OTOH, not having hot water really and truly sucks.

You're not kidding. The poor GF had to report today for jury duty, which of the yuck. So she got up at 6AM (she usually gets up at 7:30AM). Then she took a freezing cold shower. I wouldn't have - I'd rather be dirty. I did a sponge bath (ew).

Oh my, that's a big sacrifice to be able to do one's civic duty.

Oh, I so would have gone to jury duty without the shower. How dirty could she be?

I pretty much shower everyday. I have dry skin though, and constantly hear I would be better off if I didn't shower everyday in the winter. However, having three kids, I have to shower when the opportunity presents itself, because there are days, when it just *can't* happen. Those days are more likely to occur if I skipped a shower I could have taken, the day before.

{{{all the cranky Bitches}}}

I'm sorry, but I'm giggling madly, because this would only be a term of endearment here.

Called my realtor. got her to understand that 1) I waited almost 2 weeks for plumbers because I went through the warenty co ( bad, there could have been a real disater) 2) if they had said - not much is covered under plumbling so be prepared to pay more - I would have been ok, I just like to be prepared when it comes to spending money

It wasn't until I said - this has added so much to my fustration . If anyone asked me if they should buy a home warenty - I would say no way, unless you don't know how to use a hammer and screwdriver. the only thing they ever fixed for us - was something we could have done ourselves. - then she thought - well, maybe I should talk to the rep and let her know your fustrations....

my house is old. I expected things to break. that was the point of the home warenty. except, it doesn't seem to be.

Yep, research mode... Talked to, no shit, Sergeant Randy Force.(I've been snickering at his name for about half my life, but it's made him a very good-humored person. Cass probably remembers him from school.) "Why not Sergeant Desperate For A Shag?" But admitting my symbiotic relationship with the Simonverse almost gave me too much geek cred, anyway. Phoenix doesn't have crime writers, yo. Everyone was too puzzled by my questions. "You're writing a what?"

Did you get lots of good, usable stuff, erika?

I don't understand the home warranty thing at all. To be honest, I'd never heard of it before you got one, beth.

(edited to head off attacks from serial commaists)

If anyone asked me if they should buy a home warenty - I would say no way, unless you don't know how to use a hammer and screwdriver

I'm sure that did get attention. Warranties and service contracts are huge cash cows.

Yes, it makes *my* head hurt, too. (I actually understand it, but I'll be damned if I could explain it in layman's terms.)

Damn, Teppy. I know what it's about too, but damn is it poorly written. It's a bunch of listing with no sense of coherence or transition at all! I stopped reading halfway through, but I'm sorry you don't have that luxury.

In return, here's some blathering from my talk in two weeks:

The HERG channel has three states: closed, open, and inactive. A closed channel allows no passage of ions, and an open channel allows free ion passage. The inactive channel is less understood, and while this diagram shows an extracellular “inactivation gate,” it’s an oversimplification. The process of going from closed to open is called activation. In HERG channels, this process is slow, like a typical delayed rectifier-—hence the “delayed.” Unlike most delayed rectifiers, however, inactivation—-going from the open to inactive state—-is very fast. So fast, in fact, that inactivation often begins before activation even completes. As a result, very little outward current passes through during depolarization.

This can be seen here. Note the very small outward current produced when the membrane voltage shifts from -80 to 0. When the membrane is subsequently hyperpolarized, the channels reopen. This time, however, they open quickly since recovery from inactivation, like inactivation, is rapid. And since the voltage is now negative compared to the resting potential, the driving force is for positive potassium ions to flow inward, resulting in this large inward current. That current decays as the channels slowly deactivate on their way to the closed state. Note the sharp contrast in the speed and magnitude of the current resulting from a closed-to-open transition and the current resulting from an inactive-to-open transition.

Connie has a new tag, and it sounds like it's from Big Trouble in Little China, but I haven't seen that movie in years, so.

Oh, I so would have gone to jury duty without the shower. How dirty could she be?

That's what I said. I mean, who cares? Plus maybe you'd have a better shot at being dismissed if you show up disheleved.