And it’s cool and damp. Yup, again, although there isn’t any rain in the forecast. Yesterday got misty drizzle throughout the day, which kept me inside.
Spent the time doing clean up and organizing and ebay stuff. I ‘temporarily’ put some stuff in the toy room/library and it has to go to make room for the tree. It was easier to sort it than just load it out, and with the rain, I wasn’t eager to take anything to storage.
That will be the plan for today- finish getting my stuff out of the library.
Also it makes sense to just list some of it before letting it out of the house. I’m going to list a couple of high dollar items, and we’ll see if they sell. It would be nice to get some good sales before the end of the year. As I’ve mentioned before, the high dollar things take more time to list though, but they are worth it if they sell, especially if it’s quick. At this point, I don’t want to list Christmas things and risk the shipping not getting them there in time.
I didn’t get to the store for fresh food yesterday so that will push to today as well. AND I’ve got two pickups (Christmas items, preps, and household stuff), and a short day because I pick up D2 from school…
So I better not spend all day online.
Talk amongst yourselves,
and stack some more food.
nick
41F and 99%RH, but not actually raining.
Both girls are up and out of bed, no idea why. I better get breakfast cooking or I'll be the reason everyone is late!
n
@Nick
Are you listing with the phone app that eBay keeps bugging me to download?
The "tenbagger" is expected to appreciate in a much shorter time frame. 10x in 30 years is 7-8 percent, and that's much too slow for the typical buyer of a stucco shack in Florida using the property as an "investment".
Also, I imagine that the build quality is much better in the UK, and, unlike Florida and parts of Texas, houses don't get built on reclaimed swampland.
Are you listing with the phone app that eBay keeps bugging me to download?
— I've had the ebay app for a long time. I used it primarily for price checking while buying. After watching a reseller who is just killing it say that he did almost all of his listing with the app, I decided to give it a try.
If you can find the item for sale, and can start from "list one like this", the app works well and the workflow is easier than on the PC. Where it falls down is in the defaults for size and weight (it doesn't pull them from the existing listing), and because the text is small, it's easy to miss something that pulled forward from the existing listing that doesn't apply to your listing.
I usually look at my listing on the pc once it goes live, just to make sure it looks good.
WRT pricing with the app, I'm convinced you sometimes get different 'sold' prices from the app than from the pc and website. Several times I bought something that had a big margin, but when I went to list it from the PC, all the sold comps were much lower than I thought. I put it down to me misremembering the first couple of times, but I've decided it's not just me. Some people in youtube comments have raised the issue too.
n
And keep 50% of the merchandise that is recovered.
Ah, channeling SteveF. I don't disagree, as long as one catches the looters in the act. Just shooting random people carrying stuff on the street – no, because you really can't be sure. But sitting in your shop when someone comes in to loot? Target practice. There shouldn't even be a question.
But the liberal laws in this country would disagree and put the store owner in prison for a long time. A person can only shoot someone when they fear for their life. Someone coming in and stealing stuff from their store does not qualify. The castle law in many states will allow the intruder to be shot without question if they come into the home. That castle law needs to be expanded to stores. Letting the thugs run wild just encourages such behavior.
I have also noticed that none of the news stories on the thugs mentions the color the skin. Which indicates to me that I know the skin color. Inner city thugs who have no respect for people's property, who have never been taught right from wrong, who live in public housing, with a single mother, 13 siblings from 25 different fathers, leaching off welfare as a career goal.
As recently as 2005 … Hurricane Katrina ….. the police would shoot to kill looters on sight.
I must have missed when sometime after, the police doing so "suddenly" became not only verbotten but also forgotten by even "conservative" media. This was a centuries-old practice that had been as universally accepted as the right to shoot in self defense, yet no one seems to recall that as recently as 20 years ago it was commonplace and highly effective to prevent looting.
@greg:
I wouldn't know about relative build quality, but we build with two skins of brick with a cavity between, under a wood-framed tile (formerly slate) roof. No asphalt shingles for us. An increasing number of newer houses have a timber-framed shell instead of the inner brick skin (my first house was of that style).
For reclaimed swampland, read riverine flood plain, and I'll agree.
G.
@pecancorner, do a little searching of the internet about shooting looters and katrina.
Even at that time, there was confusion about it.
My search says exactly one person was shot by police while looting.
As a thought experiment, presume several people were shot. How on earth would the MSM not have made it about GWB and how he wants to kill black people? Remember, this was during the time when Kanye West said as much, directly.
What would you do about the police looters a la Katrina?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MJfB8EKWoA
@lpdbw, my point was that this was still an accepted law enforcement practice at that time – and that it was rarely needed because people knew they risked their lives if caught looting. The enforcement deterred looting and thus, few people needed to be shot to prevent it. Those extant news reports are among those that were skewed by anti-Bush reporting, and many were after-the-fact.
Act like looters, get shot like looters.
The police were cleared of "looting" at Walmart after Katrina:
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna11920811
And Walmart provided for First Responders to take what they needed from the stores:
https://www.shortform.com/blog/walmart-hurricane-katrina/
Channeling SteveF!
Don't stand next to a man looting…
"Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."
I approve! The world needs as many SteveFs as it can get!
Francis Porretto has thoughts on a closely related topic.
What to do? Short of killing a lot of people, I don't much of a solution as possible. On the plus side, if you want to look at it that way, the coming "troubles" will kill most of the people who are responsible for the problem, no matter which side of the divide you're watching from.
I asked the wife on Saturday why the home cash stash seemed to be down. She noted that she has been treating the home cash stash as the Bank of Pam. Uh oh. I bolstered it back up at my ATM yesterday and noted to do so on a more frequent basis.
You can’t change anyone else but you can change yourself. I have learned one thing in 40 years of marriage.
The "tenbagger" is expected to appreciate in a much shorter time frame. 10x in 30 years is 7-8 percent, and that's much too slow for the typical buyer of a stucco shack in Florida using the property as an "investment".
Also, I imagine that the build quality is much better in the UK, and, unlike Florida and parts of Texas, houses don't get built on reclaimed swampland.
Anything built within 50 miles of the coast is built on swamp land. Unless you are on a granite cliff. And when those oceans rise 300 feet as the global warming prophets are telling us, you will be sorry.
"I approve! The world needs as many SteveFs as it can get!"
I have been taking notes at the master's feet, but I doubt I could ever rise to that level. Aspiring.
"It Pays to Pollute – Greatest Polluters China and India Set to Receive $2 Billion in Climate Aid"
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/11/pays-pollute-greatest-polluters-china-india-set-receive-2-billion-climate-aid/
You are freaking kidding me.
I have it on good knowledge that the USA and the UK are bankrupt.
My husband is attending church in person this morning for the first time in a year and a half. He finally has enough stamina to sit up for a couple of hours.
We are going to try to go each Sunday during Advent. That should get him back in the habit of weekly attendance. Depending on how he feels, either the brief service at the tiny Methodist church a couple of blocks down the street, or if he is up for it, the two hour service at the cowboy church in Brownwood that is our home church.
Excellent ! If I remember correctly, your husband had a stroke at 55. That is early.
I have never been to a cowboy church but I have been seeing them all around the place, once you get out of the big cities. One of these days I need to just for the experience.
Didn't stop Obama from building his oceanfront mansion. And, isn't Pelosi about to do something similar, in Florida? I missed a few days, it may have already been discussed. Funny how they say one thing and do another. Almost like they are lying about something.
I find it interesting how many Dem politicians still buy beachfront property. The latest being Pelosi who is rumored to be shopping for a place in Florida.
Obama's home base in Hawaii is literally the estate property from the original "Magnum PI".
"Obama's home base in Hawaii is literally the estate property from the original "Magnum PI".
Oh, how we have slid.
>> I assume you mean "airlock" type doors where the bad guys could be trapped.
My first position at my 37+ years company was on a floor where physical securities certificates were handled. Entry was through a set of airlock doors (they called it a "map-trap" back then). Outside the entrance were lockers where you had to leave all your outerwear, umbrella, backpack, purse, etc. Only items allowed inside the secure area had to be in a small (think quart-size ziplock bag) clear plastic pouch. you swiped your ID to enter the man-trap and once inside the outer door slammed shut. Then you put your ID under a camera and looked into a second camera. The (armed) security guard in his booth compared the two images and then buzzed open the inner door. Exit was a floor to ceiling enclosed turnstyle with one person at a time let out via ID swipe. We were told (but I never witnessed it) that occasionally someone that raised suspicion was blocked inside the turnstyle and escorted to a windowless room for a detailed pat-down. There are I recall still a very small number of private "physical securities" (actually sealed manila envelopes, contents unknown) still held in a vault somewhere as a courtesy for very select clients. Safety deposit for the Robb Report crowd.
>> To be fair, I think I get what he’s doing with “West Side Story”.
@Greg, which is?
>> Hard to imagine Spielberg improving on the original. It was a darn good film. Very telling of its time.
My thoughts as well…will be interested to see it once it's available via streaming,
>> If lockdowns, mask mandates, and jabs save lives from COVID, why don’t we do the same for the flu?
The flu season here last year basically didn’t exist. The Covid measures pretty much killed it.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/13/science/masks-covid-flu-cold.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3536629/
So possibly masks are better at preventing transmission from an infected person, but also people who wear masks tend to wash their hands more and that possibly prevents you from getting infected.
>> @lpdbw, my point was that this was still an accepted law enforcement practice at that time – and that it was rarely needed because people knew they risked their lives if caught looting. The enforcement deterred looting and thus, few people needed to be shot to prevent it. Those extant news reports are among those that were skewed by anti-Bush reporting, and many were after-the-fact.
Prisons, including death rows, are full of people that had little consideration of incarceration being a risk for their crimes.
Of course, to a man, all prisoners insist that they are not guilty.
>> Societal collapse rarely brings anything positive. If it gets “really bad”, what comes after is more likely to be “awful” and stay that way for a long time.
For one view of a post-collapse world check out "Fear the Walking Dead" which is a prequel to "The Walking Dead" and starts right before TEOTWAWKI incident happens.
For another, check out the TV series "Jericho."
"Texas Gov. Greg Abbott remains silent on posthumous pardon for George Floyd"
https://www.chron.com/politics/article/texas-greg-abbott-george-floyd-pardon-16660110.php
"The state's parole board recommended in October that Floyd, murdered by a Minneapolis police officer, be pardoned for a minor 2004 drug conviction in Houston. The governor hasn't acted, and isn't answering questions about what he will do."
You have got to be kidding me.
"West Side Story" if done 45 years ago with Harrison Ford. Ansel Elgort is deliberate casting.
Yes, that was his first stroke. Then in 2013, at 61, he had pelvic aneurysms and the surgery that saved his life left him temporarily paralyzed, permanently "mobility impaired" and in constant pain. Last year he had another stroke and an emergency femoral artery bypass and COVID, all of which set back the gains he had made, and unfortunately spent most of the year in a locked-down nursing home while I underwent cancer treatment until I was able to care for him again. But God is GREAT: his mind was not affected, we are still each other's favorite person, and he is back home now, so life is good. 🙂
I should add the single thing that has helped us most was being debt-free. The lack of debt was more important than money in the bank because it freed me to stay home with him instead of having to go out to work.
Cowboy churches seem to each have their own unique character, because they are so dependent on local leadership. Some are very traditional and fundamental. Ours is charismatic in teaching and our pastor has a prophetic bent. When we were visiting around, we happened on this one for Palm Sunday. They did/do something unique for Holy Week: a kind of round robin, several congregations each hosted all the others one evening for a meal and a service, and opened their pulpit to one of the other pastors. These were of differing denominations, and pastors/congregations of different races/ethnicities. The concept made us happy, and was a prime reason we stayed.
"Innovation Needed to Reclaim Lithium from Old Batteries"
https://www.asme.org/topics-resources/content/innovation-needed-to-reclaim-lithium-from-old-batteries
"Lithium batteries are everywhere: They’re used in everything from headphones and small appliances to electric vehicles and energy storage facilities. As sales of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries surge, the industry must turn its focus to recycling, said Jeff Spangenberger, materials and recycling research group leader at Argonne National Laboratories.
Without a large recycling effort in place, the United States could be stuck with a glut of Li-ion batteries that pollute the environment as they break down.
Time is of the essence for these efforts, as some of the earliest-produced electric vehicles are expected to hit scrapyards in significant numbers next year. Later model electric vehicles won’t be far behind, Spangenberger said.
“If we don’t innovate to address end-of-life challenges and consider environmental impacts as more and more batteries are being produced, then we’re going to have a big problem ten years from now,” he said."
Don't hold your breath. I am surprised when the trash dumps don’t burn all day long.
I should add the single thing that has helped us most was being debt-free. The lack of debt was more important than money in the bank because it freed me to stay home with him instead of having to go out to work.
Congrats ! I am thinking about this myself. We have a mortgage on our house and a mortgage on our large commercial property. I am thinking about paying down the large commercial property mortgage by 50% when the early payment fee expires at the end of December.
Cowboy churches seem to each have their own unique character, because they are so dependent on local leadership. Some are very traditional and fundamental. Ours is charismatic in teaching and our pastor has a prophetic bent. When we were visiting around, we happened on this one for Palm Sunday. They did/do something unique for Holy Week: a kind of round robin, several congregations each hosted all the others one evening for a meal and a service, and opened their pulpit to one of the other pastors. These were of differing denominations, and pastors/congregations of different races/ethnicities. The concept made us happy, and was a prime reason we stayed.
I grew up in the Church of Christ and still go to church at a very progressive one. The main things that I like are the fact that each Church of Christ is a separate entity (no bishops or cardinals or popes, only local Elders) and the open communion. Our church has around 2,500 members with somewhere around 25% to 35% minorities (hard to tell so best guess). Makes a very healthy church IMHO.
Yes, that was his first stroke. Then in 2013, at 61, he had pelvic aneurysms and the surgery that saved his life left him temporarily paralyzed, permanently "mobility impaired" and in constant pain. Last year he had another stroke and an emergency femoral artery bypass and COVID, all of which set back the gains he had made, and unfortunately spent most of the year in a locked-down nursing home while I underwent cancer treatment until I was able to care for him again. But God is GREAT: his mind was not affected, we are still each other's favorite person, and he is back home now, so life is good.
Good to hear that. Good night, getting older is tough. You think that you are immortal and then somebody slaps you upside the head with a 2×4. I had my first heart attack at 49 and tried to shrug it off but it did age me. The wife and I walked two miles on Sunday afternoon, exhausted me but I did it. I used to run five miles in 35 minutes (7 minute miles !) when I was a young man, the aging is definitely making a big impact.
"I used to run five miles in 35 minutes (7 minute miles !) when I was a young man, the aging is definitely making a big impact."
My friends who ran just a couple miles a day have had knee replacements that ended their running. Probably the best exercise is walking or rowing, then maybe bicycling.
Once again, xfinity is complaining about our home internet usage.
"So far, you’ve used 75% of the data included in your plan for November 2021. We’re letting you know because your bill can be impacted if you go over your 1.2TB (1229 GB) plan."
"As a courtesy, we waive overage fees for the first month you exceed your data plan in a 12 month period. You have yet to use your courtesy month. Keep in mind that after you have used your courtesy month, you’ll be charged $10, plus tax, for every 50 GB of data you use over 1.2TB, up to a maximum of $100 per month."
Sorry, I just don't care. We are paying $70/month for our 300 mbps plan. We stream to three different TVs for the three of us. We are happy and I am willing to pay that $100/month extra for overage if needful to stay that way.
When I got laid off at the end of 1993 I owed a lot of money. Credit cards, two vehicles, house, personal loan. Worst Christmas I ever had as we had no money for gifts. We did get the son a few things, nothing expensive. I have talked with him about that as an adult. He understands now but at the time he was not happy. His friends got lots of gifts, he got very little.
Come April and I was down to my last $450.00. I could not sleep, I retreated into a shell, I was miserable. The kicker was when the son, age 11, offered me the money he had saved to help pay the bills. Ripped my heart out.
I vowed at that time to be debt free as soon as possible. I got a job I hated just to get by. Something better came along and we were making progress on the goal. Then I got fired. All the fears came back. But I was able to find a job quickly.
Shortly after we became debt free. No car loans, no mortgage, no credit card, no personal loans. We owed nothing to anybody. It was, and is, a great feeling.
I have calculated that I can live on $2.5K a month, which includes medical (Medicare and supplement), property taxes, utilities, food, and vehicle expenses. We would not live extravagant, but it would be sustainable and not a lot of sacrifices. So, if worse comes to worse we could live in our home and survive. I get more than that in SS benefits each month.
I don't really consider mortgages a debt but more of an expense. The property in many cases be sold for the balance of the mortgage. But not having to write that check each month to the mortgage company is a good feeling. As long as I pay the taxes I cannot be thrown out of my house.
Get their modem and pay an additional $30.00 a month for unlimited data.
Get their modem and pay an additional $30.00 a month for unlimited data.
What ? I do have my own cable modem, works well.
The push is on to advance the agenda before people realize that they've been had by Tony and his friends.
I believe the trucks will be the EV Waterloo. Lots of people with the "Show Ya" personality found the $100 for the deposits at Tesla and Ford, but the hard part of paying/financing the actual purchase prices has yet to come.
Sure, Ford dealers are getting double for the full size Bronco, but how many have you seen on the road?
And *full size*, not the dressed up Escape sold as the Bronco Sport?
Many of the big data centers implement this type of security. It's always a combination of: access card, pin code, hand-print, retina. And usually at least 2 points where some combination of those must be provided. I've never seen what happens if you "fail" the man-trap. It's probably an "airlock" now.
Lynn, my updated AT&T cell phone plan is unlimited everything EXCEPT hotspot data, which is 40 GB per phone per billing cycle. I don't remember what happens after the limit is reached, but that won't happen this cycle. My wife brought her notebook computer this trip, and the hotspot works fine. AT&T, however, only shows total mobile data used, which includes hotspot data. Clever. I installed a third party monitoring app, and it works but is quirky. Reviews say it is the best, and others do have lots of complaints. Conspiracy?
We are adapting cautiously. Our AT&T account got all messed up by changes and new phones added and canceled, and the very competent (really!) guy at the store advised waiting three billing cycles before I come back to have him sort things out. There were multiple charges, and now the refunds are beginning to hit the account. It's a real mess, and is all AT&T's fault. I thought it was bad the last time we changed phones.
I did consider the competitors, but AT&T is still much cheaper for our circumstances. I never thought I would say that. Times change.
>> (from a few days ago – emphasis added) I ended up formatting and installing Win 11 from scratch. I've been running it since then, with no issues so far. Of course, quite a few controls are moved, or at least how you get to them, so that is an annoyance. My biggest gripe is the taskbar. Running program buttons are grouped, with no option to ungroup.
@ITGuy1998, have you seen this?
https://www.neowin.net/news/explorer-patcher-restores-the-windows-11-taskbar-to-be-exactly-like-windows-10/
Haven't tried it yet so YMMV.
>> “If we don’t innovate to address end-of-life challenges and consider environmental impacts as more and more batteries are being produced, then we’re going to have a big problem ten years from now,” he said."
But…but…what about all the *good* we're doing by switching to all EVs? The electricity just comes from the wall outlet, so?
"The Internet is Held Together With Spit & Baling Wire"
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2021/11/the-internet-is-held-together-with-spit-baling-wire/
What, no chewing gum ?
Google Fiber is getting close to me in SA. They are running giant orange cables on Jones Maltsberger. My daughter lives two miles from me and Google is already in her neighborhood.
GF promises 1Gig up/down max at $70/mo. 2Gig for $100/mo. No data caps.
>> (from a few days ago – emphasis added) I ended up formatting and installing Win 11 from scratch. I've been running it since then, with no issues so far. Of course, quite a few controls are moved, or at least how you get to them, so that is an annoyance. My biggest gripe is the taskbar. Running program buttons are grouped, with no option to ungroup.
@ITGuy1998, have you seen this?
https://www.neowin.net/news/explorer-patcher-restores-the-windows-11-taskbar-to-be-exactly-like-windows-10/
Haven't tried it yet so YMMV.
I am now running Windows 10 Pro x64 on my new office PC. I did use my old monitors and am having some adjustment difficulty. I am running their native resolutions with 125% text scaling. I did try 110% and 115% but did not like those settings. 125% seems to be a magic number for Winders.
My memory usage is way up from Windows 7 Pro x64. What took 7 GB on Windows 7 Pro x64 is taking 14 GB on Windows 10 Pro x64. My new office PC does have 32 GB so it may be less concerned about memory.
>> I've never seen what happens if you "fail" the man-trap. It's probably an "airlock" now.
When I worked on that floor I always thought the man-traps were part "theater," just to discourage any casual thievery. Was a bit intimidating the first few days when that outer door slammed shut. Doors were iirc inch and a half solid wood with a tiny wire-reinforced glass window. If you managed to grab a single $10,000 bearer bond from someone's desk and smuggle it out in your pocket I think you'd probably get away with it as long as you avoided all the CCTV cameras everywhere. I guess it was more to keep people out who only were trying to get in for nefarious reasons and otherwise didn't have access.
>> Congrats ! I am thinking about this myself. We have a mortgage on our house and a mortgage on our large commercial property. I am thinking about paying down the large commercial property mortgage by 50% when the early payment fee expires at the end of December.
Don't hold off and pay it later with devalued dollars since as we all know from Uncle Joe, the inflation is just transitory!
>> "As a courtesy, we waive overage fees for the first month you exceed your data plan in a 12 month period. You have yet to use your courtesy month. Keep in mind that after you have used your courtesy month, you’ll be charged $10, plus tax, for every 50 GB of data you use over 1.2TB, up to a maximum of $100 per month."
Sorry, I just don't care. We are paying $70/month for our 300 mbps plan. We stream to three different TVs for the three of us. We are happy and I am willing to pay that $100/month extra for overage if needful to stay that way.
@lynn, Do everything you love online with unlimited data +$30/mo
>> Congrats ! I am thinking about this myself. We have a mortgage on our house and a mortgage on our large commercial property. I am thinking about paying down the large commercial property mortgage by 50% when the early payment fee expires at the end of December.
Don't hold off and pay it later with devalued dollars since as we all know from Uncle Joe, the inflation is just transitory!
At the commercial loan interest rate of 5.48%, that loan money is significantly expensing itself. And with the fact that I am getting 0.10% interest on my money, I can get way more for my bucks by paying down that commercial loan after the early payment 3% fee expires in December.
>> "As a courtesy, we waive overage fees for the first month you exceed your data plan in a 12 month period. You have yet to use your courtesy month. Keep in mind that after you have used your courtesy month, you’ll be charged $10, plus tax, for every 50 GB of data you use over 1.2TB, up to a maximum of $100 per month."
Sorry, I just don't care. We are paying $70/month for our 300 mbps plan. We stream to three different TVs for the three of us. We are happy and I am willing to pay that $100/month extra for overage if needful to stay that way.
@lynn, Do everything you love online with unlimited data +$30/mo
I have yet to get my free month of overage !
Did my pickups including D2, and now to put up some Christmas decorations.
n
"WAYNE ROOT: Get Ready for President Hillary Clinton"
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/11/wayne-root-get-ready-president-hillary-clinton/
Maybe.
The problem is Kankles is just as unpopular as The Kamel. Shove the Mooch in to start with.
Can an anti-vaxxer please tell me why a KungFlu vaccine mandated by the state is unconstitutional?
Could that please be followed up with an explanation of why auto insurance as mandated by the state is constituional?
Note that I recently had my 3rd, booster Moderna shot and today made my annual auto insurance payment.
Hillary would not make it through the Senate, even if the Dems had a clear majority. The Clinton power is waning as the VA elections proved.
Wayne Root is a loon. He still drinks Jon Gruden “Chucky” flavor Kool Aid.
Show me where in the powers delegated to the FedGov in the Constitution it lists- force people to undergo medical treatment…
n
@greg:
I was in the same situation 4 years ago (or was it 5?). My bosses decided that they were going to move more of their operations oversea to another site, and proposed to fire the redundancy cannon at half my department, among others – their choice of target.
At this time, I was 2 or 3 years from retiring (only because of my mortgage. Otherwise I might have retired earlier) so, with SWMBO's agreement, I floated the idea of my taking redundancy, as one way of reducing headcount.
The offer was accepted, and I got 26 years of redundancy money, at a month's salary per year of service, which was enough to more than pay off the rump of my mortgage, which I was paying a couple of percent on. That much of a reduction in outgoings made State pension and occupational pension (401(k)?) more than enough to live on. Especially since the first £30k is tax free, and if you put the rest into your pension pot, you don't pay tax on it, either.
G.
1.2 TB of data is a *lot* of Baby Yoda in a month. Doesn't anyone sleep at your house?
1.2 TB of data is a *lot* of Baby Yoda in a month. Doesn't anyone sleep at your house?
75% of 1.2 TB is 900 GB. Three TVs running way too much. And one TV is a 4K TV (mine). Actually, I am wondering how much each Roku box continues to download when the user is asleep, etc. I carefully return my Roku box to the app menu when shutting down but I doubt that the wife and daughter do so also.
My mistake, I think mine was $15.00 a month, not $30, as I did not get the everything plan. You get the Xfinity gateway, a modem and WiFi router from Xfinity and you get unlimited data. You can supposedly, put the modem in passthrough mode and use your own router.
I tried it but the WiFi signal was not good enough for my house. I have three WAPs in a mesh network in my house so my signal is maxed out just about everywhere in my house. Yeh, overkill. I had one WiFi in the basement which did OK. Added a node upstairs which helped a lot with the security cameras. Son had a router he was not using and gave it to me so I added that to the mesh.
If you exceed your courtesy month it might be cheaper to just pay the $15.00 for unlimited data, their modem, and just leave it on the shelf. I don't know if Xfinity will allow that and may require the modem be registered, and active, on the account.
I grew up in the Church of Christ too, and have only good memories (and an excellent Bible education) from all those years. Your healthy congregation is a great sign. The denomination has a lot to offer people in today's world. I think the independence is one tool that has enabled them to stand better against the Left's onslaughts than the other mainlines have. Even the Baptists are losing their compass.
Our older boys were not brand conscious, but branding had taken charge of everything by the time the younger one was in grade school. I still remember explaining to 10 year old him why I was not going to spend $100 for a pair of Guess jeans that he would outgrow in 6 months. That went on for years. Now, he is the tightest of all with his money. LOL
A similar period of financial trauma was what led me to make paying off debt one of my first financial goals. It started with a goal to not have a car payment. then get the credit cards paid off, then to pay insurance annually instead of monthly. It took a long time and a lot of effort. It was only a fluke that we had no mortgage when Paul got sick: we had bought this little old house as a stop gap when we moved to a new area and were looking for land. Instead, it ended up being our permanent home.
Surprisingly, staying debt free has not been half so difficult as getting there was. I'm not sure why that is, but even as our income has fallen, we've still been able to accomodate it.
They are probably using the hardware to provision their public WiFi service in the immediate area. They will know if it isn't active if only because the MAC address will be different.
I don't remember if Xfinity has wireless phone service like Spectrum. We escaped Comcast seven years ago.
They do. We use Xfinity wireless and have for about 5 years. No issues. We pay $36.00 a month, including taxes, for 3 gig of shared data. No charge for calls or texts. Three phones on the account, only two being actively used. There can be 5 phones on an account. I also get a discount on my cable/internet/home phone service for using the wireless service.
True. But it was really easy to get into debt. A few items charged to a CC, a new car – because, personal loan to pay for vacation, etc. Then you wake up one morning and discover that you are paying 15% or more of your money for nothing, and finding you can only pay the minimum. It was overwhelming at times. When an unexpected item happens, plumbing, A/C, etc. it becomes a real challenge.
When I got laid off in 1993, by April 1994 I was down to my last $450.00, about a fifth of what I needed to make minimum obligations. Scary.
I was surprised to learn that when the mortgage was paid off I did not get a copy of the mortgage. Instead the lien is removed at the courthouse. The credit union never sent me any documentation. After three months I asked for documentation stating the loan was paid off. When they asked why I said "I don't trust you to not make a mistake and want my own documentation". Sort of ticked off the loan officer.
I agree. We cannot trust what some employee tells us verbally – about anything so serious. That is how I felt when we bought this house and did not get an Abstract at closing. The title guy said "we don't research the title history any more. We just insure against any defects." 14 years later, I still feel like we got cheated! They didn't charge us any less than the old Title companies that gave us an abstract. What happens if they have gone out of business "when" a problem arises?
It may be that they had no idea where the original paper went. That wouldn't be uncommon with a military credit union and a mortgage written in the last 20 years, especially in a hot real estate market.
If it was Florida and a base credit union, I'd just assume the paper was gone. One of my Bat Guano neighbors successfully fought foreclosure for a decade after being evicted on that basis.
re: paid-off mortgage paperwork.
Get it.
I’m having trouble selling a property for my brother, who is in a nursing home. There are title problems due to two loans that were paid off decades ago, but there’s no record of it. So far, I’ve been in court twice clearing up the title.
(I feel like I really belong now; I just got my first 500 error.)
Car is running.
It warmed up to 10f so at lunch I threw a blanket over the hood, added a space heater, and cranked it up. A few hours later I successfully jumped the battery.
Car is running to improve the battery temperament.
Will it start again tomorrow morning at 7 am and -5f?
Only the Shadow knows.
10 degrees F at lunch. Geesh. Central Texas proved last winter that it couldn't deal with a week of highs barely above freezing.
Sure, ERCOT and the regulators screwed up, but what floored me here was how many single family homes suffered burst pipes after the electricity failed and the heater blowers stopped? Seriously?
Above, with Mr. Nick, you don't have to have auto insurance. Also, there is no law passed by Congress, only plugs' EO on the vaccine. OSHA trying to enforce mandatory vaccines has already been crushed in the courts as unConstitutional.
@Greg
Shirt sleeve weather. It was 10f at breakfast a few days ago, after a week below zero. I skittered down to water and feed the rabbits before light in my bathrobe and shoes no socks. Felt positively balmy after -10f. I regretted my impetuous choice by the time I returned to the house, naturally.
We get a couple days in the teens then it’s back to below zero.
This is the weather we saw in the 1990’s. It’s miserable and uncomfortable but you can dress for it. My fleece lined carhaart jeans work nicely. I prefer the sustained cold to hovering in the 20’s and 30’s, as the resultant ice wreaks havoc with walking safely and keeping the drive and walk clear.
Problems. My first mortgage on the house was processed through a title company. They were supposed to pay the property taxes owed by the previous owner.
Fast forward 10 years later when I refinance for a much lower rate. Turns out the title company did not pay those taxes. On a $25 tax bill penalties and interest brought the amount owed to $75. I had to pay to close the mortgage.
I contacted the original title company who claimed they paid the taxes. I asked for proof. Title company said those transactions are in the archives. If they do the research and find it was the tax offices problem and not theirs I would be charged $50.00.
So I just let it go.
@Ray Thompson
I had a similar problem once. I told them I would just file in small claims court, as I had the paperwork where they committed to paying the tax, and the county bill showing they didn't. They were dumbfounded, pointing out that it would cost me $125 to file in small claims court. I told them it didn't bother me, the court could sort it out and if they were wrong, I would not only get reimbursed, but the public record would show that they were inaccurate.
@Jenny
60W silicone pad battery heater. Less than $40
https://www.amazon.com/Facon-Silicone-Thermostatically-controlled-Automotive/dp/B08JGCNBLM/p?tag=ttgnet-20
Battery capacity drops with temperature. Below zero F a battery has less than half the rated CCA.
The silicone pad heaters can often be slid under the battery without taking the terminals loose, but it's usually a good idea to clean the terminals and clamps and apply some anti-corrosion dope at the same time.
If the car is parked outside add a battery insulating blanket around the outside.
Went to Home Depot to look at Christmas trees. No outdoor lot. A couple of aisles in the fenced garden center. Pretty picked over. 70$ for a 7-8 footer. The cashier thought they might get another shipment at some point.
In past years they had a huge 'corral' out in the parking lot.
n
How's this for a campaign slogan?
Pete for Pres, a real SecTrans as a bonus!
Already losing it at half Joe's age.
https://hotair.com/ed-morrissey/2021/11/29/buttigieg-if-you-hate-soaring-fuel-costs-and-shortages-just-wait-until-you-buy-an-ev-n431912
"60W silicone pad battery heater. Less than $40"
Excellent advice.
Also, use the lowest viscosity engine oil recommended in the owners manual, preferably synthetic. No manual? Many automakers have free downloads.
An engine block heater can greatly reduce engine wear on startup. Many cars have them installed at the factory if the car is destined for a cold climate.
Watch the oil dipstick for signs of condensation. Drive some highway miles to fully heat the oil and evaporate the moisture. On daily driven cars, every weekend. Change oil very frequently: every month or two, especially if driving less than ten miles per start.
Cold weather is very hard on engines.
With one exception, we've bought trees from Lowe's for over a decade, even when we lived in Vantucky and had ready access to local tree farms around the Portand metro.
We did the “you cut it” tree experience once while up there and decided never again.
"We did the “you cut it” tree experience once while up there and decided never again."
Reminds me of the guy who wanted to become a tree surgeon, but couldn't stand the sight of sap. 😛
>> WAYNE ROOT: Get Ready for President Hillary Clinton
Maybe.
>>>>Hillary would not make it through the Senate, even if the Dems had a clear majority. The Clinton power is waning as the VA elections proved.
Wayne Root is a loon. He still drinks Jon Gruden “Chucky” flavor Kool Aid.
For those that didn't click through, Root also predicts Michelle on the ticket as VP!
#2024Prediction (if I remember, I'll come back here in a couple of years and see if he was right)
>> Above, with Mr. Nick, you don't have to have auto insurance.
What state will allow you to register a vehicle without providing proof of valid auto insurance?
Most of them allow some form of "self insurance" but it's usually only appropriate for large corps.
That's just an acceptance of the costs of paying out, not actual insurance.
And it'd be pretty dang hard to find anywhere in the US or State constitutions where the power to compel citizens to buy insurance is delegated to the State.
n
>> I agree. We cannot trust what some employee tells us verbally – about anything so serious. That is how I felt when we bought this house and did not get an Abstract at closing. The title guy said "we don't research the title history any more. We just insure against any defects." 14 years later, I still feel like we got cheated! They didn't charge us any less than the old Title companies that gave us an abstract. What happens if they have gone out of business "when" a problem arises?
@Pecancorner, if it still bothers you this many years later why not shell out the $150 to $200 or so (swag) and get yourself an Abstract now?
>> And it'd be pretty dang hard to find anywhere in the US or State constitutions where the power to compel citizens to buy insurance is delegated to the State.
Defined by state statute, e.g. https://codes.findlaw.com/tx/transportation-code/transp-sect-601-072.html
P.S. States that allow you to self-insure less than a 25 car fleet: Alaska, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and Vermont. Still though may be required to purchase a surety bond.
Didn't say that lots of states don't do it, said you wouldn't find the state constitution giving the state that power.
Lot's of unconstitutional laws, like pretty much every single one regarding gun ownership.
n
State Constitution gives the State Legislature the power to enact laws. e.g.:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Texas#Article_3:_%22Legislative_Department%22
“Article 3 vests the legislative power of the state in the "Legislature of the State of Texas", consisting of the state's Senate and House of Representatives.”
Don't disagree with you though that many have been, still are, or may be unconstitutional.
To clarify, several states allow individuals to purchase a surety bond in lieu of auto insurance. I believe this to be unwise. It is also probably more expensive than insurance. This might have been done to avoid the unconstitutionality of requiring insurance. IANAL.