Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

oldfarmer50

suydam said:

It is a scam, and unless you are up to noticing (which sick patients seldom are) you are stuck. Outrageous. I read about it in Consumer Reports. Who puts someone in for pneumonia on “ Observation”? Last time I had it I was ADMITTED for a week. As you should have been.

My then 86yo mother-in-law was discharged subsequent to colon cancer surgery after only three days because Medicare wouldn’t pay any longer. They told this woman whose sole income was social security that she could pay privately “if she wanted to stay”.

oldfarmer50

fezo said:

Yeah, I get that pneumonia vaccine. After the transplant, I needed a bundle of vaccines, including for things I'd already had. The only one they couldn't give me was for shingles because it contained a live virus and I have a compromised immune system. Apparently, they've now developed one with a dead virus. I get that in December. Once they've established that it's taken effect I can get off the last of the transplant meds. Will still be on about 8 for various things, but this is good.

I’m real happy you’re doing so well.

suydam

You still have to take the immunosuppressants right? Those are for life. I’m a transplant recipient too.

ronsteve

ab348 said:

We had the same storm that dropped snow on NY and New England come through here yesterday. Started snowing here around 7AM just in time for morning rush hour and it was a total debacle. First snow of the year is always a bad driving day but because this one was earlier in the year than usual and came just in time for morning rush it was insane. Lots of people didn't have snow tires on yet because of the date and the road crews got caught with their pants down. Result was lots of cars abandoned, lots of accidents, traffic at a standstill, massive (for us) delays. Lots of vehicles just couldn't make it up even small hills for whatever reason. Seemed odd because in the end we got 4"-6" of snow, not really all that much, but it did come down fast.

If it snows hard enough, and by that I mean on the order of 1" or more per hour, it doesn't matter what the road crews do. The pavement will become snow-covered, and at that point all the crews have (or had) a say in is how quickly things recover once the snow lets up.

driver100

suydam said:

driver100 said:

suydam said:

It is a scam, and unless you are up to noticing (which sick patients seldom are) you are stuck. Outrageous. I read about it in Consumer Reports. Who puts someone in for pneumonia on “ Observation”? Last time I had it I was ADMITTED for a week. As you should have been.

Which reminds me....there is a vaccine for pneumonia which is very worth checking into. Not sure if Mike said he wasn't able to have that one (possibly liver problem).

There are two kinds of pneumonia— bacterial and viral. The vaccine prevents one but not the other.

Bacterial....but, it could prevent pneumonia and if you do get it it will be less severe with the vaccine;

There are two vaccines for pneumonia that protect against different types of the infection.

PCV13 helps protect people from 13 of the most severe types of bacteria that cause pneumonia.
PPSV23 protects against an additional 23 types of pneumonia bacteria. Neither can prevent every type of pneumonia, but they work against more than 30 common, severe types

fezo

driver100 said:

Fezo....good to hear from you. The only thing X-Drive means it has AWD.....should handle a bit better in slippery conditions etc.
Hope you stick around but if not check in in about 2 years from now like this time.

It was long, but not that long.

It did handle well in slippery conditions but had no BMW driving dynamics. I'd take a Mazda over it for that.

roadburner

More test drives today; my wife drove a Cherokee Trailhawk with the Elite package. It also had the full raft of Helen Keller aids. My wife liked it pretty well- but not as much as the X3 loaner from a couple of weeks ago. I didn't drive it- no point, as it would be her car and I know it will be competent but not the least bit involving to drive. The seats weren't bad, and the audio "upgrade" was just barely passable. The touchscreen is responsive, I really don't like them.

My biggest gripe is that it has a huge hole in the roof, the turbo 4, and a wheel upgrade- $2650 worth of "features" that I'd almost pay NOT to get. Ditching the Ray Charles package would save another $1095. I guess I'd have to order one to get a decent option set

Next stop was the BMW dealer to pick up some parts for the ti. They had a gorgeous CPO 2015 Sakhir Orange M3, but the next new(ish) car will be for my wife.

We headed back to Mini to drive a CPO Cooper S Countryman- one of the few Minis they had with decent audio and proper headlights.. Nice enough, but it was a dark gray and my wife wants a brighter color. The X1 is looking better all the time- if the dealer would come down about $3k on the price, which is unlikely.

abacomike

fezo said:

Yeah, I get that pneumonia vaccine. After the transplant, I needed a bundle of vaccines, including for things I'd already had. The only one they couldn't give me was for shingles because it contained a live virus and I have a compromised immune system. Apparently, they've now developed one with a dead virus. I get that in December. Once they've established that it's taken effect I can get off the last of the transplant meds. Will still be on about 8 for various things, but this is good.

That would be great fezo!  Good to see you back posting again.

Since they cut part of my liver out (a chunk that had 3 malignant tumors in it), I have not been myself.  Can’t walk very far and I am always weak and out of breath.  I have oxygen tanks here st home to reduce the stress on my heart and lungs,  I don’t know how much longer I can live alone without help shopping, house cleaning, cooking, to name a few.  I don’t sleep well at night and am lucky if I get 4 hours sleep, even with the help of strong sleeping pills.  I don’t like taking those sleeping pills, as I think they slow me down since they have a long half-life.  

Hey, nobody said that getting old or being ill is like eating a bowl of cherries.  No fun, that’s for sure! 

abacomike

Just got several texts from my grandson who is away at college in Nebraska.  The first text asked for a donation to his baseball team, The Tigers,  so I sent in a hundred bucks to help him meet his fundraising goal.

His second text started off, “...brr - it’s darn cold out here.  Lots of snow.  Snow is not as much fun as it’s reported to be.  Driving is treacherous and walking from building to building for classes is slippery - I fell 5 times yesterday - nothing broken.”

I told him that it’s only November - wait until January and February.  This is his first experience being in and seeing snow since he was born.

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

More test drives today; my wife drove a Cherokee Trailhawk with the Elite package. It also had the full raft of Helen Keller aids. My wife liked it pretty well- but not as much as the X3 loaner from a couple of weeks ago. I didn't drive it- no point, as it would be her car and I know it will be competent but not the least bit involving to drive. The seats weren't bad, and the audio "upgrade" was just barely passable. The touchscreen is responsive, I really don't like them.

My biggest gripe is that it has a huge hole in the roof, the turbo 4, and a wheel upgrade- $2650 worth of "features" that I'd almost pay NOT to get. Ditching the Ray Charles package would save another $1095. I guess I'd have to order one to get a decent option set

Next stop was the BMW dealer to pick up some parts for the ti. They had a gorgeous CPO 2015 Sakhir Orange M3, but the next new(ish) car will be for my wife.

We headed back to Mini to drive a CPO Cooper S Countryman- one of the few Minis they had with decent audio and proper headlights.. Nice enough, but it was a dark gray and my wife wants a brighter color. The X1 is looking better all the time- if the dealer would come down about $3k on the price, which is unlikely.

That Trailhawk is a cute vehicle. The one review I read said you have to wait for the computer to “figure things out” before you go off-road.

You should use it to remover those broken trees on the test drive to see if it can handle life on your estate.

On the sunroof issue, I used to crave a car with a sunroof but after driving a bunch of them, I’m over it. Now if I want to see the sky I use a car dedicated to opening up the roof all the way.

xwesx

oldfarmer50 said:

Your troubles never seem to end Mike.

Yeah, but you know that there is, inherently, good news baked into that outcome!

We're glad to have you back with us, Mike!

xwesx

driver100 said:

suydam said:

New washers are so much more energy and water efficient than old ones.

Yeh, like my high efficiency furnace. I save $3 a month because it uses fuel more efficiently, but, they only last 12 years instead of 30 years so it actually costs a lot more to own.

Well, sometimes it works out, and sometimes it does not. Our old washing machine did really well. It is a "high efficiency" front loader; it used about fifteen gallons of water per load. This new one is very similar except much larger capacity... and it takes a LOT longer on the cycles! Hopefully it also does a good job cleaning.

Our water heater, which was a 50-gallon electric unit, died about nine years after install. I replaced it with a heat pump water heater, also with a 50-gallon tank, and it cost me quite a bit more (about $1300 instead of $800). However, I also installed a water recirculation system on it (so we have instant hot water), and I disabled the timer system that only allowed us to have hot water during a two-hour window in the morning and at night (to save money on electricity). I save about $50 a month compared to the old unit (during winter; summer is less because I must also use electric mode), and I figured it would pay for itself (fully, not just the differential cost) in about three years.

That it did, and every extra year I get out of it is just gravy. We're just shy of five years now, and so far so good! At first, I was miffed that the old unit rusted out, but not anymore!

xwesx

Speaking of that washer and dryer... I just finished installing them and am on the first test load.

I ended up leaving at about 4:45 this morning to head down to Anchorage, and I arrived at my friend's place about seven hours later (just shy of noon). My plan was to put the washer inside our Forester, then load the dryer onto the rear cargo tray (outside), wrapped in a tarp and strapped down, for the return trip. However, we were able to get the washer to go in such that it looked like the dryer might fit inside the car too. And, it did! Just barely, but that's all it took.

I filled up at Costco down there, left at about 1pm, and was home by 8pm.

Roads were a little slick in some places, and lots of slush and/or road salt, etc., once I was south of the Alaska range. But, I probably only lost about 30 minutes compared to summer driving, so it wasn't bad at all. On the way home, I was on the hill about a mile south of Healy (you can look up on a map if you're interested), and the outside temperature said 40 degrees! As soon as I dropped into Healy itself, only a mile or two north, the temperature plummeted to 8 degrees. I couldn't believe it, but I was quite glad to get back to frozen roads; it is winter, and I would much rather know what I'm dealing with instead of constantly guessing between wet and black ice.

Pretty good fit, though.... with only an inch or so to spare!

Washer, from front seat area.


Washer (bottom) from the rear passenger door:


Dryer fom the rear hatch (washer behind it):


Washer, with dryer removed:

abacomike

xwesx said:

Your troubles never seem to end Mike.

Yeah, but you know that there is, inherently, good news baked into that outcome! We're glad to have you back with us, Mike!

Thanks, xwesx!  Thanks also to all you good-wishers who have shared  your concerns and welcomes.

What I have learned is to avoid hospitals whenever possible.  I always come home sicker than when I went in.  Viruses and bacteria abound in those harbingers of microscopic life.  There is nothing hospital staffs can do about the spread of these illnesses, even with all the precautions they take to avoid spreading microbes and viruses.  That is just one of many reasons to avoid those places. 

abacomike

ronsteve said:

We had the same storm that dropped snow on NY and New England come through here yesterday. Started snowing here around 7AM just in time for morning rush hour and it was a total debacle. First snow of the year is always a bad driving day but because this one was earlier in the year than usual and came just in time for morning rush it was insane. Lots of people didn't have snow tires on yet because of the date and the road crews got caught with their pants down. Result was lots of cars abandoned, lots of accidents, traffic at a standstill, massive (for us) delays. Lots of vehicles just couldn't make it up even small hills for whatever reason. Seemed odd because in the end we got 4"-6" of snow, not really all that much, but it did come down fast.

If it snows hard enough, and by that I mean on the order of 1" or more per hour, it doesn't matter what the road crews do. The pavement will become snow-covered, and at that point all the crews have (or had) a say in is how quickly things recover once the snow lets up.

From my distant memories of snow plows, especially in the city, I used to curse them with vengeance every time we had large accumulations of snow.  I would shovel for hours to free my car from huge amounts of snow or my sidewalks or driveways and along would come a snowplow and bury my car again or block my sidewalks and driveways.  It was like a municipal conspiracy to eliminate any possibility that cars could get any opportunity to free themselves which would result in any vehicular traffic for days - even weeks - after a snowstorm.  It sure worked in large suburban areas or municipalities.  God how I cursed those snowplows - every curse word known to English speaking people of the world - even a few Italian and French gestures as they plowed me in again. 

abacomike

abacomike

The picture above is a shot of my grandson’s baseball teams (varsity and Junior varsity).  He is the only Freshman on Varsity.  If you enlarge it with your fingers, he’s standing in the back row, 7th from the right wearing a Khaki looking hat.  God, he looks like a younger me and the spitting image of his father, my son, when he was playing baseball at college.

oldfarmer50

abacomike said:

ronsteve said:

ab348 said:

We had the same storm that dropped snow on NY and New England come through here yesterday. Started snowing here around 7AM just in time for morning rush hour and it was a total debacle. First snow of the year is always a bad driving day but because this one was earlier in the year than usual and came just in time for morning rush it was insane. Lots of people didn't have snow tires on yet because of the date and the road crews got caught with their pants down. Result was lots of cars abandoned, lots of accidents, traffic at a standstill, massive (for us) delays. Lots of vehicles just couldn't make it up even small hills for whatever reason. Seemed odd because in the end we got 4"-6" of snow, not really all that much, but it did come down fast.

If it snows hard enough, and by that I mean on the order of 1" or more per hour, it doesn't matter what the road crews do. The pavement will become snow-covered, and at that point all the crews have (or had) a say in is how quickly things recover once the snow lets up.

From my distant memories of snow plows, especially in the city, I used to curse them with vengeance every time we had large accumulations of snow.  I would shovel for hours to free my car from huge amounts of snow or my sidewalks or driveways and along would come a snowplow and bury my car again or block my sidewalks and driveways.  It was like a municipal conspiracy to eliminate any possibility that cars could get any opportunity to free themselves which would result in any vehicular traffic for days - even weeks - after a snowstorm.  It sure worked in large suburban areas or municipalities.  God how I cursed those snowplows - every curse word known to English speaking people of the world - even a few Italian and French gestures as they plowed me in again. 

If I lived a thousand years and never saw snow again I’d be happy.

imidazol97

RE pneumonia. @abacomike
My sister-in-law texted last night to say she'd spent 5 days in hospital in Lost Wages with pneumonia. My
wife had been texting her and getting no response...

Is it pneumonia weather? She's a senior flight attendant and I wonder about the air in the planes...

sb55

@oldfarmer50 I know that you often drive from Albany area to Burlington.
I'm driving down to Troy on Wednesday. Google has me taking the Champlain Bridge to the Northway. I'm worried about traffic on 87 the day before Thanksgiving. I know 22A and am fine with that road. Do you know anything about Rte. 40? Is that an OK option to stay off of 87?

abacomike

imidazol97 said:

RE pneumonia. @abacomike My sister-in-law texted last night to say she'd spent 5 days in hospital in Lost Wages with pneumonia. My wife had been texting her and getting no response... Is it pneumonia weather? She's a senior flight attendant and I wonder about the air in the planes...

I swear that in most cases when I would fly on coast-coast airline flights when visiting my kids and grandkids, I would invariably catch a flu or some other viral infection.  Many times I became so sick I could not leave the hotel I was staying at to spend quality time with my grandchildren.  So my “fear” of flying is really a “ fear of catching” something - honestly! 

driver100

xwesx said:

driver100 said:

suydam said:

New washers are so much more energy and water efficient than old ones.

Yeh, like my high efficiency furnace. I save $3 a month because it uses fuel more efficiently, but, they only last 12 years instead of 30 years so it actually costs a lot more to own.

Well, sometimes it works out, and sometimes it does not. Our old washing machine did really well. It is a "high efficiency" front loader; it used about fifteen gallons of water per load. This new one is very similar except much larger capacity... and it takes a LOT longer on the cycles! Hopefully it also does a good job cleaning.

Our water heater, which was a 50-gallon electric unit, died about nine years after install. I replaced it with a heat pump water heater, also with a 50-gallon tank, and it cost me quite a bit more (about $1300 instead of $800). However, I also installed a water recirculation system on it (so we have instant hot water), and I disabled the timer system that only allowed us to have hot water during a two-hour window in the morning and at night (to save money on electricity). I save about $50 a month compared to the old unit (during winter; summer is less because I must also use electric mode), and I figured it would pay for itself (fully, not just the differential cost) in about three years.

That it did, and every extra year I get out of it is just gravy. We're just shy of five years now, and so far so good! At first, I was miffed that the old unit rusted out, but not anymore!

You saved $50 a month on electricity xwesx! Our electric bill when we are here in Florida with a/c on quite a bit is at most $68 a month, when we aren't here and the a/c is set at 84, the fridge and the trickle charger are on it is about $38. At a $50 a month savings they would owe me money.

imidazol97

@suydam mentioned transplants. Our close friend's father passed last week. He was 100. She and her sister were asked if they wished to donate his organs. They said no because they felt he was too old for parts to be useful. He had trouble walking the last several years and was in a VA facility, but didn't suffer any other major disease--just old age.

Does anyone on her have input about how useful donation is and at what age? E.g., would someone benefit from a kidney of someone who's 75?

driver100

abacomike said:

xwesx said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Your troubles never seem to end Mike.

Yeah, but you know that there is, inherently, good news baked into that outcome!

We're glad to have you back with us, Mike!

Thanks, xwesx!  

Thanks also to all you good-wishers who have shared  your concerns and welcomes.

What I have learned is to avoid hospitals whenever possible.  I always come home sicker than when I went in.  Viruses and bacteria abound in those harbingers of microscopic life.  There is nothing hospital staffs can do about the spread of these illnesses, even with all the precautions they take to avoid spreading microbes and viruses.  That is just one of many reasons to avoid those places

. 

Read the Medical Heretic. Hospitals are the most dangerous places to be in because of all the sick people around, and because there are lots of water systems which are breeding grounds for bacteria. 5 studies have shown death rates are greater, when doctors are not on strike.
Why do death rates drop when doctors go on strike?

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

abacomike said:

ronsteve said:

ab348 said:

We had the same storm that dropped snow on NY and New England come through here yesterday. Started snowing here around 7AM just in time for morning rush hour and it was a total debacle. First snow of the year is always a bad driving day but because this one was earlier in the year than usual and came just in time for morning rush it was insane. Lots of people didn't have snow tires on yet because of the date and the road crews got caught with their pants down. Result was lots of cars abandoned, lots of accidents, traffic at a standstill, massive (for us) delays. Lots of vehicles just couldn't make it up even small hills for whatever reason. Seemed odd because in the end we got 4"-6" of snow, not really all that much, but it did come down fast.

If it snows hard enough, and by that I mean on the order of 1" or more per hour, it doesn't matter what the road crews do. The pavement will become snow-covered, and at that point all the crews have (or had) a say in is how quickly things recover once the snow lets up.

in. 

If I lived a thousand years and never saw snow again I’d be happy

.

I keep saying I never want to see snow ever again....but, that might mean I will get hit by a giant garbage truck tomorrow Be careful what you wish for.

driver100

imidazol97 said:

RE pneumonia. @abacomike
My sister-in-law texted last night to say she'd spent 5 days in hospital in Lost Wages with pneumonia. My
wife had been texting her and getting no response...

Is it pneumonia weather? She's a senior flight attendant and I wonder about the air in the planes...

Definitely could be caused by being in an airplane and someone else had the bacteria. Air in airplanes is recirculated air and any bacteria in the air can get blown around. Flight attendants are handling food trays and garbage plus recirculated air is in the plane....probably a very easy place to pick up something like pneumonia.
EXCELLENT ARTICLE THAT EXPLAINS CAUSES

sda

xwesx said:

Speaking of that washer and dryer... I just finished installing them and am on the first test load.

I ended up leaving at about 4:45 this morning to head down to Anchorage, and I arrived at my friend's place about seven hours later (just shy of noon). My plan was to put the washer inside our Forester, then load the dryer onto the rear cargo tray (outside), wrapped in a tarp and strapped down, for the return trip. However, we were able to get the washer to go in such that it looked like the dryer might fit inside the car too. And, it did! Just barely, but that's all it took.

I filled up at Costco down there, left at about 1pm, and was home by 8pm.

Roads were a little slick in some places, and lots of slush and/or road salt, etc., once I was south of the Alaska range. But, I probably only lost about 30 minutes compared to summer driving, so it wasn't bad at all. On the way home, I was on the hill about a mile south of Healy (you can look up on a map if you're interested), and the outside temperature said 40 degrees! As soon as I dropped into Healy itself, only a mile or two north, the temperature plummeted to 8 degrees. I couldn't believe it, but I was quite glad to get back to frozen roads; it is winter, and I would much rather know what I'm dealing with instead of constantly guessing between wet and black ice.

Pretty good fit, though.... with only an inch or so to spare!

Washer, from front seat area.


Washer (bottom) from the rear passenger door:


Dryer fom the rear hatch (washer behind it):


Washer, with dryer removed:

Great job getting both machines to fit! I doubt you would have been able to do the same with most of the CUVs that have the swept back roof line. Boxy styling is space efficient. My wife likes her 'box' Pilot for that very reason.

oldfarmer50

sb55 said:

@oldfarmer50 I know that you often drive from Albany area to Burlington.
I'm driving down to Troy on Wednesday. Google has me taking the Champlain Bridge to the Northway. I'm worried about traffic on 87 the day before Thanksgiving. I know 22A and am fine with that road. Do you know anything about Rte. 40? Is that an OK option to stay off of 87?

I don’t know why you’d want to go rt. 40 since it’s a rural back road. Nothing wrong with it per se but you’ll be going through a bunch of little burghs with lower speeds.

The quickest way down from Burlington is to take 22a to Fair Haven then rt. 4 past Whitehall into Fort Anne. From there you could take rt. 4 all the way to the Troy area (slower) or go right on rt. 149 to the Northway south.

Going over the Champlain bridge you’d go county 185 (bridge rd.) to rt. 9N south to rt. 74 west to the Northway south. Take exit 7 straight into Troy.

The quickest route is 22a to the Northway. I wouldn’t worry about traffic on the Northway as you’ll be traveling in the other direction from the major flow of people leaving early.

One other thing, if you have a sporty car the rt. 74 route is more fun with the twisty roads. More scenic too.

suydam

imidazol97 said:

RE pneumonia. @abacomike
My sister-in-law texted last night to say she'd spent 5 days in hospital in Lost Wages with pneumonia. My
wife had been texting her and getting no response...

Is it pneumonia weather? She's a senior flight attendant and I wonder about the air in the planes...

Many pneumonia’s are actually secondary infections after a cold or other virus. Older people are particularly susceptible to them.

As to who can donate organs, pretty much anybody. Unless you have some chronic disease or infection. Who wants a 75 year old kidney? Another 75 year old on dialysis. Did they ask the doctors what parts were salvageable?

oldfarmer50

imidazol97 said:

@suydam mentioned transplants. Our close friend's father passed last week. He was 100. She and her sister were asked if they wished to donate his organs. They said no because they felt he was too old for parts to be useful. He had trouble walking the last several years and was in a VA facility, but didn't suffer any other major disease--just old age.

Does anyone on her have input about how useful donation is and at what age? E.g., would someone benefit from a kidney of someone who's 75?

There must be useable parts no matter what age. There was a recent scandal where funeral directors were carving up dead people and selling the parts to tissue dealers. I remember Alister Cooke the British Journalist/historian was a victim when he died in his 90s.

snakeweasel

imidazol97 said:

@suydam mentioned transplants. Our close friend's father passed last week. He was 100. She and her sister were asked if they wished to donate his organs. They said no because they felt he was too old for parts to be useful. He had trouble walking the last several years and was in a VA facility, but didn't suffer any other major disease--just old age. Does anyone on her have input about how useful donation is and at what age? E.g., would someone benefit from a kidney of someone who's 75?

He would still be able to have most organs donated. If donated each organ would be individually examined and evaluated to see if it is suitable. People have recieved organs from people well in the 90s with no bad effects. A 80 year old kidney that works is far better than a 40 year old one that failed. 

abacomike

driver100 said:

RE pneumonia. @abacomike My sister-in-law texted last night to say she'd spent 5 days in hospital in Lost Wages with pneumonia. My wife had been texting her and getting no response... Is it pneumonia weather? She's a senior flight attendant and I wonder about the air in the planes...

Definitely could be caused by being in an airplane and someone else had the bacteria. Air in airplanes is recirculated air and any bacteria in the air can get blown around. Flight attendants are handling food trays and garbage plus recirculated air is in the plane....probably a very easy place to pick up something like pneumonia. EXCELLENT ARTICLE THAT EXPLAINS CAUSES

FOOD TRAYS?  I haven’t seen a food tray on a flight for 10 years, give or take a year.  Maybe in first class, but not in coach.

xwesx

driver100 said:

You saved $50 a month on electricity xwesx! Our electric bill when we are here in Florida with a/c on quite a bit is at most $68 a month, when we aren't here and the a/c is set at 84, the fridge and the trickle charger are on it is about $38. At a $50 a month savings they would owe me money.

Wow! Our electricity is ~$0.22 per kWh, so it doesn't take long to add up. Our water heater alone added up to about $70/month.

xwesx

driver100 said:

Definitely could be caused by being in an airplane and someone else had the bacteria. Air in airplanes is recirculated air and any bacteria in the air can get blown around. Flight attendants are handling food trays and garbage plus recirculated air is in the plane....probably a very easy place to pick up something like pneumonia.
EXCELLENT ARTICLE THAT EXPLAINS CAUSES

Ugh. Flying. I am always thankful when I can make it through a series of flights and not end up sick within the next few days.

xwesx

sda said:

Great job getting both machines to fit! I doubt you would have been able to do the same with most of the CUVs that have the swept back roof line. Boxy styling is space efficient. My wife likes her 'box' Pilot for that very reason.

Yes! My wife was giving me grief before the trip because my Q7 would not fit them. She said something along the lines of, "What? Your huge waste-of-space car won't work, but my little car will? I thought you said you were going to sell that stupid thing! Well, I need my car this weekend, so you can't use it."

First and foremost, and SUV needs to be versatile. This is my single biggest complaint about the Q7.

abacomike

I woke up this morning and went through my usual regimen - put coffee filter into my 15 year old “Mr. Coffee” 5-cup coffeemaker and measure up 3 rounded tablespoons of ground coffee; go to fridge and fill coffeemaker pitcher with cold water from dispenser; pour water into coffeemaker and place pitcher on hot plate and close top!  So far so good.

After about 5 minutes it became evident that my 15 year old coffeemaker had “big the dust”!  Not a peep or a sound from my trusty old $15.99 Mr. Coffee coffeemaker.  What to do?  I can’t sit on the pot doing my crossword puzzle without a large - no extra large - mug of coffee.

So I take my pills and insulin and after brushing my teeth and washing my face, I get dressed and head out fo the nearest Walmart where I originally bought the deceased Mr. Coffee coffeemaker.  I go down to the small appliance aisle and discover another 5-cup Mr. Coffee coffeemaker - but this one had a clock and the ability to set a time when you want coffee brewed - in other words an upgrade.  Price was $16.00 + tax.  So after 15 years, you can get an even better coffeemaker for the same price paid in 2003.  Bet you can’t do that with very many appliances except for some HD TV’s now, if you are lucky.

Made the first pot of coffee and it was terrific.  I’m livin’!  Thank you Mr. Coffee! 

Now to the bathroom to do the Sunday Crossword and have my extra large mug of coffee while letting nature take its course! 

abacomike

driver100 said:

New washers are so much more energy and water efficient than old ones.

Yeh, like my high efficiency furnace. I save $3 a month because it uses fuel more efficiently, but, they only last 12 years instead of 30 years so it actually costs a lot more to own.

Well, sometimes it works out, and sometimes it does not. Our old washing machine did really well. It is a "high efficiency" front loader; it used about fifteen gallons of water per load. This new one is very similar except much larger capacity... and it takes a LOT longer on the cycles! Hopefully it also does a good job cleaning. Our water heater, which was a 50-gallon electric unit, died about nine years after install. I replaced it with a heat pump water heater, also with a 50-gallon tank, and it cost me quite a bit more (about $1300 instead of $800). However, I also installed a water recirculation system on it (so we have instant hot water), and I disabled the timer system that only allowed us to have hot water during a two-hour window in the morning and at night (to save money on electricity). I save about $50 a month compared to the old unit (during winter; summer is less because I must also use electric mode), and I figured it would pay for itself (fully, not just the differential cost) in about three years. That it did, and every extra year I get out of it is just gravy. We're just shy of five years now, and so far so good! At first, I was miffed that the old unit rusted out, but not anymore!

You saved $50 a month on electricity xwesx! Our electric bill when we are here in Florida with a/c on quite a bit is at most $68 a month, when we aren't here and the a/c is set at 84, the fridge and the trickle charger are on it is about $38. At a $50 a month savings they would owe me money.

My average electric bill during May-October is $55,00 a month - that’s with A/C on and 95 degree temps.  During the rest of the year, electric bills average $35.00 a month.  The new central air and energy efficient fridge are the major reasons for such low bills.

I set my A/C thermostat to 78 degrees during the day and 75 degrees around dinner time and through the night.  I also have a humidistat tied into the thermostat so the A/C will go on when the humidity goes above 55%.

imidazol97

suydam said:

As to who can donate organs, pretty much anybody. Unless you have some chronic disease or infection. Who wants a 75 year old kidney? Another 75 year old on dialysis. Did they ask the doctors what parts were salvageable?

They did not ask. The question surprised them, based on how story was told to us at the receiving line before the funeral.

I wanted to ask the question about age-related eligibility to hope other people realize even if older, their organs may help. My abdomen was given a cat scan by my surgeon a year ago. Two cysts (normal) in one kidney. Everything else passed except for the parts they took out. I guess my liver might help someone. My blood type is AB positive which I believe means I can get blood from most other types but can't donate other than to AB people. Is that a factor in how useful some organs might be.

I cringe but I know the local medical school does a lot of work with skin. They were active decades ago in stimulating muscles with computer control to help paraplegics walk. He went to California (of course) LOL.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerrold_S._Petrofsky

bwia

Longing for your Pontiac Aztek? well its back dressed in a Mitshubishi Eclipse Cross oufit. As they say the more things change the more they remain the same.

fintail

I live in a market with cheap power, and because the days of affordable single family housing within reasonable commutes to employment centers are long gone for normal working people or those without parental/family largesse in this area, I live on a shoebox. My power bill is often under $20 in the summer (even with AC) and not a lot more in the winter

driver100 said:

You saved $50 a month on electricity xwesx! Our electric bill when we are here in Florida with a/c on quite a bit is at most $68 a month, when we aren't here and the a/c is set at 84, the fridge and the trickle charger are on it is about $38. At a $50 a month savings they would owe me money.

ab348

Here in Nova Scotia people constantly complain that our electricity rates are the highest in Canada (they are not, quite, actually). I just looked at my last bill and we pay 15.3 cents per kw/hr. My place is about 1300 sq ft of finished space and I pay on average about $100 to $120/month. That is with an electric hot water heater and heat pump that handles all of the heating and cooling except for the coldest days of the year when my nat gas furnace kicks in. Not bad, really.

driver100

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

imidazol97 said:

RE pneumonia. @abacomike
My sister-in-law texted last night to say she'd spent 5 days in hospital in Lost Wages with pneumonia. My
wife had been texting her and getting no response...

Is it pneumonia weather? She's a senior flight attendant and I wonder about the air in the planes...

Definitely could be caused by being in an airplane and someone else had the bacteria. Air in airplanes is recirculated air and any bacteria in the air can get blown around. Flight attendants are handling food trays and garbage plus recirculated air is in the plane....probably a very easy place to pick up something like pneumonia.
EXCELLENT ARTICLE THAT EXPLAINS CAUSES

FOOD TRAYS?  I haven’t seen a food tray on a flight for 10 years, give or take a year.  Maybe in first class, but not in coach

.

Funny Mike. you still do get them on international flights of more than 5 hours, like when we went to London in the summer. When I saw the flight attendants picking up trays, and glasses, napkins etc I thought....why do people think of a flight attendant as having a glamorous job?

driver100

xwesx said:

sda said:

Great job getting both machines to fit! I doubt you would have been able to do the same with most of the CUVs that have the swept back roof line. Boxy styling is space efficient. My wife likes her 'box' Pilot for that very reason.

Yes! My wife was giving me grief before the trip because my Q7 would not fit them. She said something along the lines of, "What? Your huge waste-of-space car won't work, but my little car will? I thought you said you were going to sell that stupid thing! Well, I need my car this weekend, so you can't use it."

First and foremost, and SUV needs to be versatile. This is my single biggest complaint about the Q7.

It is pretty remarkable a washer and a dryer could fit in the Sube. I would have bet that you wouldn't get them both in there.

I used to fly a fair bit for work and I would get sick quite often afterwards. The best cure is to be in good shape and keep your immunity levels up. Hard to do when overworked, easier when retired.

driver100

abacomike said:

I woke up this morning and went through my usual regimen - put coffee filter into my 15 year old “Mr. Coffee” 5-cup coffeemaker and measure up 3 rounded tablespoons of ground coffee; go to fridge and fill coffeemaker pitcher with cold water from dispenser; pour water into coffeemaker and place pitcher on hot plate and close top!  So far so good.

After about 5 minutes it became evident that my 15 year old coffeemaker had “big the dust”!  Not a peep or a sound from my trusty old $15.99 Mr. Coffee coffeemaker.  What to do?  I can’t sit on the pot doing my crossword puzzle without a large - no extra large - mug of coffee.

So I take my pills and insulin and after brushing my teeth and washing my face, I get dressed and head out fo the nearest Walmart where I originally bought the deceased Mr. Coffee coffeemaker.  I go down to the small appliance aisle and discover another 5-cup Mr. Coffee coffeemaker - but this one had a clock and the ability to set a time when you want coffee brewed - in other words an upgrade.  Price was $16.00 + tax.  So after 15 years, you can get an even better coffeemaker for the same price paid in 2003.  Bet you can’t do that with very many appliances except for some HD TV’s now, if you are lucky.

Made the first pot of coffee and it was terrific.  I’m livin’!  Thank you Mr. Coffee! 

Now to the bathroom to do the Sunday Crossword and have my extra large mug of coffee while letting nature take its course! 

TMI.
I could have done without the last sentence.

driver100

bwia said:

Longing for your Pontiac Aztek? well its back dressed in a Mitshubishi Eclipse Cross oufit. As they say the more things change the more they remain the same.

I think the Aztek actually looks better than the Mitsu.
Imid, you can quote me on that!

The Mitsu would have looked better without that second rear window/wing affect.

driver100

snakeweasel said:

imidazol97 said:

@suydam mentioned transplants. Our close friend's father passed last week. He was 100. She and her sister were asked if they wished to donate his organs. They said no because they felt he was too old for parts to be useful. He had trouble walking the last several years and was in a VA facility, but didn't suffer any other major disease--just old age.

Does anyone on her have input about how useful donation is and at what age? E.g., would someone benefit from a kidney of someone who's 75?

He would still be able to have most organs donated. If donated each organ would be individually examined and evaluated to see if it is suitable. People have recieved organs from people well in the 90s with no bad effects. A 80 year old kidney that works is far better than a 40 year old one that failed

. 

I know some 80 year olds who are in much better shape than some 35 year olds.

tjc78

I can't fathom these low electric bills! Mine is never lower than $150.00 and that's with everything gas except my downstairs dryer which is seldom used. Summertime with AC on 73 or cooler high 200s for June-Sept.

I'm sure the ancient fridge downstairs doesn't help, but we try to conserve and all our bulbs are either LED or CFL.

stickguy

I won't let the wife keep the garage fridge on other than over thanksgiving, when we host. Once we empty it out after turkey day, I unplug it. I do have a small dorm fridge though plugged in.

our bill is not horrible most of the year. Just in the summer. The pool is a killer,,,

28firefighter

Our 2700 sq foot house runs us about $50 a month in summer (that’s with maybe 10-14 days of solid AC use) and $75 a month in winter with gas heat. Gas usually runs $20/month in summer and $50 in winter. 

fintail

In the days following a flight, I always load up on Emergen-C and vitamin kind of stuff. I think about half the people on the flight I was on yesterday had a cold, and there were a ton of germ factory kids, too.

driver100 said:

I used to fly a fair bit for work and I would get sick quite often afterwards. The best cure is to be in good shape and keep your immunity levels up. Hard to do when overworked, easier when retired.