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nnm

Certifiably Surly
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Everything posted by nnm

  1. Only two pages overnight. Night crew slippin’.
  2. So that’s where our tax dollars have been going. Brightline West High-Speed Rail Project (Rancho Cucamonga, CA to Las Vegas, NV) The project you’re referring to is Brightline West, a privately led, 218-mile high-speed rail line (with trains up to ~200 mph) running mostly in the median of Interstate 15. It will connect Rancho Cucamonga (with Metrolink connections to greater Los Angeles) to Las Vegas, with intermediate stops in Apple Valley/Hesperia and Victor Valley. A ceremonial groundbreaking occurred in April 2024, but full heavy construction is still ramping up. How much rail has actually been laid? Zero miles of track have been laid as of November 19, 2025. Construction is in the preliminary/preparatory phase: geotechnical borings, utility potholing, surveying, grading preparation, and early site work (e.g., Las Vegas station foundation and a concrete tie production facility in North Las Vegas). Main civil works (embankments, drainage, bridges) are accelerating through late 2025–2026. Heavy construction and track laying are scheduled to begin in early 2026 (concrete ties expected to ship starting late 2025). No sources indicate any actual rail installation yet; the project remains in earthwork and foundation stages. How much has been spent to date? Exact expenditure figures are not publicly broken out in detail, but: The total project cost has risen to approximately $21–21.5 billion (up from earlier estimates of $12–16 billion due to inflation, labor, and materials). Major funding secured so far includes a $3 billion federal grant (signed in 2024) and authority for $3.5–5.5 billion in tax-exempt Private Activity Bonds (some issued/closed in 2025). Spending to date has primarily covered land/right-of-way acquisition, environmental clearances, design/engineering, preliminary field investigations, and early station/site work. Brightline is also seeking a $6 billion federal RRIF loan to cover cost overruns. Precise β€œspent to date” numbers are not disclosed publicly, but the project has consumed hundreds of millions (at minimum) on pre-construction activities since the 2024 groundbreaking. Main contractors and partners Brightline West is structured as design-build segments with multiple partners: Trainsets: Siemens Mobility (American Pioneer 220 trainsets, built in the U.S., plus 30-year maintenance contract). Geotechnical engineering/design: Atlas Technical Consultants. Design/engineering support: HNTB. Environmental compliance: Rincon Consultants. Concrete ties: PCM Railone (dedicated facility in North Las Vegas). Other key partners: High-Speed Rail Labor Coalition (union labor agreements), Southern Nevada/California Building Trades, and potential segment contractors like Las Vegas Paving Corp. (mentioned for certain grading/utility work). Brightline has awarded ~4–5 of 9 major construction packages as of late 2025, with the rest in final negotiations. Source of funds Primarily a public-private partnership with heavy private involvement: Federal government: $3 billion direct grant (Bipartisan Infrastructure Law via FRA/NDOT); up to $3.5–5.5 billion in tax-exempt Private Activity Bonds (PABs) allocation; potential $6 billion low-interest RRIF loan application pending. Private capital: Equity from Fortress Investment Group (Brightline’s parent), debt financing, and project revenue bonds. No major state general funds mentioned; earlier plans for California/Nevada bonds were largely replaced by federal PABs. The mix is roughly ~25–30% federal grants/bonds so far, with the rest private/debt (exact ratios shift with the ongoing loan request). The project aims for service by ~2028–2029 (delayed from earlier targets tied to the 2028 LA Olympics). Progress is visible at the Las Vegas station site, but the bulk of the 218-mile corridor remains untouched beyond surveys and prep work. For the latest official updates, check brightlinewest.com or USDOT/FRA announcements.
  3. Really rough puzzle day for me. At least one mistake in every single one. Wordle 1,614 6/6 🟨🟨⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨🟨🟨⬜ 🟨🟨🟨⬜⬜ ⬜🟩⬜🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 #Worldle #1398 (19.11.2025) 2/6 (100%) πŸ”₯ Current Win Streak: 1 days πŸŸ©πŸŸ¨β¬œβ¬œβ¬œβ¬‡οΈ πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŽ‰ πŸ§­β­πŸ“πŸš©πŸ—ΏπŸ“œπŸ›‘οΈπŸ”€πŸ—£οΈπŸ‘«πŸͺ™ https://worldle.teuteuf.fr/share πŸ™‚ Daily Quordle 1395 πŸŸ₯6️⃣ πŸŸ₯9️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ 🟨⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜🟨🟨🟨 🟩🟨🟨⬜⬜ ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ 🟨🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩⬜🟨🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟨🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩⬜🟩🟩 ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 #travle #1071 +1 πŸŸ§βœ…βœ…βœ…βœ… https://travle.earth Connections Puzzle #892 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩 πŸŸͺπŸŸͺ🟦πŸŸͺ 🟦πŸŸͺ🟦πŸŸͺ 🟦πŸŸͺπŸŸͺ🟦 🟦πŸŸͺ🟦πŸŸͺ
  4. I keep an empty mouthwash bottle in a pocket in the door of my truck for pit stops. The bigger opening is critical for the portable urinal. Trying to pee into a can is a rookie move. And DWI pisses me off, pun kind of intended. There is no reason at all to drive impaired in the least in the age of ride sharing.
  5. Something something Greenspoint's paystub.
  6. soooooo . . . Elko to UT?
  7. nnm

    Getting old sucks

  8. Edit: Apparently Cloud Flare and X are still borked, linky no worky.
  9. nnm

    Getting old sucks

  10. nnm

    Bidet Meta Threas

    As indicated above, I ordered this in August. Since then, it's traveled with me to Dallas, Colorado Springs, NOLA, Illinois (2X), Dallas again, Orlando (2X), and places in-between. This is absolutely a game-changer. I now own two. One stays in my suitcase, the other sits with a travel kit I have in Illinois at the home office of the ministry I serve in. Can't recommend it highly enough.
  11. Wordle 1,613 3/6 ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟩 ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Weekly Quordle Challenge 126 πŸŸ₯7️⃣ 3️⃣5️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩 ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩⬜⬜🟩 ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩⬜⬜🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩⬜⬜🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ 🟨⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜🟨🟩 ⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 πŸ™‚ Daily Quordle 1394 4️⃣5️⃣ 6️⃣9️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ 🟨🟨⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜🟩🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜🟩🟩🟩⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜🟩⬜🟩⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩⬜⬜🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Connections Puzzle #891 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟦🟦🟦🟦 πŸŸͺπŸŸͺπŸŸͺπŸŸͺ Both Worldle and Travle gave me a Cloudflare error: Edit: Cloudfare appears to be somewhat back in business: #Worldle #1397 (18.11.2025) 3/6 (100%) πŸ”₯ Current Win Streak: 1 days πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ¨β¬œβ†—οΈ πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ¨β¬†οΈ πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŽ‰ πŸ§­β­πŸ“πŸš©πŸ—ΏπŸ“œπŸ›‘οΈπŸ”€πŸ‘«πŸͺ™ https://worldle.teuteuf.fr/share #travle #1070 +0 (Perfect) βœ…βœ…βœ… https://travle.earth
  12. That you are sleeping well. Dreams, especially dreams you can remember in detail, happen during extended REM sleep. A sign of great sleep and significant physiological restoration.
  13. When I lived and worked in Norway I had a friend that was on the Norwegian adventure search and rescue team. They had to regularly scrape people off of cliffs.
  14. Biggest fools gold ever. Patterson team. That team got to the NCG in spite of Dykes, not because of him. Then his hire of baby Briles alienated and drove away a good chunk of the fanbase and some big money. But nobody could say no because NCG. That AD is fired, and it’s gonna take some time to undo the damage.
  15. Yes, but does the hotel carpet match the drapes?
  16. I think I recommended this last year. Buy these, bring a box with you to the gathering, leave it in the bathroom. Problem solved. We keep a box in both guest bathrooms. Personally, I don't like using the communal hand towel, and this is a great solution. https://a.co/d/flCU1fg
  17. Love the cheetah at the end. Those impalas look a lot like the ones I saw everyday in high school. I went to HS in the lowrider capital of the world.
  18. Chuck Yeager lived to 97. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Yeager
  19. Wordle 1,612 4/6 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜🟩🟩🟨⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 #Worldle #1396 (17.11.2025) 2/6 (100%) πŸ”₯ Current Win Streak: 82 days πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ¨β†–οΈ πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŽ‰ πŸ§­β­πŸ“πŸš©πŸ—ΏπŸ“œπŸ›‘οΈπŸ”€πŸ—£οΈπŸͺ™ https://worldle.teuteuf.fr/share πŸ™‚ Daily Quordle 1393 πŸŸ₯9️⃣ 6️⃣3️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨🟨 ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟨⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ 🟨🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩⬜🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ Missing a Monday Quordle because of a common letter pattern, which pushes the weekly Quordle at least another day, makes me surly. #travle #1069 +0 (Perfect) βœ…βœ…βœ…βœ… https://travle.earth Connections Puzzle #890 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟨πŸŸͺ🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨🟨🟨🟨 πŸŸͺπŸŸͺπŸŸͺπŸŸͺ
  20. Sunday puzzles Wordle 1,611 6/6 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜🟨🟨 ⬜🟨🟨🟨🟩 ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 #Worldle #1395 (16.11.2025) 3/6 (100%) πŸ”₯ Current Win Streak: 81 days πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ¨β¬œβ¬œβ†™οΈ πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©β¬œβ¬†οΈ πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŽ‰ πŸ§­β­πŸ“πŸš©πŸ“œπŸ›‘οΈπŸ‘«πŸͺ™ https://worldle.teuteuf.fr/share πŸ™‚ Daily Quordle 1392 5️⃣7️⃣ 4️⃣6️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ 🟨🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨 ⬜🟨⬜🟩⬜ ⬜🟩⬜🟨⬜ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨⬜🟨🟨 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨⬜🟨🟨 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩⬜🟩⬜🟩 ⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟨⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 #travle #1068 +0 (Perfect) βœ…βœ…βœ…βœ…βœ… https://travle.earth Connections Puzzle #889 🟩🟩🟩🟩 πŸŸͺ🟨🟨🟨 πŸŸͺ🟨🟨🟨 🟦πŸŸͺ🟦🟦 🟦🟦🟦πŸŸͺ
  21. Wordle 1,610 4/6 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟨🟨⬜⬜🟨 🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 #Worldle #1394 (15.11.2025) 2/6 (100%) πŸ”₯ Current Win Streak: 80 days 🟩🟩🟩🟨⬜➑️ πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŸ©πŸŽ‰ πŸ§­β­πŸš©πŸ—ΏπŸ“œπŸ›‘οΈπŸͺ™ https://worldle.teuteuf.fr/share πŸ™‚ Daily Quordle 1391 5️⃣7️⃣ 4️⃣6️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜ 🟨⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟨🟩⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨🟨⬜🟨 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨 ⬜🟨🟨🟨🟨 ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 #travle #1067 +0 (Perfect) βœ…βœ…βœ…βœ…βœ… https://travle.earth Connections Puzzle #888 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟦🟦🟦🟦 πŸŸͺπŸŸͺπŸŸͺπŸŸͺ
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