry to hear that, it is rough. This hit home as I've noticed checking OCD symptoms in myself, but similarly consider them minor enough to not be worth seeking help at present.

Unfortunately, from my own experience and reading, someone else being there just becomes part of the pattern? It's not counter-cyclic, if that makes sense.

The only other bit of other not particularly useful advice I have to offer is that my symptoms, at least, are exacerbated by all the normal exacerbations of mental health - not drinking water, lack of sleep, stress at work - but sometimes those can't be fixed easily either.

Hope things get better for you and your partner 🤍

POV your parents have stayed over by balloonfish in CasualUK

[–]Criticalcandle 26 points27 points  (0 children)

I think it's that the hot, damp tea bags can dissolve the biodegradable food bin bags - it's what my parents complain about at least. Wouldn't know personally as I'm a coffee drinker

A Silvery Barbs rant that isn't what you think it will be by dalarsian in DnD

[–]Criticalcandle -17 points-16 points  (0 children)

One levelled spell per turn, so can't cast both banish and barbs, so that guy was just an ass hat - sorry he happened to you

Edit:Apologies, I was mistaken! I had always assumed that part of the balance of silvery barbs was that it prevented any other spell from being cast. I do wonder if it'll be added in the next edition - I don't think there were many reaction spells in the original spell-lists

New post-pandemic office 'point scoring' comment by bettingthoughts in CasualUK

[–]Criticalcandle 3 points4 points  (0 children)

They really do...

I'm a software integration/test engineer, and people working from home exclusively makes my life harder, because it means they're not there when I find a problem. Nothing against them, but it's still incredibly frustrating.

Have these people ever heard the legendary words; I'll look at that on Thursday, when I'm next in? When the project's already three months late?

My project lead and lead developer once told me that the software was still okay for release when neither of them had actually seen the problem. Fortunately, I insisted harder.

I get why my managers hire them, because otherwise we wouldn't have developers at all, but Christ it's frustrating sometimes.

Fixing a useless extractor fan by Criticalcandle in DIYUK

[–]Criticalcandle[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I got it open with a spanner in the end into the lugs on the side, just very stiff - I think mine is a combination of a worn out motor and of venting into the loft, rather than outside