What first world problem did you have today?

[igor_kavinski]

It's a good work out with an 8lb splitting axe - maybe too good since you really tend to develop whatever your dominant side is.

You must look like Aquaman, the actor I mean

 

[lxskllr]

I'm sure you've thought about getting a power splitter. If you haven't checked prices in a while, it might be worth a look. You're still looking at $400 minimum for an electric but it sounds like something to at least put on the "maybe" list. Just my perspective.

I generally enjoy the process of splitting. Can't make life too easy, or death has an easier time finding you ;^)

My recent problem is just the damned weight. Oak's heavy anyway, and this stuff is thoroughly saturated. I can /just/ pickup an 18"x20" round, and I'm getting really close to blowing my bad back up. I've been leaving them on the ground, and splitting them there. Oak generally splits like a dream, but I have some pieces with a confused twisted grain, and my axe just bounces off. Like almost scary bouncing off. It rebounds like I hit a rubber pad. I'll have to get those with a maul/wedges.

Aside from weight and the dirt(chain filing), it's been going ok. I'm really enjoying my new Fiskars axe. I stayed away from Fiskars for the longest time cause of the plastic handle, but it really is comfortable, and doesn't cause blisters. I was reluctant to try them cause of my experience with those awful yellow composite handles you see on cheaper tools. Those things are blister machines, and they feel terrible with shock and vibration. I stuck with wood handles cause of those, but wood gets beat to shit on splitting tools.

 

[igor_kavinski]

I'm getting really close to blowing my bad back up.

Squats help a lot with strengthening the core muscles needed to keep the back from getting injured.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I gave in and got a splitter when I get a couple truck loads of very large poplar logs that were green, but I generally like splitting by hand too. I do both depending on how hard the logs are to split. I will bring the splitter to my off grid land once I build a shed there.

Burnt through all that now, and all the wood I can access is unsplit so I'm done for now with the wood stove, I have a couple good batches left in case the power goes out or something. Next year I'll be better prepared, I will have a proper shelter in the yard , was a work in progress and just never got a chance to finish it before the snow came.

Speaking of wood, I thought this was rather interesting observation that I never really noticed before. You can actually see the wood drying out over time.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1902867214983672128

 

[lxskllr]

Squats help a lot with strengthening the core muscles needed to keep the back from getting injured.

I think I have one or more blown disks in my back. Not that core training wouldn't help, but I have problems more serious than exercise alone can help.

 

[Charmonium]

You must look like Aquaman, the actor I mean

Yeah, right? That story is from about, I'm not even sure. Maybe 10 years plus or minus.

 

[igor_kavinski]

I think I have one or more blown disks in my back.

Discs can heal once given enough time (it was around two years for me). A Good Monday seat cushion will also help to take pressure off the discs while sitting.

This is helpful:

This is also good:

Better if you can use both thumbs at the location of the discs to push them from back to front while doing the above, instead of keeping both hands on the waist. This will help to put the discs back into their natural position. A towel can also be used, like Daffy Duck uses in the cartoons after a shower (can't find the clip).

 

[lxskllr]

I blew out my back ~25 years ago bullpinning stakes into compacted road bed. That's where you drive a piece of steel into the ground first so you can get a wood stake in. Got me thinking about the time a metal flake came off the bullpin, and embedded in my head just above my eye. I tried getting it out with a rare earth magnet, but ended up having to cut it out. I got lucky. I used to work with a guy that lost an eye to a piece of metal from a bullpin. This was a couple years ago...




edit:
It was kind of like this. The piece of metal went over my glasses, but under my helmet. Fairly small target, but I hit it!

 

[nisryus]

Go to the Gundam statue, that was pretty awesome when I went although they changed it.

Yep, we will be going to Diver City Plaza to see the Unicorn Gundam! We thought about going to Fukuoma to see the Nu Gundam, but decided not to.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I was in a MS Teams meeting and wanted to say something but the "leave meeting" button is right next to unmute so I clicked that by error. Took me a while to figure out how to get back in as the popup to go in the meeting was gone at that point and by the time I did find it then the conversation had moved to something else.

What a POS program Teams is though, the more I use it the more I see why people hate it. Webex was better.

 

[IronWing]

Free fillable forms won't send the email verification email so I can't start on my tax filing.

I had to start from scratch with a different user name email address. It's weird because the email addresses are on the same server withe the same settings. One works and the other doesn't.

So I finished my federal tax filings, I think.

 

[stargazr]

I think I have one or more blown disks in my back. Not that core training wouldn't help, but I have problems more serious than exercise alone can help.

Even so, lower back stretches are always helpful. I had two surgeries and they always push that, even while injured.

 

[lxskllr]

I finally decided to rip the bandaid off, and swap my internet phone with my primary phone. Everything worked except hotspot on the internet phone, and that's it's only reason for existing. After going through CS hell, I find hotspot won't work, cause reasons. I guess it's because it's a Tmobile carrier phone, and it doesn't work because I'm not the true owner; Tmobile is. I fucking hate mobile devices. Everything's shit. They're designed top to bottom to remove control from the user and give it to corporations.

I wanted to make the best use of resources, but I guess I'll just keep doing what I'm doing, and run my old phone til it quits. I was looking forward to the "free" upgrade.

 

[QueBert]

I went to the food truck to get Carne Asada fries, and she was out of cheese Then a Reddit came up with a lady in a wheelchair posing in front of her gravesite/headstone. She said she has ALS and will be dead soon. She was smiling in the pic and what she wrote was somewhat upbeat. It really made me think about all the petty shit I complain about. Thank god all my problems are silly 1stworld ones.

She posted it on r/CemetaryPorn, which I've never been on and didn't even know existed. That's a weird fuckin sub to randomly show to a person who's never looked up any dark shit on Reddit.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

For now I'm putting this in FWP because it's probably just a simple thing, but I woke up to what feels like a plugged left ear. Tried pinching my nose and blowing to see if that would unplug it and nothing. Took a hot shower to see if steam would loosen anything, and it didn't help either. I have to wait about 10 more minutes to see if I can get in to have my dr. take a look at it.

 

[lxskllr]

I think I've picked up allergies as I've gotten older, and get weird ear issues. Sometimes when it's really bad, it affects my balance. I'll look up and get something like an instant turbo drunk. Everything spins and I go down. Almost took myself out one time coming out of a cellarway. I looked up, everything spun, and I slammed my head on ceiling. Almost knocked myself out. Hasn't been that bad in awhile, but stuff gets weird in the spring.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

I think I've picked up allergies as I've gotten older, and get weird ear issues. Sometimes when it's really bad, it affects my balance. I'll look up and get something like an instant turbo drunk. Everything spins and I go down. Almost took myself out one time coming out of a cellarway. I looked up, everything spun, and I slammed my head on ceiling. Almost knocked myself out. Hasn't been that bad in awhile, but stuff gets weird in the spring.

I get allergies really bad and take a generic for it. Never had anything like this before. I go in in about an hour to have him look at it. It's a very disturbing feeling. I'm starting to get a little bit of ringing once in awhile and yea it's throwing off my balance.

 

[biostud]

I had to do taxes.

Wait in queue for 10 minutes to login, check numbers for 5 minutes, pay ~$50 in taxes I owed using my credit card. Done.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I think I've picked up allergies as I've gotten older, and get weird ear issues. Sometimes when it's really bad, it affects my balance. I'll look up and get something like an instant turbo drunk. Everything spins and I go down. Almost took myself out one time coming out of a cellarway. I looked up, everything spun, and I slammed my head on ceiling. Almost knocked myself out. Hasn't been that bad in awhile, but stuff gets weird in the spring.

Late last year I had something like that, if I would move my head a certain way it would send me into an instant dizziness spiral where I had to hold on to something to not fall. I think that's what they call a vertigo? I ended up getting a super nasty upper respiratory infection for like 2 months then recovered and it never happened after that, so whatever virus I got may have been the cause, or maybe just a coincidence. Had read something about it being liquid that just ends up in a wrong part of the ear that affects your balance. That was really weird though and just glad it never happened while I was on a ladder or something.

 

[lxskllr]

That time I almost knocked myself out, I was doing lots of ladderwork helping a friend paint his 2 story farmhouse. I shouldn't have been on a ladder, but I just made it a point not to look up, and hope if things got crazy, I could hold onto the ladder without falling(not a great bet). I felt /off/ continuously, but looking up was the trigger for turbo spins. Luckily I didn't have any episodes while on the ladder. That could've been bad.

 

[Chaotic42]

Before I contact the manufacturer, I'm not crazy here, right? This is.... not a 3/8 NPT?

 

[sdifox]

Don't you have to measure the opening? Or is the entire front of the 5/8 spade fitting inside the 3/8 opening?

 

[lxskllr]

Looks wrong to me, but I'm not a plumber. The chart I found says ⅜" pipe has an outside diameter of .675. Whatever the fuck that is, isn't the .625 decimal inch conversion of ⅝"

edit:
chart...

National Standard Taper Pipe Threads Size NPT Chart

This engineering reference chart is of the National Standard Taper Pipe Threads Size NPT and Includes both External and internal Pipe Thread Data.

www.engineersedge.com

 

[Chaotic42]

The blade fits in and touches the first thread. It really looks like a 5/8 NPT screw would fit in there, but I don't have one. I just ordered a few combinations of barbs and threads, so we'll see what's going on here. God forbid they use numbers to mean anything. The trades are weird.

 

[lxskllr]

Something happened to my pawpaw seedling I planted last year. The stick I had next to it disappeared, and it looks like I got stepped on. I did neither. It's bent over and half snapped at the base, so it isn't looking good for it making a comeback, but it ain't over til it's over. I hope something sprouts this spring.