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Mosaic Musings...interactive poetry reviews _ Discussions -> Alexandria's Library _ What were they thinking?

Posted by: Cleo_Serapis Jul 18 04, 07:15

Let's start a new debate about STUPID things that people do!

Imhotep and I are watching HGTV, a show called "DIY to the Rescue" (in other words, Do it yourself, NOT!) right now and the episode is about the following:

A couple decides to build a roof over their existing patio/deck. They attach the joist hangers to the existing facia boards of the house. They were going to build their new roof FLAT (i.e. no slant for water run-off). When the town building inspector came to grant permit, he went "Get someone with a clue! Have you seen 'Wizard of Oz'? If I only had a brain?" OK, so I'm para-phrasing here. LOL!

What were they thinking?

Another episode last week featured a wife who decided to get a head start on a project her and her hubby already discussed and planned: to tear down their interior wall between the kitchen and dining room (?) I think it was. Anyway, it happened to be a load-bearing wall and wifie took a sledgehammer and whacked it out while hubby was away on a business trip. AND the electrical boxes, wires, etc were all exposed and hanging about. Guy from the HGV show said, "Lucky this is a single story house, otherwise it would have collapsed on you!"

What were they thinking?

~Cleo

Posted by: Don Jul 18 04, 11:13

Hey do-it-yourselfer,

Some flaws are not self evident. Our neighbor, long gone, fabricated a back door patio and put a slanted roof above. Three slender columns, at outside corners and middle, resting on concrete patio.

One fine night a westerly (wolf to pig?) lifted the roof upward, pivoting it about attachment to house, to a more stable location on top of the house roof.

Gravity may be strong, but ground bolts have a purpose.

Don

Posted by: Cleo_Serapis Jul 18 04, 11:22

Hey Don!

Right back atcha!

When I purchased my previous home, the former owners did this:

How about lobbing off the ends of extension cords and then running it as in-wall wiring to a socket? :jester: Not to mention, that old house wasn't even grounded (built in 1950) and they still had Romax all about. One of our first projects was to update the wiring, needless to say!

Oh, another thing too about that old house - I went to plug in my phone and answering machine on moving day in, and found I could not because the house only had a rotary phone wired direct to the phone. That was the very first change I had to make - good ole Radio Shack to the rescue! :drill: :detective: :wave:

Posted by: Cleo_Serapis Jul 7 05, 08:35

Here's a few new ones from my place of work (for those who know) - (true stories folks):

Customer calls asking when his product will be shipped. Our phone agent has been trained to look in our back-end system in the inventory planning screen to determine if a product is 'in stock'. Our agent 'consults' the SAP inventory system to see how many of these units are in fact 'in stock'. The sytem has 300 available.

BUT....

we are told NOT to trust the numbers as they may really NOT be available... (to us)....

And another one:

Order online from my workplace and request a gift card to be attached: "Happy Birthday, Sally!" for example. Order is shipped with the notation commented on the BACK SIDE of the tuck label. (NO one would see this unless they actually tear the tuck label off the shipping carton).

Customers never see the note...

Rasied the issue to the Dotcom personnel: am told, "What's the problem?! It's on the label!

WHAT were they THINKING?

Posted by: Toumai Jul 9 05, 03:11

One of my best friends once asked me: 'Fran, will you be my bridesmaid? - all my other friends are tall and beautiful.'
Still smarting (and it was 20+ years ago)
Fran

Posted by: Nina Jul 9 05, 03:15

Hi Fran

ouch! and did you say yes or no>?

Posted by: Cleo_Serapis Jul 9 05, 06:05

Hi Fran - I would take the question to mean that you are as well? Am I missing the punchline?

Posted by: Jox Jul 9 05, 07:14

Hi Lori,

If I hadn't met Fran I would have taken it to mean:

"all my other friends are tall and beautiful."

But I think you, too, are being diplomatic.

Now what is so great about being tall and beautiful?

J.

Posted by: Toumai Jul 9 05, 09:04

LOL, you are all very diplomatic. When I'd managed to stop laughing and pick myself off the floor she was so embarrassed she didn't dare ask me again. And since she was a couple of inches shorted than me (I am 5'4") her bridesmaids did rather look like minders, as both were at least 5'10"
Fran