The General Chat Thread (2023)

[JAS_OH1]

Today:

• Confirmed Order of Service for my mum´s funeral
• Bought enough stuff to keep us in food for a week
• Removed all the dead branches from over the garage
• Had a beer and a cigar

I'm so sorry to hear of your mum's passing.

 

[JAS_OH1]

Never ridden or wanted to ride a horse. Raced but never ridden. I value my life.

Russ

I had 3 horses and a Shetland pony growing up. I did lots of 3-day eventing: stadium jumping, cross country jumping, and dressage. Got lots of trophies and ribbons. And bruises, lol (no broken bones though). Fell off and was thrown off multiple times from my hunter jumper. She was high spirited. The others were docile and I never had any accidents with them.

 

[Windigo]

I wish I wasn't so darn exhausted all the time.

This is from doing laundry and going to the store alone today. ( the 44 minutes of intensive workout).

 

[Windigo]

karadekoolaid my sincere condolences

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Almost got run over this evening in the H-E-B parking lot. Some woman texting and driving. It's a good thing I have good hearing, because she drove up from behind me. She missed me by about two feet, because I heard her, looked over my shoulder and STOPPED. As she went by, I could see her looking down at her lap. She never saw me.

I didn't think fast enough to give my shopping cart a little push.

CD

I had something similar happen here this past weekend.

The international market sits in a huge retail development divided by a two-lane access road. There are crosswalks to get from the shops on the north side to the ones on the south side, at regular intervals.

People absolutely fly up and down this, not considering that’s it’s not really a proper road, but just a way to get from one end of the complex to the other.

I needed to cross, so I figured my chances were better with a shopping cart, so I grabbed one and inched out into the crosswalk. Busy Saturday, so it was like trying to cross the racetrack at Daytona.

Around here, cars slow down/stop just enough for you to cross right in front of them, so it’s the norm to have cars behind you and in front of you driving through the crosswalk. Just the ones you’re passing in front of will be stopped.

I was about 2/3rds through the crosswalk when I looked up and saw someone in a big Ford 4-door 4WD heading right for me at top speed…head down, looking at his GD phone.

I had to dive out of the way, Hollywood style, and it was probably my imagination, but I swear I felt the wake of him flying by.

Funny thing was, I was contemplating getting a beer at one of the little bars there, because it was too early for lunch. I’d just about decided against it, but that changed my mind.

Sorry to hear this for both of you.

Around here you only have to be in the vicinity of a pedestrian/zebra crossing (thick white lines) and vehicles will stop. You may not have even been planning on crossing, but they've stopped so you feel obliged to cross.

Pedestrians will and do step off the pavement onto the crossing without looking. It is expected that you stop and vehicles do.
And in a supermarket car park where there is a walkway between the parked vehicles and there is no official crossing, they still stop.

 

[TastyReuben]

Sorry to hear this for both of you.

Around here you only have to be in the vicinity of a pedestrian/zebra crossing (thick white lines) and vehicles will stop. You may not have even been planning on crossing, but they've stopped so you feel obliged to cross.

Pedestrians will and do step off the pavement onto the crossing without looking. It is expected that you stop and vehicles do.
And in a supermarket car park where there is a walkway between the parked vehicles and there is no official crossing, they still stop.

That’s exactly how it was in Minnesota, and if you (as the driver) happened to get anywhere near a crosswalk with someone in it, not only would they yell at you, but every other pedestrian within earshot would as well.

Here in my part of Ohio, completely opposite. It’s perfectly acceptable to drive through a crosswalk with people in it, as long as they’re not directly in front of your car.

You know how a street will have a little feeder lane to funnel traffic turning right into the cross street (in the US - reverse your polarity if you’re in the UK, Japan, etc)? That little 10 feet of street (or however wide it is) is part of the crosswalk, but you’ll be dead in no time if you think that matters, because every driver turning right is too busy looking back over their left shoulder to see if any traffic is coming from the cross street so they can make the turn without stopping.

With right-on-red laws here, it’s not even that safe to cross when the signal says to cross, because some numbnuts will try and turn right on a red light (perfectly legal) and not check the crosswalk for pedestrians first.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

With right-on-red laws here, it’s not even that safe to cross when the signal says to cross, because some numbnuts will try and turn right on a red light (perfectly legal) and not check the crosswalk for pedestrians first.

We have the continental approach of that here (turn left on red if clear) but pedestrian crossings will also be on green for that left turn and there is a little sign that simply says give way to pedestrians and people do.

I doubt it works as well in bigger cities but I'm Canberra (Capital of Australia) it still works and it's law. Plus those drivers will expect you to stop if they were the pedestrian so they do stop and wait even if that means no one else can go straight on until all the pedestrians have cleared the crossing.

 

[rascal]

I had 3 horses and a Shetland pony growing up. I did lots of 3-day eventing: stadium jumping, cross country jumping, and dressage. Got lots of trophies and ribbons. And bruises, lol (no broken bones though). Fell off and was thrown off multiple times from my hunter jumper. She was high spirited. The others were docile and I never had any accidents with them.

Your family must have had money, we didnt but others around me did. My uncle was a builder and had disposable money. He bought my cousin, a girl, a horse to learn riding. He spoilt her.
Money changes everything.

Russ

 

[karadekoolaid]

Thanks, Windigo and JAS_OH1 !
Haven´t spread the news around because once she´d had a heart attack in October, plus a prolonged hospital stay, I could just see that the end was inevitable. There was no "IF", just a "WHEN"! And she was 95 - we´re not eternal.

 

[TastyReuben]

Thanks, Windigo and JAS_OH1 !
Haven´t spread the news around because once she´d had a heart attack in October, plus a prolonged hospital stay, I could just see that the end was inevitable. There was no "IF", just a "WHEN"! And she was 95 - we´re not eternal.

I’m also sorry to read about your mum’s passing. From reading past accounts, I know you and your family when went above and beyond to look out for her.

Yep, we’re not eternal. I made sure my dad, who’s now pretty far down the dementia trail knew how I felt about him earlier, when he wasn’t too far gone. I think is time will be up soonish (meaning the next year or so), but it’s a comfort knowing that everything’s been said that needs to be said.

When you’re back in Cincy, I’ll buy you a beer and we’ll give her a good toast!

 

[JAS_OH1]

Sorry to hear this for both of you.

Around here you only have to be in the vicinity of a pedestrian/zebra crossing (thick white lines) and vehicles will stop. You may not have even been planning on crossing, but they've stopped so you feel obliged to cross.

Pedestrians will and do step off the pavement onto the crossing without looking. It is expected that you stop and vehicles do.
And in a supermarket car park where there is a walkway between the parked vehicles and there is no official crossing, they still stop.

I have stopped in front of the grocery store to allow people to cross, especially in inclement weather (there are stop signs anyway) and more than once, the impatient driver of a vehicle behind me has whipped around me and almost run over the pedistrian crossing. And often I have noticed when I am leaving a store and crossing to the parking lot, many vehicles just ignore the stop signs and whiz right through. People!

 

[Herbaceous]

That’s exactly how it was in Minnesota, and if you (as the driver) happened to get anywhere near a crosswalk with someone in it, not only would they yell at you, but every other pedestrian within earshot would as well.

Here in my part of Ohio, completely opposite. It’s perfectly acceptable to drive through a crosswalk with people in it, as long as they’re not directly in front of your car.

You know how a street will have a little feeder lane to funnel traffic turning right into the cross street (in the US - reverse your polarity if you’re in the UK, Japan, etc)? That little 10 feet of street (or however wide it is) is part of the crosswalk, but you’ll be dead in no time if you think that matters, because every driver turning right is too busy looking back over their left shoulder to see if any traffic is coming from the cross street so they can make the turn without stopping.

With right-on-red laws here, it’s not even that safe to cross when the signal says to cross, because some numbnuts will try and turn right on a red light (perfectly legal) and not check the crosswalk for pedestrians first.

Yep, those slip lanes for right turns are incredibly dangerous for pedestrians. Any city that gives a rat’s patoot about pedestrian safety should be removing them.

Same with rights on red - if you ban right turns on red, you get a massive reduction in pedestrian fatalities. Allowing rights on red increases pedestrian deaths by roughly 60%. Removing the rights-on-red requires very little infrastructure change, but it’s a hard sell here because drivers all clutch their pearls if it might take them a few minutes longer to get somewhere. I’ve been fighting for safer streets for pedestrians and cyclists (I bike commuted for roughly 12 years) for a long time, but had to take a step back recently for my own sanity. It feels like fighting a losing war because the city politicians are beholden to older, homeowning voters who have time to attend public meetings and won’t be around to live with the consequences of the poor planning decisions being made. There are too many career politicians who are terrified of not being re-elected and are cowards who aren’t brave enough to do what they know is right.

Sorry, I went off on a bit of a tangent there - rant over!!

 

[JAS_OH1]

Thanks, Windigo and JAS_OH1 !
Haven´t spread the news around because once she´d had a heart attack in October, plus a prolonged hospital stay, I could just see that the end was inevitable. There was no "IF", just a "WHEN"! And she was 95 - we´re not eternal.

Both of my parents are gone, my mother in 2015 at 88 and my father back in 1992 when he was only 68. It's never easy, even when you know it's coming. I didn't know either time. My father had been in the hospital a few times and always was released, so when he didn't come home that last time I was caught off-guard. My mom took good care of herself and was still working, driving, and attending football games (her favorite pasttime). She could climb up the steps to her seat at the games with no problems, right up until shortly before she died, so we expected her to make a full recovery and I was inconsolable.

 

[JAS_OH1]

Your family must have had money, we didnt but others around me did. My uncle was a builder and had disposable money. He bought my cousin, a girl, a horse to learn riding. He spoilt her.
Money changes everything.

Russ

I was the youngest of 6 and when I was very young, there wasn't much money because it's expensive to feed and clothe 6 kids. By the time I was 12, all the older kids were on their own except for me and my brother. It was right after my dad retired from the AF after the Vietnam War (AF pilot, he was a colonel) and he got into real estate, which was very lucrative for him. So my brother and I got a bit spoiled and I think my older siblings were a bit jealous.

 

[rascal]

I was the youngest of 6 and when I was very young, there wasn't much money because it's expensive to feed and clothe 6 kids. By the time I was 12, all the older kids were on their own except for me and my brother. It was right after my dad retired from the AF after the Vietnam War (AF pilot, he was a colonel) and he got into real estate, which was very lucrative for him. So my brother and I got a bit spoiled and I think my older siblings were a bit jealous.

I see why now. My dad left the home when I was 4. I'm middle of 3 boys. Mum bought us up by herself. Minimum benefits left us poor to everything else.
Made me strong and resilient.
I'm pretty well off from working hard
My kids had a different life to me
Wouldn't change a thing.

Russ