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Reagan1k

Certifiably Surly
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Everything posted by Reagan1k

  1. As someone who spent the better part of my lifetime treating symptoms and not the condition, I can report that for me, what @Sawbones, @TwiceHorn and @Gil Bang have said is good advice. Xanax puts a bandage over a laceration that needs stitches, and it hurts like hell when you remove that bandage....only to find the laceration is still there. Figuring out the source of the anxiety, and coming up with tools to mitigate it is a long term and healthy solution. Xanax may be appropriate in certain circumstances, but one should tread carefully there and have a legitimate respect (bordering on fear) for the negative side effects. Best of luck to you. Work with a pro who's first inclination is to look at causation and solutions, with medication being a tool of last resort. (****And, be brutally honest with them when you talk about what's up. Don't hide anything. They can't do their work if they don't have all of the information****)
  2. Old School Squash Casserole
  3. My most recent cab ride was the best I've had in 30+ years. Clean car, friendly driver, and reasonable fare. I think cabs are slowly evolving in areas where ride sharing has been allowed to hit them where it hurts. I prefer Uber/Lyft but am willing to take a cab when necessary. As I tell my wife every time she starts to bitch about surge pricing or long wait times. "We can always walk - it's your call.....what's it worth to avoid that, because that's what we're paying for?" She loves that! I know because she doesn't speak to me for a few hours after I say it. Obviously she is silently pondering my brilliance and her good fortune in marrying me.
  4. That stretch of road, especially the part from Eckhert (FM 1323) past Big Sandy Creek about 5-7 miles is gorgeous.
  5. Friend just got back. Said it was great. Proof of vaccine or negative test (48-96 hours prior depending on test) to enter. US require a negative test to return. Curfew is 10pm except on Thurs- Sat nights when it is midnight. Mask mandate has been eased some. Don't have to wear one in a golf cart. Need it in public gathering areas or retail. Take it off at a table in a restaurant or bar. Much more lenient than they had been. Some shops mask use was observed to appear optional at best, but that's not policy. Resorts are able to make them optional on their grounds, even in indoor common areas. Said it was finally filling back up with travelers and investors buying property. Locals are as friendly as ever and very happy to have the place hopping again.
  6. No cattle. Just 100 acres of old land we have had for decades with no fence. Once (if) the economy and material pricing returns to some level of normalcy I’m thinking of putting up a simple perimeter fences to mark the property lines and create boundaries for hunting or hiking around.....with the idea that my kids’ families might get some use out of it as a getaway in a few years when their kids come of age.
  7. Anybody have a guestimate on basic fencing costs for a basic 3-wire or 4-wire fence, installed in the Edwards County area?
  8. Have a close friend who took out a railroad crossing.........Not the arm, the entire apparatus. Cost a fortune.
  9. Often enough..... That’s a lot of cases that otherwise would still be unsolved.
  10. Seems to be happening more often now with advances in DNA and all the genealogy kits being sold. Someone gives kits to family members for Christmas, and then at the next family reunion, creepy uncle Larry is conspicuously absent. Turns out he's doing life for rape or murder in the 80's because they retested the evidence.
  11. I'm not sure what model 1911 you have by the bed, but those Black Talons in the magazine may be worth a good chunk of the gun's value. I kid - sort of. I recently stumbled upon some listings for original Black Talons and were shocked at what people were asking and paying. Nostalgia is a helluva drug.
  12. What's the minimum B&C score to get a porcupine in the record books? How do I score it? I'm assuming measure every quill and sum the lengths? I've got one spending every night under a protein feeder eating the scraps that fall. He sleeps there when deer aren't present and wakes to eat as they do. Pretty sure I'll have a 'Booner by October, and should be able to justify a new rife, suppressor, and high end thermal scope purchase to seal the deal.
  13. We don't talk about the cost of shoes or guns in my house. Our marriage is the better for it.
  14. I enjoy his show, if for no other reason than he lets them tell their story, and make each one of those small business owners feel like a James Beard Award Winner by the time he leaves. I don't mind his act.....it's certainly a lot more palatable than many pretentious food critics would be. There's something to be said for lifting those folks up and recognizing their hard work, whether I would love their food or not. If you can make it more than a couple of years in that industry and have happy customers, that's an accomplishment worth noting, and he does a good job at it.
  15. Guacamole with Ruffles
  16. Yeah - Based on my understanding, the suppressor bill is a lot murkier than the carry bill. The Texas suppressor bill will be a line drawn in the sand and there will need to be other decisions made. In theory it will exempt citizens from prosecution on a state and local level, but the ATF is still the ATF and could prosecute under Federal laws. It may not be a perfect analogy, but is akin to some of the cannabis legislation. Technically legal in the eyes of a given state, but still illegal under federal laws. I'm not privy to nor do I understand how it is supposed to work, but my guess is that it is a 1st step and a stepping stone to additional actions against or legal challenges to federal laws which will have to work their way through courts before TX citizens are free from federal oversight with regard to suppressors. From what I understand, the interstate commerce issue plays a big role here and that is or can be so broadly defined that the feds can flex on even suppressors manufactured here if they want to nitpick down to the raw material used in production, etc., etc. There is a long game being played here and its still the top of the 1st inning even if the governor signed it today.
  17. It can be a bit concerning for the insured when you tell them- “yeah I know the annual premium is really high, but don’t worry mom, you won’t be paying premiums but for a month, maybe two max.....I promise.”
  18. Correct- no way to use term insurance. Too expensive and not what the need is. She wants something to be there regardless of when she dies. Term covers a certain period of time - wrong product application. I’ll agree with you that in many, many cases, whole life appears to be a racket- but that’s really an indictment on the sales tactics and justifications- not on the product itself. If there is a need for insurance for an entire life period, regardless of when death occurs, then you need to insure the whole life. IMO- you have to differentiate between between the product being shit and the tactics being used to sell it where it’s not the right tool. whole life is a financial tool- used for the right reason it can be beneficial. Misapplied, I’ll agree it is a racket. It may or may not work for @ROFL BOX but it should be vetted, as term will be a non starter as you pointed out. There may be other options too. Gotta kick some tires and look for the best tool to fix the problem.
  19. Get with an agent and see if she can qualify for a small whole life policy- maybe $10-$15k - depending on her health they may underwrite her or may steer her towards a guaranteed issue final expense plan. Could be forced as high as $25-$50k but maybe not. Might also shop the web for limited or no underwriting final expense plans. probably smart to stay away from preplanned funeral home products.
  20. Those things seldom make sense on a purely mathematical basis, but they do give the elderly a peace of mind that does have value beyond the NPV or IRR. If she’s got the disposable income or plenty of cash in savings and it lets her rest easy or tell Marge over bridge that she’s done well by her kids, it’s not the worst thing. If she’s paying for it instead of for food, medicine, or compromising her lifestyle in some other way, then keep her away from them. Personal finance gets messy when you deal with the personal side and aren’t just looking at the finance.
  21. Your friends are correct. If they start to waver, I can provide them with the names of two different people I know who can dissuade them. Your buddies will find mine willing to talk anytime because they are bored, doing federal time. Paying cash on any decent scale opens the Feds playbook for so many charges, and they’ll make your friend look like a robber barron to the jury instead of a guy just trying to run a business and get product moved during unprecedented times. It’s a layup prosecution and layers of restitution that can’t be overcome.
  22. The barrier preventing legal carry was a low bar already. I don’t think this will have a significant statistical difference on the number of people who carry vs. those that don’t. IMO, if you wanted to carry you were already licensed. If not, you didn’t feel the need or didn’t like the perceived inconvenience. I think it’s much more of a political trophy rather than a bill that will actually change much behavior.
  23. I will add this- if the loved one is still driving before the diagnosis, be damn sure you have a plan to deal with that the moment a diagnosis is confirmed. No one wants to be in a situation where you had knowledge of a medical diagnosis of any diminished capacity prior to an accident. That would be an expensive negligence claim on top of the moral/ethical obligation to prevent a potentially tragic outcome. The taking of keys is often a difficult battle, and you don’t have time to ease into it once a condition is confirmed by a doctor.
  24. Patients often develop coping and compensating skills, sometimes subconsciously. Saying things like, “remind me” or “I may have already asked you, but..”. They will also redirect conversations to things the can remember when they can’t keep up with or understand a present conversation. “grandmother, what did you have for lunch?” “Have I ever told you about the time I stayed in the Intercontinental on Michigan Avenue and had lunch with your aunt Gertrude?”
  25. The cognitive tests are baffling and fascinating at the same time, It does take a trained medical provider to administer and interpret them. The patient can compensate and do things to make a lay person question their own suspicions. I have a family member who can’t tell or make time on a clock, thinks a Bush is still president, but can do complex mathematical functions. You let him “run the test” and he can prove to you how sharp he is and make you think you’re overreacting. A neurologist can peel the onion back and tell everyone the truth.
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