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Posts posted by Hellraiser97
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On 7/30/2024 at 9:41 PM, MadTrapper said:
Why do you do this? Just as I was starting to make a dent in my book list...
Finished "The Man who Fell to Earth". What a read. He writes juuust enough about any given scene to make it seem vivid in your head without being at all too wordy. Loved every page.
I saw the movie with David Bowie a few years ago. Didn't realize it was a novel. Adding it to the list!
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15 hours ago, Shaddie said:
Nope. CC will get you free bag check and slightly higher boarding spot. No status until you spend lots of money on CC (and on stuff they want you to) or buying tickets. Loyalty points are the currency for AA. Best bet is to make an appointment at a PreCheck kiosk and sign up for that.
I have PreCheck. I realized after I posted that about the loyalty points. Good news though, I have one property still going on (and may do them as one off, side work in the future) and I can easily charge $70k as we finish that build. That would get me Platinum status and then with the amount I'll fly, maybe I can maintain it.
18 hours ago, Vegas64 said:So many questions. I must have missed a whole part of your life from shaggy to today, but it sounds like an extreme change and series of life events happened.
Anyways, Vonlane is awesome and I hear they are UT guys too? 15% off discount w/ Texas Exes: https://www.texasexes.org/membership/member-benefits/vonlane
Yeah, here's a short run down - 2015 moved from NYC to Austin, started business, 2016-2017 hit problems with banks, 2017-2019 worked through them, 2019 told wife things were good now, 2 days later she files for divorce, 12 months of divorce (including finding out all sorts of bad stuffI was oblivious to), business hits trouble due to divorce, as divorce wrapping up, try to scale business back up, but literraly come to agreement on divorce first week of COVID, made it through a couple years more, but the speed we could move, largely due to COVID crap, started killing us and tying up capital, 2022 rates spike, and business starts declining, through if we got through 2023 we could turn it around, decided at the beginning of the year that no, it was time to wind it down, been job searching since, can't find job in Austin for what I am best qualified to do (and can't get jobs that I'm reasonably qualified to do either), so now I'm looking at travelling, but at least I won't be broke.
Started dating girlfriend about 2.5 years ago after doing the requisit dating crazy after crazy.
Thanks for the link! Didn't know about that.
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1 hour ago, Ghost of LL said:
Do you have any status on American? Because if so, then the security situation at AUS is just fine. I was there at the butt-crack of dawn Saturday morning, when the regular security line wound around the ticket counter area and was probably at least 45 minutes. But the premium line was deserted, and I was through in less than five minutes.
Flying those kind of miles is going to get you status in a hurry, not to mention miles. Vonlane and RedCoach don't have a frequent-flyer program that is worth much of a shit. So for that reason, if you don't want to drive then I'd say fly American.
I will say that while I was commuting between Austin and Dallas for nine months, I just drove. But I also wanted to have my car wherever I was, so the situation is slightly different.
Thanks. I don't have status on AA right now. I think one of the credit cards you can get with a high fee gives you some type of status, so I'll check into that before I start flying.
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1 minute ago, Firemans4Horn said:
it’s 4 hours and 15 minutes from 5th street in Austin (with 2 stops) and it drops you off at: “Crossunder #2 (Between Terminals A and B), DFW Airport Dallas , TX 75063”not sure what you can do from there.
AUS-DFW is 50 minute by air. Your south Austin house to your dad’s house is probably 3:15 by car. Buses are not a legitimate option for the route you are taking.
My plan is possibly to leave my truck at long term parking (not sure how much that is these days) or even at the office and take an uber there. I won't be traveling with anything more than a backpack, so I'm not lugging anything around. I don't think the bus is an option on Wednesdays, but for Sundays going up, that's 4 hours and 15 minutes I can be doing something. I've only flown between AUS and DFW a handful of times, but my experience flying has been that it's not much faster overall when you factor in security, getting to the flight before take off, getting on the flight, flight time, taxing, getting off the plane, exiting the terminal, and the only real time do do anything is most, but not all, of that 50 minutes in the air. I appreciate the input, but I think at least for Sunday, it's somewhat feasible (and a lot cheaper than flying)
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21 minutes ago, Firemans4Horn said:
Your commute is really more Aus-DFW. I’d probably just try and get as high of status with American Airlines and fly with them.
love field/vonlane/other bus lines don’t really make sense based on where your job is and where your housing situation is.
RedCoach drops off at DFW airport.
4 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:Grapevine or coppell?
Coppell
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51 minutes ago, Firemans4Horn said:
it sucks. DART leaves DFW every 30 minutes at best (the station is poorly marked at the ass end of terminal A with not much internal connections) and it crawls through Irving for about 50 minutes until you get to the Love Field station which is a). Not connected to the airport b). Nowhere near the Doubletree where the Vonlane leaves. Which means you’ll have to Uber between stations.
Trust me, this is not even a thing you want to try unless you don’t value your time at all.
I used to ride the light rail every day to work about 20 years ago. I see the quality and speed has not improved! Really, anything to do with LUV would be in a situation where I just can't make anything else work for that specific trip. So it would suck for sure, but it would be a last resort.
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52 minutes ago, Firemans4Horn said:
Are you working in both places or just in Grapevine/Coppell?
Anything keeping you in South Austin every weekend? No idea about the relationship with your dad but if it were me I’d get an apartment in Grapevine and drive back to Austin on as needed basis.
In Austin, I'm working from home. My kids are in Austin and short of a massively expensive court fight, which I may not win, my proposed schedule of Weds/Thurs and every other Fri-Sun time with them requires me to be in Austin (my ex is amicable to reorganizing from our current week on week off). I'm not willing to reduce my custody to less than 50% nor make them travel. My dad and I are fine. He's an ornery old bastard, but frankly I'll barely see him. I'll get in late Sundays, work all day Mon-Tues, go to the gym after work, get home, go to sleep, and wednesday work all day then head back to Austin. Also, my girlfriend lives in San Marcos, so as long as that continues, even my off weekends with the kids I'd be coming back.
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1 hour ago, bluto said:
Shooting from the hip but make sure you really dive into the dart rail between airports… schedule and the actual ‘stations’ for each.
Yeah, I've been checking that out. Probably do a test run in the next week or two.
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2 hours ago, Dbeasy said:
I had a job in Dallas for three years while living in Austin. I found that mixing up all three modes of transportation was best. Sometimes I drove, sometimes I used Vonlane, and sometimes I flew. The mix should be based on where you live in Austin and where you work in Dallas. I live in North Austin and worked in North Dallas, so the bus and driving were used more often than flying.
The office is literally 5 minutes north of DFW airport. I live in South Austin.
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3 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:
Concur, although I don't do the pre-check, because I never fly. It was a nightmare when I finally hopped on a nonstop to SFO a couple of weeks back.
That said, even if you buzz thru TSA aren't you still spending as much time driving to ABIA, getting thru TSA, waiting to board, flying, reverse? I just can't justify flying much less than maybe 400 miles or so. I'd just rather be driving.
If the OP drove, would there be mileage reimbursement? Those usually pay all gas + wear and tear near as I can tell.
No mileage reimbursement, this is going to be solely on me. I'm not a fan of all that goes into getting to the flight, but like I said, I'd rather not drive. I'll probably end up driving it at least once a month for various reason, but I'd like to keep it to a minimum.
Appreciate all the responses!
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32 minutes ago, Mittens said:
I have friends that regularly use Vonlane and love it.
The times you would be driving will have minimal traffic and it's an incredibly easy drive. Straight shot w/ minimal cops - I typically avg 85+mph on that run.
I have driven that drive more times than I can count! I generally don't mind it, but doing it 8 times a month I think would start to suck real quick. Especially if I can sit on a bus and watch video, play games, read or sleep.
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yeah the go Dallas downtown, Richardson, then DFW. Doesn't make a difference. The place I'd be working is 5 min north of DFW and I'm going to be staying with my Dad that is another 20 minutes NW of that. I looked at getting off downtown and taking the light rail over to to DFW, but it would actually take longer.
49 minutes ago, idigTexas said:I have zero experience with this, but could you take RedCoach on the AUS-DFW leg, and AA on the DFW-AUS leg?
That is looking the most likely scenario. There are some Sundays I wouldn't be able to make the RedCoach bus and I'd either need to to Vonlane or fly.
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It's looking so that I may be spending about 3 days a week ( leave Sun nigjht - return Weds night) in Dallas and 4 days (Thurs - Sun)a week in Austin for the foreseeable future. So, I'm exploring how to make this travel in the most cost and time effecient way possible. So far, here's what I've found:
Driving - doable, but I'll have a vehicle in Dallas, so I don't need to bring or rent one. Really don't want to spend 6-7 hours a week driving back and forth though for both the wear and tear on my car and my mind.
Trains - Funk that. Wish it was an option but I've heard nothing but horror stories about Amtrak in this part of the country.
Buses - I've checked out 2 options - RedCoach and Vonlane. RedCoach is definitely the cheaper option, both claim to have business class style seats and lots of amenities. RedCoach drops off both in downtown Dallas and DFW. DFW is closer to where I need to be, so that's a plus. Going up on Sunday nights, RedCoach is definitely an option, but the last bus leaves on Wednesday before I'll be available to leave, to it's not an option for coming home. Vonlane stops at Love Field, not ideal, but there's a light rail between LUV and DFW, so it's do able. A lot more options on Vonlane, but also a lot more expensive.
Flights - AA has flights on the hour practically every hour between AUS and DFW while SWA has similar to LUV. I see nothing but horror stories at AUS concerning security lately. DFW and LUV, not so much. It seems if I book far enough out, I can get flights for about $100 or so each way. I have Clear and TSA-Precheck, so maybe that will help some with AUS.
Parking - I'll have to determine if it's cheaper to uber or park at each airport based on the days I'll be gone. I remember DFW had some really cheap long term parking, but I'm sure the cost has gone up.
Any other bus companies or flight options I might not be thinking of?
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Just went back to finishing the Hyperion quadrilogy based on Hornian's recommendation. I'm about halfway through book 3. I often dislike books where they pick up far in the future and the main characters from the previous books are all gone, but I'm enjoying this one.
I also listened to We are Legion (We are Bob) and it's sequel, We are Many. I was expecting a really comical Sci-Fi series and had held off listening to it. While it does have a good amount of humor, there's plenty of serious stuff going on and I'm enjoying the series.
I took a pause on the Stormlight Archive. I listened to the first 3 books and the novella Edge Dancer. Honestly, if I didn't know there would be more novels, as I finished book three, it seemed like he was tying things up. They are SOOOOOO long though, needed a break before I finish out the remaining two books and novellas.
Looks like there is a new Expeditionary Force novel out, I had thought the series was wrapped up. Have to check that out.
And another Undying Mercanaries is coming soon.
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They announced yesterday that it will start streaming on May 24th.
And while I can't stand a crowded theater, when I saw it yesterday, there were only three other people there. It was practically like having my own theater!
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On 5/3/2024 at 9:46 PM, austingirl said:
Just got back from the theater and wow. My son and I both thought it was amazing, but I don't think the trailer gives you a good idea of the movie itself, which is much more bleak.
My degree is in journalism and this movie had me thinking about the photo from the Sudan in 1993 of the child and the vulture. The photographer, Kevin Carter, won the Pulitzer for it and took his own life a few months later. It re-ignited the whole debate about objectivity in journalism and what the role of journalists is in volatile situations. Are they just there to document and record, or do they step in and try to help? My stance has always been that we are humans first and that journalism, as necessary as it is to a free state, is a job and comes second to helping people. I will grant that that is an idealistic position and I've never been a war reporter. I'll spoiler the next part.
Civil War does a great job of straddling that line, but at the end I think it lands on the side of "humans first", with Lee sacrificing herself to save Jessie. Jessie will turn into Lee (but will die younger), but by the time she's Lee's age, there won't be any remnants of when the 50 states were united. It'll be full-on dystopia. And by that point, everyone will be in survival mode and modern ethics will be a relic. There'll be no need to debate this topic because it will be irrelevant.
War renders all of this irrelevant. We all return to our base elements when we're knocked down several rungs in Maslow's hierarchy. Kirsten Dunst is fantastic at portraying someone who was raised in a world vastly different than the one she ends up living in. I hope she gets some recognition come awards season.
Photojournalism major here as well and had the same thought about the child and vulture photo.
Like others, it was not what I expected, but I really enjoyed it. I'm glad they didn't get into the politics driving all this and I liked the idea that California and Texas, despite vastly different political leanings would unit to fight a facist regime.
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Been considering picking this up. I'm finally just about done with Pillars of Eternity. I tend not to like turn based combat though, so not sure I'm going to like BG3 despite being a huge fan of the originals.
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In addition to what I wrote on the SciFi Thread (Second book of the Stormlight Series), which is all on Audible, I've been reading through How to Become a Rainmaker and Atomic Habits and trying to put those lessons into practice in my day to day life.
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On 2/10/2024 at 5:30 PM, MadTrapper said:
I'll check out Undying Mercenaries based on this because we have a bit of overlap looks like. Thanks.
The first four novellas of Murderbot Diaries are awesome, too. Loved them all and saw that Apple TV is picking it up. They seem to be targeting the scifi market from what I can tell.
Currently on The Girl with all the Gifts at the moment. Not bad so far...The Murderbot Diaries is a science fiction series by American author Martha Wells, published by Tor Books. The series is about a part robot, part human construct designed as a Security Unit (SecUnit). The SecUnit manages to override its governor module, thus enabling it to develop independence, which it primarily uses to watch soap operas.
Yeah, I'm going to have toa dd that to the queue! Thanks!
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I loved To Kill a Mockingbird. I hated it at first because, and this was in high school, we were forced to read it and I primarily read SciFi/Fantasy. But after a short bit I realized it was really good!
I hated the Great Gasby. I went through a phase in the early 2000's trying to read some of the 'classics' I'd missed. That was one. Just absolutely hated it. I understand the nihlism of the day, but I just didn't enjoy a book where basically nothing matters and when you die no one is going to care or go to your funeral.
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11 hours ago, hornian said:
Did you ever read the Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons? It's 4 books. It's very good. Kinda prescient because it deals with AI (he calls it the Techno-Core). It gets a little weird in the last book, but all in all I enjoyed it. I just re-read it again. The Shrike is one of the best "monsters" ever.
Forgot to add those. I only read the first two. Loved them. Forgot the are two more books, I might have to add those! Thanks
8 hours ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:You must do audiobooks. The Frontline series is written by Mark Kloos, but the audiobook was narrated by Eric Dove.
Yeah, got that one mixed up. I mainly do audio books as I spend a ridiculous amount of time in the car.
I'm currently on The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. I'm about 35 hours into it (it's 42 hours long). He does an amazing job of world building but damn I feel like everything so far has just been build up and I still have basically no idea what's going on.
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I've been blowing through series in recent years.
Series I have finished:
The Silo Saga, Hugh Howy - 3 books, enjoyed all of them
The Final Architecture, Adrian Tchaikovsky - 3 books, loved them all
Children of Time Novels, Adrian Tchaikovsky - 3 Books, they are exceptionally well done, but I can't say I really enjoy them. They frankly make me feel sad
Undying Mercenaries, BV Larson - 19 books so far. They're light, fun military Sci-Fi. As long as you don't take it too serious, they're a blast.
Steamborn Series, Eric Asher - 7 books so far. I love the setting of steampunk, but have never reallyr ead much in it. This came on some amazon recommendation and I've enjoyed it so far.
Expeditionary Force, RC Bray - 15 books. Much like Undying Mercenaries, it's light, fun military Sci-fi and absolutely hilarious. Loved it.
Frontlines, Eric Dove - 8 books. I think this series is finished. More serious military Sci-fi, but not too deep. Enjoyed it as a light read.
The Long Winter, AG Riddle - 3 books. Loved the first one, kind of liked the second, really didn't care for the third one.
The Interdependency, John Scalzi - 3 books. I read the first one back in 2015 and completely forgot about it. Picked up the last two last year and while it wasn't bad, definitely not his best work either.
Academy, Jack McDevitt - 8 books. I read these on and off for years. Loved the early ones but really felt the last few fizzled out.
Stand along books:
The Doors of Eden, Adrian Tchaikovsky - He's a really smart author. This book was a little difficult at the beginning, but I really liked it overall.
Project Hail Mary, Andy Weir - Not as good as the Martian, better than Artemis
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Section 30, Row 59, 4 seats together. I'll throw in the parking pass once they arrive as well.
$800 per ticket
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NVM figured it out
9/10 ABC Presidential Debate Game thread
in Cloak Room
Posted