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Damor

Certifiably Surly
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Posts posted by Damor

  1. Just got tickets to see Lord Huron at Red Rocks again, rooms at the Eddy in Golden.  Had such an awesome experience last time that I'm taking the whole family, even those who aren't super huge on LH.  I'm so pumped. 

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  2. On 11/23/2022 at 9:32 PM, Damor said:

    Just finished our yearly family screening.  I'm one of those people who's awful about watching my favorite movies over and over, but this one gets limited to a single annual showing.

    And this is more for the homebrew thread, but tapped this at the opening scene:

    PXL_20221124_014921276_2.thumb.jpg.2e0722242c2ebdc7008e97b4f303cbad.jpg

    "To the wives."

    Shameless self-quoting. 

    My favorite holiday. This year with our older one home from college for the first time. Another year, another brew, another screening of PTA, and for just a little while, all is right with the world.

    PXL_20231123_025539992.PORTRAIT2.thumb.jpg.1c545daa268a996729cf5de3b829aa4f.jpg

    And again, "To the wives." 

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    • Like 1
  3. That sounds really awesome, Troph.  I hope it works out for him, and it sounds like a hell of an adventure.

    I will say that while a brush guard can end up causing additional damage in an accident, it's probably no worse than the mess we encountered hitting a deer without one.

    And if someone on here knows a reputable off-road shop in your area, that might be a good place to take it for another opinion.  While they might have an incentive to upsell you on something else, they might have better insight into the current one, how it's attached, and how it might affect sensors/suspension etc. than the dealer.  Who will probably try to upsell you on something else. 😛

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  4. Earlier in this thread, I asked about grill guards, and while I managed to escape the experience without getting much smarter (and a few thousand bucks lighter), I'd just advise that you look up the model and see what people with experience with it have to say on places like Tacoma World.

    My kid's was a 2017, so I didn't have to worry about sensors, but I think that the dynamic cruise sensor was one of the more likely to be affected by guards.

    And yes, a lot of guards can get pushed back into the bumper/hood/fenders in a wreck, but read up on how it's attached.  The one I ended up going with was a bumper replacement and had all kinds of heavy duty attachments such that yes, he should be able to bulldoze a rhinoceros.  This was part of the point for him, since we sent him off to school in Colorado and my fear was him meeting a mule deer on a mountain pass.  At night.  Alone.  In the rain.

    One other thing he needs to be aware of is that with that guard on there, if he pulls into his parking space just a little too quickly and taps the front end of the cute car the junior girl parks in the space across from him, it will fucking obliterate it in very expensive fashion.  Ask me how I know.

    Here's the ARB we ended up going with:

    PXL_20230715_0042568893.thumb.jpg.ce30e6947e3151e435311115db5df2a8.jpg

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  5. On 11/18/2023 at 2:29 PM, jimmyjazz said:

    Any recommended tracks to hear this?  I just listened to "Smoke Detector" and he kinda reminded me of Jim Eno (Spoon).  High enough praise, for sure, but not ground-breaking.

    LOL at me trying to contribute to a @jimmyjazz music discussion.  I am not remotely qualified, but I'll throw out a few that have struck me, from the standpoint that when a know-nothing like me notices the drummer, it's either a very good or very bad thing.

    Bloodbuzz Ohio
    Don't Swallow the Cap
    Conversation 16
    Graceless
    Day I Die

    off the top of my head, though I'm a fairly casual fan.

    • Like 1
  6. So I very rarely go to shows, and really don't know much about music, but I foist upon you my worthless takes:

    1)  Parking at Manor was fine, though I thought I was being clever parking on the bottom level by the exit, only to find myself redirected back up to where I came in.  Oh well.  Wasn't crowded when we left, because while my kid had a great time, he was exhausted and has to work tomorrow, so we skipped the encore.
    2)  Hadn't seen the National live before.  Show was quite good, with a mix of old and new.  But does Matt Berninger have allergies (he's just like us!), or always sound like Bert with a head cold live?
    3)  If Bryan Devendorf isn't the greatest drummer out there right now, please tell me who is so that I can listen to them.
    4)  Moody was pretty nice, but I was a little underwhelmed.  The seats are hideously uncomfortable.  As discussed above, maybe it's better when packed full, but see point 5 below.
    5)  People suck and I hate them.  STFU.  Maybe have a conversation on the concourse instead.  Maybe quiet moments in a song weren't put there for you to go WOO WOOOOOO.  And how many times do you need to get up and down and up and down during a 2hr show?  /oldmanyellsatcloud
    6)  Though we didn't stick around for the encore, that rendition of About Today was pretty fucking incredible and (despite the efforts of point 5 above) a great finish for us.

    Good time and glad we went, though yeah, I think I would have loved it more at ACL Live.

    • Like 1
  7. 2 hours ago, Pam Cummings said:

    Finally that useless dipshit has written something that borders on real journalism. Call em out, Kirk.

    Meh.  He's "just saying."  Not even "just asking questions."  Kurt is a feckless relic.

    And not to be that guy, but maybe we could tone down some of the allusions to physical retribution.  They're funny and quite obviously in jest, but I wouldn't count on a guy who can't tell the difference between laying on a ball and having possession of it to make that subtle distinction, nor of one so thin-skinned and petty to visibly chide players on TV as he does to not be a little bitch about it and make a terroristic threat claim.

    Our group's last run-in with a humorless fuck resulted in me having to change my bookmarks.

    • Like 2
  8. 2 hours ago, Nueces River Rat said:

    And if Surly had a small part of it… Good!   But he will be assigned to  a future game and it wouldn’t shock me it’s the K State game as the Asst Rig 12 Commish hit man 

    Yes,  TX/OU is a waste of his particular skillset.  He'll happen to show up for a "trap game" which isn't in the national spotlight.  

  9. Not sure if I should ask this in the old 529 thread or maybe start a new one, but I've never seen much discussion on actually using 529 plans when the time comes.  So, stupid questions incoming.

    Scenario: 
    -- Boy is starting college this fall.  We have just about the right amount to cover 4 years tuition/reimbursable living expenses. 
    -- He enrolled in a 5yr combo undergrad and MBA program.  I hope he loves it and sticks with it, but okay if he changes his mind.  We can make that fifth year happen from other sources if need be.
    -- Because the last couple of years were crappy for his 529, we've been pumping some extra into it to get it to where we wanted it.
    -- Younger brother is in the wings (3 years out) but due to the extra time and some better breaks, his 529 is looking just fine unless he picks somewhere ridiculous.

    I had always just assumed that when he started, we'd stop contributing to the 529 and shift that monthly investment partially to spending money for him and other long term stuff.  But if he does this 5 year degree plan, I started thinking we'd keep contributing.  I don't think that it's going to necessarily grow that much over the next few years, but it seems that gives a little more tax-free growth and would then cover his fifth year.  Since we're in Texas, we don't get any further tax benefits, whereas I'd seen some other sites recommend to keep contributing while your kid is in college primarily for the state income tax break if available.

    So now I'm thinking we'll just keep contributing for the next year or two and then re-evaluate.  I figure by that point it will become more clear if he sticks with his 5y program or if he wants to do some other kind of grad school, so that will give him some extra flexibility.  If he decides to just do a 4 year degree we'll roll anything left into a Roth for him or start saving for future grandkids.  If it takes him 5y to get his undergrad degree we're not pissed at him and he doesn't feel bad.  If he decides to drop out and become a ski bum/whitewater guide we'll take the penalty and buy ourselves something cool and lord it over him.

    Anybody have any experience in this regard or thoughts?  I am a financial idoit and not good with teh monies.

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