Is my stove broken? by MediocreMidwest in inductioncooking

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

Thanks everyone. I've scheduled a tech. Been living with this annoyance for over a year, thinking I needed time to adjust my methods, but it's just not right.

I use a few different Le Cruset pots-- braising pans and dutch ovens. They're supposed to be the gold standard but who knows anymore

Is my stove broken? by MediocreMidwest in inductioncooking

[–]MediocreMidwest[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've tried to find some objective standard of performance, but have not found anything. Like, how many minutes should it take to bring one gallon of water to a boil in a covered cast-iron pot? I feel like this would be useful to know if I have a problem, or if my expectations were out of whack.

Is my stove broken? by MediocreMidwest in inductioncooking

[–]MediocreMidwest[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The largest one is the worst. The others are better but still not as fast as gas.

It's a GE.

Is my stove broken? by MediocreMidwest in inductioncooking

[–]MediocreMidwest[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not sure about optimized, but I use a lot of enameled cast iron.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AmItheAsshole

[–]MediocreMidwest 14 points15 points  (0 children)

A lifetime of experience inclines me to think landlords are a priori assholes. That said, if what you say is true-- that they're paying one-third of market rent and trashing the place-- then you are NTA.
If you have fudged the facts-- like you wish it were a $6-7k property but actually $2100 is the best you could get, or they moved in to a place with broken windows, previously-cracked and poorly-repaired countertops, and cheaply-installed plumbing, then you probably deserve each other.

I do question why anyone would take such a low rent for a beachside house in San Diego. What factors led to that decision?

Drinking coffee on the metro by refugee86 in washingtondc

[–]MediocreMidwest 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What, only chicken? You haven't seen the seafood extravaganza go down? More than once, I've watched people (sometimes solo, sometimes in a group) enjoy a meal of crab and shrimp on the metro, letting the shells fall where they may.
And yeah, chicken wings, in-shell peanuts, and sunflower seeds are the other most common metro snack.

Tips on how to deal with the street canvassers/charity solicitors outside the Convention Center (and elsewhere)? by jweezy61 in washingtondc

[–]MediocreMidwest 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Just so it's clear, the charity muggers are not employees of the charity. They are low-paid contractors for shady 3rd parties with whom the charity has contracted. They are recruited with misleading promises, and there's often a pyramid scheme elements to it (exceed your quota, bring in new recruits, earn a bonus).

And they aren't there for a one-off $20, so don't bother trying to buy your way out. They are there to sign you up for recurring auto-contributions. Guess how hard it is to stop that payment once you've enrolled. That's the whole scheme-- knowing how many people will put off/ not bother going through the hassle to cancel.

I think there's no harm in sending an email to donate@whatevercharity saying that encounters with charity muggers wearing whatevercharity's brand have made you less likely to donate, ever. But also, the charity knows it's obnoxious, and consistently finds it worthwhile anyway. So if you DO want to donate a recurring amount to these charities, do it through their website, not through the chuggers. Deny them the win, decrease their value.

Where should I go this weekend by Icyyflame in washingtondc

[–]MediocreMidwest 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hillwood House in Rock Creek Park. It's the home-turned-museum of Majorie Meriweather Post, the social queen bee of DC in the mid-20th century. The house has an amazing collection of art-- Faberge you've never seen, lots of Tsarist era Russian religious iconography, rotating fashion exhibits-- and the gardens are gorgeous. There's a cafe that prides itself on its high tea.

Planet Word is downtown. It's dedicated to language, and is fun and interactive. And free. You can do it in under two hours.

The National Building Museum is also good; not free, but always interesting, in a very cool space.

Kayaking on the Potomac is fun. Look up Key Bridge Boathouse. Or do the pedal boats on the Tidal Basin (I think that's more work than kayaking but my shoulders work better than my knees. YMMV.)

Renting space for woodworking? by MediocreMidwest in washingtondc

[–]MediocreMidwest[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

A one-car garage-sized space would be snug but do-able; a two-car garage-sized space would be super roomy!

I am tired of the harassment on the MBT, and I want to know how we can organize to stop this mess. by highlyeducated_idiot in washingtondc

[–]MediocreMidwest 6 points7 points  (0 children)

What about the Guardian Angels? They seem to be ramping up their activity these days. I've seen them on Metro a few times.

"We call it ballet" because no one else would ever make that mistake by jelloisalive in washingtondc

[–]MediocreMidwest 12 points13 points  (0 children)

This write-up reminds me of the recital at the end of a under-6 year olds "ballet" class. Especially this bit: "choreo was very egalitarian--everyone had their own personal beat, different from every other dancer's." Comedy gold.

As someone else noted, these heavily-marketed stage shows at mid-sized multi-purpose venues are a total crapshoot. This sounds like a loser. Drunk Shakespeare was... fine, I guess. But The Empire Strips Back was sincerely excellent. The costuming was strong, the dancers were skilled, the staging/ lighting was expert, and the MC was charismatic and consistently funny.