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Born a Longhorn

Certifiably Surly
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Posts posted by Born a Longhorn

  1. 3 hours ago, CooterBrown said:

    Can you do a cash out refinance? Depending on your rate and current rates you may end up with little difference in your mortgage payment.

    This is the best option. My in-laws just did this, with even higher CC debt and less home equity than you.

    220k - 78k = 142k equity (let's assume 4k in refinance costs, so 138k)

    Pay off CCs and then close them, transition to debit cards and checks

    138k - 57k CC debt = 81k refinanced

    81k @ 3% for 10 years (they won't give you a great rate with your current score I'm guessing) = $782/month in principal/interest

    81k @ 3% for 10 years and add $1000/month extra payment = pay off 71 months (6 years) early i.e. pay off your house in 4 years

  2. All of you that just scan a handful of pages a month need to download the GeniusScan app on your phone, which creates PDFs that you email yourself for free. 

    Then, buy the Brother color laser printer mentioned above for $180 on amazon and be done with it. Oh and have Walmart or similar print your high quality photos, also as mentioned above. 

  3. Agreed (I've been there)... just trying to ward off the recommendations for restaurants, that's all. Plenty of posts above had pics of expensive-looking food... not our thing.

    So, Sorrento vs. Amalfi coast villages?

  4. Question for the southern Italy experts.

    Wife and I are spending the final week of August in Naples... I have to work the first few days, but Thurs-Sun we'd like to get out to the Amalfi Coast. The question is whether to set up shop near Sorrento or in one of the coastal villages as our home base for 3 days. I don't think my wife would enjoy riding in a rental car with me along the Amalfi coastal road, so I had mainly focused on easy ways to get out there and enjoy things (train, buses, private driving tours, etc). It would be cool to get out to Capri, or at least do an Amalfi tour via boat, but not required.

    Things we care about: views, drinking wine on a balcony of our own, being able to walk or easily transit to restaurants but still get back to the quiet areas for the evening

    Things we don't care about: "premium" dining (it will all taste good to us), sitting on a beach, crowded areas.

    Thoughts?

  5. On 8/13/2019 at 2:13 PM, Spoosner said:

    The wife and I are going for a wedding in September.  We will have a couple nights in Florence before the wedding, so the above posts have been quite helpful.  We will be on our own from Sunday, Sept 29th - Saturday, Oct 5 when we fly out of Rome at 7:05 AM (so really we have to be in Rome on Friday, Oct 4th).

    So, what would you do with about 5 nights and 4 days.  The caveat is that my wife studied abroad in Florence many moons ago, so she has been to Como, Amalfi, Florence, Rome.  I've been to Rome a couple times and Venice once.  I'd like to do something new to both of us, perhaps a little more off the beaten path, but without sacrificing good food, wine, and scenery.

    Sicily is intriguing to me.  There are cheap direct flights from Florence to Catania on the 29th (or a short stop in Rome to fly to Palermo instead).  Numerous options to fly to Rome on the 4th.  Anybody have Sicily experience?  Love or hate?  Where would you go with Sunday evening to Friday afternoon on your hands?

    Sardinia is another option, although it appears we'd have a short layover in Rome.  It appears we could also take a ferry from Livorno to Olbia, but the reviews are pretty terrible.

    Any completely different recs?  

    I loved Syracuse/Siracusa. We stayed at the Grand Hotel Ortigia in the old town district by the water and got our money's worth... tons of restaurants, shopping, and water views within an easy walk. The Greek and Roman ruins in town are incredible with views of the bay where 1000 Athenian triremes were destroyed by the Syracusans during the Pelopponesian Wars. Sicilians are very laid back and friendly. Highly recommend.

  6. Any of you found a reputable car insurance for your classic that doesn't require it to be parked in a closed/locked garage? We're moving to a townhome in N. Virginia that only has dedicated off-street (alley access) parking, no garage and not many affordable storage options nearby. USAA and Liberty Mututal both require my '73 to be in a garage or the underwriter won't sign the policy (they even require pictures of the garage). 

  7. Headed to southern Italy for 12 days... half in Sicily, then a few days each in Naples and Rome. Never been (had plenty of Italian wine obviously, mostly Piedmont and Tuscans). I've read up on the wine primers for each region, classifications, grapes, etc. Anything more specific you guys recommend while we dine? Tips for getting a quality bottle of wine with dinner? Prefer medium and then full-bodied reds.

  8. 2 hours ago, DaysOff said:

    I hate early speculation, but it wasn't weather.

    I'll go with mechanical failure of a 27 year old airplane maintained by a known shitty operator. But there I go speculating.

    No crewmember puts on their uniform and says today's the day I crash an airplane. This one bothers me more than usual. I didn't know these guys, but I bet chuy and lowery21 may have.

    Yeah, about that...

  9. 7 hours ago, APEX said:

    Planning a long road trip from Texas to Portland, ME in Oct and in no particular rush.  Google maps shows going thru Memphis and Knoxville before hooking up with I-81 thru PA and west of NYC and then up to the northeast.

    However, never been to Charleston, SC so might go that route and hit the eastern seaboard (DC, Philly, NYC) but I-95 is always a clusterfuck.  I assume I can take this route up and the above route back for a change of scenery.

    We moved from TX to RI last summer and made the drive in five days, mostly by the first route you described. If you're truly in no rush, I would stay off the interstates when possible though. Are you more into the journey or the destination?

  10. Three... I had a transmission shop in Austin that was replacing the speedometer gear tell me he thought it was an M22 rock crusher 4-speed. Looking through sources online, though, it doesn't seem like the M22 would have been an option for that year and engine (L48 base) pairing. I've never gotten down there to see if the matching VIN is stamped on it.

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