Jump to content

Reagan1k

Certifiably Surly
  • Posts

    2331
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by Reagan1k

  1. 18 hours ago, field said:

    The thing I always notice about ABIA is that the CLEAR lines are way longer and slower than TSA Pre.  My wife and I flew out of ABIA two weekends ago and she insisted on using the CLEAR line.  I got through the TSA Pre line in about 5 minutes.  Literally took her 20 minutes for CLEAR.  It always seems to be like that at ABIA, though. 

    Clear is doing some ID upgrades when you check in now for security at their kiosks so the line is moving slower than normal to get escorted up.  More time per person per kiosk adds up when the workers have to go through the extra steps before they can walk you up.  Once they finish this or when the majority of fliers have done the extra steps once, it should smooth out.

    Having both Pre and Clear give you a little flexibility that's very much worth it at certain times.  Especially if TSA is understaffed (gasp - how could that be) and the Pre line is backed up.  Clear obviously takes you to the front of the line and bypasses the snaking ropes.

    However, if the Pre line is very short, it's a toss-up and Pre can be quicker if you can walk right up to to the TSA booth for the ID check instead of having to duck and dodge at the booth to get your eyes in the right spot for Clear to find you.

    I view Pre as a necessity and Clear as an insurance policy or add-on.

    Edited to say I can't speak to ABIA specifically, but Clear in general has been slowed for a while now for this reason.

  2. 6 hours ago, Crapinon said:

    Yeah, a few years ago I was at Academy looking for a CZ 75. All I got a 5 minute lecture on why I was making a mistake and needed to buy something else. He trained with police (he wasn't one) and said they were not any good. I guess all the military units (including 1st special services) and police forces that have them on their approved list are wrong. 

    Turkey's for eatin'....not making guns.  Your "advisor" there probably open carries a Taurus .380 at Sam's Club on the weekends for a big day out.

    • Like 1
    • Haha 2
  3. 19 hours ago, next2naus said:

    underlooked and critical aspect of sales...disqualifying

    Quoted for truth and emphasis.

    Sometimes the best business is that which you DON'T get.  

    And that's just the cherry on top of not wasting time on an improperly qualified opportunity.

  4. 9 hours ago, fattyflattie said:

    9mm Rimfire revolvers though? 

    Its a wildcat cartridge and a special action that just looks like a glock but has a cylinder. 

    Those guys at the academy gun counter are known to be cutting edge experts in firearms.  Just go stand at the counter one day and listen to 'em talk.

    Hank and Skeeter (the new kid-hired last week) have been working in the back on load development and programing the CNC machine to ramp up production. 

    Get on board.  It's the next big thing.

    • Haha 1
  5. On 5/27/2024 at 7:51 PM, brownboy said:

    I wish everyone the best that is struggling with this.  I was going to share my story but I'm not ready and I haven't been able to stop anyway.

    I believe there are many paths to sobriety.  I am an engineer (BSEE from UT long ago) and basically an atheist so some of the popular approaches don't resonate well with me.

    The Naked Mind community and book of the same name really changed my perspective on alcohol and counters a lot of the positive messaging there is about alcohol:

    https://thisnakedmind.com/ (no affiliation)

    I'm hoping my next pause will be permanent.  I've loved this drinking town for decades but I need to find other ways to love it.

    Whatever path works for you is the right path.  

    I'll share this which has been my experience - not to try and convince you of anything, but because what you shared sounds eerily familiar with how I felt.  I'd tried everything I could think of to avoid AA and for the same reasons.

    One of the first things I was told when I'd spouted off a few "yeah, but" comments was to really consider the words of a philosopher who said - There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance — that principle is contempt prior to investigation.

    I got really hung up for a while on the god deal, which turns out was more of a hang-up with organized religion and its teachings.  I was an agnostic who thought he was an atheist.  My turning point was being told I didn't have to believe shit.  All I had to do was have a willingness to believe if it ever came to that, and just acknowledge I didn't have all the answers and am not running the universe.

    I'm analytic - not an engineer but a show me kind of thinker. What I experienced was that the step process is actually almost scientific in nature.  It doesn't matter what I think will happen or even want to happen, but if I do x, y, and z, I'll get a specific result - often in spite of myself. 

    Like baking a cake or a chemical reaction.......  If I follow the directions, the result is predictable and consistent regardless of how I feel, what I want, or think will happen.

    Hell, I know two belligerent sons of bitches who actually tried to prove that this stuff won't really work by doing it out of spite and they too got the predictable result instead of what they wanted....which was to show everyone it was a bullshit fairy tale.

    Anyway, best of luck and keep chiming in here please.  It's always encouraged and welcome!!!!!  It's how we all learn and evolve.

    • Hook 'Em 1
    • Like 1
  6. 5 minutes ago, Celery Man said:

    You have to have your cars inspected annually to pay a tax and get a sticker on your plate here in NC. I guess it’s not that different than Texas although the tax is more and I feel like it wasn’t annual in Texas. Anyways, today is the day. I pulled up to the inspection station - like a jiffy lube with two bays and cars line up. I got there and, out of two even lines, I picked the line that looked like the first car was almost done. A few minutes later another car arrived and pulled up next to me. And the entire time I’m waiting there’s a little gremlin in my head that is racing the other car and is very concerned about the fairness of me having arrived first and my car should get to the front of the line first. This is why I need a whole framework for letting go of things and training my mind to float with peace in the chaos of the universe.

     

    how are y’all doing today?

    Yep!  And perfectly normal to consider whether you should burn the place to the ground if the other car gets finished first, right?

    Self, self, self, self, self - Oh wait....there's another way to think.  I take a breath, hear a different voice and consider that I don't know whether its good or bad if I get done first, or if it even matters to begin with.  I'm a cog in a wheel on a small rock hurtling through space.  A spec on a spec in the big picture.  Things are as they should be and fundamentally all is OK.

    Practice, practice, practice - spin off, come back to center, spin off, come back to center.

    Grateful I found a way to make "It" stop.

    • Hook 'Em 2
  7. 3 hours ago, Chewbacca said:

    I find the IAH Centurion lounge to be pretty nice as long as you can get one of the tables near the bar.  It's much nicer than the ones in DEN or DFW.

    I'm the opposite at IAH - I hate the layout and being seated anywhere near the bar.  It's where the bar, food service door, hallway to bathroom, and food line all converge.

    Impossible not to have people stepping over you, spilling shit, or bumping your table or computer.  It's way too cramped for my taste.

    That's just me.

    • Hook 'Em 1
  8. 19 hours ago, fattyflattie said:

    I’ve seen a few swifts in the last 6 months that weren’t crazy prices. Less that you paid for that Hornet I bet.  Couple of them were really nice, I’ll DM you if they come around again.   Haven’t seen any Bobs in…ever.   I almost convinced myself to pick up a LNIB Kimber of O Bob awhile back, but restrained myself.  My goal is to square away a P gun in the next 18 months or so, which is going to significantly slow down some of the rifles I’ve been hunting for awhile.  

    Yeah - I've let a few swifts get by me over a couple hundred dollars here lately.  Trying to keep it under $1500 plus buyers premium to keep it under two grand but haven't hit one yet.

    I've seen more 257's in auctions recently than I have over the last 12 months, but that's the difference in 5-6 vs. 2-3.  I haven't checked Gunbroker in a while.  So many of those give me bad vibes when dealing with M70's b/c there is a growing trend of "replicas" being passed off as real - rebarreled, restamped, restocked and not acknowledged.......that's harder to police there vs. with an auction house if something comes in and its obvious.

    There's a very nice supergrade Bob coming up to auction in a few days and I'm really, really tempted, but the butt plate was removed and a Pachmayr pad added, and a little notch out of the stock under receiver where a Lyman sight was added then removed.

    No one else would notice or give a shit but I'd think of those two things every time I wiped it down.  I know it is probably unreasonable on my part considering the age of the rifle but whatever!

     

     

  9. 1 hour ago, Muny_Tex said:

    Thank you v.much for the insight/perspective.  This is likely a one-time event, as I am trying to optimize excess cash obtained from rental property sales last year....otherwise, I wouldn't be able to stay net positive on bills/overhead/savings at those levels of contribution.

    While post-tax augments would typically be the wiser long-term bet for reasons you mentioned, my AGI reduction plan above will make us poor enough (by razor's edge) to qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit...which should yield ~$10K in immediate ROI via federal + state tax relief plus the corresponding investment benefits...creating a win-win where I then roll that "bonus" money into backdoor Roth and/or 529 supplements.

    Exactly why I edited the comment.  Lowering current taxes just for the sake of lowering taxes is very different than what you described.  Glad there was some clarification.  Too often, "reducing taxes" is just for the sake of such in a vacuum, and doesn't look at long term ramifications, but you have a plan and a purpose.  Sounds like you need to be dishing advice instead of asking!

    • Like 1
  10. 12 hours ago, Muny_Tex said:

    Thanks for the reply,  I've used back-door Roth in previous years when my income was too high for regular Roth.  However, back-door is not advantageous toward this year's goal of lowering my overall taxable income...since those after-tax contributions (either via post-max 401k or back-door Roth) are not deductible against my AGI.  This is also why I am supplementing 401k Max with Traditional IRA this year instead of Regular Roth, even though I am income-eligible for both.

     

     

    I don’t think there’s much left you can do given the stated goal…… but would ask a question - considering this year’s income, your age, and expected career earnings…. Have you looked at the possibility you’d be better off paying the taxes this year if you’ll likely be in a higher bracket later on?  Bracket arbitrage depends on a lot of assumptions but if you have any degree of certainty or a long runway of higher future income ahead, you might be stepping over dollars to pick up dimes this year by going all deductible/ traditional vs. Roth.  Maybe - maybe not- but one does have to consider that.….

    Edited to acknowledge there may be some other reason to keep income down besides just paying lower taxes.  That changes the calculations by introducing an outside variable or external need to reduce AGI. 

     


     

    • Hook 'Em 1
  11. 11 hours ago, Dbeasy said:

    Given a few really bad 10+ year periods I’m history where stocks declined spectacularly, would you be able to dollar cost average your withdrawals over that time period in such a a way as to not put you on a path to potentially running out of money? There have been a lot of studies showing that would be a problem because you can’t cut spending enough for long enough unless it’s discretionary. 

    Yeah- and that’s where the bonds as mentioned above or some other alternative asset class that doesn’t move lock step with equity will pay off.  You aren’t holding them to meet or exceed your expected long term equity returns, but you can lessen sequence of return risk when withdrawing by having different asset classes from which you pull those funds in certain years.

    Having the flexibility to pull fixed income coupon payments and even spend the principal on a maturing bond allows reinvestment of stock dividends into and no or few withdraws from an equity position that’s been hammered so you don’t eat all the seeds you’d need for next year’s crop.

    If you aren’t taking planning on taking an income off a portfolio then it’s a mute point, but if you need to siphon off a few percent a year starting in the next 5-10 years, it’s worth seeing how the simulations and probability of success run for you by adding some fixed income vs. staying 100% equity.

    You sure as shit don’t want to enter retirement and start immediately pulling from a 100% equity portfolio at the same time the market is in or entering a secular bear phase … and you can’t predict that looking out at your retirement date. 

    Emotionally it can feel counterintuitive, but the maths work when withdrawals and sequence of risk enter the chat. 
     

     

    • Hook 'Em 1
  12. 16 hours ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

    Ok, I agree with a lot of this. But what's the alternative? Nobody likes cold prospecting or would do it if they had a better option.

     Virtually no cost to it relative to return on just one hit. Not spending human capital. Pressing play and executing a run on a program daily. 
    If it’s even a semi legit operation, they probably have other & better marketing running simultaneously and email blast is just picking up loose change. 

  13. On 5/22/2024 at 7:55 PM, Fudge Nuggets said:

    There are still a lot of boomers in the workforce that refuse to retire. I figure the hit rate is pretty high among them. 

    My old partner (retired) still comes to the office 2 days a week for a couple hours each.  He has no business even looking at emails but out of respect and to help keep him mentally engaged, he still has an account.  Nothing of any importance but he gets to tell people he’s still working/consulting.  Harmless!

    At least twice a month he asks if my assistant will call xxxx  and tell “him” to quit bothering retired partner with emails. He can’t wrap his head around bots and spam.  He’s convinced someone is typing an email TO HIM.

    So yeah/ they get the attention of and some hits from that generation. 

    Biggest volume I get lately is SEO and someone found an error on my website they want to fix and demo their capabilities…… that a construction takeoff services using AI.  Dozen a day - all get block sender and into junk, but they change the url so even that is really a waste or time. 

     

     

     

  14. I ‘member those.  I wanted to peak at the 70’s.  I’m still hunting an as-built Bob (Std. and Fwt.),  Swift, and 375 Alaskan.  Really want to close those out. 

    You give a few generations +/- 75yrs and someone’s going to take something off or screw something on. No judgement there.  Rifles are tools for working, but I’m a sucker for as-built. 
    I bid on dozens of 70’s per year and get my fair share, but none of those iterations have been under my ceiling.  Time to raise the roof a bit probably.  

  15. 20 hours ago, BearSchlong said:


    Checking in. Unlike some heavy drinkers that show up in this forum from time to time, there's no way in hell I could stay stopped without the sober mafia of Alcoholics Anonymous.

    My goodness I loved drinking. I didn't want to stop. But like a punch in the face the disease made it plain that I had to choose which I loved more, drinking or breathing.

    Quitting is easy, and Harrison if you can abruptly put it down without difficulty then my hat is off to you. I always had a problem staying stopped. My brain forgets the bad stuff, and inevitably I’d start looking for excuses to escape and drink. My chemistry experiment lasted 22 years before I was ready to tap out.

    Please PM me your number if you want to talk, I love talking about recovery.

    Like @BearSchlong, I can’t stop once I start, and I can’t stay stopped…… without a sufficient substitute that I found in recovering. 
     

    No one seemed to understand, Alcohol wasn’t a problem, it was a solution for me, but the solution had horrible consequences.  Taking medication for a cold that give me cancer - over and over.

    having a different perspective and a new way to views the rules of engagement in life through the steps of AA proved to be a solution to my problems that exceeded any hope I might have had.  I just wanted to stop. It gave me far more.

    If you find you can’t stay stopped without becoming miserable- restless, irritable and discontent- there is a solution. Come on in….. The door is open.  Godspeed! 

     

     

    • Hook 'Em 3
    • Like 1
  16. Just watched the manager at IAH Centurian lounge verbally destroy some arrogant, entitled ass who was trying to big shot the check in and then got belligerent with the staff when they told him he had to do what everyone else does to get in.

    breath of fresh air! 

     

    • Hook 'Em 3
    • Like 2
  17. 10 hours ago, davidg said:


    My dad approves of this post.  Milsurp FTW.

     

    C6BA0C20-DEDE-40C9-B98F-C03EB1139F8C.thumb.jpeg.5aa1f989ee909ef45ef830b4ade07750.jpeg

     

    Nice!!!!!    I've got the euro and asian common weapons too....Mausers, Mosin, Enfield, SKS, etc.  I like them all unfortunately.  In fact, the Enfield 5 MK1 (Jungle Carbine) might be my favorite.  I don't know why - childhood fascination I guess. 

    All I can figure is that all those Saturday's watching Rat Patrol imprinted on me.

    Haven't dipped into the German handguns yet.  Too daunting to learn.  Too many copies and variants - I get overwhelmed and don't have that itch.

    Hey - that sporterized 1903 far right looks like a really well done rifle.  Any story to it?  There are some damn fine custom rifles made off those actions.  Someone spent some time and money on your dads.  Not uncommon to see some exquisitely built rifles on that action from even the Griffin and Howes of the world. 

    • Hook 'Em 2
  18. Yep - I was fortunate enough to get drawn on the random number generator in the very 1st cycle.

    Got a Remington frame with an Ithaca slide.  Nice gun.

    They went through a few more rounds when it was lifetime limit of one 1911, and then they got some more.

    They reopened the applications.

    Now into what I guess they call phase II where someone like me who's already bought can put in for another.

    I'm in the hopper for another one if/when my number gets pulled.

    I'm up to 12 Garands, a 1911, a .30 carbine, a 1917, and two 1903s (1903's I bought in store in Talladega).

    It's a bad habit that's easy to justify because of their (CMP's) pricing.  I tell myself I'm not spending money since they're priced well below market.

    That said, I'd never sell them unless under duress and if I'd run out of my wife's shit to sell.

    • Hook 'Em 2
    • Like 3
  19. Our company deals with check fraud either coming or going 3-4 times a month.

    They either wash our outgoing check and our positive pay picks it up, or we don't get paid and find out the same thing happened to a check coming to us.

    Unless the banks are keeping an investigation under super secret wraps, I can only surmise that much/most of this goes unpunished.  Seems to be a skimming operation off a stolen identity where fraudulent deposits are made and then funds withdrawn.

    Major PITA, but checks are still a big part of our payment process.  Not everyone is set up for EFT yet, and that comes with its own set of issues and security concerns.

    • Hook 'Em 1
  20. 44 minutes ago, Handcruser said:

    There is some PMC and S&B around that same price on ammoseek. S&B is great stuff. PMC is very good too. I’d go that route.

    Agree on S&B  Add Prvi Partizan to that list.   I've bought a ton of it...usually through SG.  I'm normally too slow for ammoseek and it can get cumbersome (for me).

    On management hunts with guests shooting doe and hogs, I normally hand them a box of S&B or PPU .243 or .270 if they're shooting my rifles.

    I'd probably describe both as A- ammo at C+ ammo prices.  Both fill military and LE contracts around the world and have a LONG history.

    Quality stuff and discount prices.

    • Hook 'Em 2
    • Like 1
×
×
  • Create New...