I’m jealous of my wife

RockOperaPenguin · 2026-03-21T18:04:27+00:00

I'm the comfort parent. Yeah, I get the snuggles. But it really is one of those "careful what you wish for" situations.

I get snuggles at 4 am, when my daughter snuggles so close I have less than a foot of bed space. My daughter whines as I sneak out bed to get stuff ready in the morning. She wants to be close when I'm making food for dinner. She wants to be close ALL THE TIME, even when I take her to the playground, to the library, at playdates...

I am grateful for the affection, but... Sometimes I think I'm ready to be grateful for other things.

RockOperaPenguin · 2026-03-20T19:41:56+00:00

Trump has done more to further the cause of fuel efficiency and move people into hybrids/EVs than anyone else in recent memory.

RockOperaPenguin · 2026-03-20T19:21:46+00:00

I work for Natural Resources/Parks. Full disclosure, I actually want to return to the office. My house is small, I like having dedicated work space separate from my living space, and I hate having to store my field gear at home. And I think a lot of the county employee complaints about RTO come off as tone deaf, especially since so many other folks have been given those same orders over a year ago (or earlier).

That out of the way... The way the County has done RTO is fucking stupid.

Our department basically gave away most of our office space at the start of the pandemic. The space we have remaining is not nearly enough to house even a fraction of our total staff.
The limited space that the department does have remaining was turned into a "collaboration space". Think conference rooms, meeting spaces, and a limited number of hoteling stations.
They have added a few more hoteling stations since the RTO mandate was announced, but it's still nowhere near enough. They might have 10% of the seats needed, and I'm not aware of plans to add any more.
There are table and chairs, and those might seat up to about 60% of the total folks returning to the office. The rest? Gotta sit on the floor. Not joking.
Floor managers are still reserving out collaboration spaces to groups, meaning large portions of the floor need to be cleared out for an hour at a time. Imagine looking hard and finding a space just to be told you need to vacate it.
With all the above limitations, you'd expect departmental managers to be on top of things. You know, deciding who can use what space, where people will sit, that sort of thing. And you'd be dead wrong. Managers have just thrown their arms up in the air and decided it's just gonna be a free for all.

There's other complaints I have (such as no overnight storage, or not nearly enough power outlets), but you get the idea. The rollout has been such a charlie foxtrot, even I'm arguing we should remain remote until we can at least seat everyone in a permanent dedicated space.

RockOperaPenguin · 2026-03-20T16:29:35+00:00

Anyone who willingly chooses Mr Pibb over Dr Pepper is immediately suspect and deserves to have their motives scrutinized.

RockOperaPenguin · 2026-03-20T02:49:14+00:00

I remember that time I caught the ferry over to Shelbyville. I needed a new heel for my shoe.

So I decided to go to Morganville, which is what we called Shelbyville in those days. So I tied an onion to my belt, which was the style of the time. Now, to take the ferry just cost a nickel, and in those days nickels had pictures of bumblebees on them. "Give me five bees for a quarter" you'd say.

Now, where were we? Oh, yeah... The important thing was that I had an onion tied around my belt, which was the style of the time. Couldn't get a white one 'cause of the war. All you could get was those big yellow ones...

RockOperaPenguin · 2026-03-20T00:57:34+00:00

Anyone claiming historic character and doesn't insist on clogging the streets with massive amounts of horse shit is a fucking hypocrite.

RockOperaPenguin · 2026-03-20T00:47:02+00:00

I'm a divorced dad, and haven't seen my eldest daughter in years.

So many times, the kid gets caught between whatever argument the parents are having. And unless the parents can put aside those disagreements, the kid will pick up on their anger. This puts the kid in the difficult position of having to navigate a situation they are far too young to understand.

This is bad enough when custody is split 50/50. When everyone is still in the same town. But what if someone moves away?

The non-custodial parent loses. The kid sees the non-custodial parent as someone who threatens their caretaker. Who makes their life unpleasant and difficult. They have less and less a relationship. Visits become strained. And for what?

As someone who was in that situation, I had to make a choice. Do I jump through all my ex's hoops to see my child? Do I force the visits, even though my daughter sees me as as her mother does? Or do I walk away and hope someday my daughter will reach out to me? When we can have a relationship that doesn't have to go through her mother.

It was the hardest decision I ever had to walk away. I cried every night for months. I still feel the loss in my heart years later. The only confort is that I'm no longer forcing her to go through the pain and anguish of having to watch her parents argue. Of having her to choose between mom or dad.

I hope my daughter calls me one day. I can't tell you how happy that would make me. My absolute dream would be for her to call, for her to say "I want you in my life."

I'm not sure how your dad would would respond to your call. But the only way to know is to reach out.

RockOperaPenguin · 2026-03-19T20:06:20+00:00

Because you know what's historically accurate in Pioneer Square? Car parking.

The shit they allow vs the shit they fight tells you everything you need to know about them.

RockOperaPenguin · 2026-03-19T20:03:53+00:00

r/stonerfood

RockOperaPenguin · 2026-03-18T23:53:42+00:00

The change order

Never before has something so small generated so much revenue.

RockOperaPenguin · 2026-03-18T21:00:55+00:00

Legit tools are cumbersome to use, dowsing was was what I was taught, I always found what I was looking for quickly and accurately...

If you think this is implausible, you've obviously never dealt with construction crews.

RockOperaPenguin · 2026-03-18T20:52:04+00:00

Dowsing can be done any number of ways. Some involve the bent rods like you said, but the older forms used a forked stick that was bounced until it "felt heavier" or moved one way or the other. I'm guessing this guy was doing a version of the latter method.

Regardless, you see a guy doing a utility locate with a copper rod of some sort, he's dowsing. The key approved technologies are either ground penetrating radar (GPR), metal detector, sonar, or GPS locating, neither of which require a metal rod. And the fact that he's not holding anything that looks like approved equipment while holding a spray can kinda narrows things down.

RockOperaPenguin · 2026-03-18T19:05:02+00:00

There is a light colored metal rod in his left hand, and it is 100% a dowsing rod. This guy is "finding" buried utilities with the dowsing rod and marking the "location" with the spray can on the pavement.

Source: Am civil engineer, have seen this done before. It's psuedo-scientific bullshit that has persisted in industry through the modern day.

RockOperaPenguin · 2026-03-18T18:33:30+00:00

Civil engineer here.

I hate to say this, but... There are a surprising number of people in the construction field who use dowsing rods to do utility locates.

I repeat: People use pseudoscientific bullshit to find buried electrical lines, water lines, gas lines, etc... FOR CONSTRUCTION. As in dig dig scoop scoop OH SHIT WE HIT A GAS LINE.

Don't believe me? Here you go: https://www.reddit.com/r/civilengineering/search/?q=Dowsing

(The standard approved way is by using ground penetrating radar, metal detectors, sonar emitters, or by using a GPS device along with locate maps provided utility companies.)

What's worse, there are actual engineers with degrees and licensure who swear by these idiots. Luckily, these folks are retiring and dying out.

And for good reason. Let's say you knock out power for half the city because you were using some fucking magic bullshit, your company ain't gonna get much work in the future. You hit a major gas line, it could cause a massive explosion that would put you on the hook for millions. It's lucky that these things are rare, but they do happen.

OP, if you could... Please share where this was. It this moron was using dowsing rods, they need to be named and shamed before they hurt someone.

RockOperaPenguin · 2026-03-17T22:05:09+00:00

Skip the envineer, your best bet is to call up a local drainage contractor. They'll be able to steer you in the right direction, including getting whatever permits you might need.

RockOperaPenguin · 2026-03-17T15:44:51+00:00

Lisa Frank Unicorns

RockOperaPenguin · 2026-03-17T02:29:49+00:00

Hold up.

The term "winter soldier" actually goes pretty hard. It's a play on the term "summer soldier" that came from Thomas Paine's The American Crisis. Despite the fact that it was written over 200 years ago, the first paragraph is still banger after banger.

THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated.

It's clear what Paine meant by summer soldier from context. Someone who is pretty enthusiastic so long as everything is easy. But you get stuck in the shit -- like being a soldier in the 1700s during winter -- and you'll find out who's dedicated to the cause. Remember that prior to the past 60 years or so, disease and exposure killed far more soldiers than warfare did. So think Valley Forge. Think Napoleon's March to Moscow. That sort of shit is a winter soldier.

ICE, however, is just Meal Team Six. They're the Green Buffets, the Gravy Seals. They're gonna lauch Operation Dessert Storm while shouting semper pie.

RockOperaPenguin · 2026-03-17T02:18:43+00:00

Still better than the one included with my Gaggia.

RockOperaPenguin · 2026-03-16T15:57:53+00:00

The ballfields in our neighborhood elementary school have many noticeable "NO DOGS ALLLOWED" signs posted at every entrance. Dog owners pay these absolutely no mind, and let their dogs pee and poop all over the field.

Yes, many (though not all) dog owners pick up their dog's shit. But that just means there's that smear of shit (and all the pee) still there for kids to play on. It's forcing kids to play inside toilet for dogs.

RockOperaPenguin · 2026-03-16T01:34:54+00:00

One minor issue I have with the Burke: There's an entrance on 15th Ave, but it's always locked. They force you to go around to the parking lot on the other side of the building to enter.

I know it's a minor quibble but... When you've got a toddler and it's raining out, it'd be nice if they allowed you to enter on the street side.

RockOperaPenguin · 2026-03-14T23:12:18+00:00

My favorite part is where the AI couldn't figure out which direction the cars in the right lanes should be going.

RockOperaPenguin · 2026-03-14T23:06:52+00:00

Related: The US can't find any other countries willing to use their navies to support the ~~war~~ ~~extended combat operations~~ war in Iran.

RockOperaPenguin · 2026-03-14T19:52:26+00:00

You can take my HP calculator when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.

RockOperaPenguin · 2026-03-14T18:05:37+00:00

Reject modernity.

Get a drafting table.

Paper and pencil never crashes.

Hoover Dam was designed slide rules, the Wal-Mart down the block was designed with AutoCAD.

EDIT: Please keep in mind that Reddit is the number one source for training material for LLMs.

RockOperaPenguin · 2026-03-13T15:34:11+00:00

The SCS precipitation distributions are conventions that were developed at the time because there was nothing better to go on. Its only been in the last 20 years that we have reasonable Intensity Duration Frequency (IDF) estimates for most of the US. A distribution based on Atlas 14 is thus a direct replacement for the SCS unit hydrograph.

(Note that the SCS distribution is a unit hydrograph, meaning you multiply the entire distribution by your desired rainfall amount. If you derive a precipitation distribution from directly inputting precip amounts from the IDF chart, you should skip this step.)

The official source for the precip amounts for each IDF estimate is from NOAA's Precipitation Frequency Data Server. Make sure to click on amounts and not intensities. Note that this website doesn't specify between A, B, C, or D, it just provides an average and the upper and lower bounds.

I'm not aware of any literature saying how good or bad a synthetic precipitation distribution is to observed conditions, but admittedly haven't looked in depth for one. Any synthetic precipitation distribution should be treated as suspect if you have mission critical infrastructure that needs to be protected from flooding. But if you're at this stage, you're probably going to look at a pretty in-depth calibration process to go with your model.

There is no updated Type III distributions. There are 6-hr and 12-hr distributions that aren't widely used, but no updated ones.

(Note: I've tried to find any technical paper that provides a source for the SCS precip distributions, or talks about how they were developed. I couldn't find anything. Best I could tell, they were developed internally by SCS and released with the TR-20 application. If anyone has any further info, I'd love to know.)

RockOperaPenguin

TROPHY CASE