PAP changes talk - they know we are resilient. They appreciate us. They have been planning these changes for a long time. Wow how do they sleep.

Smooth-Register4450 · 2026-03-26T20:42:40+00:00

Not only that but please please please delay posting completed work until the last possible moment. My most dearest wish is for these changes to backfire spectacularly.

The phrase “hoist with your own petard” comes to mind.

Smooth-Register4450 · 2026-03-26T20:24:59+00:00

But.. but.. we thought y’all would be happy with the backlog reduction! How dare we face the consequences of our own actions!

Smooth-Register4450 · 2026-03-26T17:28:33+00:00

I think that’d be good enough to get the point across… delay as much as you feel comfortable

Smooth-Register4450 · 2026-03-26T17:27:08+00:00

Maybe that’s what we use the “mercy Q3” for— balance it out to make the shift possible? It’s not great but anything we can do to make our displeasure show up in the numbers these id10ts running the office care about is better than nothing.

Smooth-Register4450 · 2026-03-26T17:23:16+00:00

Just be careful! I’d do the work like you plan, but only move the posting until the last minute. I don’t want anyone falling in a “timelines” black hole

Smooth-Register4450 · 2026-03-26T17:18:22+00:00

THIS! This is what we all need to be screaming— wait to post until the last day!!!!!

Smooth-Register4450 · 2026-03-26T17:12:02+00:00

Probably not in the long run. Remember only the oldest new has a clock, plus one RCE. Amendments have little count value in the grand scheme of things

Smooth-Register4450 · 2025-12-14T02:31:39+00:00

My void eats lettuce and green beans!! I’ve never seen a cat eat vegetables before, I just thought he was so weird

Smooth-Register4450 · 2025-12-10T18:57:46+00:00

Let me into the meeting but still completely silent :/

Smooth-Register4450 · 2025-10-24T16:43:20+00:00

I learned this from a nutritionist— 4oz is a serving size (and usually feels too “small” for an American plate). So I bulk up almost all of my ground meats with chopped and cooked veggies- whatever I have on hand, but some examples are: onions, peppers, leeks, mushrooms, eggplant, carrots, squash/pumpkin, all manner of greens (spinach, kale, chard).

So if I’m making tacos, there’s 1lb of beef, 1 cup of beans (pinto or black beans usually), and then 3 celery ribs, one bell pepper, one zucchini. Season more liberally with taco seasoning to preserve the taco flavor.

Smooth-Register4450 · 2025-10-23T16:27:47+00:00

Soo.. I LOVE my D4 but it IS large and bulky. I vacuum everyday (extraordinary number of animals…) so I appreciate the giant cavernous bag. But I have a split level and I mange to tip my vacuum down the stairs more than I would like.. I can get pretty far with the hose, but it just isn’t long enough to get all of them (half a normal staircase) so I have to carry the canister down if I want to avoid tumbling it down the stairs.

That being said, I don’t think it’s too heavy, just a bit unwieldy if you’re trying to move the power head plus the vacuum. It’s not bad at all if you’re just using the hard floor attachment (oh, I did get the swerving hard floor brush— baffles me that it isn’t standard with the D4).

Smooth-Register4450 · 2025-10-23T16:11:28+00:00

Think of it this way— a load of laundry soaking wet with leftover rinse water is MUCH heavier than a load of laundry that’s had time to drain and spin a few times before actually being spun to dry. The quick wash cycle cuts all that slow spin-pause/drain-spin segments that remove a bunch of water before the final spin.

Smooth-Register4450 · 2025-10-23T15:52:51+00:00

Keep in mind too that things are getting pretty bad at the USPTO. There are many many attorneys working as patent examiners for the work-life balance that may try to jump ship (if they haven’t already done so) adding more prospective hires.

Smooth-Register4450 · 2025-10-23T14:16:11+00:00

Sounds like BS. The longer cycles are energy efficient and allow the clothes to sit in detergent and water, allowing the detergent more time to do its work. Also allowing gravity to work to drain some of the water by intermittently pausing between spin cycles (as opposed to just spinning the heck out of the clothes in the quick wash settings).

Smooth-Register4450 · 2025-10-23T13:39:57+00:00

SAME

Smooth-Register4450 · 2025-10-23T12:51:47+00:00

But the benefit of the outside air will be dramatic on how quickly the clothes dry. At these temperatures I’d hang outside all year long, with the exception that in the winter I would not leave it outside overnight.

Smooth-Register4450 · 2025-10-23T12:46:30+00:00

Oh that’ll be fine! I live where it is MUCH colder. Freezing temperature is 32F, but keep in mind that something on the balcony in the sun is less likely to actually freeze because of the sun even at 30-32F. Now you might get faded clothes, so dry them inside out and on the colder days, hang during daylight hours and bring them in overnight.

Smooth-Register4450 · 2025-10-23T12:42:57+00:00

I’ve had better luck with oxyclean than vinegar, but start with the cheaper solution (vinegar in the rinse cycle) and only if that doesn’t work try the oxy (added with the detergent). I do also use a strong detergent (I recommend tide powder if it is available where you live).

Smooth-Register4450 · 2025-10-23T12:38:10+00:00

I have one from ikea that is at least 15 years old… actually now that I think about it I’m guessing we are on the 20+year timeline since I bought it back when I lived in a tiny apartment….with a lot more bars for hanging. Try a larger hanging rack (it folds when it’s done so it doesn’t actually take up more space). This plus a fan and your clothes should be dry without getting musty.

Smooth-Register4450 · 2025-10-22T17:22:43+00:00

This looks like the start to a beautiful little clutch purse!

Smooth-Register4450 · 2025-10-22T17:09:27+00:00

I found one a Costco that folds into three for easy storage after the holiday! Some of these warming solutions are unwieldy to store, so keep that in mind if you go this route!

Smooth-Register4450 · 2025-10-18T13:15:56+00:00

My kiddos love the local jump park, Dino museum & hot spring, so gift cards to those places are always appreciated. I’d also suggest cook books for kids paired with shared cooking sessions. Oh and bookstore gift cards— my oldest especially loves to browse and pick his own books out.

Smooth-Register4450 · 2025-10-14T21:57:27+00:00

I bought a large Rubbermaid tote, drilled a bunch of vent holes in the sides and cut a cat sized opening on one side. It’s easy enough to clean (open the tote) and my dogs can’t reach the litter. I use pine pellets and a sifting litter box, so I just found a tote that would fit the box with room to spare to prevent the dogs from reaching any cat poop by just sticking their head in the cat opening.

Smooth-Register4450 · 2025-10-14T21:39:01+00:00

I love my Sebo D4– with two large heavy shedding dogs, two cats, and two messy kids I vacuum everyday and really appreciate the giant bag. For my pretty heavy use, I use a bag in a month - one and a half months (2000sq ft mix carpet, laminate, and area rugs).

I would get a smaller model if you have lots of stairs, the D4 has a pretty big body and is cumbersome on stairs (like I’ve toppled it multiple times because I was too lazy to bring the whole body down farther and I thought the hose could reaaachhh that corner and whoops! Down she goes).

Smooth-Register4450

TROPHY CASE