Just last weekend I had two very polar experiences with the IRK. I finally got my IRK from the previous mehrathon, I got lucky and received a stand mixer, of all things; my parents were excited.
That afternoon, I went grocery shopping and, as usual, I took my trusty IRK bag for that… Only for it to have the strap break off right before I reached the registers, spilling everything out. I quickly gathered everything and put them on the self checkout I wasn’t originally meaning to use, but had no other choice to. And then got stubborn and insisted on using the half strapped IRK bag, instead of paying for the store bags. Only to lift it by its edge, and have that tear also. I hurriedly hugged my IRK bag full of groceries all the way to my car, where I stuffed them into my backup IRK bag I kept in the trunk.
@nobile Yeah, I’ve had other bags made from the same weird material and it just disintegrates like that after a few years. The stand mixer is a solid win, though!
@Kyeh@lonocat welp, guess that means my backup one will fare the same soon enough. I’ll have to keep the backup’s backup at home and only take it when grocery shopping…
@lonocat@nobile If either of you want some bags, whisper to me - I have a lot of them and should probably share before they turn to dust. They’ve only lived inside my house so they’re in good shape so far.
@Kyeh@nobile these reusable bags are usually a mix of plastic and cardboard so that makes sense
But that happened to me too last month. Makes me wonder if there haven’t been any new Irk bags since 2020. (Like how the US penny is discontinued, but will probably keep circulating for decades )
yah, i decided to do it, cause been a long while since one was on Meh. Has to have a lot of junque in the warehouse to sell them that way. makes ya wonder, ya know
@Cerridwyn Haha totally get it—if they’re tossing stuff on Meh again, the warehouse must be bursting at the seams with junque! Makes you wonder what kind of treasures (or surprises) they’re digging out.
P.S. I’ll trade you a mystery box for some of those spices—unless Sonic starts adding them to their breakfast burritos. Imagine a Sonic Breakfast Menu with a little extra kick
Lost money every and each time I got a IRK, at least with BOCs the value of the items always were greater than the price paid. IRKs merch involves broken things, dented things and also expired things which makes for a loss.
@ddkk
They have gotten more than a little ridiculous on occasion with the broken crap.
They at least ought to keep it to useable, if unpopular intact items.
I always think I’m going to spend less.
“I just need some knives, I don’t need to get an IRK”
“Oh but I could use some tape, I’ll get an IRK and pay a little less”
“Why did I get so many gummy bears; I’ve spent over 70$ because of those stupid $0.99 things”
Well… I’ll be getting $30 off my IRK. I clicked “Go big or go home” in the poll and I did: $90 on Sidedeal today for socks, a solar power bank (good to keep in the car because I can charge it on the dashboard), an extension cord with AC and USB outlets (pretty much required for Amtrak overnight train roomettes), and something else that I can’t remember right now. I won’t feel so bad if I have instant regret when my IRK that cost only $10 arrives sometime far in the future.
@ItalianScallion You shouldn’t keep a power bank in the car if it gets much beyond 30*C where you are. And if you do, keep it inside a sun-proof container and don’t leave it on the dash after it’s charged.
Thanks for the advice, @ShotgunX. It doesn’t get much above 30 for more than a few days here, but inside a car in the sun it can get much hotter than that, of course. I didn’t realize until I just looked it up that LiIon batteries can go into thermal runaway at 60C/140F which is a possibility if a closed-up car is parked in direct sunlight for a while. I guess I’ll leave the power bank at home during the summer unless I need it for a particular trip.
@ironcheftoni In January my overnight Amtrak trip was my vacation. I wanted to see (again) the beauty of the Sierra Nevadas and the Rockies with lots of snow and I wasn’t disappointed! I flew Chicago to/from Boston, then Chicago to San Francisco (Emeryville) to Portland to Chicago, a total of seven days and four nights on the train and one night in a hotel. I had roomettes (tiny cabins) by myself, so that made the trip pretty expensive. All the scenery was great, Amtrak long-haul trains in the west have real dining and good food, and I met lots of nice people and had some long conversations over meals. If you want to do only one overnight train route, I highly recommend the California Zephyr (Chicago-Emeryville) and in particular the part between Denver and Emeryville.
@ironcheftoni Yes, the Empire Builder from Chicago travels a nice route too, as does the Coast Starlight from Los Angeles. The California Zephyr is still the best, I think. I liked the Southwest Chief that goes between Chicago and LA, in particular because it goes through the southwest deserts. The Lake Shore Limited, though, between Chicago and Boston isn’t much to write home about, but it’s less of a hassle than flying and makes for a relaxing couple of days. The food isn’t so good on the a lot of the eastern trains–it’s usually boxed instead of prepared in an onboard kitchen.
None. I am not falling for your tricks again!
I’m going to bed, will figure it out in the morning.
@pmarin if I understood correctly, you’d end up spending a total of $70 ($60 on SideDeal to get max refund, and the leftover $10 for the IRK)
@shahnm You forgot to factor in the ** one half **
Just last weekend I had two very polar experiences with the IRK. I finally got my IRK from the previous mehrathon, I got lucky and received a stand mixer, of all things; my parents were excited.
That afternoon, I went grocery shopping and, as usual, I took my trusty IRK bag for that… Only for it to have the strap break off right before I reached the registers, spilling everything out. I quickly gathered everything and put them on the self checkout I wasn’t originally meaning to use, but had no other choice to. And then got stubborn and insisted on using the half strapped IRK bag, instead of paying for the store bags. Only to lift it by its edge, and have that tear also. I hurriedly hugged my IRK bag full of groceries all the way to my car, where I stuffed them into my backup IRK bag I kept in the trunk.
@nobile Congrats on the stand mixer. I am sorry for the loss of your Irk sack.
@nobile Yeah, I’ve had other bags made from the same weird material and it just disintegrates like that after a few years. The stand mixer is a solid win, though!
@Kyeh @nobile those bags dissolve into powder in the heat and sun in my truck.
@nobile Bummer about the bag, but hot damn, a stand mixer! Nice score!
@Kyeh @lonocat welp, guess that means my backup one will fare the same soon enough. I’ll have to keep the backup’s backup at home and only take it when grocery shopping…
@nobile congratulations on maximizing the regret!
@lonocat @nobile If either of you want some bags, whisper to me - I have a lot of them and should probably share before they turn to dust. They’ve only lived inside my house so they’re in good shape so far.
@Kyeh @nobile these reusable bags are usually a mix of plastic and cardboard so that makes sense
But that happened to me too last month. Makes me wonder if there haven’t been any new Irk bags since 2020. (Like how the US penny is discontinued, but will probably keep circulating for decades )
Ever go the desert and get those super dry scab-like boogers?
I get my IRK for zero dollars, so the $17 I spent on the stupid shower speakers doesn’t count for anything. I’m not mad.
@Pony see…the regret will find you whether you buy it or not.
Eleventy cents
None. I refuse to use my money to buy something when i don’t know what it is.
I plan to save the entire price of an IRK by not buying one.
nada, zero, zippo
yah, i decided to do it, cause been a long while since one was on Meh. Has to have a lot of junque in the warehouse to sell them that way. makes ya wonder, ya know
ps, send spices in mine, lol
@Cerridwyn Haha totally get it—if they’re tossing stuff on Meh again, the warehouse must be bursting at the seams with junque! Makes you wonder what kind of treasures (or surprises) they’re digging out.
P.S. I’ll trade you a mystery box for some of those spices—unless Sonic starts adding them to their breakfast burritos. Imagine a Sonic Breakfast Menu with a little extra kick
@Andy243
never been to a sonic. they are not a thing here. on the other hand a farmer boys breakfast burrito is yum
I said id recoup $30. Now…im thinking not so much!
@studerc not with that attitude.
Lost money every and each time I got a IRK, at least with BOCs the value of the items always were greater than the price paid. IRKs merch involves broken things, dented things and also expired things which makes for a loss.
@ddkk
They have gotten more than a little ridiculous on occasion with the broken crap.
They at least ought to keep it to useable, if unpopular intact items.
Miss the old days with $1.99 IRKs. No fun anymore. Inflation has affected the Meh factory. Ugh!
I always think I’m going to spend less.
“I just need some knives, I don’t need to get an IRK”
“Oh but I could use some tape, I’ll get an IRK and pay a little less”
“Why did I get so many gummy bears; I’ve spent over 70$ because of those stupid $0.99 things”
@pakopako SideDeal is basically essential items you’d be irresponsible not to buy
Well… I’ll be getting $30 off my IRK. I clicked “Go big or go home” in the poll and I did: $90 on Sidedeal today for socks, a solar power bank (good to keep in the car because I can charge it on the dashboard), an extension cord with AC and USB outlets (pretty much required for Amtrak overnight train roomettes), and something else that I can’t remember right now. I won’t feel so bad if I have instant regret when my IRK that cost only $10 arrives sometime far in the future.
@ItalianScallion well shopped!
@ItalianScallion You shouldn’t keep a power bank in the car if it gets much beyond 30*C where you are. And if you do, keep it inside a sun-proof container and don’t leave it on the dash after it’s charged.
@ItalianScallion that’s on my retirement trip list. To travel amtrak. Still working, vacations need to spent getting from point A to point B quickly
Thanks for the advice, @ShotgunX. It doesn’t get much above 30 for more than a few days here, but inside a car in the sun it can get much hotter than that, of course. I didn’t realize until I just looked it up that LiIon batteries can go into thermal runaway at 60C/140F which is a possibility if a closed-up car is parked in direct sunlight for a while. I guess I’ll leave the power bank at home during the summer unless I need it for a particular trip.
@ironcheftoni In January my overnight Amtrak trip was my vacation. I wanted to see (again) the beauty of the Sierra Nevadas and the Rockies with lots of snow and I wasn’t disappointed! I flew Chicago to/from Boston, then Chicago to San Francisco (Emeryville) to Portland to Chicago, a total of seven days and four nights on the train and one night in a hotel. I had roomettes (tiny cabins) by myself, so that made the trip pretty expensive. All the scenery was great, Amtrak long-haul trains in the west have real dining and good food, and I met lots of nice people and had some long conversations over meals. If you want to do only one overnight train route, I highly recommend the California Zephyr (Chicago-Emeryville) and in particular the part between Denver and Emeryville.
@ItalianScallion I’ve heard the train to Seattle is nice too.
@ironcheftoni Yes, the Empire Builder from Chicago travels a nice route too, as does the Coast Starlight from Los Angeles. The California Zephyr is still the best, I think.
I liked the Southwest Chief that goes between Chicago and LA, in particular because it goes through the southwest deserts. The Lake Shore Limited, though, between Chicago and Boston isn’t much to write home about, but it’s less of a hassle than flying and makes for a relaxing couple of days. The food isn’t so good on the a lot of the eastern trains–it’s usually boxed instead of prepared in an onboard kitchen.