Nataly

Now, if I could only find the bike that got stolen... Is someone out there trying to tell me I shouldn't be riding crotch-rockets??! Nah!!! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Frankly, given how long it all took, it's not so surprising that the company just did nothing - I think most people would have given up by now... Also, I only received the ruling today - I still don't know when I will actually see that money... We'll see... Hopefully not another two years!!! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I used to be very anti Valentine's Day... Now I think at least those people who never take the time to let their partner know they are appreciated have 1 day where they are pretty much forced to acknowledge their loved one. Of course I hope never to be taken for granted this way, so am still pretty much against the overly-commercialised excuse for bumping up prices and shoving sappy shit down everyone's throat. I also hate Christmas. There, I said it. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Sounds like a call center in India Yep! Or maybe BillyVance took the order and wrote it just like he heard it!! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Looooooooong story short, in March 2013 my bike got accidentally knocked over by some builders... The resulting damage (albeit purely cosmetic) would have cost just over €2,000 to fix (all that plastic is fucking expensive)... But the owner of the company simply refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing (despite the fact that his workers had owned up to it verbally and even apologised to me - I actually felt bad for the guys who clearly didn't do it on purpose)... In January 2014, as luck would have it, that bike got crushed/destroyed in a landslide... My insurance company (fucking crooks) promptly dropped the first claim, declared the bike beyond repair (it was) and gave me a cheque for €144 (the "residual value" of the bike since the first accident - fucking fuckers). Anyway I'm skipping a lot of details but I ended up taking the company to court... And won!! Not only did the judge award me €2,000 for the damage to the bike, but also an additional €1,000 which I didn't even ask for. Guess the court did not appreciate the blatant lies and obviously false testimonies and overall ill-will of this company. On my end, I stuck to the absolute truth - I had no solid proof and said so, however luckily for me, the judge deemed there was sufficient probable cause. Nice

It's a local florist who happen to also work with a large-scale florist network. I put the order with the local florist, online because when I called they said that way I could see the different arrangements to choose from. And I realise the eve of Valentin's day is not ideal but then I didn't pick the day my friend decided to stop drinking!! Meh. Ya try to do a good thing... She's way over in Canada and I am here in France so it's not like I could walk in there and pick the flowers/shop in person... Such is life. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Well said! As far as what goes on between you and the florist that delivered that, I can't advise, but I would be a little miffed, too. NEVER mention that to the person you sent the flowers to. Too right - I didn't say anything... But I did call the florist and complained... Yes, a substituation OF EQUAL VALUE is one of their clauses, and clearly what was sent was not at all worth what I paid for... They are ordering some mugs and as soon as they have some in stock they will send it to my friend. Their original excuse was "we are busy - we did the best we could"... Then their suggestion to fix the problem was "would you like us to take them back and send the bouquet again when we have the flowers/mug"?? Seriously?? So miffed. Put the order through very early in the day and they had all my contact details to tell me they didn't have what I ordered. Utterly unprofessional. Such is life. My friend is happy, though, so at least there's that!!! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I sent some flowers to someone to celebrate 6 months of sobriety... I picked the arrangement because it was in a smiley mug so once the flowers died she'd still remember her achievement every time she drank (a non alcoholic beverage) out of it. So here is what I sent: http://www.maggiesflowersofriverview.com/riverview-flowers/telefloras-be-happy-bouquet-with-roses-372560p.asp?rcid=3584&point=1 Note the description: "Full of happy flowers, this ceramic happy face mug will bring smiles for years to come. Especially when filled with that first cup of morning coffee or cocoa!" And attached is what she got... Not "Yellow roses and daisy spray chrysanthemums along with white daisy spray chrysanthemums and oregonia are delivered in the one and only Be Happy® mug." But yellow/orange roses (those are ok) and plain white chrysanthemums (not daisy and no yellow ones, and pretty sad-looking to boot), cheap fern (instead of oregonia) and a smiley vase (not a mug). She ain't gonna drink her coffee in a flower vase, is she?? Total cost for the bouquet was $72.32 (including $8.00 for delivery). I reckon the pathetic little thing she got was worth no more than about $20.00. I am pretty annoyed. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

From my perspective, as a fairly neutral reader, and irrespective of whether you meant it to, your post did come across as a dig at Nataly. Well, I asked Andy if he cared to elaborate and he did. I do think that attractive people have an easier time getting a first date - proof: just look how excited I was to meet Mr-handsome-who-never-called-back!!! And I *was* disappointed that he didn't until I realised the date itself didn't actually go all that well! So I see how people can get wrapped up in looks... But I didn't take offense that he didn't like me - these things happen. And for the record, I have many faults, but I in no way resemble the girl he described. So even if Andy's first post was designed to offend me, it doesn't. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Well, having changed one myself ('89 Ford Probe), I can say it's not rocket science... Just like any repair, though, you have to be prepared for little things going wrong. If you're the kind of person who can't cope with these (lack of knowledge/experience/confidence) then don't do it but maybe try to find a friend who could help once you source the parts. Or take it to a mechanic you trust who won't charge you an arm and a leg. Or consider selling it as-is to someone who will be able to fix it. It's not a massive job if you know how - you might still get an ok price for it and you can shop around for another used car. ETA - yes, I know an old Ford is a bad example because they are always pretty easy to work on!! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Well, if it *is* directed at someone in this thread, it is a thinly veiled (and not very classy) insult... If it *isn't* then I fail to see how it relates to this topic...? Do feel free to expand on that. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Oldie but a goodie: http://youtu.be/18ya0-OZ58s "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Ok... The ego thing kinda makes sense. And I suspect men typically approach women (and not the other way around) so must therefore get rejected more often as a result... I suppose this either toughens you up or makes you more sensitive. But like you said... There are limits to what is a normal and what is a disproportionate reaction. Insulting me because I said "I didn't feel there was a connection between us" seems to me a bit ott... And Joe - was laughing OUT LOUD at your post!!! It may comfort you to know that many women have low standards too... Like: "oh he liked me and made me laugh and most importantly he really liked me and never mind about all the other stuff - I can just fix him!!!" "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Get a Haynes Manual and replace the tank yourself. You may need to be careful removing the fuel pump (expensive mistake if you fuck that up). Your Haynes Manual will help you step by step - read the whole process first - make sure you have everything you need before you start. Don't do this in a closed space - d'uh. Have some plumber's strap handy as you may not be able to reuse the rusty old piece of metal barely holding it now... Don't skimp and reuse washers/o-rings-rubber seals. Good luck

True, but as time passes, all I find I have in common with anyone is breathing, and precious little else. Well, then focus only on finding your inner joy again. Do that and you'll be ok. And you may even meet someone pretty cool as well - but you won't *need* to, because you will be happy. Seriously. Life throws ya some pretty mean curve balls sometimes. But no matter what, you owe it to yourself to do everything you can reasonably do to be happy. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I'm certain there are plenty of 50+ fat divorced broke and bitter women out there just waiting for ya!!!! Seriously, though, the biggest problem with what you just described is the bitterness... And this is one thing you *can* fix, if you really want to

Errrm... Yeah... Exactly!! WTF aarco?? Total jibberish! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I personally think it's rude to just not answer someone's text/call... I think the least you can do is politely let the person know you are not interested. But that's just me... Good to hear there is someone in your life btw

I don't have a list, actually. I have always been flexible in my approach to finding someone because so many things go into making each person unique that the same trait in one person could be a strength and in another a real turn-off... Cockiness can be charming or it can be offputting... Romanticism can be wonderful or it can be stiffling... So it's not like the guy didn't "tick enough boxes" - it simply felt very wrong. When your gut tells you that, you'd be foolish not to listen... I'm not looking for some kind of prince charming or an unrealistic fantasy... Of course getting to know someone takes time but in some cases, it's immediately obvious that no further dating is required... And that shouldn't be taken as some kind of insult. I met with a guy a couple if weeks ago. On the face of it, I thought we would get on swimmingly. Plus I found him VERY handsome and couldn't wait to meet him. I was all giddy and excited and thought the evening went well but he never called me back. I'm not offended by this and upon further reflection my enthusiasm was not actually shared. It happens. It's nobody's *fault*. I am who I am and not what he was looking for. It is disppointing but I'm not going to curl up into a ball and feel bad about myself!! I just accept it and move on. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I hear what you're saying, but come on... We're not teenagers anymore... If it's not a good fit, it's not a good fit. Why dig deeper than that - sometimes it really is that simple. Most of the time, actually. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

So I am single again and occasionally going on dates and have not exactly found "Mr Right" yet. Which to me is unsurprising. Unsurprising because I believe in degrees of compatibility and also that the vast majority of people do not fit into the "highly compatible" range. I am therefore doing my best to triage and be selective and not waste too much time on people who fall into the "very incompatible" range... I want to be in a *good* relationship - not just get together with *anyone* simply for the sake of not being alone... I am simply AMAZED that anyone my age (or older) would take it as a personnal offence that we are not suited to one another. It's not like it's anyone's fault - and it's not like I'm insulting them by being honest and saying "I don't think we are a good match." It is what it is. It's infinitely more rare to find a good match than a bad one, so why this still comes as a shock/surprise to people is beyond me. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Yep. 2010 Street Triple. Black. All original parts and in excellent condition - very low mileage. So you couldn't stay away from bikes, eh? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPw-3e_pzqU I know it's probably not so wise given the carpal tunnel but I just can't STAND the bus anymore... Appart from being totally unreliable, I get car/bus sick... So yeah... There are certainly worse things in life, but still... Not pleasant... "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Yep. 2010 Street Triple. Black. All original parts and in excellent condition - very low mileage. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

This is not me being lazy - I have looked online (and searched the threads) for various options but I would like to know if anyone on here has any personal experience with installing/using a tracker/locater on their bike so they can find it if ever it gets stolen? "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Yep - that's how I do it too!