The Ranting Thread

Nay wrote:

If you let someone merge in front of you when they don't have right of way, how about a wave out the car window?

We wave inside the car, near the rearview mirror, should be quite visible if they look in through the rear window. We don't roll down the windows and let the cool air out.

People have always been rude. Common courtesy has never been common. We notice more as we see more and remember past rudenesses as we get older. You can't do much about strangers, but you can try to train the people around you. I insist on hellos and goodbyes from the neighbor kids when they come around. My Warcraft guild say ty, yw, grats, hi, bye, welcome, acknowledge people who do nice things, and kick out trouble makers and habitual cussers. We're mostly adults. The 20's and under learn to behave, and the ones that stay are courteous.

Manner, courtesy, kindness and religious training are why I send my kid to Catholic school.

Baseball size hail in Dallas last night.

.....And through my two skylights. It sounded like bombs hitting the roof - no exaggeration. It looks like I will get a new roof and skylights as well as other damage repaired. My landscape is destroyed. My gutters are mangled. But with all the damage in Dallas who knows when I can get everything repaired.

It could be worse. So I am looking at it as an inconvenience. At least I have insurance, even though they just increased my deductable a few months ago.

I guess it's always something, isn't it?

I've only been in baseball sized hail once in my life. Terrifying! I don't ever want to do it again. I'm sooooooo glad you weren't hurt.

I'm glad you're okay, Dallas. Living in tornado alley, I know what baseball sized hail can do. I didn't experience it first hand, but we had some in St Louis some weeks back. It broke car windows as well as all but one of the skylights in my company's warehouse, and got quite a bit of our product wet so we had to throw it away. We got smaller hail in my area too, witnessed by the fact that my brother noticed a ding by the front headlight of my car. The same hailstorm hit a tent they had set up in downtown St Louis, and a man lost his life. They were celebrating after the baseball game when the storm hit.

Dallas, glad you're not hurt. New roof sounds good. Might want to invest in some plywood and tarps and Duck tape in the mean time. You now have the opportunity to put in a new design for your landscapes.

Hope that's the last of the huge hails near any of us.

I went to the local drugstore this afternoon to buy some medicine and was talking to the lady working the checkout. She said her car has $6000 worth of damage because of hail. Bad part is, she also has a $500 deductible and can't really afford it, but at the same time wants to fix the car because it's a new car.

Nay - A lot of that huge hail had spikes. The hail looked like a medieval weapon. It was crazy. I had no idea hail (and a storm)was coming. I was outside grilling and it was sunny. Then I heard my weather radio go off. I just assumed it was a thunderstorm. They said there was a threat of severe thunderstorm and hail but I hear that all the time here in Texas. I didn't think much of it. I flipped my hamburger and continued grilling.

Then it started.

It was marble size and I didn't think much of it as I finished up grilling. Then I saw golfball size and I got worried because it was loud and coming down hard and fast. Then the baseballs started falling and a lot were spiked. They would hit the ground and either explode or bounce back up several feet -- it was hitting with that much force. (I had some embedded in the ground like a meteor.) Then they came through the skylights and crashed into the floor. I just stared at the mess and thought, "Really?" This all happened within minutes.

I called and talked to my insurance agent during the storm, as I waited for it to pass. I knew it was going to be bad and that there would be a ton of claims, so I had him submit me immediately. I didn't waste a minute - hahahaha. It's estimated to be the worst hail storm as far as expense and damage and I believe it.

Luckily it didn't last too long or I would have had a ton of water damage with the rain pouring in. As soon as the rain and hail stopped I was out on the roof sealing it with plastic and then tarps and then went to offer help to my neighbors. Everyone on the street had shattered skylights and windows.

It could have been worse. It was just my house hit, not my skull!

The largest hails we've had here were about 3/4". It started with blue sky getting dark all of a sudden, then hails.

The large hails are usually smaller hails stuck together so they're really lumpy.

Dallas, hope you get your claim quickly.

I hate to point it out ladies, but the thunder/hail/tornado storm season has really just started.

SHHHHHHH!

We had a short storm today. Very loud thunders, some rain, no hail. Yay!

Nay, I haven't had a perm since the 80s and you know it!

Speaking of 80s, has anyone seen "Rock of Ages"?

I'd love to see it, but I don't want to see a half-naked Tom Cruise playing himself.

I don't know which is worse, actors trying to sing, or singers trying to act.