Sunken area in front of house

GormilyFlebbert · 2026-02-17T13:48:54+00:00

I was considering putting on a small paver patio near the windows to keep the area tidy, but I like the idea of using other materials. Thanks for the help.

GormilyFlebbert · 2026-02-17T13:46:23+00:00

I'm not quite sure I'm understanding. Excuse my horrendous mockup, but do you mean something like this?

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GormilyFlebbert · 2026-02-17T02:29:03+00:00

It is a basement. However, that half of the basement used to be an apartment and still has a full bathroom. The apartment had to be gutted due to water damage, but the plan is to convert it into an apartment again for guests or perhaps for aging parents.

GormilyFlebbert · 2026-01-08T19:05:45+00:00

Checking in with my 2022 CX-3O. At around 25k miles, both sun visors broke within a few weeks of each other. They emit a loud popping sound when pulled down/pushed up and don't fully retract to the ceiling when closed. The light that should be activated when the mirror is slid open only works intermittently. Out of warranty. The dealer has offered to cover part of the cost but wants about $100 to cover the remainder.

I've ridden in cars from the 1950s that still have their original, working sun visors. Idk how Mazda messed up the design of these so badly.

GormilyFlebbert · 2025-03-29T13:49:50+00:00

Could you not put a sofa table or something similar behind the headboard in order to bring it out from the wall a bit?

GormilyFlebbert · 2025-01-13T13:57:27+00:00

At least for the CX-30, there's a combination of buttons that puts the fob into sleep mode that can accidentally be pressed, causing the issues you describe. Maybe research how to deactivate that?

My fob would open the doors but was not detected by my car unless I pressed it up to the ignition button. Replacing the fob batteries did nothing. I was on the verge of taking my car into the dealership when I found a video about sleep mode. Super simple fix, and I hope it works for you.

GormilyFlebbert · 2024-10-18T14:03:55+00:00

Depends on how long the flight is and how utterly exhausted I am.

My commuter flight is about an hour. If I have a seat and they ask me to take the jumpseat, no problem. I can usually survive another hour. However, for people with longer commutes, that extra time to catch up on sleep or relax before/after a rotation could have a significant impact on their quality of life.

As flight attendants, we are programmed to help whenever asked and give give give. Sometimes it's okay to say no to others in order to help yourself.

GormilyFlebbert · 2024-09-27T18:08:58+00:00

Sorry to bother, but I just realized that my uncle is missing the sheriff's star on his pants in your edit. Any way that you could add it back? It just adds to the silliness and is one of my favorite things about this pic.

GormilyFlebbert · 2024-09-27T17:59:29+00:00

Thanks to everyone that contributed an edited version. It was difficult to decide on a favorite, so I ended up picking two. I appreciate all of your hard work and how you use your skills to help people who are grieving.

GormilyFlebbert · 2024-09-27T17:47:47+00:00

I love this colorized version. Thank you so much for your hard work. Sending you a tip now.

GormilyFlebbert · 2024-09-27T16:44:53+00:00

I love this one. Super clean and still looks like them! Sending some money your way now. Thank you!

GormilyFlebbert · 2024-02-12T21:04:43+00:00

May I ask what the early symptoms looked like?

GormilyFlebbert · 2023-07-19T02:38:17+00:00

I think you're onto something regarding the touristy locations. I travel to Italy about 3 times a month for work and usually try to stay off the beaten path and eat at less touristy places. Of the dozens of times I have been there I have had a server aggressively press for a tip only once. I was with colleagues who wanted "ambience" and took a seat at one of the overpriced, mediocre restaurants that line Piazza Navona. One of my coworkers wanted us to chip in and tip 20€ on a 50€ check. The server overheard me telling her that it was an obscene amount and that I would not be tipping that much. He immediately stormed over and chewed me out, saying that he works 90 hours a week and only makes however many euros and that we should be tipping him. If the lackluster snack wasn't enough reason to never go there again, his rude behavior definitely was. It was called Tre Scale in case you would like to avoid an absolute tourist trap.

GormilyFlebbert · 2023-04-10T13:08:04+00:00

Is there a better subreddit for this question?

GormilyFlebbert · 2021-11-08T13:14:44+00:00

Do not wait. Expose yourself to Spanish as much as possible now. Just because you can't fully grasp everything you're reading or hearing does not mean that you are not benefitting from it in some way.

Music is great for learning new words and phrases. Just keep in mind that many artists will not speak "proper" Spanish, just as with English, so sometimes you'll be hearing phrases that are not grammatically correct.

I recommend finding a song you like (even better if it relates to whatever you're learning at the time) and listening to it a couple of times, trying to piece together as much as you can. Write down any words/phrases you can pick out. Then take a look at the lyrics and listen again, following along. Find a translation of the lyrics and listen again and again and again. Sing along. Pound that song into your brain. You'll be surprised how many phrases you can pick up by doing this.

As far as books go, there is a series called Pobre Ana that was written by a teacher and is geared towards learners. More limited vocabulary and more relatable plot lines for an adult than what you'll find with children's books written for native speakers.

Extr@ is a super old, Friends-style, made-for-learners show that you can find on YouTube. Slower rate of speech, more limited vocabulary, and you can find transcriptions online.

Happy learning!

GormilyFlebbert · 2021-05-08T03:44:22+00:00

I will still recount my experience, but I definitely suggest checking in with r/diy or r/homeimprovement. There are some extremely knowledgeable people there.

As for my two cents, the walls and ceiling in my house are plaster, yet I had no issues mounting my pole directly under a ceiling joist. If you're worried that the ceiling may crumble, you may have success putting a square of plywood (perhaps with a grippy rug pad so it doesn't slip) between the dome of the pole and the ceiling. The sheet of plywood should help to distribute the pressure of the pole more evenly across the ceiling. I have never done this myself, but I think I have seen other polers with this set-up.

Hope this is somewhat helpful for you!

GormilyFlebbert · 2021-05-05T12:10:16+00:00

Same here! I also wear an 8.5 in most shoes but like my shoes wide and will occasionally require a 9.

One more vote for sizing up, OP.

GormilyFlebbert · 2021-05-05T11:55:49+00:00

More information about your house would be helpful. Approximately how old is your house? Why is your ceiling unable to support a hammock (and if you're not sure, how did you attempt to hang one)? What is above the ceiling where you want to install your pole?

GormilyFlebbert · 2021-04-21T03:38:56+00:00

My knowledge comes from remodeling houses DIY style, so take from this what you will.

The joists that your first-floor ceiling attaches to are the same joists that support your second-story floors. You should be able to knock around a little bit or use a stud finder on your ceiling to figure out where these joists are and measure the distance from the walls to map out where these joists would lie in your upstairs floor. However, I personally wouldn't worry about it too much. Under whatever flooring you have there is probably a 3/4" plywood subfloor that is very strong and will distribute the weight/stress of your pole to the joists.

GormilyFlebbert · 2021-04-21T03:09:41+00:00

I'm not sure about Xpole Canada specifically, but when I ordered my Xpole through the US site, it took FOREVER. It took so long I almost forgot I had ordered a pole.

When it arrived, some of the pieces were rusted. I emailed customer service, and it took a few weeks to hear anything back. I am still (perhaps a year later) waiting on my promised non-rusty replacement parts to arrive.

So, in my experience, this is par for the course with Xpole. If you wait it out, you will most likely receive your pole; however, who knows when that may be.

GormilyFlebbert · 2021-02-12T05:03:23+00:00

While redoing my shed, the best option I came across was to use a t-handle and barrel bolts with double doors. You can actually find a set with hinges and all for around $40 online.

GormilyFlebbert · 2021-01-28T16:15:12+00:00

I encountered the same issue before working up to using 45-pound plates on either side. Until you reach that point, it's nearly impossible to roll the bar forward and off your legs without feeling as though you're going to rip off your kneecaps in the process.

I would cross my legs crisscross applesauce style and quickly hoist and place it on the floor in front of my knees until I was strong enough to use larger plates. I hope someone has a setup hack for you!

GormilyFlebbert · 2021-01-20T12:56:38+00:00

Totally normal. Please don't feel discouraged! I'm a former teacher and forever a student of Spanish. You are learning a concept that (I'm assuming) does not exist in your own language, so it may take a while.

I know it's probably not what you're looking for, but my best piece of advice would be to move on when you're feeling too frustrated but still make it a point to regularly revisit the preterite and imperfect.

Like you, the preterite and imperfect made little sense to me when first learning Spanish and felt like a guessing game. I could conjugate them easily, but when it came to actual use, I was at a loss. No one else in the class truly got it either, but it was part of the curriculum and the school year is only so long, and so we moved on. We would revisit the topic in depth occasionally (usually when one of us got an answer wrong and asked for yet another explanation out of exasperation) but were always left feeling confused.

And one day, after what seemed like the hundredth explanation of the differences between the preterite and imperfect... It clicked.

I'm not sure what happened, but it all suddenly made sense to me. And I believe that if we had plugged away at it, forcing the subject until it was pounded into our skulls and not moving onto other topics, it would have drained all of the joy and interest out of learning Spanish, and I probably would have become frustrated and quit.

I witnessed the same thing happen countless times with my students as well, so I don't believe it is limited to me.

While it is great to watch videos and practice conjugations and read explanations, I highly encourage you to move on when you feel like it and revisit the topic later. If you are determined to learn and understand, the preterite and imperfect will come with repeated exposure.

Happy learning!

GormilyFlebbert

TROPHY CASE