[ghporter]

Claritin, itself, works, but there's a few caveats. The first is that, even with "non-drowsy" allergy meds, they make me feel "odd." Even Allegra, a newer generation of this class of medication. NB: I do NOT have actual allergies, but when the pollen count is in the tens of thousands, and there's a bunch of mold too, that does not matter.*

The second caveat is that, despite having seasonal "allergy-like symptoms" for decades, I was only recently instructed to take the darn stuff at bedtime so the odd feelings aren't a problem. By a dermatologist. Yeah, I'm not super happy about that part.

The "-D" part comes from pseudoephedrine, a very effective decongestant. Unfortunately it makes me feel way too jittery. I did use it recently on my doctor's advice; I had an ear infection and she wanted to ensure my eustachian tubes were clear, thus decongestant.

I'm currently taking Zyrtec, which seems to work better than Claritin for me. And for the most part it works ok. The biggest issue I have is that it's hard to medicate against those spiny pollen bastards making my eyes feel like I stared as a sandstorm. It's bad enough that I'm "at that age" when my visual acuity is great, but I can't accommodate for reading without (blankety-blank) reading glasses.

My wife, on the other hand, is having a much bigger problem. Her work has had her outside between parking and building at "prime" pollen times for several days in a row, and so now she has full-on "cedar fever." It doesn't include a real fever, but it makes some people feel like the Mack truck backed over them after it ran them over.

The real "minor irritant" about this is that I've known most of these details for a very long time, long before I became a licensed health care professional. But knowing the details doesn't fix the $!*& problem.

*Here's the allergen history for San Antonio over the last several days from a local TV station, just to illustrate the magnitude of the issue:
1/3/2022: Molds, 1,720, Heavy; Mt Cedar, 6,150, Heavy
1/2/2022: Molds, 3,810, Heavy; Mt Cedar, 10,460, Very Heavy
1/1/2022: Molds, 550, Moderate; Mt Cedar, 8,160, Heavy
12/31/2021: Molds, 360, Light; Mt Cedar, 24,880, Very Heavy
12/30/2021: Molds, 400, Light; Mt Cedar, 16,270, Very Heavy
12/29/2021: Molds, 730, Moderate; Mt Cedar, 14,920, Very Heavy
12/28/2021: Molds, 940, Moderate; Mt Cedar, 21,500, Very Heavy
12/27/2021: Molds, 1,390, Heavy; Mt Cedar, 5,610, Heavy
12/26/2021: Molds, 480, Light; Mt Cedar, 7,230, Heavy
12/25/2021: Molds, 220, Light; Mt Cedar, 4,560, Heavy
12/24/2021: Molds, 170, Light; Mt Cedar, 12,320, Very Heavy
12/23/2021: Molds, 190, Light; Mt Cedar, 10,080, Very Heavy
12/22/2021: Molds, 180, Light; Mt Cedar, 3,440, Heavy

[reader50]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

My wife... Her work has had her outside between parking and building at "prime" pollen times for several days in a row, and so now she has full-on "cedar fever."

Could a mask and goggles help? Especially a real N95? It's a good time for masks right now, courtesy of Omicron & Delta. Assuming her car has a good air filter, run the air on recirculate for a few minutes before taking PPE off in the car.

She could also use a carvac on the outside of the mask before removing it. Perhaps on clothing & gloves too.

[ghporter]

Yes, masking is helpful. The problem is that, unless you studiously check pollen forecasts, you don’t mask up until you’ve already gotten a snootful of pollen. So I guess we both have to pay better attention to the forecasts…

Today I had some outdoor walking to do, and I wore a mask and sunglasses. The sunglasses were mostly for the bright sky, but they helped with the pollen too.

Today is a LOT better for both of us. Possibly because molds are low and cedar pollen is “only” 1130 PPM (parts per million). WAY down from the 6K+ levels just a few days ago.

[subego]

Weather yesterday was unremarkable.


Phun phact: my mom’s family is from Willow Springs.

[reader50]

Was unaware that clear weather could delay shipments.

Also ... what's the success rate at the Resurrection Cemetery vs others?

[subego]

One to nothing.

Resurrection Mary - Wikipedia

[ghporter]

Four months ago, having the house’s inside temperature at 67F would have been “too cool.” Today that same temperature is “way too cold,” and I need a sweater. That in itself is annoying, but why the same temperature feels so much more uncomfortable now than it would have in October is the real irritant.

[subego]

To me, 67° inside is pretty much always unpleasant.

[Laminar]

"Radiant Discomfort" and "Downdraft Discomfort." When there's a temperature differential between outside and inside, the air immediately inside the window is cooled and fall to the ground, triggering a convective draft that can create air movement and carry cool air through room. Additionally, heat radiates from a warm body to a cold surface. An exposed cold window will just about "suck" the heat out of your body, making you feel cold even if the air temperature is normal.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by subego 

To me, 67° inside is pretty much always unpleasant.

Our thermostat schedule is basically set to 71 occupied and 65 night/unoccupied. The last energy bill came through and gas prices are 3x higher than they were last year, so we're considering bumping the occupied temp down to 69 or so to minimize energy bill costs.

[subego]

I have a weird setup where there’s a radiator and HVAC. Both are included in rent, but I try not to be a dick and run the HVAC willy-nilly.

The radiators keep it at 70°, which is a little cold in shorts. When it gets lower than 20° out it’s drops to about 66° and I can’t cope anymore.

[subego]

For whatever reason I’ve had a double dose of asshole parkers next to my garage lately. Instead of backing up to where the tow zone starts, people have been pulling up to wherever the car in front of them is.

This leaves about half a parking spot, which then someone takes anyway and half-blocks my garage.

What’s strange is this hasn’t been a problem for over a decade, and now it’s happened a dozen times in few months.


Edit: the tow zone sign at the corner got knocked down. Now that I think about it, that’s probably the cause.

[reader50]

Originally Posted by subego 

Edit: the tow zone sign at the corner got knocked down. Now that I think about it, that’s probably the cause.

Hmm ... evil thought. You could be civic-minded, and fix it for the city. And accidentally restore it in a wrong location. Like wherever you wanted it to be.

Naturally, I wouldn't dream of suggesting such a thing.

[subego]

Someone already had that idea. The pole’s still here, but the sign itself is gone.

[ghporter]

Laminar, I get the temperature difference thing. It’s when I’m about as far away from a window as I can be and I still feel colder than I should that bugs me.

Asshole parking tip: at “the store,” leave your empty cart in a handicapped space, ignoring that the cart rack is maybe 20 feet farther away from your sorry bum than the handicapped parking space you blocked. Grrrr.

[subego]

Originally Posted by subego 

For whatever reason I’ve had a double dose of asshole parkers next to my garage lately.

Today’s example.

[Laminar]

I'm trying to transition from IE to Edge, so I've started using Edge for all of the work stuff that usually requires IE (Microsoft apps, Sharepoint, etc.). I went to do something in Sharepoint but it got mad at me when I tried to create a new document because Edge doesn't support that, only IE does. So I went to launch IE.



Typing "internet explorer" into the task bar automatically selects Edge. Edge is not my default browser.

[subego]

Autocomplete: I have your back, man… take the shot! TAKE THE SHOT!

[Thorzdad]

Got a voicemail today from an unknown number, claiming there has been suspicious activity on our card, leaving an 800 number to call. Thing is, the woman’s voice was barely intelligible, as you might expect from some offshore phisher. So, we ignored it.

Then we got another one. Same thing. Hard to understand and the same 800 number.

So, just to be sure, we called our bank instead of the 800 number in the voicemail. Turns out, the voicemails were legit and the 800 number is Mastercard’s Omaha office that handles this stuff. But, man, the people calling from there really don’t make it easy to trust.

[reader50]

Did they at least know specifics, like what bank issued your card?

I get phishing calls all the time. They're given away by either nonsense (call from VisaMastercard) or by being non-specific (your car is about to leave warranty). What car make? Model? What date does the warranty expire? All specifics are missing.

[Thorzdad]

Yeah, the messages said they were from my bank and had my name and phone number. The only reason I treated it like a phishing attempt was the obviously-not-from-this-hemisphere voice. They could barely speak a word legibly. It just sounded not legit. As it turns out, it was a totally legit Mastercard representative. I have to wonder, though, how many others do like me and ignore the calls because the voice sounds sketchy?

According to my bank, they’ve been getting hit with a bunch of brute-force attempts to get active card numbers. There was one suspicious charge (for $0) on the card that prompted the call. We closed that card immediately.

[subego]

Just took a Covid test (I’m negative). Was taking out the instructions. Saw one sheet was in Spanish, so I grabbed the other one.

Which was also in Spanish.

[andi*pandi]

and assembled in china.

Got a call from my mother this morning. She had purchased something online, and it was taking forever to arrive. Her credit card company even called to ask if it was legit purchase, and when she said she had purchased it but they added $7 for "customs fees" she was concerned about it. Credit card company said "well none of our business then." Turns out it was being shipped from singapore and wouldn't arrive by 2/14 as promised. Then she got a notice from paypal that the money was refunded. Emails from the store referenced a gmail she never used and got things like her name spelled wrong but the paypal went to her usual email. The paypal emails seemed legit (correct urls on hover etc).

She didn't think she had a paypal and got freaked out. I found the real paypal customer service phone number for her so she wouldn't click anything from anybody. They told her no, she doesn't have a paypal account, but yes, the money was refunded to her.

Odd right? I want to call paypal myself and make sure this ghost account doesn't know my mothers' bank info. :/ She's 84 and distrusts the internet already.

[subego]

PayPal is hot garbage.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Yes it is

Canada has it pretty good—we have a much more centralized banking system, so they created an interac email money transfer system years ago. You can just email a money transfer to someone else, and as long as both of you can securely log into your online bank accounts it works easily.

But it works like a money order, so unlike Paypal once it’s accepted by the other party that’s it, gone. So you have to be much more careful who you email money to (and the amount!). But PayPal’s complaint system is also hot garbage too.

[ghporter]

PayPal will act as a go-between even if you don't have an account. This is "convenient" for people who don't want "Joe Chinese Vendor" to have any of their real information, but PayPal gets that info anyway. This incidental use of PayPal isn't necessarily covered by their standard user agreement.

Having a PayPal account gets you at least the legally required guarantees in their user agreement. Pros: you have a legal recourse if the vendor screws you over (or the shipper's truck goes into the ocean, or whatever), and PayPal is trying pretty hard to look like a legit financial institution. Cons: their user agreement is kinda porous, and theres' an arbitration clause - but for occasional use that's no big deal (for me at least).

If I want to have heavy hitters on my side for a potentially bad deal, I use my bank's credit card. USAA is a behemoth of a bank, and they were founded and are still headquartered here in San Antonio, so I can actually go to a physical office and talk to a physical person about issues. (Don't buy ANY of their online reviews, positive or negative - a quick search showed everything from zero to five stars, and each review I looked at was extremely situationally dependent. My personal experience with them - and with their original arm, USAA Insurance, has always been excellent.)

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

My personal experience with them - and with their original arm, USAA Insurance, has always been excellent.

I don't buy it, sounds very situationally dependent.

[ghporter]

Indeed. But that’s the point.

Here’s an “Inc” article from 2018 that points out how people with negative experiences are far more likely to post a negative review than people with positive experiences are to post positive reviews.

IOW, you feel bad about something, you “share” that feeling. Often this comes across as whining - at least to me - because the gist of many such reviews is that the poster didn’t get their way. They usually omit things like that what they wanted was clearly prohibited by law/user agreements/etc., or that they started complaining online before an established resolution process had time co be completed.

I’ve seen this in product reviews, service reviews, vacation destination reviews, and so on. For example, these real complaints to Thomas Cook LTD…

Not to sound like a jerk (I can do that pretty easily when I want to ) but most negative reviews of USAA come off to me as whiny and “entitled.” That’s just me though.

[subego]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

and assembled in china.

I looked at the box.

🇺🇸 Made with pride in los Estados Unidos

[subego]

I’ve been told it’s traditional in Asian countries that restaurants are either closed on Mondays, or if open 7 days, Monday is the day the head chef takes off.

I have cravings for Asian food on Mondays. It’s like clockwork.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Correct. My sushi spot the apprentice takes solo Monday shift. We do Sushi Tuesdays, when the owner returns the favour….

[subego]

Thankfully, my craving held out and pho is in the workings.

Kudos to Apple for having dual phomojis.

[subego]

Originally Posted by ShortcutToMoncton 

Sushi Tuesdays

Is this some metric shit? Tuesday is tacos. Sushi is Sunday.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Look we already established when the master chef is solo cookin. Sushi Tuesdays it is.

[subego]

Cooked sushi is just fish, which is Friday.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Sashimi all the way

[ghporter]

Completely off the “Asian food” theme, but when I do my workout walks (I’m hoofin’ it pretty fast when I do this), I often come across teens headed for the high school around the corner from my neighborhood. And almost all of them pretend this big white guy with the international safety yellow/green tee shirt doesn’t exist. Bugs the crap out of me, since I try to offer a friendly greeting to everybody I encounter on my walks. (It’s the way I was raised, though it’s helpful for managing my wind too.)

But since you have mentioned pho…. Geez. Now I’m really wanting pho. On the bright side, there’s a new pho restaurant less than two miles from my house. Maybe I should check ‘em out. And in the same strip center is a craft brewpub, so…

[reader50]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

... I often come across teens headed for the high school ... And almost all of them pretend this big white guy with the international safety yellow/green tee shirt doesn’t exist.

You don't exist in their social circle - they have no idea what to say to you. They probably figure you for an electrical utility worker, and forgot your hard hat back in the truck. That would be why you're hustling.

[andi*pandi]

Talking to teens is so cringe it's cheugy.

[subego]

Okay, boomer.

[andi*pandi]

<genx>Whatever. </genx>

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

Talking to teens is so cringe it's cheugy.

I learned a new word today.

[Thorzdad]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

And almost all of them pretend this big white guy with the international safety yellow/green tee shirt doesn’t exist. Bugs the crap out of me, since I try to offer a friendly greeting to everybody I encounter on my walks.

You don’t. I mean, did you pay any attention to rando olds when you were their age?
Welcome to old, son. Tell me...Are the only tv commercials aimed at you pharma ads yet? That’s the true tell that you’re disposably old now.

[reader50]

Stupid drug ads are a definite minor irritant.

"Do you have exotic diarrhea"?
No.
"Great. You may get relief by trying SpammySpamSpam."
I still don't have that. Didn't you hear me?
"May cause suicidal thoughts, irregular heartbeat, poverty, or death. Tell your doctor if you have trouble breathing. Do not consume with olive oil. May attract assassins."
Gee, what a deal.

We should update advertising laws for drugs. So ads have to list their typical monthly cost.

[Thorzdad]

Or, y’know, just don’t allow direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising, like every other first-world nation.

[subego]

Had to drive downtown today. Parked in a lot without thinking.

$25/hour.

[subego]

Lack of frequency locking on the iPhone 13.

Also, on the 13 I keep hitting return with the padding where my thumb connects to my palm. Didn’t happen nearly as much on the 12.

[andi*pandi]

Kid's iphone6 still has a camera button on the lockscreen. Mine doesn't. Why and how? I've missed that so much.

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

Kid's iphone6 still has a camera button on the lockscreen. Mine doesn't. Why and how? I've missed that so much.

You can slide the lock screen left to reveal the camera interface.

[subego]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

Kid's iphone6 still has a camera button on the lockscreen. Mine doesn't. Why and how? I've missed that so much.

Is it just greyed out, or not there at all?