It's the beards that throw you off.
The Random Crap Thread 2: It Hits the Fan.
- Thread starter North_Ranger
- Start date
Dave
Staff member
Okay, people, talk me off the ledge on this one. This may end up being a wall of text, I don't know.
So when we lost our house in 2011 we moved in here - a rental property. It's old, it's terrible, but it's good enough. The landlord is kind of a slum lord (we are almost guaranteed not to get our deposit back) but he's always been nice to us and when something breaks down he fixes it. Well, everything except the front door, but that's another story. Anyway, at the end of the first year when our lease was up, we got a hold of him and wanted to sign a new lease. He said he'd send something out but never did. So we've been running without a safety net for about 4 years. But SO HAS HE! We could have packed up in the middle of the day at any time and just left the place and there's nothing he could have done. But at the same time, he's under no obligation to keep our rent the same or even keep letting us live here.
So tonight I get a call from him saying that he'd sent us a letter that got returned. He'd apparently put the wrong zip code on it. No big deal. When I asked if everything is okay he said yes but wouldn't say what the letter was!
So talk me down. What the fuck could this letter be about?!? Here are my ideas from best to worst.
So when we lost our house in 2011 we moved in here - a rental property. It's old, it's terrible, but it's good enough. The landlord is kind of a slum lord (we are almost guaranteed not to get our deposit back) but he's always been nice to us and when something breaks down he fixes it. Well, everything except the front door, but that's another story. Anyway, at the end of the first year when our lease was up, we got a hold of him and wanted to sign a new lease. He said he'd send something out but never did. So we've been running without a safety net for about 4 years. But SO HAS HE! We could have packed up in the middle of the day at any time and just left the place and there's nothing he could have done. But at the same time, he's under no obligation to keep our rent the same or even keep letting us live here.
So tonight I get a call from him saying that he'd sent us a letter that got returned. He'd apparently put the wrong zip code on it. No big deal. When I asked if everything is okay he said yes but wouldn't say what the letter was!
So talk me down. What the fuck could this letter be about?!? Here are my ideas from best to worst.
- New lease. Finally.
- Rent raise in a new lease.
- Eviction.
I'd bet on a new lease with a rent increase, mainly because, in over 30 years, I've never seen a landlord who didn't increase rent on a lease renewal (yes, I know I'm only 36, but my parents have always rented too, so there 
). Eviction notices, I imagine, wouldn't have elicited an "everything is okay" response from him, and if he let you live there for four years, I'd imagine he likes having you there.
But I'm half asleep at the moment, so it's possible I'm talking out of my ass. And bhamv3 raises a strong possibility. You DO have that magnetic personality that makes people want to write to you.
Or he's received a letter from your Nigerian prince cousin and wants to send you the info for your inheritance.
That's a thing, right?
). Eviction notices, I imagine, wouldn't have elicited an "everything is okay" response from him, and if he let you live there for four years, I'd imagine he likes having you there.But I'm half asleep at the moment, so it's possible I'm talking out of my ass. And bhamv3 raises a strong possibility. You DO have that magnetic personality that makes people want to write to you.
Or he's received a letter from your Nigerian prince cousin and wants to send you the info for your inheritance.
That's a thing, right?
Likely a rent increase and he didn't have the guts to tell you in person. Silly, but my best guess.
Dave
Staff member
I think that's the most likely option as well. What sucks is that I KNOW that neither the valuation nor the property taxes have increased for him since at least 2010. I looked them up. So if he's raising the rent it's not to offset any cost, but just because fuck it.
So we're going to look for a new place. Say bye bye to the computer upgrade and Vive if this is what it is because this place isn't worth what we pay for it now and depending on how much he wants to increase it, we won't sign a lease and we'll just walk. It's what happened to the last tenants as well.
We can't rent again because we need a house that allows for big dogs and there are none in Omaha. (We have a golden mix.) So we're going to have to buy a new house. That means that if we are NOT going to sign a new lease that we'll have about 30 days from the receipt of the letter to decide. And we don't have to give Mr. XXXXXXXX a 30 day notice because he didn't get us a new lease.
So we're going to look for a new place. Say bye bye to the computer upgrade and Vive if this is what it is because this place isn't worth what we pay for it now and depending on how much he wants to increase it, we won't sign a lease and we'll just walk. It's what happened to the last tenants as well.
We can't rent again because we need a house that allows for big dogs and there are none in Omaha. (We have a golden mix.) So we're going to have to buy a new house. That means that if we are NOT going to sign a new lease that we'll have about 30 days from the receipt of the letter to decide. And we don't have to give Mr. XXXXXXXX a 30 day notice because he didn't get us a new lease.
Eviction notices tend to be served by sheriff deputies, in any case...
If you say anything other than steamed, you're (objectively) wrong!
Personally, it depends what's in the dumplings for me. Usually steamed, but some taste better with a little pan-fried crunch. Plus, the thicker dumpling skin is good for steaming, but the thinner ones fry nicely. Generally, I'm not big on boiling them, unless they're dumplings made for hot pot.
Honestly there isn't a best way. Simply depends what you're in the mood for. Jun made steamed dumplings last night in the bamboo steamer. She also made soup dumplings wonton (I really shouldn't call these soup dumplings, because in China, soup dumplings are something different, and awesome.) two days ago, and we had fried dumplings last week.
For anyone who's not entirely clear on the differences, here's a few pictures:
For anyone who's not entirely clear on the differences, here's a few pictures:
The steamed variety (水饺/蒸饺). Usually cooked in something like this over boiling water. Comes in variety of flavors and styles. Excellent when dipped in a mix of Chinese dark vinegar and red pepper flakes. Mmm.
Pan-fried dumplings (煎饺). Comes in similar varieties. A little firmer and crunchier. It's really a toss up between whether I want these or the steamed ones on any given day. If you're garbage with chopsticks and you tend to squeeze the contents of your steamed dumplings out on to your plate, these are for you.
馄饨（hun tun)-Wonton. I usually have these every two weeks or so. I also sometimes use them in hotpot. Unlike the picture below, my 馄饨 only goes in spicy soup.
Soup dumplings. (小笼包) The best things ever. Soup filled dumplings. They will burn your mouth with scalding hot soup, and you will thank them for it. My local Asian market doesn't have them. Last time I ate them was in NYC last year when I went to visit my brother. I wonder if they're hard to make...
Pan-fried dumplings (煎饺). Comes in similar varieties. A little firmer and crunchier. It's really a toss up between whether I want these or the steamed ones on any given day. If you're garbage with chopsticks and you tend to squeeze the contents of your steamed dumplings out on to your plate, these are for you.
馄饨（hun tun)-Wonton. I usually have these every two weeks or so. I also sometimes use them in hotpot. Unlike the picture below, my 馄饨 only goes in spicy soup.
Soup dumplings. (小笼包) The best things ever. Soup filled dumplings. They will burn your mouth with scalding hot soup, and you will thank them for it. My local Asian market doesn't have them. Last time I ate them was in NYC last year when I went to visit my brother. I wonder if they're hard to make...
I bought a bamboo steamer because the English instructions to boil made me go cross-eyed. what do you mean "let the water be boiled twice again"? These are Way Fong frozen dumplings if you wanna check. Looks like a job for @bhamv3.
Now for the sauce. I've got the soy sauce, black vinegar, minced ginger, and hot oil (or Lao Gan Ma). When I went to Tianjin in Flushing, I just did 2 parts soy sauce, 1 part vinegar, then about a teaspoon of ginger and a teaspoon of hot oil. Seemed to turn out okay.
Now for the sauce. I've got the soy sauce, black vinegar, minced ginger, and hot oil (or Lao Gan Ma). When I went to Tianjin in Flushing, I just did 2 parts soy sauce, 1 part vinegar, then about a teaspoon of ginger and a teaspoon of hot oil. Seemed to turn out okay.
About boiling thing:I bought a bamboo steamer because the English instructions to boil made me go cross-eyed. what do you mean "let the water be boiled twice again"? These are Way Fong frozen dumplings if you wanna check. Looks like a job for @bhamv3.
Now for the sauce. I've got the soy sauce, black vinegar, minced ginger, and hot oil (or Lao Gan Ma). When I went to Tianjin in Flushing, I just did 2 parts soy sauce, 1 part vinegar, then about a teaspoon of ginger and a teaspoon of hot oil. Seemed to turn out okay.
It's a way to make sure you don't overcook the dumplings. For example, stick a pot of water on the stove and let it boil--then add dumplings. Let it get to a boil again---add cool water----let it rise to boiling again---add cool water---boil again---and remove the dumplings. This will help make sure the dough of the dumplings doesn't burst and ruin them. It's how Jun cooks hers.
The instructions missed the first cool water addition I'm guessing.
And just to be absolutely sure I was giving you correct info, I even looked it up on Chinese websites:
水烧开后，把包好的饺子放下锅里，水烧开后，添点冷水，如此反复三次， 把浮起来的饺子捞起来即可。
Place the dumplings into the pot after the water boils. Wait for the water to boil again, and then add cold water. Repeat this 3 times.
Edit: And while this is all in Chinese, you can find hundreds of dumpling recipes here. Even if you can't read it, you can get a good idea of the sheer breadth of types there are and maybe even translate a few that you're really interested in. You might be able to find them in some restaurants in Chinatown.
http://www.xinshipu.com/zuofadaquan/879/
Went to "Too Many Games" one of the BEST small cons out there, and I didn't...see...one...INSURANCE SALESMAN! IT WAS BEAUTIFUL! So logically at the end of Saturday I got a Summer Cold hindering my enjoyment of Sunday. URGH!
Why is "Summer Cold" capitalized? It is a particular brand of virus? Does it have high average customer reviews? Should I get it now while supplies last?
GasBandit
Staff member
Did you see Keith Apicary (Nathan Barnatt) there? I think I read he was there. He was the high point of SGC when I went in 2010.
He's just so used to capitalizing "Summer Glau."Why is "Summer Cold" capitalized? It is a particular brand of virus? Does it have high average customer reviews? Should I get it now while supplies last?
--Patrick
I think I saw some stuff with Keith Apicary and MegaRan/Raheem Jarbo engaging in some of the wrestling shenanigans at the show.
Looking it up... yes, they did.
I did, he was one of the concert performers, pretty crowded by the time I got there.
Wait...were you there?
Nah, MegaRan posted up some pics of him and Keith doing tag team in the ring.
PHEW-thought I missed a meet-up there.
Reddit has a feature called Reddit Gold. Basically, for four real-life dollars, you can buy Gold for yourself or someone else. Having an account with Gold gives some (very minor) perks, such as being able to display 1500 comments on one page instead of the default maximum of 500. Users can also buy Gold for specific comments that have been posted. In other words, if you write something that is particularly insightful or funny or informative or interesting, another user may choose to "gild" that comment.
Each purchase of Gold lasts one month. Gildings can be accumulated, eg if two separate users liked your comment, and both gild you on the same day, you'd have the Gold perks for two months. If, during those two months, you write something else that someone felt was worthy of a gilding, you'd get another month tacked on. And so on and so forth.
In December 2014 I wrote something that someone felt was worthy of Gold. In the days and weeks and months following that, I continued posting comments that people, for some reason, rather liked, and I got gilded enough that my Gold subscription just kept continuing. But I've been less active on Reddit lately, so I haven't been gilded recently, and as a result my Gold ran out today.
So due to downtown Ottawa being pretty much closed today for the North American Leaders' Summit, I arranged to work from home. This... This feels weird. Like, I'm not set up at ALL for this. I don't have a good desk, or a good chair, so my back and shoulders are gonna feel it when I'm done. But I got to sleep for an extra hour and I have music blasting AND I'm wearing Batman underoos.
So... I'm conflicted.
So... I'm conflicted.
I'm sorry but I heard that in Cartmans voice re:midget.
