You know what really grinds my gears...

[NTP66]

My decade old Balsam Hill prelit tree has only ever burnt out one bulb, which I replaced with a spare. Paid around $300 for it, but have gotten my money’s worth already.

[NTP66]

I’m about 1/8 mile coming up to a newly turned red light, going 10 over in the right lane. Lifted pickup behind me is on my ass. I need to turn into the shopping center on the corner, so I signal, slow down and enter the first entrance going as slow as humanly possible so everyone in the left lane passes. Dude is furious because he is now no longer first in line at the light as I laugh entering the lot. Guess he didn’t realize that he could have simply passed on the left the entire time, loser.

[faftorial]

If you had been in a Tesla he would have big footed you.

[RonnieFranchise]

I am a dedicated cruise control user. Auto makers have made really good strides the past 10 years or so getting cruise to reliably hold speed. Yesterday in a rental Highlander I was on 79 south of Erie tooling along at 77, low traffic and had it set for probably 20 miles. Little shitbox gets probably 3/4 past then gradually slows with nothing in front of it, I can see through the window their speedometer has slowed to 75 and decreasing. So now it's just witting there and slowly falling back. Why the hell did you pass me if you're not going to keep your speed up and stay ahead of me?

Floored it to get past and put some distance between and didn't see them again. This is (one reason) why there's road rage.

I hate driving at the holidays. Amateur hour.

[NTP66]

I am a dedicated cruise control user. Auto makers have made really good strides the past 10 years or so getting cruise to reliably hold speed. Yesterday in a rental Highlander I was on 79 south of Erie tooling along at 77, low traffic and had it set for probably 20 miles. Little shitbox gets probably 3/4 past then gradually slows with nothing in front of it, I can see through the window their speedometer has slowed to 75 and decreasing. So now it's just witting there and slowly falling back. Why the hell did you pass me if you're not going to keep your speed up and stay ahead of me?

Floored it to get past and put some distance between and didn't see them again. This is (one reason) why there's road rage.

I hate driving at the holidays. Amateur hour.

This is me on literally any cross-PA trip ever. I wind up having to do 10-15 over, and weave through traffic so that dingleberries like this get stuck behind people so that I can resume my 75 cruise control.

[DigitalGypsy66]

Contractors working on the new phase of our subdivision were hammering away at 7:30 this morning. We were already up, but it sucks. These poor pricks work 7 days a week it seems. We weren't here on Thanksgiving, but they worked a full day then as well (according to our subdivision FB group). Ugh.

[tifosi77]

Elderly neighbor passed away earlier this year. Adult son moved surviving parent to a nursing home, and is renovating the house to sell. We're on a hillside, and their lot level is about 5-6 feet higher than ours. Part of the reno is a two-storey deck that's basically an observation deck directly into our backyard. I'm soliciting ideas for creative ways to address this situation.

[NTP66]

Pink flamingos.

[AuthorTony]

Become a nudist.

[meow]

Dynamite

[tifosi77]

Apologies if anyone has shared this elsewhere. But since Established Titles became the only allowable sponsor on what feels like 95% of the YT channels I sub, the thing has been a ginormous pet peeve of mine.

Given the hullabaloo re 'foreign emoluments' during the reign of The Orange One, I figured Art 1, Sect 9 of ye Constitution would get more play here. But I guess they are not claiming to confer a title of peerage, so I guess that part of it is okay.

[skullman80]

My doctors appointements for my blood disease have been the same for like 5 years now.

All on the same day I do back to back to back.

1. Lab work
2. See doctor (every other time)
3. Get Phelbotomy if needed.

I look at my appointments today and I see the normal series above set up for this Wednesday 12/7. I then see a weird appointment today at noon.

I call and talk to the scheduler and she says they want you to get your labs done today before your appointment. I'm like then what is the one on Wednesday before I see the doctor for? That is usually when they draw the labs. She's like that looks to be for an exam? I'm like what exam? It says lab work right on my appointment thing online for that time frame. Lab work/doctor/treatment...in that order.

She was adamant that I still needed to come in today for labs. So I'm going to go in get labs, but then have to go back Wednesday to get my actual treatment and see the doctor, and I bet they try to draw labs again.

*sigh*

[NTP66]

My car's at the shop for inspection/emissions testing, and TIL that I needed to drive it 10+ miles at a clip to get the emissions data to be ready for testing, after disconnecting the battery. I drive my daughter to school every morning, but that's apparently not enough. Annoying that I'll now have to make a second trip to the shop for this.

[tifosi77]

How do they do emissions testing where you live?

[NTP66]

Dunno, but I'm 100% sure that I'm exempt, so I should be good after calling the shop and letting them know.

[tifosi77]

I wonder if it's vehicle or marque specific following the VW em-con nonsense several years ago. That's the first I've ever heard of a mileage prereq for testing. TIL

[NTP66]

I wonder if it's vehicle or marque specific following the VW em-con nonsense several years ago. That's the first I've ever heard of a mileage prereq for testing. TIL

I thought you meant the actual emissions testing, not the requirements. In PA, if you have owned the car for more than one year and drive fewer than 5000 miles in one year, the car is exempt from emissions testing.

[scb147]

And not all counties in PA have emissions testing requirements... for example, Butler county does not.

[NTP66]

And not all counties in PA have emissions testing requirements... for example, Butler county does not.

That makes even less sense.

[nocera]

I mean, it's Butler.

[MalkinIsMyHomeboy]

“Forget it, Jake. It’s Butler County”

[NTP66]

Lol, the guy who does emission testing says he can’t do the waivers because you need some special license for it, and is insisting on the full test. I’m annoyed enough now that I’m going to search for a shop that can do the waiver because I’m not giving the state a **** penny for that.

[Shyster]

IIRC, for any modern car with OBD diagnostics made in the last 20+ years, the "test" is just asking the onboard computer if the emissions system is working OK. And if that system were not working OK, then the check-engine light should be on. I believe they haven't run actual "tailpipe" tests in a long time. So basically here in Allegheny County and other counties with emissions we get charged like an extra $30 or whatever for a tech to just verify that a warning light isn't on.

[faftorial]

When I lived in GA, they put a testing wand/device in the tail pipe of my car.

If you clear codes, or unplug the battery to clear codes, on the computer you typically have to drive for 30 or so miles or they won't do the test. There must be a reading on the computer that tells them whether it's ready after being reset.

[Willie Kool]

Lol, the guy who does emission testing says he can’t do the waivers because you need some special license for it, and is insisting on the full test. I’m annoyed enough now that I’m going to search for a shop that can do the waiver because I’m not giving the state a **** penny for that.

An exemption and a waiver are not the same thing, but for the exemption all you need is a certified emissions inspector to verify that the vehicle has been owned for one year and driven less than 5,000 miles in the prior year. Mrs K's Mazda has been exempt for several years. Also, I believe most shops will still charge you for the exemption sticker...

https://www.autoexpresspa.com/blog/2019 ... aiver-.htm