Question for my eastern US/Canada friends... :)

Muffit · January 24th, 2005, 10:33 AM

Hiya!!

Okay, I'm a born and bred Californian, not proud of it, but I am. So I dearly need some help from you easterners/southerners and our nearby northern neighbors in lovely Canada...

How the /heck/ do you open these blasted windows???

There's no such thing as a stuck window where I'm from -- they're all aluminum, not wood, so nobody is dumb enough to paint 'em shut.

But opening these 6 inch thick blast doors is something new -- help!!! There MUST be a trick you have for this(?) I gotta have some fresh outside air -- I'm a daggit ya know, and we daggits are not used to being indoors for too long (without leaving a few "presents" that is).

Any of you folks out there able to help a poor claustrophobic daggit get some air???
Thanks! (gasp, heave)

jewels · January 24th, 2005, 10:36 AM

sometimes banging on the window frames with your hand will crack loose the "paint-stick"
Jewels

unowhoandwhy · January 24th, 2005, 10:38 AM

It depends on how old the windows are & how much paint there is on them. You can try using a putty knife or similar object to reopen the cracks that have been painted. If the window is pretyy sturdy, you might be able to do that & then take a rubber mallet (GENTLY!) to the frame around the window to help knock it loose.

Or, you can do what we do with my grandmother's 200 year-old windows... call in the extremely muscular grandsons when the sorta-muscular granddaughter can't get the job done...

Darth Marley · January 24th, 2005, 10:42 AM

Sounds like it is a recent install, or recent construction.

Check for "anti-theft" obstructions, like a rod on the top in the frame.

Are there any springs inside?

Try putting a board across the top of the window on the inside, and tap on the board with a hammer to shake it loose a bit, and square it down.

Darth Marley · January 24th, 2005, 10:52 AM

I can't resist.

Have you tried upgrading to Windows XP Pro?

Muffit · January 24th, 2005, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darth Marley

I can't resist.

Have you tried upgrading to Windows XP Pro?

ROTFL!!!!!!!!!!

thomas7g · January 24th, 2005, 12:18 PM

OHMYGOD! BILL GATES HAS IMPRISONED OUT LEADER!!!!! ENTRAPED HER IN HER OWN HOUSE!

hehe!

Darth Marley · January 24th, 2005, 12:38 PM

Print out a sign that says "In case of emergency, break glass."
Attach to window.

Muffit · January 24th, 2005, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarthMArley

Print out a sign that says "In case of emergency, break glass."
Attach to window.

Quote:

Originally Posted by thomas7g

OHMYGOD! BILL GATES HAS IMPRISONED OUT LEADER!!!!! ENTRAPED HER IN HER OWN HOUSE!

hehe!

ROTFL you guys!!!!!!

Actually, it's funny you should mention Windows like that -- I shut off this darn computer yesterday and left it off ALL DAY.

My daughter mentioned something to me the other day, that I care more about the computer than I do the cats... (been working some long hours, eeks).

That was it for me. I'm certain she included herself in that lack of attention

Off goes the switch, in goes Azkabahn and popcorn, and this daggit gets a gentle reminder from a youthful heart of what is truly important in this life.

Success is ephemeral. Love tends to last a bit longer.

Alaric · January 24th, 2005, 01:22 PM

Simple solution:

1. Find brick.
2. Place said brick in hand.
3. Throw said brick from said hand to window.

Lather, rinse, and repeat as neccessary.

Muffit · January 24th, 2005, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alaric

Simple solution:

1. Find brick.
2. Place said brick in hand.
3. Throw said brick from said hand to window.

Lather, rinse, and repeat as neccessary.

Thanks for the laugh Alaric!!

Alaric · January 24th, 2005, 01:30 PM

No problem.

This strategy can be applied to several areas of your life. Repairing computers, conversations with spouses, getting out of a ticket, etc. See how you can have fun with it in real life!

Flamingo Girl · January 24th, 2005, 10:51 PM

I've never had a window that was particularily hard to open. Keep open, yes, but not get open.

Are you sure you're pushing it in the correct direction?

Muffit · January 25th, 2005, 07:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flamingo Girl

I've never had a window that was particularily hard to open. Keep open, yes, but not get open.

Are you sure you're pushing it in the correct direction?

LOL FG!!

Right direction? Hmm... I think so... it twists clockwise, right???

January 25th, 2005, 07:21 AM

If the windows are pinted shut you will need to go to a paint store or "Home Depot" and buy a "Window Saw" this is a small saw blade that has been welded to a simple handle. This saw is place flush against the face of the window where it meets the jam. Remember, the window can be painted shut on both the inside AND outside. It get's more complex if the windows are the older ones with the big weights. Yes, I used to be a painter. BUT NOT the one who paints windows shut!

unowhoandwhy · January 25th, 2005, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muffit

LOL FG!!

Right direction? Hmm... I think so... it twists clockwise, right???

No, no, no! Silly daggit! "Righty, tighty. Lefty, loosey." So you need to turn it COUNTERclockwise!!!

cranky1c · January 25th, 2005, 07:29 AM

I once rented an appartment in an early 1920's building, with windows that were so painted shut you could hardly tell where the seam was between the frame and sash.. The landlord was clear that he wanted no violence against his building, so I bought some paint thinning gel, beaded it along the seams with a toothpick, and used a putty knife to cut through once the paint had softened up (about 4 hours latter.) It's time consuming and a little delicate, but it did work. Reccomended as a nuclear option only.

Muffit · January 25th, 2005, 07:32 AM

Thanks TT!! That's great advice! I think we spend more time at Home Depot than we do eating and breathing!!

(Whenever we move, it seems there's always a ton of stuff to do to make it liveable...).

I did do one goodie, one thing that annoyed the previous owners (and us) was the front storm door -- you had to fight with it every time you wanted to open it. SInce I am the default techie in the family (only one from US), I took apart the opener and took a gander. A few minutes later I had cut a little dowel-like pin to just the right length and glued it to the opener-pushy-thingie (as you can tell I'm well versed in hardware terminology), and stuck it back together. In less than 15 minutes, me a complete novice, had fixed a door that had aggravated folks for years. Chalk up one for the daggit!!

I will try all of your sweet advice my friends. And if all else fails, I will take McDonald's advice from the 70's (courtesy of Barry Manilow), and tell these darn wooden windows, "You deserve a BRICK today!!!"

Muffit · January 25th, 2005, 07:34 AM

Thanks UWW and Cranky!!!

Rowan · February 23rd, 2005, 11:37 PM

Muffit did you ever get your fresh air?

Muffit · February 24th, 2005, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rowan

Muffit did you ever get your fresh air?

Nope, only Fresh Aire we've got is Mannheim Steamroller

Errr.. - gotta extricate my eyeballs from this dadblasted monitor today and go get some of dem neat tools!!!!

(That brick's beginning to sound more and more like a good idea...

)

bsg1fan1975 · February 24th, 2005, 08:07 AM

oh no the "saga of the stuck windows" continues.

Just don't let RM see this or he'll make it into an episode!

personally, I can't wait till its warm enough here to open the windows and get some fresh air into the place.

Darrell Lawrence · February 24th, 2005, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muffit

Hiya!!

Okay, I'm a born and bred Californian, not proud of it, but I am.

...say WHAT????

Darth Marley · February 24th, 2005, 01:36 PM

Use the brick to break the glass, then stuff a jacket in it when it gets cold.

Do I need to go west a few miles to bash your windows?

Gemini1999 · February 24th, 2005, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Warrior

...say WHAT????

Bryan does a double take....

Not proud of it? Whaddaya mean not proud of it.....?

I never feel that I have a stigma attached to living in California or being from there unless I'm living in another state. When I lived in Texas (and I liked living there), I experienced a number of rude people when it came to having a Calif. license plate on my car. Although, when I lived in Colorado, a lot of people there turned out to be from other places and migrated there, so everyone was in the same boat. You just get used to it.

I'm very proud to live in this state - the climate is nice, and there's a lot of interesting places to see. You can go to the beach, the mountains, the desert, all within a few hours drive (depending on which part of the state you live in).

The quality of life is very good for most, but it is getting a bit crowded in some areas. If California is such a nasty place, why do all these people keep moving here?

It must be the cheese....

Best,
Bryan

bsg1fan1975 · February 28th, 2005, 12:43 PM

Sorry Gemini but California has nothing on cheese compared to my home state of Wisconsin, the cheese capital of the USA! Yes, I am a proud cheesehead!

Senmut · March 23rd, 2022, 08:04 PM

The difference in the windows is not random chance. It is all part of a plot, by.....them.

Charybdis · March 24th, 2022, 09:50 AM

Yeah, and I wonder if Muffit ever got her window open after 17 yahrens???

Senmut · March 25th, 2022, 08:16 PM

Must be in the deleted scenes.