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Southland

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Posts posted by Southland

  1. Thanks everyone for the recommendations.

    Here's what I've got booked:

    Arrive in Florence on Monday and spend the first 3 nights there

    Take the bus to Siena and stay one night, before picking up rental car in the morning.

    Staying 3 nights at Borgo San Luigi. Booked dinner there for the first night.

    Plan to hit up Montalcino/Montepulciano, Panzano/Greve/Radda, and Piombino/Maremma/Porto Ercole on the three days I'm in Tuscany

    Drop rental car back off in Siena and bus/train back to Florence before flying home the next day

     

    A couple more questions: Do I need reservations at any of the wineries or can you just show up? Do I need to book reservations for restaurants around Borgo San Luigi for dinners or is it pretty easy to just walk in?

    <36 hrs until I'm on my way. I'm getting pumped.

    • Hook 'Em 1
  2. 22 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

    I would keep the car (make SURE you get GPS) because driving around Tuscany is fucking awesome.  You could take the train to Siena, or you can drive and just park outside the city walls and walk in.  Don't try and drive into Siena or really Florence either.

     

    Eh.  Not really for the coast, but @texasdago might have some recs.  Drive through Panzano, Greve, Castellina, etc.  That whole area is awesome.  Stop and walk around the cities and you'll find amazing food and wine.

    Sounds like you should have time to drive down to Montalcino and Montepulciano as well.  I would do that too.  

     

    This is my go to place to stay in Tuscany.  No idea if they'll have availability this close in though.  

    https://www.borgosanluigi.it/en/index

    I would just pick one place in Tuscany as a home base.  Everything is within a couple hours drive at the absolute most.

    I am going to get a car for driving around Tuscany, but was just thinking of changing the reservation to picking it up in Siena vs Florence. My hotel in Siena has free parking, so I can leave it there while I explore the city the day I'm there.

    Does Google maps work fine over there for GPS? I will have a data plan on my phone.

    Thanks for the recommendation on a place to stay. I'll check that out.

  3. Just finished reading this entire thread.

    I just booked a last minute flight to Italy over Thanksgiving. I'm flying out on Sunday the 20th to Florence and will return on Nov 30th, but my return flight isn't booked yet.

    All I have booked so far for accommodations is 3 nights in Florence and then one night in Siena. I have a rental car booked to drive from Florence to Siena and then was going to continue down to Naples/Sorrento/Salerno area, drop the car off in Naples and fly home from there.

    After reading through the thread I think I may scratch driving down to the Naples area, spend another night in Siena, and spend more time in Tuscany. Driving around the countryside hitting up wineries and restaurants in small villages sounds appealing to me. I could then fly back from Florence.

    A few questions to the Surly Italian Mafia:

    Should I skip picking up the car in Florence and just take the train/bus to Siena and get a car there? Sounds like driving in Florence kind of sucks and the rental car place I'm booked at is in downtown Florence.

    Are any of the coastal cities around the Tuscany area worth driving to and visiting? Any other recommendations for things to do in the Tuscany area?

    Any specific recommendations for an Agriturismo to stay at in Tuscany? Should I just book one as a base and then day trip to other villages/wineries or should I stay at different ones?

    For context, I went to Italy once back in 2012, but only visited Rome. I spent 5-6 days there, so don't feel the need to go back on this trip.

  4. 3 hours ago, 6th Street said:

    There's a Rudy's in Colorado Springs but I've not tried it yet.

    My lone BBQ experience here was at that smokehouse in downtown Golden . It was a dry shredded up mess. I guess they tried to make chopped brisket an failed miserably. 

    I didn't even know there was a Rudy's here until I drove past it on a trip down to the Springs last summer. Stopped in and it was by far the best BBQ I've had here. Would definitely stop in more often if I lived closer. I've tried quite a few in the Denver area (Brothers, Jabos, Yazoo, and Smokin Yards) and they are all pretty terrible.

    • Hook 'Em 1
  5. Don't know if this is the best thread, but wanted to give a data point for anyone who might need to get a passport renewal.

    I mailed the renewal application on 4/8 and it was marked delivered on 4/12. I didn't receive an update that they received it until 5/4, but based on how quick the rest of the process went, I'm assuming that is the time they started processing the application. On 5/14 received an email that everything was approved and it would be shipped back to me in 1-2 business days. I received it back yesterday 5/20.

    It was basically about 6 weeks including the shipping back and forth. I was given an estimate of 10-12 weeks when I sent in the application, so it ended up being much faster than I was expecting.

  6. I just watched this podcast with a lawyer who primarily does lemon law cases, but also works to fight unsolicited robocalls and collection calls. He said most of these operations (like the car warranty calls) make about $5mm per year and pay out about $500k in penalties, which they consider a cost of doing business. He claims his practice can get you $500 per call for robocalls under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, but I know nothing about that so would defer to the legal eagles.

    Thought it was an interesting interview.

     

  7. What are the thoughts on GBTC. I just rolled my 401k over into an IRA and am looking at this to get 1-2% exposure to bitcoin here.

    I see it is currently trading around -14% to NAV and looking at history it appears to trade at a premium during run ups and a discount during downturns.

    Other than the risks with BTC itself are there any unique concerns with GBTC that I should be aware of?

    I've just started doing research on this.

  8. I got the J&J shot yesterday afternoon. Felt fine an hour after and went for a couple mile hike.

    Got some chills and was running a low grade fever right around 11pm while laying on the couch watching a movie. A couple hours later when I went to bed I got really hot and had a hard time falling asleep. Felt ok today, just a little tired, some soreness in my arm, and some light muscle aches, but that could have been from the hike.

    9 hours ago, BigHorn'13 said:

    Quoting you but for anyone getting the J&J vaccine, something I wish I would've been told beforehand, it's not like a normal flu shot (specifically in duration.) Expect the injection to last a solid 20-30 seconds after the needle enters. I mention this because I tensed up towards the end and ended up with a marble sized bump that had to be smoothed and massaged out over the next couple days. 

    This was not my experience. The needle was only in my arm for a short time. It was over before I even had a chance to wince. I wasn't really counting but it couldn't have been more than 5 seconds.

    • Hook 'Em 1
  9. 32 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

    Is that an option for you? My IRA doesn’t have a straight forward bitcoin option unless I buy stock in a company that is somehow tied to crypto. 

     I’ve wanted to buy a bit more bitcoin even though I don’t have the cash right now.  I’m bouncing around an idea of a 401k loan, buy the bitcoin I want, and then pay the loan back within a year.  While not exactly your scenario, it’s a bit like using my retirement money to purchase bitcoin. Then quickly replace the retirement funds.

    Obviously there are some risks with this idea. if things started going sideways with my job, salary or bitcoin price, I can easily liquidate my current bitcoin for a good profit.

    In my very quick research I've found a few companies like Bit IRA, Bitcoin IRA, and Equity Trust that seem to specialize in self directed IRAs for investing in bitcoin, but it seems like the fees on them are pretty high. I'm doing more research and will probably reach out to a financial adviser friend of mine to see if he has any advice, but was just wondering if anyone on here was already doing something like this.

  10. 6 hours ago, Chewbacca said:
    On 2/7/2021 at 12:30 PM, Southland said:
    Thanks for the replies, I guess I'll give RGM a shot.
    I called around to a couple local watch shops here in Denver and one said they couldn't do it in house because they didn't have access to the gaskets and seals they would need for the case, but they could send it off somewhere to get it serviced. The second one I called hadn't heard of the Sinn brand, the guy put me on hold, and then came back and said they could work on it. Neither of those gave me much confidence.
    This watch has tons of sentimental value, I bought it from the Sinn factory on my 30th birthday during my first trip to Germany. And, it was my first mechanical watch. It is a watch I will never get rid of and plan to pass on one day.

    Did you call Matthew's in HR? They serviced my Omega a few years ago.

    I did call them. They were the ones who hadn't heard of Sinn.

  11. 4 minutes ago, 52-80 said:

    Did you try Right Time?

     

    2 minutes ago, 52-80 said:

    Also, did you get your VAT refund after buying the watch?

    I didn't call Right Time. The online reviews seemed good for people that just went in for battery changes, but were mixed for mechanical watch servicing. Do you have experience with them? Is there a better location between the Colorado Blvd or Highlands Ranch locations?

    I did get the VAT refund. I paid around 1900 EUR for it and off the top of my head, the VAT refund was around $375.

  12. 21 hours ago, 52-80 said:

    I’ve used RGM with no complaints. That said, sometimes the servicing price doesn’t make sense given the value of the watch. 
     

    The movement of the 356 is pretty standard Valjoux or some variant thereof, so basic servicing can be done basically by any decent watch shop with a high volume of service. 

     

    21 hours ago, Damor said:

    I just sent my 203 off to RGM because I stupidly dropped it.  They assured me they were good to repair it, do the argon filling, moisture capsule, etc.  It'll be a while, but I can update when I get it back.

    I was going to send it to Sinn, but trying to do an international ship via FedEx apparently got ridiculously painful since last time.  I couldn't get anyone at FedEx customer service or technical support to give a shit about helping me out, so fuck 'em.

    Thanks for the replies, I guess I'll give RGM a shot.

    I called around to a couple local watch shops here in Denver and one said they couldn't do it in house because they didn't have access to the gaskets and seals they would need for the case, but they could send it off somewhere to get it serviced. The second one I called hadn't heard of the Sinn brand, the guy put me on hold, and then came back and said they could work on it. Neither of those gave me much confidence.

    This watch has tons of sentimental value, I bought it from the Sinn factory on my 30th birthday during my first trip to Germany. And, it was my first mechanical watch. It is a watch I will never get rid of and plan to pass on one day.

    • Hook 'Em 1
  13. I've had my Sinn 356 for about 8 years now and it is starting to run fast, so figured its time to get it serviced. I was wondering if any of the Sinn owners on here have a good place to get one serviced without sending it back to Germany. I've read mixed reviews on watch forums of RGM, the official service center, so wanted to see if anyone here had any recommendations.

     

  14. 23 hours ago, Orange&White said:

    I didn’t realize there was such a Victoria contingent on Surly. 

    I was born in Victoria and grew up in Edna and went to school in Victoria for my 3rd thru 6th grade years at Nazareth. We moved to Austin in 83. I still have a lot of family there.

    I haven’t been in several years, but after this thread, I will need to check a lot of these out.

    Thx.

    I was born in Victoria too, but we moved to New Braunfels when I was 1 or 2, so only really know Victoria from going back to visit relatives or staying with grandparents during summer vacation. I have a few relatives that still live in Victoria, so I'm usually there once a year at Christmas.

  15. 2 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

     

    5. Moo-Moo's - great fried gizzards (get the small) and solid fried chicken

     

    My grandparents used to own Moo Moo's, but sold it about 5 years ago when they retired. I used to work there a couple of weeks during the summer when I'd go stay with my them.

    Agreed on the gizzards. They have always been my go to when eating there.

    • Hook 'Em 1
  16. Say someone had a few thousand dollars they wanted to make a stonks bet on the S&P 500 going down in the next 6-12 months. What would be the best method for doing this?

    I understand the concept of a put option and how they work, but don't understand how they are priced. Any good resources to learn about this? How do you know if they are "expensive" and if this information is already "priced in"? I've read some on the Black Scholes model, but where I tend to get lost is with the implied volatility.

    Also, other than the infinite downside, which I would think would be more limited when shorting an index vs individual stock, what would be the difference between shorting the index vs buying put options?

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