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Damor

Certifiably Surly
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Everything posted by Damor

  1. I don't think your question is dumb, but I just want to emphasize what I've bolded. This is what terrifies me the most, as someone dissatisfied and disillusioned by both of the major (and therefore de facto only) parties. We've just dodged (or more truthfully, been grazed by) a major bullet. This is not the time to press advantages, it's the time to quash existential threats to our nation and the rule of law. This is an inflection point. It's time for both parties to slam the door on the road to totalitarianism, because it doesn't care if it takes the left lane or the right. D's have talked a good game that I hope they will live up to. R's have been feckless cucks up until 1/6, which has given me some glimmer of hope. But it's a fool that looks for logic in the chambers of the human heart.
  2. Thanks to everyone for all the infor on this thread, we had a fantastic trip. It went so well I think I got some family buy-in to try some other places I have on my wishlist such as Holbox and Sayulita. Spoilering the pics because this is going to be longcat enough already. We stayed at Hotel Secreto, and it was great. We spent very little time there, but all the staff were very friendly and helpful, with lots of good tips. The day we rented a golf cart they called one which was delivered and picked up from the lobby so we didn't have to jack around with a rental place. I wouldn't be averse to trying the place next door (Media Luna) or the house next to that sometime as well, especially if we came with a group with kids (I didn't know that both are owned/run by the same family, who also operate Keen M). We went out for a day and a half with Keen M, and while the seas were rough (everybody wore a scopolamine patch on the second day), the fishing was way better than I hoped -- everyone caught something every day, and on the second day everybody got at least one sailfish. I think if we did it again I'd be fine with just half days (if you're not catching much on a half day, adding a few hours probably won't get you much more action). We spent a couple days on Playa Norte. We got chairs at the Mayan Beach Club in return for ordering food/drinks and had a great time. Service was great, and the food was way better than I would have expected. Best chilaquiles I had on the trip were there (not on the menu). We were going to take the boys to snorkel at Garrafon de Castilla, but unfortunately it seems to be shut down. We didn't want to do the big Garrafon Reef park and tourist trap, so we tried Kin Ha/Parque de los Suenos. It was too rough that day to swim, but this would have been more our speed, and the food was good. Speaking of which, the food pretty much everywhere on the island was awesome. Portion sizes generally bordered on obscene. We didn't have a bad meal there, although a couple places we ate out of convenience (Stingray's, Snapper's, Kokonuts) were nothing special. Bastos was very good, but we were a bit underwhelmed after all the hype. Fredy's definitely did not disappoint, though -- great food, and a great guy. Some food highlights: La Playita was our after-fishing spot (practically next to Keen M), and filled the boys up after they puked up their toenails on the boat. Cool spot on the beach. Ridiculous portions, included is the seafood platter for two. North Garden was great for breakfast, as advertised.. They actually just opened a space for dinner next door, called Grill Garden, a few days before we got there. It was really, really good. Breakfast at Rooster was also good, with the obligatory chilaquiles. As a side note, it was nice that all over Isla when you asked for salsa picante, they brought you awesome habanero stuff, not weak ass gringo shit. Ta-Ki-To looked like a pretty new taco joint on Hidalgo. They had the trompo rolling but it was still clean enough that my family would eat there - and they wanted to eat there every day after that. Next time, though, I'm going to duck into some of the crappier looking taco joints we saw on our golf cart trip to the south side. The Canadian lady who was working at Fredy's (you got me) told us about her friend's new place on the south end, El Borracho Burro. It was great - outdoor dining and bar, excellent food. I don't remember what the potato things were called, but I think it was Spanish for "Get in Mah Belly." This was where we also managed to catch the obligatory Michael Jackson impersonator show. Lola Valentina was outstanding for dinner. The poblano fish was one of the best of the many excellent meals I had on Isla. We had a fantastic trip. Everyone we met was awesome, and we tipped the hell out of them hoping they hang in there until we can make it back. Thanks again to all y'all assholes for the info. (Sorry, don't know why these pics are appended to the end, but I can't seem to make them go away)
  3. Got my second round on Sunday afternoon. With the first, I had mild but noticeable injection site soreness for a few days, but nothing else. No real soreness with the second, but definitely felt lousy (fatigue, subjective fevers, muscle/body aches, mild chills). Slept it off for about 14 hours (part of that was flipping my schedule over to nights, though), and pretty much back to normal now. While it wasn't pleasant, it was encouraging to have a noticeable immune response, and certainly reinforced that I'd much rather have minor effects with immunization than take chances with the real deal. Sounds like it's hard to predict, but I definitely think it's smart to make plans for being down for a day or so after the second dose, especially if you have to pass temperature/symptom screening for work.
  4. Genius labelling. I was powerless to resist. Oh, the beer was pretty good.
  5. "Candlelight Service" was glow-stick service in the parking lot this year, but I was with my wife and my boys, who are growing up. It may have not been the Christmas Eve I wanted, but it was the one I needed. Merry Christmas, assholes. Merry Christmas, indeed.
  6. Got my round one shot yesterday. I feel crappy today, but I'm sure that's totally unrelated to coming off of a week of working the night shift and celebrating accordingly with a little too much whisky. Currently waiting to develop autism, lockjaw, and night vision.
  7. Thanks. Is the HSBC ATM still preferred? I'm a bit nervous as I've never used my little credit union debit card outside of the US. Cash is so quaint. And I know Isla is chill, but are we OK going to most places in (dry) swimsuits? Will probably do Bastos after a day on that end of the island. Pictures seem like it would be fine, but don't want to be more asshole American than necessary.
  8. I'm going to have to go back through and reread this thread since it's been a while, but here's my restaurant list. Let me know what I'm missing. Basto's (figure this will get a couple visits) North Garden (likewise, expect several breakfasts here as chilaquiles are my jam) Fredy's (Recommendations? Google says pork chop?) Ballyhoo Marbella Fuego del Mar Olivia The Joint El Varadero Polo's Mango Cafe Angelo La Playita La Lomita Any specific recommendations at those places? I figure we''ll take the boys to hang out at Mayan Beach Club and/or Tuturreque a couple days. I think I saw those recommended.
  9. One week out. Fingers crossed hoping things go off. Anything unexpected, @riloh05? Booked a full day offshore and a half day bottom fishing with KeenM, and revisiting my list of restaurants. I've got a tempting lead on a saltwater fly fishing rig (haven't ever done it). Would it be worth taking? It doesn't sound like there are a lot of wading/shore fishing opportunities aside from maybe North Beach, where it would seem like kind of an assholeish thing to do. My liver is tanned, rested, and ready.
  10. Here are some my boys have enjoyed, although if they've been voracious readers, they may have covered these: Outdoors: (they are probably a little old for these, esp the 15yo) Hatchet, Tracker, lots of stuff by Gary Paulsen My Side of the Mountain DIY/Get in trouble: Unbored Manual to Manhood Backyard Ballistics Calvin and Hobbes or Far Side collections (huge hit at our house) Nonfiction: What If? Omnivore's Dilemma (there's a young reader's version, too). I don't know what the language tolerance is, but mine liked the Martian and Ready Player One, though those might be outside their interests. Otherwise a bunch of sci-fi/fantasy (sorry, I have nerds). Good luck.
  11. Some more WTF from Disney to warp childhood... I'm sure I can't be the only kid whose dad took them to see "Disney's version of Star Wars," only to have their brain melted... Revisiting it as an adult, I still don't know what the hell's going on (literally) at the end, nor do I know who managed to pitch a space version of Faust as a Disney movie, but I thought the inclusion of Goethe's last words was a creepy but underrated move. And this, along with Condorman, remains conspicuously absent from the Disney+ catalog. C'mon, it's got exploding dirigibles, lost Vikings, vicious inflatable orcas...
  12. JD McPherson came out with a pretty good original Christmas album a couple years ago, several of which have made it onto the playlist.
  13. Surely Tom wouldn't ask his athletic director to commit multiple NCAA violations on his behalf. I mean, that's the kind of thing that might get a guy fired for cause.
  14. Love a good barleywine, wish I could get my hands on it. New one for me, 5 Stones Golden Wisdom IPA out of New Braunfels. Good stuff.
  15. Damor

    Ear-bleeders

    Shitty evening at work. This helped on the way home, esp at about 1:51. I hated this song at first. Gives me chills now, Holy shit.
  16. In. Thanks to Brisket and his buddy Art Vandelay, who must be the go-between. I guess it makes sense for an importer-exporter to be in a border town.
  17. This is definitely true, but isn't it equally true for those who want the government to increase its influence and size? They usually have pretty particular ideas about how they want it to 'do something about X.' I'm pretty much completely politically disaffected these days, but what frustrates me about the growth of government (and especially the overreach of the executive) is that neither 'team' will consider the consequences of increasing governmental influence when they lose control of it. If you give government the power to do something you want, you've also given it the power to undo it (or do the opposite). After watching the unhinged mewling of birthers over Obama and the derangement that Trump has caused, with apocalyptic convulsions from both sides, maybe we should consider allowing government a little less control over our lives. I had kind of hoped that the lesson we would learn from this presidency was that if we've given our government/executive so much power as to be seen as an existential threat, perhaps that's a little too much?
  18. Sometimes you eat the B-cell, and sometimes, well, he eats you. Get better Dude. Phone's ringing.
  19. Thank you! I may look at doing a day and a half or two days so they can try out both. I'll ask them, of course, but any recommendations on what size boat to request (41, 36, 34ft)? I don't have enough experience to know the advantages/disadvantages of each.
  20. I'd like to take my boys fishing for a day. I've seen Keen M recommended on here, is that the consensus? I saw a rec for Obsession on the Fishing thread, but this will be their first offshore trip (and might as well be mine), so that experience seems like it would be wasted on us, plus we could probably go out twice with Keen for that price. What's the skeeter situation on Isla? We've never been bitten in the PdC area, but I didn't know if I should pack the DEET.
  21. That hurt at $700pp from AUS, but I'm not used to travelling at busy holidays, and that was better than anything else I could find. Also a direct flight back to AUS which will be vital since we haven't gotten our Global Entry interviews done and I'll be herding the boys back through customs for the first time. We'll take good care of Victor. I'm carving may way through the thread (and populating my Google map), but are most places on the island still cash only? Didn't know if anything had changed since the Rona.
  22. Fuck it, Dude. Let's go to Isla. Just booked SWA flights, went ahead and did two rooms at Secreto since I could book through a CC portal and get some point bonuses. Started this thread over from the beginning and I'll be back with preguntas estupidas. I already have so many restaurants bookmarked that we'll have to eat five meals a day.
  23. Thanks, unfortunately Aluxes is out of 2bdrm units that week. Was thinking about getting a couple rooms at Secreto -- definitely not going to Isla and sharing a room with those two knuckleheads. Just didn't know if kids aren't part of the vibe there.
  24. Somehow I'm off for the week after Christmas this year, so I'm toying with the idea of making this our boys' intro trip to Mexico (15yo and 13yo), and it would the first visit to Isla for my wife and I (we usually do the lazy gringo thing at El Dorado Casitas). What's it like at that time? Does it get bonkers down there for NYE? We're usually more chill-on-the beach types, especially given current circumstances. Is Secreto a no-go for kids that age? Looked like Ixchel might be a good spot? Any other places to look? I'm fine with a condo but I'm sure as hell not planning on cooking.
  25. In lieu of a real fire feature, we installed a couple of the Pentair Magic Bowls: (not my photo) It was the first time our builder had used them, so we didn't know what to expect, but we like them a lot and we haven't had any problems with them (yet) after about two years. Hassle-free, the kids like hanging around under the spillover, and it gives an approximation of a fire feature without inviting stupid adolescent male mischief.
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