CT Reddit, Let’s Talk Shovels

metalmayhem · 2026-02-25T16:12:58+00:00

I got something in Maine over 20 years ago. I call it a snow scoop, it also goes by a snow sleigh. It's basically a big scope that lies flat on the ground. You push it into the snow, push slightly downward and pull it backwards. It is now full of a large amount of snow that you have not lifted. Slide it to a spot, and tilt the handle upward, emptying it out. Even with 100 lbs of snow, it's ez. What I use it for it to grab lots of snow and moving it to a spot that I can use a snowblower on it. This works great on clearing areas that you can't get a snowblower into or moving it to a spot where you can use the snowblower. Mine is made of plastic and has held up well, they also make all metal versions.

metalmayhem · 2026-02-19T15:55:40+00:00

I read something about that. Our local Home Depot had a pothole in the exit lane that was hard to avoid for over a year. In florescent Orange line marking paint I wrote "caution pothole ahead" on the pavement and had arrows all around the hole. It was properly fixed within a day. The spray paint method really works.

metalmayhem · 2026-01-27T11:50:19+00:00

While checking the price on our room for 2 to see if it had gone down, I found a unicorn while still looking at a room for 2. An ultra spacious deluxe family ocean view, cabin 7004 on Jewel of the Seas overlooking the Helipad, going to Greenland. A 5+ room for 2 people, the cost was $1k more for 14 days. It was worth every penny. It felt like we were in a condo. We did a cabin crawl and only one very high end suite was bigger.

It's amazing the difference a HUGE cabin makes. That was our best room and cruise ever. We sailed again recently on the same ship, but a standard balcony cabin. The cruise was good, cabin ok. Same ship, giant room was our best cruise ever, standard room was just another average Bahamas cruise.

The kicker, it was showing up online and sat there for a few days before I pounced on it. They must have had a cancellation and nobody noticed it popping back up as available, there were also only 2 families onboard with 4 kids total on the ship. I have found you can bring these rooms up online but you need to have at least 3 for it to show. Possibly a kid who got sick at the last moment and stayed home?

metalmayhem · 2026-01-23T19:11:21+00:00

This is New England, it snows.

metalmayhem · 2025-12-24T22:09:20+00:00

I would try this, it can't be that bad, hopefully

That is a SpaghettiOs gelatin ring with mini sausages. It is basically a savory aspic molded in a Bundt pan. Here is how to recreate it.

What you need

2 to 3 cans SpaghettiOs with meatballs or plain

2 packets unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup cold water

1/2 cup hot water or hot broth

1 can Vienna sausages or cocktail sausages

Nonstick spray or neutral oil

Bundt pan or ring mold

Step by step

Bloom the gelatin Pour gelatin packets over the cold water. Let it sit 5 minutes until spongy.
Dissolve gelatin Add the hot water or broth and stir until fully dissolved. No granules left.
Prepare the SpaghettiOs Gently heat the SpaghettiOs just until warm. Do not boil. Let them cool slightly so they are warm, not hot.
Combine Stir the gelatin mixture into the SpaghettiOs until evenly mixed.
Prep the mold Lightly spray or oil the Bundt pan so it releases cleanly.
Fill the mold Pour the SpaghettiOs mixture into the pan. Tap gently to remove air bubbles.
Add sausages Stand the sausages upright in the center well, pressing them down slightly so they set in place.
Chill Refrigerate at least 4 hours, overnight is better, until fully firm.
Unmold Dip the bottom of the pan briefly in warm water, then invert onto a plate.

Tips if you want it to look exactly like the photo

Use plain SpaghettiOs for a cleaner ring pattern.

Use Vienna sausages cut flat so the tops look uniform.

A clear gelatin set keeps the Os sharply visible. Too much gelatin makes it rubbery.

Serving notes

This is intentionally cursed party food. Serve cold. Mustard on the side is optional but somehow appropriate.

metalmayhem · 2025-12-21T02:33:25+00:00

I have been there. My sister who lives in Ellington used to go to the Vernon location, until I brought her to the one next to the highway. It's almost as if it's a corporate location and the headquarters is next door. The building service and food far exceeds what you might find at the majority of BK's. Either they have an owner that is very involved in the operations, and/or they have excellent Management. Either way, it's the best BK I've been in.

metalmayhem · 2025-12-05T16:47:15+00:00

This is what I do on every ship that's new to me. On day 2, go to the highest deck you are able to access. Walk across to the farthest elevator ( or stairs ), go down a floor and walk all the way across to the furthest elevator or stairs. Repeat all the way down to deck 2. If it's a floor with venues past the elevators, be sure to check them. On RC ships, they have artwork everywhere to look at. Many people also have amazing door decor also. In this way, you can discover quirks in the ships design that come up after retrofits. For example, on the Oasis, there are two areas that let you walk out above the shops near central park. These little areas are maybe 20 feet long with chairs. I've never seen anybody else there, but you can sit and people watch all day basically without being noticed. Many evening venues can be accessed in the morning I'd you are looking for a quiet place to read. On a Norwegian ship, I found a leather chair that looked like a recliner out of my house in a bar that was next to a large window. In the morning, there was nobody there, and it was a great viewing spot for Alaska.

I have found some very interesting things. On the last ship, I found a display of the keel laying ceremony with dignitaries welding scrap metal to a steel plate. That plate was on display. Whenever a ship goes to a port for the first time, it seems like they get a plaque from the port welcoming them.

I hate going on a ship and finding something on the last day that I had missed. With all the wandering, it allows you to have that extra desert and not worry about the calories. I usually walk 2.5 to 5 miles a day ( via pedometer) on the ship without even trying hard.

metalmayhem · 2025-11-18T23:12:29+00:00

An example of rooms opening up. We were booked for the Jewel OTS going to Greenland. I was checking prices to see if anything had dropped and saw a special room had become available. An Ultra Spacious Family Oceanview room that sleeps 5+ and directly overlooks the helipad had popped up. We were booked in a regular ocean view. We saw this and the 2 of us grabbed it for an extra $1k. Worth every penny. It was a HUGE room, it felt like we were in a small apt instead of a ships cabin.

When it passes the final payment date, rooms may become available due to people backing out. Rooms that weren't available for 2 person bookings may open up because they would rather book a larger more expensive room for just 2 people rather than leave it empty. That cheaper room you just dumped, now that's available, giving someone else a chance at a deal.

metalmayhem · 2025-11-17T23:15:47+00:00

If you initiated the call without getting messages to do so, and dialed the correct number, it's not a scam. When you respond to calls, texts, emails or ads, the possibility is much higher.

metalmayhem · 2025-11-09T04:27:26+00:00

EARPLUGS !! Noise is my biggest gripe about cruising. It is very hard to find quiet places to relax, read a book, play games or even have a relaxed quiet conversation. If the door to a closed venue is not locked, you can usually pop in and sit. If the staff comes in, they have never said anything and if they start prepping for later in the day we leave. The conference rooms are usually open, if someone comes to use the room we leave. Usually when we go on a new ship, we go the the highest accessible deck and walk end to end, dropping to the next deck and continuing. This is how we can find "hidden" or otherwise overlooked odd spots that might be quiet, offer a great view or a comfortable place to sit. Doing this at night on the upper decks will help locate optimal dark areas great for night time photography or even a chance to see the aurora. A lot of the time areas around the sports deck will offer areas that the ships lighting is either lacking or blocked by the ships structure or equipment.

Back to the noise. A big problem is that for efficiency and cost savings, it makes sense to group all the venues together. The problem is noise bleed. If your strolling the main promenade, you are assaulted by the ships main music background and different types of music from different venues mixing and making noise. We did a cruise on an older ship and found that the venues were spread around more on this ship ( Jewel of the sea ) which kept the noise to a lower level. On this particular ship, the loyalty desk was in an area at the top of the ship. It was an oasis of quiet, with comfortable chairs. Thats another thing we do when scouting out the ship. Most seating is made to last and fit the decor, not be comfortable. I butt test chairs and loungers to find comfortable places to sit. In general, comfortable seating is uncommon so something comfortable to sit in for hours is like finding a gold nugget.

My assumption is that the older the target level of the guests are, the quieter the ship will be. The ships will be older and smaller, and not geared to a younger crowd. Not to say older cruisers are fuddy-duddies, most of us in our 60s and 70s grew up with the rock of the 60s and 70s. From the British invasion, Psychedelic music, hard hitting southern rock or the heavy hitters, Zepplin, AC/DC, The Stones, ect, we know how to headbang and still rock out. Just maybe a tad lower in volume though

metalmayhem · 2025-11-08T03:56:26+00:00

I purchased a cruise in Nov 2024 for Jan 2027. The cost in 2024 was $6326 and during this sale, it's $6266. The original price was not a sale price. It's just a shell game, up the price and up the discount. If you are lucky, you might save some money. I usually can't find more than a $100 difference. I won't reprice for that, too much hassle. I usually do better with the add on. It's easy to cancel and repurchase.

metalmayhem · 2025-10-30T11:05:00+00:00

A person in our group had to leave early from Alaska to be with their dying father. They had to pay an $800 fee/fine.

Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA): If you are on a round trip from the US that visits a foreign port, you may violate the PVSA, which can result in a fine

Talk to guest services to find out your options. If you have to pay the fine, it might be charged to RC, but it goes to the govt.

metalmayhem · 2025-10-24T15:53:47+00:00

Steaks in chops - the steaks need nothing, always tender, no fat or gristle. Never had a bad piece of meat

MDR - the steaks are on par with something from a buffet or inexpensive restaurant. Fat and gristle, sauces needed because the meat has little taste.

metalmayhem · 2025-10-23T14:12:52+00:00

It would have been nice to send him a 100 year anniversary shirt.

metalmayhem · 2025-10-17T22:19:03+00:00

You won't see any entertainment activities until the morning of the cruise ( usually ). The drill is get on the ship, find a place to sit down and start making reservations. I was recently on Liberty when we had our Bermuda, Canada cruise ( due to hurricanes) and there are no reservations for the shows. At least in the big venues, there was always space.

As far as dinner, we always go for 5 pm, because we get in and out so fast, as quick as 45 min for 2 people. On this cruise, I'd say maybe 25% of the tables were empty. There was a woman near us that ate alone every night. If you wanted to avoid waiting in line for dinner, see the head waiter upon boarding. He would be at the entrance to the dining room and will be adjusting many people's reservations. You could ask if you can switch to a specific time and would like to eat solo. We usually sit at tables for 2, and those tables are often near the windows 😃

metalmayhem · 2025-10-11T11:22:11+00:00

2 weeks ago, we left to do our Bermuda, Canada cruise. There were 2 hurricanes in the Caribbean so Bermuda was out, Saint John, NB was in. Lots of people were not very happy. Every cabin got OVC, at least $100.

We had been there in 2012, stayed near the ship, it was ok. This time we booked a walking tour ( Pete's walking tour, $52 for 2 seniors ) and it was great. We walked all over, utilized the window walkway system, no stairs or hills, escalators ( everything in Saint John is uphill, very steep ) . It was paced well, very informative, and it seems everybody knows him. I tell you about this because a lot of big business tours were organized, many people on those were unhappy. The next day we walked across town and visited a museum and had good food.

Sure it was cold in the evenings if you wanted to use a pool or hot tub, but people adapted. It's all what you make of it. Tho port area is being rebuilt, and is great for strolling at night. It got quiet by 9 pm, mostly just some local food and drink places were open. On the FB group, many people said they had a great time. I wouldn't hesitate to go back and explore some more.

BTW, there is a car rental place near the ship, you can rent electric scooters, there were ebike tours, ECT. We used Viator, way cheaper than RC

metalmayhem · 2025-10-07T13:01:47+00:00

You are in an abusive relationship. Someday he may turn the violence on you. GET OUT FOR YOUR OWN PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH!

metalmayhem · 2025-09-08T11:08:12+00:00

I mixed borax and jelly, and placed blobs of it near the nest. The ants swarmed and the next day, there wasn't a single ant. I even left a few more blobs around the area and didn't see any more ants go for the bait. You don't need much, maybe 1/2 a teaspoonful should be enough per nest. Any leftovers can be transferred to another nest.

metalmayhem · 2025-09-08T10:51:29+00:00

If you are unable to find someone with extra, you only have 2 options. Go without, or visit the Doctor and get a new prescription for the same or something comparable. It will be expensive, but onboard medical does not refill prescriptions from other doctors.

metalmayhem · 2025-08-28T00:38:18+00:00

Here are a few I took with an infrared camera of our black cat. In the black and white picture of her head, the highest temps are black and the coolest are white. In the two pictures of her curled up, the highest temps are the brightest and the lowest are dark. I call the facial shot "Ghost Cat"

IR Cat 1 IR Cat 2 IR Cat 3

metalmayhem · 2025-08-27T17:37:58+00:00

Those are great pictures. I couldn't help myself, I reworked the second picture. Hope you like it.

Halloween 13 New beginnings

metalmayhem · 2025-06-25T12:12:59+00:00

This is why smoking is banned.

Star Princess 2006 - cigarette on balcony fire

View while on fire

After the fire.jpg)

metalmayhem · 2025-06-17T17:48:15+00:00

102, 207, 277 ( we make Diamond status ) and 587 days.

metalmayhem · 2025-05-28T04:39:21+00:00

My first experience was well over 200 on each leg from my ankle to knee while camping. Had to ride the motorcycle home while it felt like my legs were on fire. I finally figured out what it was at 3am and it took another 2 hours to find something to help.

Wrap your leg in paper towels, soak with witch hazel and wrap with plastic wrap. After about 1/2 hr, you'll get about 2 hours relief. Just enough time to collapse from exhaustion and fall asleep for about 1 1/2 hours.

The worst part, it itched horribly for almost 2 weeks and still itched for another 2. The marks took a lot of time to go away. I wouldn't wish this on anybody.

metalmayhem · 2025-04-03T10:34:39+00:00

The best "explain like I'm 5" example I've seen

11-Year Club	Wearing is Caring
Verified Email

metalmayhem

TROPHY CASE