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Libertad's Journal

libertad
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06/05/2008 18:59 #44556

I love my netti petti
My netti petti is awesome! I have been using it two days and no longer have a soar throat from talking all day at work and I can breath so much better. Because I am getting more oxygen I feel more energetic and happier than I have in a long time. I really had no idea how bad my sinuses were! It's just like a tea pot that has a spout and you pour the saline solution in one nose and out the other.

There are ants ALL over my kitchen (old apt). It seems most people in old homes have ant problems.

What is with these new parking meters all over? What a waste of money. Who wants to walk almost a block away to get a ticket and then back again to put it on your dashboard in the winter so that you can park on the street?




ladycroft - 06/12/08 09:30
happy happy birthday!!
libertad - 06/06/08 09:01
uncut, i do love that OMD song. Thanks for clarifying. I have to admit that I found it kind of disturbing when I saw it because I didn't understand why you were using it. It seems like we had a conversation about the Enola Gay before but I couldn't remember what was said or why we even talked about it. Here is a clip of OMD on youtube. :::link:::

lady, these are available just about anywhere. I'm sure if you can get some birth control over the counter they will have them in Dohar as well. If you can't find one I can see about sending you one if you want. I'm not sure if the parking machines are all over the city but on my way home from work I saw them on Allen and on Elmwood.

felly, it is good im leaving. Those ants wont go away even after I cleaned the whole kitchen last night. I don't want to, but I think I will have to get an ant trap.
fellyconnelly - 06/06/08 07:30
i say its a good thing you are moving soon, huh? And this netti petti thing sounds interesting...
ladycroft - 06/06/08 04:13
1. where did you buy this netti thingy? i seriously need one, the sand is killing me here!

2. really? buffalo put those ticket meters all the way through the city? they had em downtown (and it sucks when one of the machines is broke).
uncutsaniflush - 06/05/08 21:42
I think I saw this photo again around the time Paul Tibbetts, the man in the photo and the pilot of the Enola Gay, died last year. The photo was taken right before the plane took off to bomb Hiroshima.

The plane is named after his mother. And the bomb, itself, ironically enough was called "Little Boy." I like the OMD song of the same name.

I'm a pacifist. I don't think that there any such thing as a "just war". I believe, as Ghandi said, that the ends and means are linked morally. I use the photo with a deep sense of irony.

I think it is a interesting photo. Tibbetts is waving. Without knowing the context, no one would guess he would soon be on his way to destroy an entire city and kill many thousands of people.
libertad - 06/05/08 20:42
You are so right uncutsaniflush, my reference to the Netti Petti was the Netti Pot. I'm just curious...why do you have the Enola Gay as your userpic?

uncutsaniflush - 06/05/08 20:07
If memory serves, Toronto and Hamilton in Ontario have had similar parking kiosk machines since at least the turn of the century when I first noticed them. So, if one were so inclined, one could say that once again Buffalo is copying Toronto. And, again, if memory serves, Downtown Buffalo near City Hall has had them since about 2005.

As for people, being unwilling to walk in the winter to pay for parking, the City of Buffalo is A-OK with that. That's why there is a Parking Enforcement Department. The City makes more money from a parking ticket than it does from someone paying the meter.

(e:libertad) - What in the world is a "netti petti". Both Google and Wikipedia don't give me a clue other than netti petti is a Finnish and/or Hindi phrase. From the context, I wonder if you are referring to a Neti Pot :::link:::




libertad - 06/05/08 19:44
I hate the government. They are so fucked. I didn't even think of that paper thing. Did anyone hear this was going to happen cause I had no idea.
paul - 06/05/08 19:11
Think about it, its also a huge waste of paper. And what else is obviously a money maker for them is there is never any left over time. You drive away with your pass so the next person has to pay to part from scratch. In the current system you almost always had some time left over from the last person.

06/03/2008 22:10 #44534

Piss off
My move date has been postponed for two weeks so that the new apartment can have some work done. I couldn't even have imagined a better scenario. The landlord really wants to get the smell out because it bothered us so much. Not only did he agree to let me rip out the carpets and have the hardwoods sealed with polyurethane but he also is taking out half of the dry wall and all of the ceramic tile floor in the bathroom so that the cat piss smell will be addressed fundamentally. The sub-floor will be able to be cleaned and then sealed. I really do not expect to smell any cat urine after this is all done.

Not only the bathroom is being re-done but we also have a brand new porch! The entire thing is rebuilt! It is going to be awesome. We also have brand new appliances. We painted the mint-ting-a-lang walls to something very neutral and really brings out the wood work. I have already done so much cleaning and have moved in half of our stuff thanks to Steve's brother and his fiancee, Mandy, our friend lauren and (e:mike). Thanks! We got the new fridge and oven and they are so awesome. I am so happy to be moving into this place when only a week ago I felt so defeated. I really felt so let down and unhappy and now it has all turned into a benefit. We were able to get refunded on half a months rent and were permitted to stay another half month in our current place. I really could not imagine it being any better than this a week ago today. At one point Steve and I were going to baill and lose all of our money and risk being sued so that we would not have to move in there.

As far as my previous cat hating post yes it was a bit harsh against the kitties. They really don't deserve it. Nothing spells trash like cat piss though. All that being said Rabbit piss wouldn't be all that nice either! Really anyone who sees animals not being cared for should call the authoritay!









james - 06/04/08 00:44
I am really glad this is working out well for you. A disaster with a lease can just ruin your life.
tinypliny - 06/03/08 23:34
Nice to hear that it will work out!!! Cheers to that! :)
imk2 - 06/03/08 22:18
can you post some pics of the new apt?

05/28/2008 22:50 #44480

Piss and moan
Things have not been going as planned with the move. I have come to learn that the apartment used to house at least 10 cats at one time. My estimate would be about 15. So well my friend Mary and Steve were painting I was ripping out three bedrooms of carpeting as well as all the carpeting in the hall way. This was not a minor task, and took many hours of labor on my part. The hardwoods underneath still smell like cat piss. Not only that but the bathroom, which is tile, smells the worst. The landlord pulled out all the baseboards and some of the dry-wall. The smell got worse so I know he hit the source. My friend Brian is going to be commissioned to sand and put the polyurethane coat down he calls it a "scuff and buff". So this isn't what I was expecting or the landlord was expecting, but thing are progressing regardless.

It has been very difficult. Steve and I got in a fight in front of the landlord and it was kinda weird. It was definitely a good thing though because the landlord ended up taking my side. I definitely freaked out a bit. I'm like "IT smells like cat piss. I am not being sensitive! " This is not the greatest conversation to have but of course it worked out in our favor. This whole experience makes me never want a cat... ever. I loved cats, now I hate them. If this doesn't go away I think I am going to be miserable. Luckily, everything that can reasonably be done is happening.

I definitely want the air ducts cleaned out. They are really gross.

Some of you may wonder how I didn't notice all this when I looked at the apt. I really don't know. They must have used some spray to cover it up or something. I was prepared for there to be some minor dog pee, but not room after room covered in cat piss. This really is traumatizing me. Now I have to see if we can stay in our current place a week longer so that the floors can be done. All of our utility switches will have to be delayed IF we can get an extension.

All that being said, I still think the apartment will end up being a great place. We already painted over the Mint ting a ling.


libertad - 05/31/08 23:52
You can't really read this post as if I really disliked cats. I actually am very good with cats and animals and have always had pets. It has to be read with what I was feeling at the moment. I am not mad at the cats. Whoever had this many cats was obviously mentally ill. Just imagine if you found that the home that you invested so much time looking for smelled horribly of cat piss. I have felt incredibly discouraged at times. So I am so sorry I offended you and your cats. It certainly wasn't meant to.

paul, my floors will cost less than $500 and no I do not assume that the Linwood Association would approve of the quality. Scuff and Buff is barely sanding at all. It is scuffing the surface just enough so that the polyurethane can be applied. The same method was done on the rest of the house and it was fine enough for me but it wont look anything like yours. Also it will be a week and a half and it will have to be long enough because I really have no other choice.

I'm going to do my best to get rid of whatever smell is there. If I can't get it all then I will do whatever can be done to mask it so that I can move forward and enjoy what I can from the new apt.







lauren - 05/31/08 09:54
I signed on solely to comment and defend my furry friends. Cats, when kept in normal conditions, do not pee all over anything. When hoarders have 15 cats in one apt., it is the human that is the problem, not the cats. I do feel terribly sorry that you are having to deal with this unfortunate situation, but I would suggest you dislike crazy cat people and not the unfortunate cats who were suffering in that place. I love my kitties! :)
leetee - 05/30/08 09:45
I love cats... but cat pee... well, blows.

Good luck.

If you need any help, let me know.
lilho - 05/29/08 14:18
i lived in a cat piss reeking apartment for two years. i hated it. i hate cats, and wish them all dead. they are disgusting hairy creatures. they shed, they smell. i'm sorry to hear about all of this, but i think paul is right. the smell of cat piss lives forever. which is why all cats needs to die.
james - 05/29/08 14:17
oh god... I am so sorry to hear. I will run over a cat in your name.
paul - 05/29/08 00:29
Wow, that totally sucks. Seriously, this is not going to work out for you. A week is not long enough. First of all you can't put walk on /put furniture on newly done polyurethane for ~30 days - at least 3 weeks. Secondly, the floor smell is beyond toxic - unless he is using some water based sealant, but those aren't so great and I can't see why your landlord would choose it.

Also, did the floor guy say that the floors can handle another layer of sanding. A lot of times they can't or they have nails that prevent further sanding in them. Our floors cost $5000. I can't imagine that it would be anything under $1500-$2000 for a quality job.

It took a month for the overpowering polyurethane smell to go away. We had the luxury of living three floors up away from it. If you had to live on the same floor as it, then the cat pee smell would be preferential as it is as powerful as magic marker.

I wish you the best of luck.

05/24/2008 22:27 #44443

Moving time
So the time is finally here to move. I have been on our third floor today going through everything in storage. Everything is extremely dusty and now I feel like I can't breath. Coincidentally, I finally found a doctor and he said to use a Netti Pot because my sinuses are blocked and I didn't even know it. So now I need to go and get one. Does anyone know where to find these locally? I'm really excited to use this because he thinks it will help my persistent sore throat which I kinda think is related to my job. I talk all the time and on top of that the air is super humid and hot. Where I work is like the inner workings of all the hospital. Right outside the office there is a room that is where all of the ventilation pipes meet. Anyway, I have wanted to try the Netty Petty for a while.

It is so weird to look at all this stuff I have had in boxes for years because I haven't had anywhere to put it in my house. I have tons of old vinyl albums that I haven't listened to in years because I had no space for my record player and speakers. I'm so happy I only have to work tomorrow and then I am off from Roswell for a week. This is my first vacation time I have used because I have been diligently saving it for this summer.

Previously, I have gone through about 15 years worth of papers. You wouldn't believe how much of this stuff was student loan documents. Most of them had my social security number on them and had to be shredded. What an enormous amount of waste those student loans generate before they get consolidated. I have switched to electronic billing on just about everything I can so that I could cut down on some of this waste.

Tuesday we get the keys to the new place. We will then paint and clean for two to three days and then move in on Saturday. I have a cotton shower curtain on order specifically for a claw foot tub. It isn't vinyl and won't have to be thrown away. I anticipate the curtain and the rings to last me a life time. Hopefully I will always have a clawfoot tub! I also got a new vacuum which I have been wanting for at least a year. It is a Sanitair and works really good. Biggest plus is it has a bag instead of the stupid cup that you have to empty and gets dust all in your face.

Still looking for patio furniture. Trying to find something that will last and doesn't look like trash, but it is tough unless you plan on dumping many hundreds of dollars. Was hoping I would have something by now, but I just can' t find anything. I am really picky about everything I buy. Sometimes it is so bad that I won't buy anything at all even though I need it. I'm really trying to avoid buying things that end up in the landfill now. It isn't as easy as you would think. Like this shower curtain. Nobody sells them, so I finally found one that was an AS IS floor model so I got it. Unfortunately, they didn't measure it and it was 72 inches short. So I wasn't entirely impressed with their customer service at Green Home because they refused to even offer to upgrade my shipping to two day to ensure I would get it by the time I moved. This is after agreeing to buy one for full price since they had no more AS IS curtains. So I canceled my order and found it somewhere else, but this other one seems semi-shady and I am really hoping not to get ripped off. Green Home apologized but I think it is very poor customer service not to rectify an error. Sure they had UPS pick it up free or charge, but I ordered the curtain way in advance so that I would have one when I moved!

Here is the curtain I ordered on the Green Home website.

When I do finally get the one from terralunasol it will look really great with the nickel shower curtain rings I got.

The other thing I have to get is a new coffee pot. Sure it seems like a simple task for most people, but for me it is a nightmare. Most of the models I have encountered now use heat plates that start to peel after a year. They also have made them very difficult to clean. I don't think I should have to keep buying new coffee pots every year. I'm thinking about getting the one on Gevalia that they offer for free. It looks nice.



james - 05/25/08 23:37
They also have Netti pots at Feel Rite and Wegman's.

Also, have you thought about using a french press? I have been using one for eight years now and they are fantastic. You don't have to buy disposable filters and I have replaced my mesh one twice so far. But, not so hot if you like timers.
museumchick - 05/25/08 22:50
Good luck with the move! I'm not sure what would be the best choice for the coffee pot. I always find the same problem. A friend tells me rinsing them once a month with vinegar helps to keep them clean, but I've never tried it.
tiburon1724 - 05/25/08 11:38
You can get a Netti Pot at any drug store. I recommend CVS :) It won't be in a box that screams NETTI POT but it will have it on the box. It's actually very small, most people expect some large thing. Usually it'll be in a Sinus kit. Can always ask at the pharmacy if you're not finding it.
metalpeter - 05/25/08 10:18
I was going to suggest the Gevalia deal. If you like flavored coffee (or at least theirs) then you get so much a month and a free Coffee maker. My mother and in the past my father did that and it worked out good for them, but my mother stopped because she doesn't drink enough coffee so it was piling up.

In terms of the patio stuff I wish you luck, I don't know what your style is but I think I know why you are having trouble. The wicker stuff is expensive the stuff that looks like painted wicker is kinda ugly and then the metal and glass stuff is kinda pricey also. Maybe you will get lucky and see something on sale that you also like. The one thing that I don't like about stuff made for a patio is some of it has open backs. You think that is no big deal but when you sit in a chair for over an hour and you get up and the chair pattern is in your skin it doesn't feel so great. I wonder if anyone sells the stuff you need at estate sales.

05/23/2008 08:05 #44427

Standardized test boycott
I love these kids and the teacher.

New York 8th-Graders Boycott Practice Exam But Teacher May Get Ax
by Juan Gonzalez

Students at a South Bronx middle school have pulled off a stunning boycott against standardized testing.

More than 160 students in six different classes at Intermediate School 318 in the South Bronx - virtually the entire eighth grade - refused to take last Wednesday's three-hour practice exam for next month's statewide social studies test.

Instead, the students handed in blank exams.

Then they submitted signed petitions with a list of grievances to school Principal Maria Lopez and the Department of Education.

"We've had a whole bunch of these diagnostic tests all year," Tatiana Nelson, 13, one of the protest leaders, said Tuesday outside the school. "They don't even count toward our grades. The school system's just treating us like test dummies for the companies that make the exams."

According to the petition, they are sick and tired of the "constant, excessive and stressful testing" that causes them to "lose valuable instructional time with our teachers."

School administrators blamed the boycott on a 30-year-old probationary social studies teacher, Douglas Avella.

The afternoon of the protest, the principal ordered Avella out of the classroom, reassigned him to an empty room in the school and ordered him to have no further contact with students.

A few days later, in a reprimand letter, Lopez accused Avella of initiating the boycott and taking "actions [that] caused a riot at the school."

The students say their protest was entirely peaceful. In only one class, they say, was there some loud clapping after one exam proctor reacted angrily to their boycott.

This week, Lopez notified Avella in writing that he was to attend a meeting today for "your end of the year rating and my possible recommendation for the discontinuance of your probationary service."

"They're saying Mr. Avella made us do this," said Johnny Cruz, 15, another boycott leader. "They don't think we have brains of our own, like we're robots. We students wanted to make this statement. The school is oppressing us too much with all these tests."

Two days after the boycott, the students say, the principal held a meeting with all the students to find out how their protest was organized.

Avella on Tuesday denied that he urged the students to boycott tests.

Yes, he holds liberal views and is critical of the school system's increased emphasis on standardized tests, Avella said, but the students decided to organize the protest after weeks of complaining about all the diagnostic tests the school was making them take.

"My students know they are welcome in my class to have open discussions," Avella said. "I teach them critical thinking."

"Some teachers implied our graduation ceremony would be in danger, that we didn't have the right to protest against the test," said Tia Rivera, 14. "Well, we did it."

Lopez did not return calls for comment.

"This guy was far over the line in a lot of the ways he was running his classroom," said Department of Education spokesman David Cantor. "He was pulled because he was inappropriate with the kids. He was giving them messages that were inappropriate."

Several students defended Avella. They say he had made social studies an exciting subject for them.

"Now they've taken away the teacher we love only a few weeks before our real state exam for social studies," Tatiana Nelson said. "How does that help us?"

jgonzalez@nydailynews.com

© 2008 The New York Daily News




metalpeter - 05/23/08 18:55
Granted this wasn't high School but I was told that when Regents exams started in NYS they made fun of them in California and the reason being is that teachers tout for the test. I can remember being in those classes where you learned everything then maybe the last few weeks of class you didn't learn anything it was all review so you could pass the regents. I don't know if that is how teachers still teach but in some subjects you had to do that. I understand that it is a way to keep all education the same. If some guy loves the civil war or WWII and how it changed the world we live in he can't go on about that for 3 months because he only has a week to cover the entire war. I think that is what all the tests are really about. I think the regents kinda shapes what people teach about in "middle School". Those National tests are a big deal because they reflect on the school and are the only thing funding is really based on from what I have heard. But that doesn't mean you have to give lots of tests. Yes you can teach test taking skills so kids won't freak out on them. I knew someone in High School where the teacher knew she knew all the Material but she would get nervous and mess up tests (not sure if he got her help or figured out a way for her to do better on the tests or not) so it would really hurt her grade. But the problem as these kids said with the tests is, that it takes time away from learning. The problem is that you still need a way to see if kids are learning or not because a lot of kids don't learn shit in school for too many reasons to list. I'm glad that these kids boycotted an examine that they didn't need (it was a practice and doesn't even mean any thing, it isn't like the psat, that you use as a tool to see what stuff you need to learn and that you can get a SChoolrship from, or you used to be able to.) I think a lot of what school teaches is to Memorize;and yeah that does have it place, and Commformity. The real point of school is to learn and it sounds like that teacher got the kids to like Social Studies not just remember Dates and got them to enjoy it. I think my teacher in High School used the "you don't need to know the dates but you do need to know the order and the time line" , Hey Maybe Tony had the same teacher and can correct if I'm wrong. But the important thing was knowing what caused what and to have an understanding of it, I don't think it was a regent exam then but not sure. Yes school should be about learning and not just tests but most of the time it isn't like that, good that these kids stood up to that, it is to bad that they will punish the teacher.
james - 05/23/08 11:25
When did accountants take over education?

This teacher is too good for the current system. We don't need real teachers, we need test administrators.
mrmike - 05/23/08 09:01
I love this. With "No Child Left Behind" those tests are a constant. At Montessori where three grades can be in the same room, the testing is dragged out that much longer. Big surprise that a Bush relative has a financial stake in the primary testing firm.