The advice thread for random problems

[Bianca Del Rio]

Thanks he's 16 weeks so just a baby, it's for my rabbit but I know from previous that even them can cost a lot an fast so this time I want to get insurance, looking at going with pet plan

Oh absolutely, it’s worth having. Fingers and toes crossed you wont need to use it but better to be safe than sorry for sure.

 

[Choco88]

Maybe it's the after affects I've seen a lot of people with ongoing symptoms and flare ups ..hope you feel better soon.

thank you, I’m definitely still struggling with brain fog it’s horrible

 

[ElectricDreams]

How unlucky ,hopefully they’ll let you change the booking.

In theory they will, but the only alternative date we can do is the week after and they won't let you travel if you've had covid within 14 days of travel looks like we'll have to cancel completely

 

[Purrrrrrr]

Just came across this thread Are you allowed to ask advice about anything?

Its for those random problems that you feel don't deserve there own thread. the subject doesn't matter.

 

[Snippysnips]

Does anyone keep platy fish? An know the difference between males an females, online tells me males have a pointed anal fin an females have a fan shaped fin

I have 3 with a pointed fin an 1 with a fan fin, however it also says males are smaller than females an also are darker than them, an females are more rounded than males which are slim, so this doesn't makes sense to me because the 3 with the pointed are huge an light coloured an rounder compared to my small one with the fan that's dark in colour an also quite slim

So do I have 3 males an 1 female or 1 male an 3 females

Obviously it would be best to know since it won't be good if it's 1 female with 3 males in the tank

 

[Purrrrrrr]

I don't need advice on this one but opinions.

I received this PM on FB from someone that I have only interacted with once or twice on our towns local FB pages.

In your opinion what do you think she is asking me for?


Good evening Purrrrrrr this is a bit of a long shot and probably very short notice. I’m reaching out for support and can’t think why we haven’t met as we’re both on the same page regarding the covid jab etc.
I’m currently going through some mental health issues and I find the ( removed the name but its a a garden centre a bit out of my area) so very therapeutic. Would you be interested in going for a coffee there tomorrow and I will cover petrol costs? I know a lot of people who drive but most of them just don’t message or respond to me like they use to. It’s probably too short notice. Hope you’re well.


I will post my reply and her reply back tomorrow but just wanted some feedback on this as I totally read it wrong. but no matter how many times I read it and even with her reply etc it still reads the same way to me

 

[BettyCrockerr]

Not sure if the right thread or not!
Has anyone got an Emma mattress and recommend it? It keeps getting advertised and I'm looking for a new mattress, but a bit weary of the 200 night trial? Is it all legit as in if you don't like it, you can just return for a refund or is there more to it?

Had one. It was ok for a few weeks then became really uncomfortable and developed a huge hump in the middle. Sent it back. The 200 night trial is completely legit, no strings attached - a courier comes to collect it from your home and once they get it back they process a full refund. If you want to return it for any reason within the trial period you can - you just go online to their customer portal and create a return and it gives you options to tick why you are sending it back.

 

[monga]

Maybe contact citizens advice they may be able to point you in the right direction .

 

[Piff paff puff]

It’s not just what is picked up on your mic off your phone. But also whatever devices you have logged into your account.
I’m doubtful that it’s all the devices “listening” Companies pay good money for people to create ways of targeting people for advertising/ messaging etc. If it’s cookie/history based they can take browsing data to spot patterns of behaviour which make targeting easier. More complex models can overlay with voice data too. These models learn what’s effective over time and get smarter.

Yes, I know they are very advanced but for example one specific time, my phone was at home and I was travelling with no devices on me and noticed another traveller take something out of their wallet. Later when i was home and had my phone that item was shown to me as an image on my phone. There are too many incidences now like this, I don't even remember most now.

 

[If you say so...]

Just a quick one.
My daughter hurt her wrist yesterday playing netball. It’s not broken. She can still move it. However, she’s clearly done some damage as she can’t use it much. She can’t hold anything in that hand and it you touch it. Even lightly she winces in pain. I don’t want to waste hospital staff’s time especially as my local hospital is struggling at the moment. But I feel like she should be seen, but also as it’s not broken I’m unsure what they will be able to do?
None of my children have ever had an injury like this and I’m not too sure if I’m being over cautious

Some hospitals have a minor injuries unit that you can use instead of A&E - walk in centers have sent us there before so if you know you have one locally the it'll cut out the wait at the walk in!

 

[monga]

I’m looking to paint my tv unit but not sure about the best way to do this. It’s a fairly cheap piece of furniture, I think it’s MDF (think Ikea style). Does anyone know what type of paint is best? Would I need to prime first? It’s currently an off-white colour and I’d be looking to paint it quite a dark charcoal. Would a roller be best or a brush? Or even scrap the idea of painting and try vinyl wrap?

It doesn’t need to be perfect, just experimenting to see if I’d like a darker style unit. Can’t afford a new one atm so going with this option first.

I believe Frenchic is really good not even sure you need to prime just lightly sand it first

 

[monga]

Thanks, I feel like I just keep hounding them with emails both the one they sent me an still on twitter but it's always when they ask for details they go silent on me, I know the emails have all been sent as well so it's not as if they aren't getting them, I just don't understand what the problem is, they said that was what the prize was an it isn't like I picked a date for next week which would be hard to make happen, am picking weeks in advanced

I can imagine the frustration when you're only looking to clarify your tickets ,just see what CA recommend and take it from there ,it's strange they'd contact winners to then ignore them unless they've got a really lazy employee .

 

[OnlyHereForTheLolz]

I have a hairdresser’s appointment on Friday to finally get my usual color back. I haven’t been to the hairdresser since the start of the pandemic and my full hair has reverted to my natural color which I hate (jet black). I haven’t sported my natural color in more than a decade and don’t feel myself when I look at the mirror. It makes my soft features more harsh and masculine.

I’m still debating whether I should cancel the appointment because I don’t see the purpose in getting my hair done if I never go out and work from home most of the time. Getting my hair color done would be more of a confidence booster but I honestly don’t see the purpose as my life is BS at the moment (death of a parent a few months ago, work stress, detesting my job with and coworkers).

I don’t know if it’s worth it. It’s within budget but I’m thinking of other things I can do with that amount. I’m torn.

What colour do you normally have? If you're not up to going to the hairdressers why not just buy some sun in? I used it as a teenager. You just spray it on your hair and it lightens it through time. But don't use for too long as you might end up with a colour you hate

I don’t think this is really a random problem, but I’m not sure where else to post this. I’m looking for advice on how best to ask for a pay rise.

I had the Head of my team admit to me in a conversation with another colleague that she sees me as her second in command rather than her actual second in command and my review is coming up and I really want to put it to her about me getting more money but I also know I’m not “cheeky” enough.

Has anyone got any tips? (Thanks in advance and sorry if this is the wrong thread)

It depends what you are taking on at work and if you are doing work you are not technically being paid to do ie above your paygrade. I would go to the review and listen what they have to say and then at the end mention, obv politely, that you feel you are taking on more work (senior work) and it would be great if they could compensate you for the extra duties/responsibility you are taking on.

But not too rain on your parade, even if you were to get a pay rise it will probably not make a huge difference as companies normally pay pennies to the pound.

 

[Purrrrrrr]

Unfortunately it's the front garden and isn't easy to get anything in it as it is a narrow raised bed sitting on stones.

There isn't a lot of space between the flowers and around the bed is solid.

They keep pooing on the sleeper or the gravel

I would go with the smelly stuff that Joe suggested then. Maybe sprinkle chilli powder as well.

It's a pain and as a cat owner, I am very sorry.

 

[Snippysnips]

Just a quick one.
My daughter hurt her wrist yesterday playing netball. It’s not broken. She can still move it. However, she’s clearly done some damage as she can’t use it much. She can’t hold anything in that hand and it you touch it. Even lightly she winces in pain. I don’t want to waste hospital staff’s time especially as my local hospital is struggling at the moment. But I feel like she should be seen, but also as it’s not broken I’m unsure what they will be able to do?
None of my children have ever had an injury like this and I’m not too sure if I’m being over cautious

Could be fractured, I used to have a ton of fractures, broken, dislocated, splintered, sprained bones with clearly being insanly wild as a kid an sounds maybe like a fracture, you can still move it but it does hurt badly, it's always better to get it xrayed an if it is fractured or sprained etc then they will be able to bind it up for her with the right supports, you don't just get stuff when it's broken, they offer a lot for sprains, fractures, splinters etc with their own type of binds that help support while it's healing

 

[JoeBloggs]

Of course my family must be just making it up then yes we do pay an no there's no "extras" here our council unfortunately works on greed so yes I am left paying for bins to be emptied, an yes I put things in the right bin, they are just ridiculous slim an I am certainly paying no £100 for bigger sizes, an some houses here don't even get the bins free, the persimmon houses had to pay for theirs at the end of my street

Only council homes get stuff free here

Garden waste bins are not force upon anyone, because not everyone has a garden and they are charged separately from your council tax. It’s an optional extra.

The slim bins are 120litres, you cannot be filling 720litres of waste a week and don’t have room for some junk mail surely?!

Usually councils only issue recycling bins for free, waste you have to pay for. Especially new builds. I spend way to much time dealing with this in my day job, it worries me how much I know about it all.

 

[Pinhead Larry]

Might be different in different organisations but my experience is they usually say not to hand in notice at current job until you get a formal offer. You then agree the start date with them based on your notice period. Also my experience with public sector is that it usually takes a while to get formal offers and everything sorted and HR is always slow. I'd wait until you get something in writing from new job

thank you! It makes sense I just hate the uncertainty

 

[Piff paff puff]

Freeze some water in a cup , then put a coin on top of the ice then put back in the freezer, if it has sunk down , you know it has defrosted a bit.

Appliances don't last long now . If you buy a new lne , they usually collect the old one for a fee. New ones are meant to be more energy efficient.

Thanks yeah, I definitely think I'll shave a bit of my energy bill with a newer model.

 

[OnlyHereForTheLolz]

What would be the best thing to do/say in this situation? Sorry if it is long and confusing.

I hated my job, applied for 2, got 2 interviews, got offered both. Happy days. (This was about a month ago)

The one I preferred required 3 references, all with 13 questions each. This took a while to sort out. I'd only had a conditional offer, and I was told after the referencing was all done I'd get a start date. In the meantime I didn't want to reject the other job, because if anything happened I'd be back to square 1.

The other job were aware my manager was on annual leave, but they kept sending emails pushing me to accept the job offer online. She said on Friday if I don't accept by midday they're giving the job to someone else regardless. I panicked and accepted as I was waiting on a message from the job I want.

Today I have had a start date confirmed for my new job at the company I want to work for, I've handed in my notice at the current job and now I just need to tell the other one I won't be starting with them..

Does this sound okay? I wish I didn't have to accept it but it was push push push.

Good Afternoon,

I am really sorry but I need to withdraw myself from the role of XXXXXXXX with yourselves.

Something beyond my control has arisen, I am so sorry to mess you around

Thanks for the opportunity
XXXXX

Just tell them you’ve changed your mind. Don’t give them any reasons

 

[Snippysnips]

Does anyone have any dog /puppy advice?

We just rehomed a 9 month old pug, she's settled in great so far, she is eating and toileting fine, great with my children, great out on the lead, but she seems to have some separation anxiety.
I know pugs are clingy anyway, but she's barking and crying just at us leaving the room, so we're worried about leaving her in the house alone.
Also the previous owners had her in bed with them which is a habit I would like to break, along with getting her to be confident when we leave the house. Any tips? Is this even possible?

You can definitely break the habit it just takes time, maybe leave the house for small bits at a time if it's possible, like 20 mins an then come back an see her an then gradually leave her longer an longer, also I'd say that if you sleep with a soft toy or blanket etc for a night or two just to get your scent on it then leave it with them it might work as a comfort for when you are out, I hope you can manage to get her settled