Random Thought Thread

Wow, it's really sad that if you order something from Lowes to be delivered, you can't trust the folks who come to the house to do the simplest thing correctly.

Our 20 year old Maytag range needed replacing and the two jamokes they sent to deliver and "install" the range not only did not have the basic tools required, they didn't care if they left out several steps needed to properly do the job.

Thankfully they damaged the new range so I could send it back with them. Contacted Lowes and told them that when they redeliver next Friday, I do not want the box opened at all...just carried to the front of the house, inside and left completely unopened as received from the manufacturer.

Jeez, Louise. Thankfully, my buddy does maintenance at a local motel so has a dumpster he can get rid of the packing material in.

"Lowes: You're on your own!"

(At least I got them to refund the haul away charge since they also damaged the old range so that I couldn't use it while awaiting the replacement. Genius.)
 
Blues said:
Wow, it's really sad that if you order something from Lowes to be delivered, you can't trust the folks who come to the house to do the simplest thing correctly.

Our 20 year old Maytag range needed replacing and the two jamokes they sent to deliver and "install" the range not only did not have the basic tools required, they didn't care if they left out several steps needed to properly do the job.

Thankfully they damaged the new range so I could send it back with them. Contacted Lowes and told them that when they redeliver next Friday, I do not want the box opened at all...just carried to the front of the house, inside and left completely unopened as received from the manufacturer.

Jeez, Louise. Thankfully, my buddy does maintenance at a local motel so has a dumpster he can get rid of the packing material in.

"Lowes: You're on your own!"

(At least I got them to refund the haul away charge since they also damaged the old range so that I couldn't use it while awaiting the replacement. Genius.)
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I honestly feel the general level of competency is declining across the population. People just don't seem to know how to do stuff anymore.
 
Also, with the labor shortage. There's just not enough people to do work and the people doing it are often staggeringly incompetent.

Good luck getting a Ford powerstroke worked on. It's hard (and expensive) enough keeping a Ford running under ideal conditions...
 
since I closed down my bike shop a couple years ago, another one opened up. I don't know if it's just a cultural thing or whatever, but anyone I've come across while I'm out for a ride tells me how terrible their technical service is. I had to run my shop solo for a couple of years, since the mechanic I trained left to pursue more fulfilling employment as an arborist, leaving me as shop owner/head mechanic lol. I could get away with it because I have so many years of wrenching bikes under my belt, plus some professional training. I would have happily hired someone else on, but there was literally not one person who came through my door who I'd trust could do the work to the standard I expected. It's tough to find good employees who care about the quality of the work they do. I think it probably has something to do with the short 'career' span of around 5 years that a lot of people expect from their working life, which is likely a more systemic problem which individuals don't really have a lot of control over
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
I honestly feel the general level of competency is declining across the population. People just don't seem to know how to do stuff anymore.
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I can't agree more, we can't find Body guys or anyone to be a prepper in paint, it's insane

We gave up on trying to get kids from the local vocational school because they're all freaking stupid or lazy.... now we're trying to bring in kids from vocational schools in Michigan... that's turning out to be the same situation

It's like common sense or the ability to do something yourself self has disappeared unless it involves a phone

I got a raise this year and I'm going to push for another next year..... because I've worked hard to get skilled and in my position

Not my fault if society is telling younger people they are owed money for being them
 
000Robert said:
He was probably just checking their BMI.
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On a serious note, not BMI, but possible for bodyfat % (although in JLL's case, more likely just a perv, as none of the skinfold bf% assessments use a derriere skinfold 😂).

A few decades back, when I still went to commercial gyms, I knew a few guys who could pretty accurately assess bodyfat % (within about 1% accuracy in the 4% to 15% range) visually, and even with a pinch (due to long familiarity with tracking bodyfat % for competition, and measuring themselves and other people using skinfold calipers).

Some of these guys who worked at the gyms, got pretty good at accurately assessing women's bodyfat levels too, as part of what they did was performing the skinfold measurements for clientele/competitors when they requested it.
 
yoko said:
I can't agree more, we can't find Body guys or anyone to be a prepper in paint, it's insane

We gave up on trying to get kids from the local vocational school because they're all freaking stupid or lazy.... now we're trying to bring in kids from vocational schools in Michigan... that's turning out to be the same situation

It's like common sense or the ability to do something yourself self has disappeared unless it involves a phone

I got a raise this year and I'm going to push for another next year..... because I've worked hard to get skilled and in my position

Not my fault if society is telling younger people they are owed money for being them
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Yep.

It's waaaayyy more common to see the, "do as little as possible, to get by" mentalities, than the, "anything that's worth doing, should be worth doing well" mentalities.
 
BTW, it's Sunday, so here's another long'ish post.

I realized that in my post about rehabbing my back with deadlifts, I'd actually only told half the story, and the other half that I neglected to include, might help serve as encouragement/inspiration.

Some of my friends and colleagues on occasion, have voiced an opinion/assumption along the lines of, "Yeah, well it's easy for you. You've always worked out/been a fit guy as long as I've known you", and had a difficult time mustering the motivation to get in better shape themselves.

As mentioned, due to some medical issues around the turn of the millenium that precluded lifting weights, I wound up losing a lot of my muscle mass and peak strength (down as far as about 45 lbs of lean muscle mass from my peak strength days, and I wasn't even strictly speaking, a bodybuilder/powerlifter/strength athlete. The muscle I'd worked hard to build over the years, was targeted at increasing my abilities in martial arts, and moving up weight classes in kickboxing and Muay Thai competitions, waaayyyy back in the day).

Finally had surgery in 2017 that resolved the issue, and began the long, slow climb back.

The other part of the story I didn't mention, is that even at my peak physical condition and strength, I was too naive and dumb to focus on getting better at deadlifts. Simply put, I didn't like the way they felt, so I never deadlifted more than 205lbs back then. I'd just do 3 sets with 205lbs, and call it good. Even after I discovered that the lower back strength built from proper deadlifts, is crucial for being able to squat deep.

As folks who lift, are aware, in order to keep the weight over your center of gravity when doing squats, the lower you go, the further forward you have to lean, to keep the weight over your feet. That means quite a bit of stress on the lower back.

Most folks who lift, can usually deadlift at least 20% more weight than they can squat. That lower back strength helps them handle the load on the lower back at the bottom of the squat.

I preferred to use the leg press machine to work my quads, doing sets with ~720lbs at my peak (and I would lower the sled until my quads made contact with my torso, as opposed to some videos I've seen of people loading ridiculous amounts of weight on the sled, but doing leg presses with only a 6"-8" range of motion).

In theory, that equates to the leg strength to do squats with ~360lbs, but when I actually tried doing regular squats, I discovered the downside to not focusing on improving my deadlifts.

Because I never did deadlifts with more than 205lbs, when I actually tried doing regular squats, I was only able to get up to 245lbs. At the bottom of the squat, my legs were going, "Meh. Is this a warmup?", and my lower back went, "Uhhhh... 5 reps is enough".

Instead of thinking, "Man, I suck", and working to improve my form and strength in deadlifts, I instead, went back to using the leg press machine for my quads, and sticking to just 205lbs for deadlifts.

In essence, when I decided to see if I could rehab and strengthen my back in ~Fall of 2020, when I finally worked my way up to 5 reps with 215lbs, I thought, "Sheesh... this is a new Personal Record for my dumbass... Should've put in the work on it, waaayyy back then".

From that point, every single time I've added another 10lbs, and got to 5 reps at the new weight, has been another new PR for me, even starting this late to rehab that back injury/slipped disc.

Go slow. Take it easy if you have to. Listen to your body if it's warning you that you're pushing too hard/far, but while we're on this side of the dirt, it's never too late to get in better shape.
 
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The bonus is when you get old enough, you no longer give a shit what someone else can do, or what your old self could do. You do, because you can...and the doing is its own reward. I was never going to win any awards then, I sure as shit ain't gonna now.

I was never a strong lifter, but I was a good enough all around athlete to come in second or third in my academy class. And probably same for academically. So I was probably top "combined" overall. But, it's all just bullshit to be used for motivation.

Bottom line, for me, is I like knowing that I can meet the challenges of the day...whether they are physical or mental. Hopefully that will last for a good long while. But if it doesn't, I won't trade quality of life for longevity.
 
Comprehensivist said:
^ To my point above:

I don’t baton twisted knotty hardwood for fires very often. When I do, I use my Basic Field Knife without fear of damaging a fancy finish.

The BFK rocks for its intended purpose. I am sure that the Basic SDFK will be even better in that role for those who like bigger knives.

i-BbS6gPj-XL.jpg


On the flip side, I have not had the opportunity (thankfully) to use my Boot Dagger for its intended purpose. I hope this one stays unused…

i-vWP3dCF-XL.jpg


Phil

P.S. for Grenock Grenock - I know how your mind works. I said "twisted knotty hardwood", not "twisted & naughty hard wood." ;)
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You didn’t say it, but then you did. Do you see the mixed signals you are sending me?

Also, with the above post, you are not only a CoCK, but you are clearly a Collector Using Nathan’s Tools as well.
Hard Knocks said:
Well now this is just the type of slippery slope I hoped to dodge when I posted the wrong blades and was almost brought in front of the disciplinary panel. The acronyms were NOT lost on sweet innocent dense as a brick me thank you very much. Pro tip: self deprecation and redirection can be your friend ;)
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You aren’t in the clear yet. You are due for a CoCK DP as soon as I can arrange it and you will take whatever punishment that is dished out. I am not sure if I will be part of the DP myself, but I will at least be there to witness it.
 
Blues said:
The bonus is when you get old enough, you no longer give a shit what someone else can do, or what your old self could do. You do, because you can...and the doing is its own reward. I was never going to win any awards then, I sure as shit ain't gonna now.

I was never a strong lifter, but I was a good enough all around athlete to come in second or third in my academy class. And probably same for academically. So I was probably top "combined" overall. But, it's all just bullshit to be used for motivation.

Bottom line, for me, is I like knowing that I can meet the challenges of the day...whether they are physical or mental. Hopefully that will last for a good long while. But if it doesn't, I won't trade quality of life for longevity.
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Lol, the bolded is another part it took me a while to learn.

"The leading cause of injury in old men, is thinking they are still young men". Guilty 😂😂😂😪

"Hmmm... I used to be able to... ACK!... Crap..."

As you said, my goals have changed. My primary goal isn't hitting specific numbers now, it's basically increasing my physical envelope (strength, cardio, flexibility etc.) to make myself more resistant to injury, and that's the biggest driving factor on how I train.

While my goal IS to increase my functional strength, I've switched from going all out to maximize my gains, to finding the right balance/combo to seeing consistent gains, while minimizing the risk of training injuries.

While I AM curious to see how close I can get to my old peak strength, it's not a priority. I'm just focused on each small step, as safely as I can manage.

The better the shape I'm in, the better I can enjoy the things I like to do. Eg. When I used to prepare for longer backpacking/hiking trips, I'd work up to a fast hike with a 80 - 90lb pack for 5 miles before taking a break. After that, a 50-60lb pack at a moderate pace during an outing would be easy enough, that the hiking wasn't laborious.

Working out with my 140lb weighted vest with the entire load resting on my shoulders, and 65+ lbs of cast iron weights on my chest, and another 65+lbs on my back, a 90lb pack with a properly adjusted hip belt feels like a breeze in comparison, when only about 30lbs of that is on my shoulders 😅
 
Blues said:
Wow, it's really sad that if you order something from Lowes to be delivered, you can't trust the folks who come to the house to do the simplest thing correctly.

Our 20 year old Maytag range needed replacing and the two jamokes they sent to deliver and "install" the range not only did not have the basic tools required, they didn't care if they left out several steps needed to properly do the job.

Thankfully they damaged the new range so I could send it back with them. Contacted Lowes and told them that when they redeliver next Friday, I do not want the box opened at all...just carried to the front of the house, inside and left completely unopened as received from the manufacturer.

Jeez, Louise. Thankfully, my buddy does maintenance at a local motel so has a dumpster he can get rid of the packing material in.

"Lowes: You're on your own!"

(At least I got them to refund the haul away charge since they also damaged the old range so that I couldn't use it while awaiting the replacement. Genius.)
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Well it’s a shitty way to learn that lesson, but I’m glad you did because 90% of their clients are either pushovers or too stupid to see that the work done by these so-called Lowes “contractors” is garbage.
I’ve been in the construction biz for well over 26 years and the biggest threats to quality workmanship that I’ve seen are that Realtors, big box stores, and large companies like Servpro all hire these chuckleheads that have little to no experience to do the job because their rates are a third of what a legitimate contractor would charge.
Hell, I’ve been in the construction/home restoration biz for well over 26 years, taught by a what I consider a true craftsman, and I’m ready to call it quits and start up a boring, yet easy seamless gutter business just so I don’t have to deal with fixing years upon years of shoddy work that other morons have done.
 
Grenock said:
You aren’t in the clear yet. You are due for a CoCK DP as soon as I can arrange it and you will take whatever punishment that is dished out. I am not sure if I will be part of the DP myself, but I will at least be there to witness it.
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I think I rung the 'knock it off and get off my grass' gong when I was shooting for 'See y'all I could've told you where this would end up.' Oh well, I usually come up short on style points anyways 🙃
 
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