#creek can get noobed

[pr0f3ss0r-cha0s]

Forgot to post this earlier but I got home so here’s another Twutters clip. I think I’ll post clips of them until I run out (guys please they’re my favorite.)

Twutters Day 2

[letsdiscoveron]

Learn to Camp program by Ontario Parks

Camping, especially in the summer, is a long-standing tradition for many Canadians and while it is a great way to spend time outdoors and reconnect with friends and family it requires some skills and planning.  However what if you’re new to Canada from a country where camping wasn’t a thing or grew up in a family that didn’t camp?  We fell into the second category and never camped before until we tried the Learn to Camp program offered by Ontario Parks.

To mark the occasion, we recorded a video of our first-ever camping (mis)adventures for our YouTube Channel:

If you liked this video then remember to subscribe to our YouTube Channel to view all our videos!

Our Experience

We always said camping was not for us and said ‘no’ to previous invitations from friends, however we finally said ‘yes’ when Ontario Parks asked us to attend their Learn to Camp program.  We were the perfect couple for it….virgin campers.

Bronte Creek Provincial Park ambassador Sheila Wiebe

The Learn to Camp Program includes your choice of 1 or 2 overnight camping experiences at select Ontario Park campgrounds.  We chose Bronte Creek Provincial Park in Oakville.  Once we committed, we then picked the weekend we wanted to attend and it was time to follow through.

Our Learn to Camp Program Coordinator provided us with LOTS of info including a very detailed Information Guide with several checklists on what to bring in terms of food, clothing and personal hygiene.  This really removed any guesswork and planning.  For once the planning was done for us.  Truthfully all we needed to do was figure out what we were going to feed ourselves and how we were going to entertain ourselves.  All of the camping gear like: tents, air mattress, camp stove, kitchen utensils, firewood, and even S’mores kits are provided through the program!

Getting There

Bronte Creek PP is located in Oakville, Ontario.  However, please note that Campground & Day-Use Area are in 2 different locations which are far apart and you will have to drive between the two (they’re working on a pedestrian bridge that will link the two together one day).

Fees

It varies if you want 1 night or 2 nights, so visit the Ontario Parks website for current program fees.

Classroom Instruction

It’s an outdoor classroom setting, where groups of no more than 15 sit around in camping chairs and the camping instructors teach all the ins and outs of enjoying time outdoors.  Our instructors for the weekend were Andrew and Brittnie, both of whom have been camping all over Ontario for 15 years.

They taught our group of newbies everything we needed for a first timers experience in the great outdoors.  They obviously taught us how to setup and use the equipment like the dining shelter, tent, campfire, camp stove and more.  Watch our video to see the outdoor learning setup.

Safety is top of mind too, there’s some things that noobs may take for granted.  For example, if you’re going to use a propane fueled camp stove, DO NOT use it while inside the dining shelter.  The high heat can melt or even burn the thin fabric of the shelter.  That’s just no good.

  The classroom session was more than just about the equipment itself.  We learned about the types of plants in the area and creatures we were sharing the forest with.  By the way, there’s definitely raccoons in the park.  Tony had accidentally left a raw chicken tray in a bag on our campsite and forgot to dispose of it properly.  Sure enough, in the middle of the night, some raccoons had picked up the scent, started tearing up the garbage bag and even started fighting over the scraps left inside.  Oops.  He wont make that mistake again.  You see, Tony had forgotten one of the cardinal rules of camping…food and food waste should be properly put away or disposed of, so that you don’t attract the wildlife to share your campsite at 3:02am.  Lesson learned.

We found a super cute baby preying mantis!

Important things to keep in mind

You will be outdoors all day and night, so preparation is key.  Consider what the weather will be like that weekend, both during the day AND night.  Nights can get pretty cool and moist.  You also want to prepare for different weather conditions, cause you know, you can never be too sure when it will start pouring rain.

Different Kinds of Camping

Car Camping – This is the most common kind of camping in which you pull up to a campsite in your vehicle and use it for storage as well as a means of getting supplies.

Backcountry Camping – This rough & rugged style of camping can be done in a campground or on crown land however its typically very remote, without amenities and requires hiking or canoeing to get to. We toured a backcountry campsite during a previous adventure in southwestern Ontario.  Check it out!

Solo Camping – Experienced Campers, like our Guides Andrew & Brittnie, go camping alone, yes I said alone, to enjoy alone time in nature.  Our good friend Camper Christina also does this, all the time.  She’s even gone camping when it’s been -40 degrees out!  She documents all her trips on her blog.

Glamping – This is our kind of camping.  If you want the everyday conveniences, a slightly upscale version of camping with an outdoor feel to it, then glamping is more your style too.  The opportunity to try glamping presented itself before we tried camping so if you’re interested then click here.

Class photo – We survived our first camping trip!

Checklist for your visit

It’s a really convenient checklist when you register for Learn to Camp.  You need to bring your clothes, personal hygiene products, food and entertainment like a book, soccer ball or deck of cards.  The rest of the items are all provided by Ontario Parks.  Tony explains the checklist in our video.

We’re both really happy to have tried this program and we both ended the weekend with a huge sense of accomplishment.  Camping had always been out of reach for us because we came from families that just never tried it before.  The whole process had been demystified for us with the thorough (and very patient) instruction from our camp guides. We’re currently looking at getting our own camping gear so we can get out there on our own.  There’s literally hundreds of different campgrounds in this massive province of ours, and each one is unique, with different features for you to enjoy.  We’d love to start exploring them all.  It’s kind of what this blog is actually all about, we started it to explore every nook and cranny of Ontario, Canada, and it looks like we won’t be done anytime soon.

Our Learn to Camp program was sponsored by Ontario Parks however all opinions, recommendations & reviews are our own.

Have any photos or videos of your visit that you would like to share with us?  Send them over to @LetsDiscoverON.

Thanks for reading & watching.  Remember to subscribe to our Blog & YouTube Channel and follow us along as we Discover ON!

Camping 101: Camping Lessons For Adults Camping, especially in the summer, is a long-standing tradition for many Canadians and while it is a great way to spend time outdoors and reconnect with friends and family it requires some skills and planning. 

[vanproject-blog]

Gratitude: it’s one of many new things we’ve learned to practice in this past (almost) year of full-time vanliving. . Even writing that feels a bit surreal. A few years ago I would have never thought of gratitude as something you need to “practice” let alone focus on. . But gratitude is sort of like any skill. We go to climbing gyms so that our body can learn the movements we will need to successfully scale mountains. Every marathon runner starts with the first mile. The same goes for mental skills like gratitude. The more you focus your mind on gratitude and acceptance the more it’ll come back to you when you most need it. . Today as we chug along slowly through Utah on our way to Moab and Indian Creek to meet my (Amanda) sister for a full long weekend of climbing splitter cracks, I can’t help but reflect on our last trip to Moab in early December. . First, our trip got massively delayed due to some work projects lasting longer than expected. We’d broken down two times in the previous week, which pushed our arrival back even further. Finally, when we did make it to Moab the weather immediately turned from perfect bluebird 60 degree days to highs of 40. Our hot water heater exploded since we didn’t think to drain it (noobs! Also pro tip: if it might get below freezing drain your pipes! Don’t risk it!). . I won’t say I was perfectly grateful for every bit of that circumstance, but we handled it with much more grace than Amanda of three years prior would have. And well, that’s progress. . #thevanproject #vanlifer #vanlifejournal #vanlifedreams #vanlifeculture #vanlifesociety #vanlifeadventures #rvlifestyle #rvliving #campervans (at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area)

[tuckerenthusiast]

Hey so! This is kind of weird but I really like Creek and I've seen the first few seasons of South park but I still don't know a lot about it. However, I really like drawing the characters and ships but im scared that if I post them on my main it'll start discourse. So even though I'm not a expert on sp, do you think I should make a South park centric blog for that stuff just so I can keep my stuff separated, or should I refrain because I'm a noob?

Dude, go ahead?? And make the sideblog you wanna make??

I mean, I made a South Park sideblog so I can keep everything neat and I don’t want to swarm my non-SP followers with ENDLESS amounts of it. But don’t let it keep you from refraining completely? 

I’m not sure what you mean by discourse (with your current followers? Or with the fandom because you’re new?), but I wouldn’t worry about the latter because the fandom is overall nice as fk. Like honestly, SP fandom is probably the most welcoming that I’ve been in so far.

If you’re comfortable and you’re excited to do it, make the blog and have fun in the fandom!! You’ll get to know everything in SP eventually, there’s plenty of people who have just joined same as you. You don’t need to be an expert to be an SP fan. You’ll do fine. Welcome to the fandom!

[hollywood3015]

One of my favorite challenges is the BaCC (Build a City Challenge). It was unique for the sims 2 and though many tried to convert it for the sims 3 and 4 it just wasn’t successful. But now with the cats and dogs patch it seems this may not be able to happen... I am still a noob at sims 4 and with more packs and my knowledge growing these rules are subject to change I thought I would share these with anyone that wanted to give it a go.

RULES

Getting Started:

Roll a die to determine how many families you will have in town.

1-2 = 1 family

3-4 = 2 families

5-6 = 3 families

Once you figure out how many families you will have roll a die to determine how many sims will be in said family.

1-2 = Single Man

3-4= Single Woman

5-6= Couple

Once you have all that figured out bulldoze all the lots in Willow Creek. If you want to you can bulldoze all the lots for every world but I wouldn't worry about that until you unlock that world.

Have aging set to whatever you want, short, normal, long but have it so only active household members age. You don't want your other settlers getting old before you really get a chance to play them.

Restrictions:

1. No Electronics/plumbing. To start off your sims may not have any

electronics (tv,computer,stereo etc.).

They can have the cheapest fridge and a grill. Bushes to use for the bathroom, 1 sink and 1 bathtub.

Rocket ship cannot be used until electricity is unlocked.

Retail lots cannot be opened until electricity is unlocked.

This restriction is removed when one of the settlers reaches level 10 handiness

2. No Adoption/Pizza/Maid Service etc. Population must be 100 to unlock services.

3. No Hospital Birth. It is unlock when the doctor career is unlocked.

4. No aliens. This restriction is removed when Magnolia Promenade is Unlocked.

5. No Magnolia Promenade. Restriction is removed with 3 retail stores have been opened.

They must all be owned and run by settlers.

6. No cheats.

7. Aspiration may not be changed! Even when you complete an aspiration it must stay the same. If it bugs you that much to see a completed aspiration sitting there then you may change it but it doesn't count toward anything. In essence 1 aspiration per sim.

Example: Your first aspiration is angling ace. You complete it and that's awesome then you change your sims aspiration to athletic to complete a goal but that one doesn’t count.

8. Club cannot be joined until you have unlocked Winderburg.

Retail Lot:

Retail lots are unlocked with electricity.

Unlocking Community Lots:

Park- Park is unlocked when someone reaches level 5 gardening and 20.000

Bar- Have a sim max the mixology skill and 7.000

Library- Have a sim max the writing skill. and 10.000

Lounge- Have a sim max guitar,violin,piano, and comedy skill. More then one sim can complete this. (Ex: One sim can do piano while another does comedy and another does guitar etc)

Museum- Have a sim max a painting skill and 20.000

Nightclub- Have a sim max the charisma skill.

Spa- Have a sim max wellness skill and 6.000

Gym- One sim must have completed the athletic aspiration

Arts Center- When a sim grows up to adult with max creativity its unlocked.

Cafe- When a sim reaches level 5 culinary and city pays 10.000 this unlocks.

Karaoke Bar- When a sim reaches lv.10 singing skill and 5.000 dollars.

Pool- When 10 sims in town have a pool and 25.000 dollars is paid it is unlocked

Resturant- When Culinary is unlocked a resturant may be built

Vet Clinic- When a vet clinic retail lot is max then this may be unlocked

Unlocking Careers:Astronaut- One sim must max the rocket science skill to unlock the career.

Athletic- There be at least one gym community lot in world.

Business- Must be 3 retail lots. (Vet, Food, Retail)

Criminal- One settler must max the mischief skill

Culinary- There must be a resturant retail lot.

Entertainment- Must be one lounge community lot to unlock this career.

Painter- Must be one museum/art gallery

Secret Agent- One sim must complete the detective career to unlock.

Tech Guru- A sim must max programming and gaming to unlock. ( More then one sim may help with this)

Writer- There must be a library community lot.

Detective- Criminal must be unlocked.

Doctor- 5 babies must be born in game to unlock this career.

Scientist- One sim must complete the astronaut career.

Babysitter- At least one child must be born in game

Barista- One sim must complete the mixologist branch of culinary.

Manuel Labourer- A sim that wants to join this career must have level 5 handiness.

Retail Employee- Must be one retail lot in world

Fast Food Employee- One sim must have completed the culinary career.

Unlocking Towns:Oasis Springs- 5000 dollars to unlock

Magnolia Promenade- 2000 Dollars

Newcrest- 10.000 Dollars

Brindeton Bay- 5000 Dollars

Winderburg- 5000 dollars

San Myshuno- 5000 dollars

Forgotten Hollow- 5000 dollars

Vacation:For Granite Falls to be unlocked and your sims to take a vacation

20.000 must be paid from city funds.

Unlocking CAS Sims:Every retail store opened by settler +1

Every career unlocked +2

Every skill maxed +1

The Sim Multiplier:+7 for every World unlocked

+10 when you get every type of retail lot

+5 For every career unlocked

+1 For every career topped

+1 For every skill topped. (1 per sim)

[pi-noir]

Once Upon A Stakeout, a true & personal account

As a private investigator, you always need to be on your toes; always be prepared for anything. I'm an army veteran, so the cry "Stay alert, stay alive!" rings just as loudly now as it did then. On occasion, I whisper a mental thank you for the training.

I done a lot of reading and studying before I made the leap into private investigation. Mounds of books and study material would lay around my home as I was reading up and de-romanticizing the career path that I was going to walk down. I recall reading a passage in one of the study guides about how a California PI had been licensed for 20 years and hadn’t ever felt like his life was in danger and so had never carried a firearm. I don’t suppose all private investigators carry, but after this case I decided that I would never be without one.

Hollywood has romanticized most professions, but none no more than private investigation. From Philip Marlowe and Mike Hammer to Dick Tracy and even Ace Ventura, we all have preconceived notions as to what the job is all about, but we’re wrong. In a nutshell, private investigation is unglamorous and largely boring the majority of the time, and this case started off to be no different than the dozens of other surveillance cases I had worked in the first several months of my career. Being a dick in Appalachia is a bit more difficult than in a rural setting; subjects often live out in the middle of nowhere and getting close enough to get video or photographs without being seen in your inconspicuous vehicle is, well, very conspicuous at best and downright suspicious under the worst of conditions. Luckily, ‘round these parts, a Jeep is a pretty inconspicuous vehicle on back roads as well as in town

The subject’s employer had to place him on medical leave yet again and suspected that he was trying to get disability, an Appalachian pastime and career goal, so they wanted him investigated for worker’s compensation fraud. I had done tons of them, but in all prior cases I was provided with an address. This schmuck’s address took me to an open field in the middle of no man’s land. The nearest house was two ridges over and they hadn’t ever heard of the guy. All of the company’s mail had been sent to a P.O. Box in a town so small that if you blinked while driving through you’d miss it, but we’ll call it Sagebrush, because the names and places have been changed to protect the guilty.

The Sagebrush Post Office was a one-woman, half service joint where the walls were lined with PO boxes and handmade signs looking for lost dogs, cats, and kids’ belongings. Some were printed with the frayed strips at the bottom so folks could pull off a phone number. Seemed like one babysitter was a lot more popular than the others, but she couldn’t have had anything on the dish that stood on the other side of the window. She was a short dame with meth mouth, and open sores on her arms, from what I could hear her telling another lady was caused by her eczema. From the looks of it, the only medication she was taking for it was rat poisoning. I stood by and waited for the lady to leave before approaching the window and making a noob mistake – I asked about the address for the subject….in a small town where everyone knows one another. I used the pretext that I was with the company and needed to get him some papers to sign. She was nice enough to refuse to provide that kind of information but told me that someone at the grocery store might be able to help me. I walked next door to a small mini-mart sized store and asked the clerk about where I could find who I will refer to as Ronald Langley. The guy was very helpful and though he didn’t know the address he was able to tell me how to get to the house.

The subject came an went multiple times in his blue pickup truck and was kind enough to toot his horn at me each time he passed by. Langley had an informant; either the post office meth-head or the minimart clerk, or both, but either way, he knew where I was at and what vehicle I was in because the locations I parked at changed from day to day, but were all entrances to the road to his home, and he seemed to always know where to find me, blowing that horn and waving each time he passed.  I decided one morning to change vehicles and to park some distance away from one of the two intersections that he used but that didn’t work either, so it was time for drastic measures, and again, pulling from my highly motivated military training, I decided I was just going to make it happen regardless of what was required. So, I headed home early that day and began to prepare for the next day i was to go out.

I held off for a few days so that Langley’s suspicions would die down a bit. I pulled up my GIS software and mapped out his area. I knew of every entrance and egress from his property, every hill, every draw, every spur, and every watershed that surrounded him. I knew that I was going to have to treat this case as an op and so I put forth that much effort to get myself ready. I loaded my Jeep the following morning and said a small prayer that the day was met with success and then I headed out for the town of Sagebrush.

At the top of the hill, before descending down into the hollow and coming within view of the subject’s house, sat a little church and a cemetery. Parking in the vacant church lot would still bring unwanted attention since chances were the guy I was after likely attended services there. I arrived just before dawn and the church’s service lights were illumination enough for me to see without my headlights, at least until I got up behind the cemetery. And that’s when the op began. Jeeps are pretty good at making their own roads and I’m not the kind of guy who can sit in a vehicle for hours and/or days on end, so after parking a good distance in the woods I hopped out and while grabbing my gear, I decided as an afterthought to leave Betsy, my 1911, in the vehicle. I may had been what I was now considering enemy territory, but I still felt safe enough considering all I was doing was my job. Remember, the ‘ol California PI says he hadn’t carried one time in his 20-year career, so I would surely be safe in this nice community of country folk. I turned on my night vision and began what would take an hour trek to make my way to the location I had picked without being spotted. I sat down against a large tree, behind a thicket that provided ample blind but still gave a good view of the Langley home and his blue pickup truck. The hill below the thicket sloped down toward a small creek and to the road passing by the house. Just as the mountains began turning purple from the morning’s first light, I took my first video pan of the area as to document the date, time and location for the client and for any future court proceedings. I repeated this every hour as proof that I was still at the location. The first day that I was there produced a considerable amount of video that would show that Ronald Langley was actively doing work and manual labor that would far exceed the limitations that were stated in his injury report for his neck, back and shoulders. He had made multiple trips in and out of his property, loading and unloading building materials, large boxes, and tools. Langley climbed ladders, swung hammers, lifted an entire framed wall of an outbuilding that he was building. I would later learn that he built these outbuildings to sell as an income.

As the sun began to set I knew that I wouldn’t be getting any further video that night, but the day had so much successful footage that I didn’t want to leave. The state required three separate days of video evidence in order to charge anyone with worker’s compensation fraud and one day's worth is all that I had. I was going to need to stay for as long as I could hold out. I came dressed for a long stay, and although I was chilly I wasn’t freezing with the multiple layer upon layer that I was wearing; I decided to stay in place overnight and so I bedded down until morning when the rumble of his engine woke me up. The sun had already risen and shined brightly on the newly fallen snow that now blanketed everything. My view was somewhat obstructed through the thicket and my clothing was no longer providing any camouflaging for me to stay hidden if I were to knock off the snow from the brush to help me see. It was just past 8am when he came back out to his now heated truck and he drove away. Mrs. Langley walked over and stood on the inside of the sliding glass door wearing exactly what she would be wearing to bed for her husband. She was a tall, and well-groomed dame with long, well defined legs that went all the way up to heaven. Mrs. Langley was quite perky so the room must have been cold, but I didn’t mind at all, I was enjoying the view. I began wishing that I was that cup of coffee that she was putting those full lips on as she sipped and looked out at the snowscape that wasn’t half as beautiful as she was. I pulled the camera out to do a pan and thought I would catch her standing there – for posterity of course, but she began walking away. The video caught evidence that she does a lot of squats and could crack walnuts among others with her cheeks, but before I was able to get the full pan hubby came roaring back in. I had suddenly realized why he was trying to be home more often.

Ronald Langley was just as busy the second day as he was the first, completing one outbuilding and then beginning on the next and my lens caught it all. Toward the end of the day he had someone arrive and Langley helped him load the completed outbuilding onto a flatbed trailer before the guy handed him some cash, shook his hand and drove away. The screen on my camera flashed a warning that my second battery was nearly dead, and I loaded my last one in. As I had done a million times, I turned the camera back on, but this time it beeped, and across the pillow-soft cushion of the snow the sound echoed across the creek and road over to Langley. He paused and my heart stopped. He never moved a muscle for several seconds and I had to finally take a breath just as he turned and walked into the house. Perhaps he imagined it. Maybe it was inaudible, and he dismissed it. I hoped. I hoped. When he returned he returned quickly and lifted a bolt action rifle and aimed in my direction and pulled the trigger. As the barrel was brought to bear I remember realizing that I was dead, but the shot struck the tree that I had been sitting against and about six feet above my head. Bark rained down on me and around about in the snow as the blast from the rifle reverberated between the hills of the hollow. My heart gave a sigh realizing that he wasn’t trying to hit me, but I jumped up and threw my hands into the air.

He told me to get off his land, but according to tax map information, the land I was on belonged to the church. But I wasn’t going to argue and his aim might have been a bit more intentional the time that trigger was pulled, so I gathered my gear and began heading out with him still yelling until I was too far away to hear what he was saying. Langley wasn’t as mad at my presence as he was at the fact that I beat him and his little game he was playing – providing a fake address, having informants, and cheating tax payers out of money. The weeks ahead proved that there still wasn’t enough evidence on Langley. The company and state still needed one more day of footage in order to prosecute so I formed the long con.

During my study of the subject, Ronald Langley, I knew that he frequented a rental company over in the next, much larger town. I applied and was hired as a delivery driver and salesman at the store. He nor his wife had ever gotten a good look at my face so I stood a good chance of not being recognized when they came in to buy a new sectional. I requested to be the driver to take them their new furniture, especially when he said that he would help me get it into their house since we were down one person that day. I stopped by my vehicle and I grabbed my covert camera / ink pen before loading the sectional into the delivery truck. Just before arriving at Ronald Langley’s home I turned my camera on and then pulled up to the house. He was very helpful, offering to take the heavy end of both sections of the couches. Once we had gotten it into the house he tried to sell me an outbuilding and even bragged that he builds them himself. I drew him into more detail about how he went about building them and the time and strength it takes to do it all himself. Mrs. Langley, Becca as she asked me to call her, offered me a cup of coffee while Ronald stepped outside. I happily accepted. Becca was a bit of a tramp, making sexual innuendos toward me and hinting that she liked me, but after I had more than enough evidence to satisfy the state, and not wanting to push my luck, I left. After returning home that night I processed the footage from my ink pen and sent it to the client, 7 months after I began the case.

About two months later I read where Langley had been arrested on multiple counts and would be away from home for a while. Unable to pay for the sectional, the rental company picked up their new furniture; I stuck around a bit to see if she needed a man to help out with anything. Turns out she did.

[andromedahawking]

OC Bullshit AKA: Group Project Part 1

Maria hated group projects. With a passion. Every time, she ended up pulling all the weight while everyone else skived off.

This time, though, she seemed to have joined a group that shared her pain.

The project was daunting: a full rundown of the 2056 election, primaries and general, due in one month. Five people in the group: Adrien Cranston, Hannah Chase, herself, Tatjana Mekall, and Xander York. By her logic, that was one person for each primary and one for the general, if they wanted to divvy it up that way. Although, none of them were exactly equally weighted—she knew for a fact that the Progressive primary had been a beast that election.

She had been the one to set up the group chat after class that day, already gearing up for another hellish month of dealing with four useless partners and doing the heavy lifting all the way—but this time was different.

Tuesday 2 October 2084, 17:47

MT Hey guys, Maria here. This’ll be a big project, we should schedule time to get together soon to work on it.

XY Hey! Agreed, we should meet ASAP.

If we can get this done early that would be ideal, I have big stuff in English Week 4.

AC I’m free every Monday, Wednesday and Friday after 16. Free all weekends, but Tues/Thurs are no-gos.

TM I’m in Xander’s English too, Week 4 is a major due date so finishing this quick is a really big priority.

MT I’m free past 16:30 on weekdays. Not free until 16 on weekends.

XY I’m free every day after 17.

HC I’m busy Mon Tues and Weds, free after 17 otherwise.

TM I’m free until 20 on weekends, free after 16 on weekdays.

MT So Friday and weekends after 17 work best for everyone?

AC Yeah that works

XY Can do.

TM Yup.

HC That’ll work.

MT Okay. Let’s meet up Friday at 17:30.

AC Meeting point?

HC Does everyone know Lac de la Lune?

XY Yeah I’ve heard of it.

AC Are you kidding I love that place Let’s do it

TM That’s in Walnut Creek, right?

That works for me.

MT Yeah, it’s in Walnut Creek near the Millenial Cinema on Locust.

So, Lac de la Lune at 17:30?

AC Let’s do it

HC That’s good

XY Yes

TM Yeah

MT Alright. It’s set.

See you guys there.

Bonus points to Hannah for suggesting Lac de la Lune. They served the best drinks there. Maria had arrived at 17, not wanting to be late, and got a booth for them. She’d brought her laptop and her textbook with her, and promptly supplemented that with a White Russian. Alcohol made History go down more smoothly.

17:10 gave her the first pleasant surprise of the day: Adrien arrived with all his materials.

“Afternoon,” he said with a wave, sitting down opposite her. “I’m glad you got a booth, I always liked them better.��

“History requires a cushy seat and strong drinks,” she said, smiling crookedly.

“God, relatable…” he groaned. “I look at the project outline and I feel my soul die in my chest.”

“Have you seen the Wikipedia article on the 2056 election?” she asked. “It makes me wanna die. It’s a nightmare.”

“I have,” he said. “I also wanted to die when I saw it. It’s so long.”

“And that’s just the Wikipedia article,” she said. “There’s so much stuff about this whole thing, you could write an entire textbook about it.”

“Someone probably has.” Adrien picked up a menu. “I don’t know what I want to eat…”

“Pick a drink first, that’s my advice.”

“I already know what I want to drink, that’s easy. Food is a lock I can never pick.”

“Burger. You can’t go wrong with a burger.”

“True, but…” He bit his lip. “Burgers weigh me down. I need something lighter.”

“Pizza? You can get it thin-crust and plain.”

“Ooooo. Oo, yeah, that sounds good. I’ll do that.”

The others trickled in early as well. It was 17:20 by the time Xander came in and completed the group. Everybody was actually prepared. It was amazing to see: all five of them, laptops and books at the ready, eager to get this damn thing done swiftly and painlessly.

“Okay, so, first of all,” Hannah began, “we need to figure out how to break this up. It goes from about June 2055 to January 2057. There’s the four primaries, then the general and everything between that and the inauguration.”

“We shouldn’t do one primary or the general apiece,” Xander said. “The Pros and Dems' primaries are a huge mess compared to the Reps and Cons.”

“Yeah, Mazer and Birch were locked in way before Hanover or Scott,” Maria nodded. “We’d be better off going by subjects or something.”

“We also have to remember the 29th Amendment,” Tatjana said.

“Oh, fuck, you’re right,” Maria groaned. “The proportional voting totally changed the dynamic.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Adrien agreed. “And there’s also the VAP Automatic Registration Act.”

“Okay,” Hannah said. “So we can break it up into five groups of subjects, like, um, election changes and things like that… uh, debates, other things.”

“Yeah, that oughta work better,” Xander said.

“Cool,” Maria said. “Let’s do it.”

-

They made some decent headway before their meals came, but it was to be expected that once it was time to eat, work ground to a halt.

“My favourite part of the whole thing is how she was president for two terms, and now she’s a Senator,” Xander laughed. “Like, there’s nothing in the Constitution that says you can’t be a Senator after you’re President! We have two former Presidents as Senators right now!”

“It’s so fucking weird, man,” Maria sighed. “The government is a shitshow.”

“I mean, to be fair, Mazer is a pretty darn good Senator,” Adrien said. “Even if she is a Republican.”

“Don’t you know?” Tatjana said with fake disgust. “Labels are fake. Politics are a lie.”

“Yeah, haven’t you heard of RINOs before?” Hannah giggled. “She used to be a Progressive.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, I know,” Adrien said, taking a big bite of pizza. “But still, she’s the only Republican I ever voted for.”

“Oh, so you’re one of those people?” Hannah asked. “You vote along party lines?”

“Not always! I cross the aisle sometimes.”

“Fuckin’ weirdo,” Maria said. “Be a good little Democrat and stay in line.”

“I’m a Progressive, thank you very much.”

“Same here,” Tatjana said. “I don’t matter, though, since I’m first-gen.”

“What, your parents are immigrants?” Xander asked.

“Mm-hm. They immigrated from Germany back in the 40s.”

“Oh yeah, so you’re locked in, basically,” Adrien said.

“Pretty much,” Tatjana said, grinning widely. “I’m a good girl. I vote Progressive.”

“I’m not that far gone,” Maria said. “I stick with the Democrats.”

“Establishment hack!” Hannah gasped dramatically.

“California corrupted you, didn’t it?!” Xander said. “The conservatives got to you!”

“Oh my god, is being a Democrat really being a conservative?” Maria laughed. “I thought there were two other parties that had that base covered!”

“All Democrats are conservatives in disguise,” Adrien deadpanned with a thick Southern drawl. “Don’t y’all get that? If you ain’t Progressive you ain’t American.”

“Oh good, can we get rid of Washington and Oregon, then?”

“Only if we toss in Wisconsin.”

“I can live with that.”

“What? You can’t do that!” Xander said. “That messes up the borders!”

“Look at this noob,” Tatjana said. “He thinks borders are something to be honoured!”

“Toss Wisconsin to the dogs, borders be damned!” Hannah said. “And I’m speaking as a Minnesotan, we’d be better off!”

“Well, of course you want them gone, then!” Maria said. “You have state rivalry in play!”

“Duh!” Hannah took a big sip of her drink. “It’s in my blood!”

“Okay, we obviously need to pro-con getting rid of Wisconsin,” Adrien said. “On one hand, it makes Minnestoa happy; on the other, it fucks up the borders, as Xander pointed out.”

“Wisconsin is good for industry,” Maria said. “I say that cancels out the wingnuts.”

“Well, by that logic, Montana should be counted as an asset too,” Hannah said.

“I mean, they have Teller City!” Maria said. “Teller City does some amazing stuff for robotics.”

“Okay, but that’s only industry,” Adrien said. “What about other things? What does Wisconsin add or subtract from the nation?”

“They have the cheeseheads,” Hannah said.

“We can enjoy cheese memes just as fine without Wisconsin,” Tatjana said. “They can leave and still make dumb memes.”

“You’re right. Memes are a constant,” Adrien said.

“I think we should get rid of Wisconsin,” Maria said. “50 states is a nicer number.”

“Yeah, but 51 divides into 17, and 17 is cool,” Xander said.

“I think we should nix Wisconsin on the grounds that they beat the 49ers last season,” Tatjana said.

“An excellent position,” Adrien said. “You know what? It’s decided. Wisconsin is expelled from the Union. Fifty states again.”

“I’ll drink to that!” Maria said.

“And good riddance!” Hannah cheered.

[annndrecoorni-blog]

How to Slope Drain Lines

How To Slope Drain Lines TIPS

Drain and vent lines must slope - Period

Too much slope in a drain line is bad

WATCH plumbing vent pipe video below

Support pipes so slope is permanent

CLICK HERE to Get Tim's FREE & FUNNY Newsletter!

Jennifer Brown, who lives in Panama City, FL, purchased a new home that's got some serious plumbing issues. Read this:

"We purchased a new home about a year ago and have had non-stop plumbing issues. After months of the plumber coming out and telling us there was no problem, it was discovered that one of our pipes was completely level, and since we have a gravity-fed sewer system, the waste was not flowing out to the main line.

After digging up our slab and fixing the slope on one of the pipes, we stopped having sewage back ups but still smelled sewer gas in our laundry room when we used the washing machine. After having the plumber come out once again, he determined that sewage and water were sitting in our pipes.

We are afraid that this is an indication of another pipe that does not have the proper slope. Our builder keeps telling us that it is normal for sewage and water to sit in these pipes since I this a gravity fed system.

Is this correct? The plumber that took video of our line showed us the standing water and waste an indicated that this shouldn't be happening.

I was hoping you could help me because I don't know enough about these types of issues to know if the builder is just trying to save money by not fixing this problem. Any insight would be greatly appreciated."

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local plumbers who can install drain lines that slope.

Master Plumber Tim

I've had a very interesting journey. I'm a college-trained geologist, I became a master plumber before the age of 30 and then did custom building.

Because I'm all of the above, I feel I can speak to Jennifer's issue.

Scam Artists

Jennifer, the builder, and his plumber, are IDIOTS and SCAMMERS- and you can quote me on this. I'll also add the Panama City plumbing / building inspectors to the Idiot List too.

Pipes Must Slope

Plumbing AND vent lines are all supposed to be installed with pitch or fall. The generally accepted minimum pitch is 1/8 inch per foot of run.

You can also install pipes with 1/4 inch of fall per foot of run, but I'd be careful about exceeding that slope.

Vent Line Slope

Many homeowners are unaware of the network of vent lines that are part of a plumbing system. You almost always have as much pipe in vent lines as you do in drain lines.

While the vent lines are designed to deliver air to the system from the roof vent pipe, water vapor routinely condenses in the pipes.

This condensate must be allowed to drain back to the sewer or septic tank so the vent lines also must have a minimum fall of 1/8-inch per foot. 

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local plumbers who can install drain lines that slope.

Vent Piping Video

Watch this video to see the vast network of vent pipes in a house I plumbed in New Hampshire in 2016.

Too Much Creates Clogs

Plumbing drain lines that are pitched too steeply can clog because the liquids outrun the solids in the pipe. A slope of 1/4-inch per foot of run will ensure you never have issues.

Plumbing Rough-In Diagram

This is a  drawing I made to show you the drain and vent lines in a full bathroom that was to be added to an existing home.

I'm a master plumber and I drew this in about ten minutes. It shows the fixtures in a bathroom that's being added to an existing home. The solid lines carry water and waste. The dashed lines only carry air and some condensation water. (C) Copyright 2017 Tim Carter - Master Plumber

CLICK HERE to read the informative column about plumbing rough-in drawings.

Tough Love Conversation

If I could be a tiny imp on your shoulder whispering in your ear when you next have these two noobs over at your house I think the conversation might go like this:

"Mr. Builder and Plumber. The last time you were here, you said it's normal for plumbing lines to be level, right?"

"Ms. Brown, that's correct."

"Well, I did some research. I talked with the local plumbing inspector and he gave me a copy of the code book. It states right there that all drain and vent lines MUST have slope to them so there is no standing water.

Furthermore, I talked with the head of the local sewage department here in Panama City. I asked him if it's a good idea to install sewer lines level. He CRACKED UP LAUGHING saying the sewer lines would rapidly clog up. What say you?"

(Shuffling of feet, throat-clearing noises, eyes pointed to ground) "Well, that's just someone's else's opinion."

"So how about Mother Nature? In the REAL WORLD all drain lines (brooks, streams, creeks and rivers) have SLOPE. Basins that have no slope like ponds, lakes and lagoons eventually FILL UP WITH sediment because there is no slope or fall to them. I want you to fix EVERY drain line in my house that doesn't have the proper fall to it."

Game, set and match.

CLICK HERE to get FREE & FAST BIDS from local plumbers who can install drain lines that slope.