Stuff That Really 'Grinds My Gears...'

DaakSyde · August 25, 2018, 7:33am

I never thought of having a slumber party at the laundromat! That sounds like so much fun!

kxkvi · August 27, 2018, 5:43pm

What grinds my gears are f_ing miserable, cheap, crappy products that never should have seen the light of day. I’m not talking about some high tech new IoS wifi/bluetooth connected crapware coffee stirrer. I’m talking about something where the f_ing technology has been around for literally (in the literal sense) hundreds of years.

I’m talking about a f_ing kitchen faucet. A ten year old f_ing faucet that has been failing for the last five years. My f_ing car is older than that, and it runs fine. It’s been maintained, but so has the f_ing faucet, which has been, I dunno, kept clean? How else do you maintain a faucet? Change its innards once every year? Gee wouldn’t that get kind of expensive?

Here’s a picture of the corrosion on the top (oh, don’t worry, the story gets better).

These started within about two years of purchase. Clearly the chrome plating is the only high tech thing about it, being a one-atom thick layer. And it’s not like we clean our kitchen with hydrofluoric acid or atomic bombs or something.

Then the hot water tap began leaking. A plumber came by, and I asked him to replace whatever needed to be replaced. He showed me that the innards had completely corroded together so much it couldn’t be fixed. It’s a wonder it worked at all. I would have to replace the entire faucet. I haven’t gotten to it yet.

Then the final straw was today. I was washing some dishes, and I got this odd leakage from my nose. Was it bleeding for no reason? Nope, it was just water. I must have splashed myself, I said to myself, innocently.

Then a few minutes later my glasses suddenly got drops of water on it. The faucet had sprung a f_ing pinhole leak. On the front naturally, aimed right at my face. It did this deliberately, just to spite me. I put a piece of duct tape on it, a temporary solution at best. Now it just drips slowly from the edge of the duct tape.

So this is what passes for a 21st century faucet? For goodness sake.

Thanks for listening!

gadgetgirl · August 27, 2018, 7:11pm

Is it outsourced? Probably.

Is it manufactured in a country where it’s not sold, and even if it was, the people who made it can’t afford one like it? Probably.

Does it meet or exceed the specs provided by the client company? Probably not.

Is the client company conducting random QA on their product? Probably not.

Has the company outsourced customer service? Probably.

Have the customer service reps ever even seen an example faucet? Probably not.

kxkvi · August 27, 2018, 7:40pm

Does the company give a fuck? Probably not.

LearnedCoward · August 27, 2018, 8:12pm

It is entirely possible for such a company to make a faucet and be totally unaware that they make faucets.

Daveb · August 27, 2018, 9:02pm

Probably.

RAvery · August 28, 2018, 1:33am

Well it’s your fault for buying fixtures made out of semolina flour and aluminum foil!

kxkvi · August 28, 2018, 2:18am

What was I thinking?

knoxblox · August 29, 2018, 5:02am

And I’m back.

I’m glad I happened to be home, because I was scheduled for internet hookup on Thursday, not today.

smulder · August 29, 2018, 9:44am

“Have you tried turning the faucet off and on again?”

kxkvi · August 29, 2018, 12:35pm

nimelennar · August 29, 2018, 1:36pm

Are you quite sure it’s plugged in?

MarjaE · August 30, 2018, 1:39pm

Loud gasoline-powered painmowers should be phased out, possibly in favor of sheep, goats, or even more loud honking geese.

Wisconsin_Platt · August 30, 2018, 9:14pm

Why do I so readily agree to dinner plans with acquaintances that I know I will not enjoy.

In truth, I know why. My partner asks and, barring an actual scheduling conflict, I’m going to say yes.

I guess I do not have any “better” options for the night, but I just don’t feel like putting on my social face tonight.

kxkvi · August 30, 2018, 10:13pm

Ah, been there, especially large gatherings. There needs to be a pill for headaches. Not curing them, causing them.

LearnedCoward · August 31, 2018, 1:20am

If I can’t be social, I shouldn’t be pressured to be social.

Sometimes it really takes a lot out of me, and it still doesn’t really work. Meaning, I’m physically present but literally unable to make conversation.

It isn’t a cop out, it’s me needing a break when I know I need a break.

chgoliz · August 31, 2018, 4:43pm

Oh no, NOT geese!

chgoliz · August 31, 2018, 4:48pm

FWIW, I’m finding more and more situations where it is now considered perfectly normal to go to work-related events/meals without a +1. Enough people are in relationships where both people have obligations (work, family, etc.) that they can’t just drop everything, and it’s becoming more mainstream to acknowledge that fact.

I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve brought a +1 to a work-related thing, even when I was married, but I’m no longer the only person coming solo to these things.

Check with your partner about how much she actually needs you to be there. It’s possible she will be judged by co-workers or bosses, so you might not have the option, but why not explore the possibility?

knoxblox · August 31, 2018, 7:26pm

So I found out today that the doctor here in TJ that had been interested in me is getting married next week. Apparently, an ex-boyfriend showed up a little bit after my difficulties last holiday season, and then solidified the relationship during the time my phone fried and my polyps had kept me down for a couple of months.
I’m happy for her, and believe she’s a good person in general, but I really wish people should inform all parties that they are weighing options, so as not to waste others’ time.

nimelennar · August 31, 2018, 8:16pm

Uggh. Sorry to hear that.