The "What's on your mind?" Thread -2017

[Margret]

I need to check that out. I've always known it as All Hallows' Eve and then Day of the Dead on Nov. 1st. At least, most people in AZ celebrate it that way.

That's the Hispanic influence, both because AZ is close to Mexico and because you have so many immigrants there. The Day of the Dead is a very big holiday in much of the world, a day to honor ancestors and friends who have passed. If you check out the Wikipedia article on All Saints' Day you'll see several names for it.

Margret

 

[muffy]

I love it too. One of my favorite things is a salt bagel. One of the VERY few things I miss about NY. The bagels- and the pizza.

I never had a NY bagel or pizza but would love to try them. The salt bagel sounds really good.

Muffy

 

[Kat0121]

I'm great at being patient. Just not when I'm miserable and in constant pain lol. It'll all be worth it in the end. I'm right at the end now. I've made it all this time; I'll get through it. But I reserve the right to complain! Haha

Yes. You do get the right to complain. Hang in there sweetheart. Before you know it, that gorgeous, healthy baby boy will be in your arms. We want LOTS of pictures of the newest member of TCS because we just know he will be a cat lover!

 

[Kat0121]

I never had a NY bagel or pizza but would love to try them. The salt bagel sounds really good.

Muffy

Oh my. Bagels in NY are so, so good. Salt, everything and garlic bagels being my favorite. NY pizza is the best in the US. I live in Florida and the pizza is... well... not great. At all. This is a really beautiful state with amazing wildlife and the winters are PERFECT. The pizza? Yeah. Not so much. The bagels?

Would I ever move back to NY even for the bagels and pizza? NO.

 

[Alicia88]

I've never visited any of the northern states. I would like to someday. When I was married to my ex husband, we drive back and forth to California a few times so I've driven through all the states in between. We once took a "shortcut" through Oklahoma that added 14 hours to the trip. "Well, it looked shorter on the map!" Intelligence wasn't his thing.

 

[Margret]

I have a physics question, one I've been wondering about for years and never been able to find an answer to. But we have so many people here, with such varied backgrounds, that I thought I should ask.

Let's say it's the middle of the night and you wake up wanting a glass of water. You have a glass next to the sink; you know you can find it in the dark and you don't want to awaken your spouse by turning on a light (not to mention that you don't want to thoroughly wake up yourself, which turning on a light will do to you) so you find your way to the sink in the dark. You put your glass under the faucet and turn on the water, and you know when your glass is nearly full because the sound of the water rises in pitch as the glass gets fuller, so you don't even have to get your finger wet to tell when you have enough water. And no, "Why does the sound get higher as the water rises?" is not the question; that would be too easy. I already know the answer to that one; it happens because you're hearing the vibration of the air inside the glass and as the water level rises the size of the air chamber gets smaller so the frequency rises, just like when you play a wind instrument. Blind people have used this trick for a very long time.

But now, suppose that as soon as you get out of bed to get your water you realize that it's cold in your house. You don't want a glass of cold water; you want warm or hot water. So when you get to the sink you turn on the hot tap and wait for the water from the heater to push enough of the cold water that's already in the pipes out so that the water starts coming out of the faucet hot. And surprisingly enough, you can also do this by ear. The water changes pitch when it starts running hot. Does anyone know why this is?

Note: I have observed this phenomenon in every faucet in our house, so it isn't something strange about one faucet, and I've noticed it both before and after we replaced our water heater with a newer Energy Star rated water heater, so it isn't something to do with the water heater.

Margret

 

[Alicia88]

Apparently I don't pay enough attention or something. I can't tell when the water is hot by the sound.
I majorly screwed up. Fell asleep on the couch. Now I'm stiff and sore from that on top of everything else. I was out for a couple of hours before John came home and found me. Ugh. The couch used to be comfy for a nap. Then my belly grew.

 

[nansiludie]

I have noticed that also. Wasn't sure if it was just me or not. Could it possibly have something to do with the density of the water? Hot water might be less dense than cold water as its closer to steaming than to freezing. And that might be what changes the sound of it.

 

[Willowy]

I just read something like that, on Daily Mail or something like that. . .I'll see if I can find an actual scientific explanation .

Ah, here it is: "The reason for it is that water changes its viscosity - its stickiness - according to its temperature. . .(whole bunch of science). . .when you heat the water up, the particles start to move much more quickly. They have more kinetic energy which is a function of the temperature. This means that they're zipping past each other much faster. They're therefore gluing onto each other less well and this makes the water runnier or less viscous."
Why does hot water sound different to cold water when poured? | Science Questions | Naked Scientists

 

[Margret]

Alicia88 , . For what it's worth, I know chiropractors who have ways to adjust pregnant women safely. You may want to call around and see whether there's one of those near you.

W Willowy , thank you!! I've been wondering about that for years, and whenever I asked, even when I asked scientists, the best I've gotten is "Hmm. I don't know. Maybe something about the number of bubbles in the water?" which is a theory, not an answer.

Margret

 

[Alicia88]

Well, the car won't start. It's not even trying to do anything. We just replaced the battery a year ago. I'm hoping it's just too cold. It's 3 degrees and was in the negatives last night. The way my luck goes, I'm gonna go into labor now. Not sure how I'll go about getting to the hospital if I do.

 

[kashmir64]

Well, the car won't start. It's not even trying to do anything. We just replaced the battery a year ago. I'm hoping it's just too cold. It's 3 degrees and was in the negatives last night. The way my luck goes, I'm gonna go into labor now. Not sure how I'll go about getting to the hospital if I do.

Check your terminals. They may either have some corrosion or just not making contact. If they have corrosion then pour a soda on them. This is not a permanent fix, but will do for now. If they are loose, then just tighten them up.

However, look at your battery. If the sides are not straight, ie. there is a slight bow to it, then the battery is bad.
Edited to add: If it's none of those, it may be your alternator.

 

[Alicia88]

I'm gonna pray it's just the cold because we don't have the money to get it fixed. Everything looks fine to our untrained eyes. None of the neighbors who have cars are home so we can't ask for a jump. If it is the battery, it's still under warranty. There's not much we can do at the moment. John's gonna have to walk to work in the cold. Fortunately, it's only a few blocks away. If I go into labor, I guess I'll just have to call an ambulance because his mom's car isn't starting, either. He'll have to walk to the hospital - we're too broke to call a cab. But the hospital is close - maybe a 10 minute walk. It's just frustrating.
Aislyn is with his mom and we were all supposed to go to his aunt's for her birthday lunch and cake. He talked to her on the phone and she was excited about it, then the cars wouldn't start. So now we've disappointed a little girl.

 

[kashmir64]

I'm gonna pray it's just the cold because we don't have the money to get it fixed. Everything looks fine to our untrained eyes. None of the neighbors who have cars are home so we can't ask for a jump. If it is the battery, it's still under warranty. There's not much we can do at the moment. John's gonna have to walk to work in the cold. Fortunately, it's only a few blocks away. If I go into labor, I guess I'll just have to call an ambulance because his mom's car isn't starting, either. He'll have to walk to the hospital - we're too broke to call a cab. But the hospital is close - maybe a 10 minute walk. It's just frustrating.
Aislyn is with his mom and we were all supposed to go to his aunt's for her birthday lunch and cake. He talked to her on the phone and she was excited about it, then the cars wouldn't start. So now we've disappointed a little girl.

Is your battery a sealed unit or one that you add water to? A sealed unit should not freeze as battery acid doesn't. But if you've ever added water to it, then it could if the acid to water ratio is off.

 

[Alicia88]

I don't know that much about cars, but I've never heard of adding water to a battery. I read something online about gas not vaporizing correctly when it's too cold. I told John we needed to add heat (it's an additive people around here use in the winter) to the tank but we forgot to pick any up.

 

[kashmir64]

If it were the gas, then it should still be trying to turn over, it just wouldn't catch. At the very least, you should have radio, headlights, horn etc...

 

[Alicia88]

The radio did come on. I didn't check to see if the headlights did. But it didn't try to turn over.

 

[kashmir64]

I've been working on cars since I was 12, but these new cars with all the computer electronics just confuse me. I can't even change the oil in my new car. But the basics are the same. If the headlights come on, and they are as bright as they should be, then it probably isn't your battery. Unless it froze and is just starting to unthaw.
Hope you don't go into labor until this is fixed.

 

[Graceful-Lily]

Anyone in Toronto feeling this cold weather today?

 

[Alicia88]

John called his mechanic friend - he said it sounds like it just needs a jump because it's too cold. If one of the neighbors was home, we'd give that a try. But, they're not. We still have an hour and a half before John has to be work; maybe one of them will get home before then. If not, we'll try to deal with it tomorrow. I don't want to be out there messing with it in this cold.