Settling Into the New Place...

[Illiterati]

Bringing things back to the subject of the post... <grin>

I'm wondering if I can bring this place to something resembling "normal" for when my Mom and brother come to visit on Sunday, preparatory to us all going to see "The Book of Mormon" here in L.A. (My Mom's birthday gift for my brother and myself). Mom, pretty much, will be coming by to make sure we (the kid and I) haven't moved into some roach-infested dump.

That's just the way she is...

I hate unpacking boxes. I always end up feeling as though I've been run over by several semi trucks that didn't come back to finish the job. Meh.

 

[Joelist]

Meanwhile, back at the ranch I am testing out Internet Explorer 10 (part of Windows 8 Pro). To call it fast and fluid is an understatement. Everything just appears on the screen super fast with no lag at all which is cool.

 

[Bluce Ree]

Whats a roomba? Im already having pet hair problems (hair on towels, collecting in corners, etc.

Yeah, forgot to mention that. Keep your good clothes hung up in clothing bags. Cat hair is notorious for getting places the cat itself has never even been. Black clothes are magnets to white hair and vice versa. Don't throw your clothes on the bed unless you don't mind going to work looking like you rolled around with your cat.

 

[Bluce Ree]

I had a Roomba, it sucked, or rather it did not suck enough.
I spent more time cleaning the brushes than anything else.

I got rid of mine last year.

Ya know, I could never figure out whether "sucks" or "blows" has the more negative connotation. I suppose adding "real well" next to either would render that conundrum moot.

 

[Bluce Ree]

Considering its size, I am not surprised to hear this. But right now I am having to spend at least an hour getting the hair off the floor.



I have wood floors, but I will soon have some large rugs on them. My boys are making lots of hair on the floors even after brushing. The roomba might be cool but at almost $500, it better be exceptional!

Couple things:

I'd just like to point out that I'm really restraining myself here from commenting on the pic. The "hairless feline" is just begging for a crude joke or two, but... I'm better than that and this is the general forum area and, well, I'm not Dutch so I'll keep it clean...for now.

As for cleaning up pet fur, oy! Years ago I worked for a cleaning company and had some clients that had a bunch of dogs, all long haired breeds. It was a middle-aged gay couple with a large, fully carpeted, old house in a "historic" part of town. Of course their dogs were their "babies" so they had the run of the house (except when I was cleaning). Literally every week I would fill an entire Electrolux vacuum bag with dog hair (fur). I'm serious, it was every week! I would vacuum for 5 hours -- yes, 5 (five) hours every time I went there. This included all the furniture, sofa cushions, etc. It was insane! I love dogs but shit, this long-haired stuff is a non-starter for me now, lol.

So, my advice is to hire a cleaning lady (or guy) and make sure you've got a good vacuum for them to use (or that they have one of their own that is good at picking up fur). Also, make sure they're not robbing you blind while in your home (the cleaning people, not the cats, after all, cats don't steal much as they don't have pockets and can't really hide your pilfered prescription medicine very easily -- just FYI).

OM1, the wise and all knowing shavedape has, once again, put forth wisdom buried in seemingly benign advice. A cleaning lady with good vacuum is just what you need.

 

[Bluce Ree]

Awwww. There is no "Daddy ear" as far as I know. But fathers always seem to know when something is not quite right. That home you described makes me wince just describing it.

I want this thing because I am sick of finding cat hairs on my shoes, around the bottom of my desk and bed. I found a MUCH cheaper one for about $200 which has great reviews so I will pass on the iRobot version and give it a go.

Yeah, I second that one. My mom makes a lot of assumptions by the sound of my voice over the phone except she's usually incorrect because, sometimes, she catches me in the middle of working on some code or writing an email to client and mistakes my being distracted with being down in the dumps about something.

My dad, on the other hand, is almost always right to an ANNOYING DEGREE!! It's almost like he's psychic sometimes.

 

[Bluce Ree]

Meanwhile, back at the ranch I am testing out Internet Explorer 10 (part of Windows 8 Pro). To call it fast and fluid is an understatement. Everything just appears on the screen super fast with no lag at all which is cool.

Wait ... you own a ranch?!? I suppose that's on topic if you just moved in and are settling in as well.

 

[Joelist]

More like I am settling into a new Operating System. And so far so good - I like the speed!

 

[Overmind One]

Hmmm, according to the interwebs they look like this... Looks better than living in a windmill.

View attachment 7664

SERIOUSLY? That is a PRISON? It looks like iKea sent over a decorator. I see a TV and also a computer. Why not a nice geometric throw rug and perhaps a couple of sconces and maybe a couple of plants?

 

[Overmind One]

Yeah, I second that one. My mom makes a lot of assumptions by the sound of my voice over the phone except she's usually incorrect because, sometimes, she catches me in the middle of working on some code or writing an email to client and mistakes my being distracted with being down in the dumps about something.

My dad, on the other hand, is almost always right to an ANNOYING DEGREE!! It's almost like he's psychic sometimes.

My dad was like that. He would simply say "Talk to me, son!". That meant he knew something was up and he was demanding to know what. I used to think he could read my mind too! I thought it was a special thing that "turned on" after a certain age.

 

[shavedape]

OM1, the wise and all knowing shavedape has, once again, put forth wisdom buried in seemingly benign advice. A cleaning lady with good vacuum is just what you need.

View attachment 7665

Yeah, good luck getting her to clean your toilet! And something tells me the only thing she's gonna vacuum around your place is your wallet (and quite possibly your soul right out of your heart).

 

[Overmind One]

Yeah, good luck getting her to clean your toilet! And something tells me the only thing she's gonna vacuum around your place is your wallet (and quite possibly your soul right out of your heart).

Im soooo not gonna touch that!

 

[Bluce Ree]

Yeah, good luck getting her to clean your toilet! And something tells me the only thing she's gonna vacuum around your place is your wallet (and quite possibly your soul right out of your heart).

 

[Overmind One]

A roomba is a robot vacuum cleaner. You program it to clean at a particular time and it does its thing.

They are, appropriately, I think, sold by a company called iRobot.

One would assume the Asimov Family Trust is getting a hefty donation for that.

OMG, I got a Roomba! I got one at Best Buy, the 560 model which is an older model. But I had a friend who has had one since 2007 and she bought a Roomba 780 and said it did as good a job as the 560 but had more features and was quieter. I chose the 560 which cost me about $250 which is half the price of the Roomba 780. My place is not huge, and is a mix of hardwood and area rugs. Cat hair on floors AND rugs was a daily chore. Plus the scattered litter which sticks to the cats feet when they are done visiting their cat restrooms. The Roomba got it all. Amazing device! It goes about its cleaning, going from room to room, and if you don't want it to go into a room you use the "Virtual Wall" devices to make a beam barrier that the robot will not cross. Mine came with two, and I set it not to go into my kitchen because I was working in there.

WOW, thank you SO MUCH for this tip, without it I would not know about the device. I did not even know my friend had one because she never ran it with guests over. When you run this robot, it cleans the entire place including under furniture and under the bed and under chairs where a normal vacuum would not be able to go at all, and then goes back to its dock and charges itself. It has obstacle detection, extra dirt detection, and will tell you when it needs to be emptied.

 

[Illiterati]

Glad you're enjoying it. It'll probably manage to find a few places where it'll get stuck and you'll find it out of battery and needing recharge.

As you can probably see already, you'll need to clean out the receptacle two or three times while it's working (initially) but over time, you'll have to do that less often as it catches up.

We have ours run at night while we're abed, seven days a week. It's done a pip of a job since we got it, too.

The kid ended up buying a few more "lighthouses" (the things that make the virtual wall) so we can have more control over the job it does.

 

[Overmind One]

Glad you're enjoying it. It'll probably manage to find a few places where it'll get stuck and you'll find it out of battery and needing recharge.

As you can probably see already, you'll need to clean out the receptacle two or three times while it's working (initially) but over time, you'll have to do that less often as it catches up.

We have ours run at night while we're abed, seven days a week. It's done a pip of a job since we got it, too.

The kid ended up buying a few more "lighthouses" (the things that make the virtual wall) so we can have more control over the job it does.

I ran it and had to empty it after only about 15 minutes, then again about 15 minutes later. But I ran it a third time (this time just for fun and to get the last of the heavy stuff), and there was hardly anything in the bin. I have not set the schedule yet, but the 560 Roomba is not as quiet as the 780 and sounds like a low level vacuum cleaner, but still a vacuum cleaner. I would not be able to sleep with the thing tapping around under my bed after midnight. But during the day it is ideal. My cats are TERRIFIED of it, but Siete is trying to decide if he should run from it or hunt it. He perches high up and watches it intently, occasionally getting into a pounce stance, then deciding against it. Poor Dante thinks it is out to get him. . But they will get used to it. It is going to save me SO MUCH TIME and headache.

I only set up the lighthouse in the kitchen because I was working in there but I will allow it to go in there when I set the schedule. LOVE IT!

 

[YJ02]

Hmmm, according to the interwebs they look like this... Looks better than living in a windmill.

View attachment 27284

I am going to Holland..will a non violent crime get me a place like this?

 

[Bluce Ree]

I am going to Holland..will a non violent crime get me a place like this?

Yep. Smack a police officer in the face with a pink glove filled with custard and make fun of his dutch clogs.