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[quote=temeculaguy]Maybe I should become a film maker, this sounds like something netflix would buy.[/quote]

That is a great idea for a series. Netflix allows for shows that viewers want, as opposed to shows that advertisers want, which is why they are generally better than broadcast shows, and this is something they could and possibly would try. Real time, 6 seasons, 2003-2008. A bull agent, a John Doe office worker and family in over their heads, a frustrated bear, sleazy mortgage lenders, suburban heaven, etc. Maybe done in the style of the Big Short or Weeds. I would watch the hell out of that.

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[quote=gzz]As for better housing not leading to happiness, it really depends. If I moved up from my 800,000 house to a 1.6m one nearby, probably I’d be a tiny bit happier. But I know I was happier when I moved up to this one from a more cramped situation.

My comfort level and space requirements were largely set growing up in suburban 1960’s houses of about 2200sf on big lots. I did not like being more cramped when I first moved here. It was like a slight background anxiety was lifted when I moved to a bigger place with more space and privacy (and I could do so within budget).[/quote]

This. I am happier in 3,000sf than I was in 2,000, and certainly happier than I was in a cramped condo. A bigger garage makes for a better man cave, more distance between neighbors means that cave can have a subwoofer, there’s room to store things without feeling like I need to constantly donate stuff that actually does have some value to me. It’s little things like the kids having a fort under the stairs because we have the room to spare. It’s a sanctuary/resort/stress reliever.

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Do it 🙂

Ask yourself which is more important – years of driving enjoyment now, or a few extra bucks in retirement when you probably won’t really need it and may not be able to enjoy it. If I could get away with buying that Miata now as a second car, I would. As it is, a “toy” car is many years away for me. Next up in a couple years – new daily driver in the form of the next gen STI on their new global platform. Need to be able to haul little people. It’s fun listening to them giggle in the twisties.

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I think of it as gambling, too. Because I’ve never had good luck at the casino, I’m guessing I’ll lose the bet and live. If I don’t, my family will be financially secure. Win-win… sort of. We’re actually considering doubling our coverage for the remainder of the term.

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[quote=flu]I might need to purchase a miata earlier than I thought… Mazda may not survive…
[/quote]

Which would be a damned shame. The current crop are the best sub-$30k cars made by any company, anywhere. IMO.

An ND will always trump (sorry) a BRZ on the track simply because of the extreme weight difference. Every mod you throw at them will have a bigger impact on the Miata. I do prefer a hard top, and the BRZ is a blast to drive, but it also bugs me that you can’t throw a rock without hitting an FRS these days. It’s the main reason I couldn’t bring myself to buy a Mustang, even though I like the new GT.

The RF would be an option if not for having the additional weight in exactly the wrong place, and the disturbing pulsing buffeting that occupants apparently endure with the top down.

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[quote=FlyerInHi]
Isn’t interesting that educated DIYers are better than the tradesmen?[/quote]
This aspect is irritating to me. There should be more stringent requirements for licensing. As it is, I think of the vast majority of contractors as trained monkeys, am positive I could do a better job, but don’t have the time to learn – either that or I would be so anal retentive that it would take me months to complete (like with a tile job). In many cases, you’ll find three or four different methods of doing something online, only one of which is really effective, long-lasting, and makes future maintenance easier. I tend to try the other three before I get it right, but the experience is invaluable.

Luckily I have a GC, tile guy, and plumber I trust for the stuff I don’t have time to learn. There are some things everyone should know, though. The movers hooked up our dryer’s gas line without sealant, for pete’s sake (untrained monkey?). I shudder to think of people paying a plumber $100 to come out for that 1-minute job.

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I don’t need to turn on/off lights or re-order products by voice command, or change the temperature when the thermostat is already programmed exactly the way I want it. I know when I’m out of eggs.

I’m not the paranoid type (I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that I’m on at least one “dissident” list, due to online anti-government rants, and I’m okay with that), but taking “we only listen to phrases following a specific key word” at face value – coming from companies who are literally desperate to learn as much as they can about you and who have continually lied to consumers about information gathering, storage, and dissemination – seems foolhardy to me. And that’s only considering the manufacturer, not hacking. No thanks.

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I keep mine easy so I stick with them and they become habit.

1. Stretch (that’s a good one, started a 15 min yoga regimen a few days ago)
2. Shoot hoops with my kid most weekends
3. Floss more

I couldn’t stop reading the news entirely, but I have stopped reading political news/debates/FB posts. Feels great so far, having less negativity in my life.

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We are still paying our gardener to care for the property – doing them a favor, as they have helped make this go smoothly. We’ll stop upon moving out, which is in two weeks, and let the pm know.

It is a good example of what should be in the agreement.

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We are in this situation right now in Temecula, except we’re the renters. I don’t think you have a whole lot to be concerned with, considering they were owners and are buying a new house – i.e., on the surface it sounds like they’re responsible enough. In our case, we sold to a pair of Chinese retirees, all cash. We needed to rent for 45 days until our new construction is complete, and worked out all the terms in the contract (no deposit, 45 days rent in advance, with an option for more time at market rate if needed). They aren’t nitpicking us about anything (haven’t even heard from them or their pm since closing, in fact), which we really appreciate. Funny thing is, because we still have a bit of an attachment to the place, I’m the one worried about them taking care of it. “They do know they need to hire a gardener asap, right?” We’re taking the same good care of it we always have, and we’ll leave it spotless when we go.

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[quote=moneymaker]Ok, so i just checked my annualcreditreport and no one is stealing my identity but did notice 3 inquiries by 3 credit cards that I have no balance on. I have kept them because I heard that if one cancels them then you get dinged on credit report, but if I’m getting dinged any way because of some automated inquiry that they are making then it pisses me off and i think I should cancel them. I’m not planning on any major purchase in the near future, it is just not right! What think Ye Piggs should I cancel or keep credit cards with no balance?[/quote]

Those may be “soft” inquiries, which don’t affect your score. At a wild guess, it was one of those automatic limit increase reviews that credit card issuers sometimes do. You have to deliberately authorize hard inquiries, which do ding your score. If they are hard inquiries, the banks will have them removed at your request.

I keep my oldest credit card accounts open, even though I don’t use them. Age of accounts matters.

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[quote=zk]Transparent bullshit. Predict a recession, and then if it doesn’t happen, you can say it’s because of your guy. If it does, you say it would’ve happened anyway.

All that enthusiasm for trump, and not one single positive prediction. I wonder why that is.[/quote]

Where exactly in those posts did you deduce that he’s “your guy?” Or are you just reading into things hoping to find a conservative to bash? I think he’s an idiot who is on track to set us back decades. I certainly didn’t vote for him.

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[quote=livinincali]I predict a fairly severe recession that would have happened no matter who was president. I also think he’ll likely be a one term president, but I thought the same thing about both major candidates.[/quote]

This. He will also take much of the blame for it, as H would have had she won.

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[quote=FlyerInHi]
Sorry, but eating pizza on the couch is not the same a eating a well prepared meal at the table with silverware. It’s eating all the same, but the former act is low class survival, the latter is civilized.[/quote]Check out a series of videos called “Village Food Factory” on youtube. Curious if you would consider that low class survival or civilized. I would be honored to eat with them.

I agree, though. I would eat at the dining room table if we didn’t have a giant guinea pig cage on it.

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[quote=flu]
I miss the days, when you look underneath the products found in this country, you could see the label that screams a quality made product. The label would read

“Made in Taiwan” :)[/quote]

I still see that on some clothes, and on average they do seem to be higher quality. I’m curious to know the reason. It seems to me that the product you end up with is as good as the company is willing to pay to have it made, and I know that actual Chinese companies (as opposed to American companies having products made in China) produce some good stuff when they want to. I’m into vacuum tube amps, and a $300 amp from China is every bit the equal of a $1,000 amp from a U.S. manufacturer, in sound and build quality, with a greater sense of artistry in the Chinese design.

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