Ye Olde Randome Babble Thread - 112

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I'd be freezing at that point!!
78 is the lowest the AC at my house gets set, and some days even that's a bit cool for me. I tend to keep a humidifier in my room, since my sinuses really complain when the humidity is below 50%.

 

The fog is strong... and early.

 

Hmmm...this is interesting. My laptop runs a lot cooler when I remove the battery. It's not like it's charging or anything...it's just sitting there running on AC power.

 

That's worth knowing. What make is it?

 

It's a Dell Studio XPS. I think I found a possible cause. A lot of Dell laptops have a screen hinge design that partially blocks the CPU exhaust port (a rather idiotic design flaw if you ask me). By removing the battery, it creates an empty space in front of the screen - right next to the exhaust port. This empty space may be enough to let heat dissipate more efficiently.
It’s not like it get so hot it’s unbearable to use when the battery is attached, I just noticed that it felt a lot cooler with it detached.

 

Found out some saves were corrupting on KotOR2 because Vista reset permissions for the game

 

Ha! Three instances of "Oh s**t! I should have listened to him!" all within a single week.

You're not going to believe this. The following is why parents (age 70 in this case) should *always* listen to their children (age 25).

Remember our little chat about HVAC systems on the other page? Well, to sum it up...I scheduled a free, no-obligation inspection/quote through the services of Costco. Well, my dad refused to even let them step foot in the house, even though it was me who scheduled them to come. Well, today as we were watching TV, the sound of death came from the back yard. Turns out, the outdoor condenser unit bit the bullet. I'm not sure if it's a fan or the compressor...but either way, it's dead. It’s forecasted to be in the low to mid-90’s all this week...I’m not looking forward to it.

One thing I haven't mentioned at all, is their car. It's a 1997 Toyota Avalon with over 250,000mi on it. I hate driving/riding in it. The shocks have been shot for the past year or so...and it gived me motion sickness. When I moved back to my parent’s house, I used it while my car was in the shop. I noticed that it shifted hard from 2nd to 3rd gears. I told my mom about it, and she said it had been doing that for quite some time. Well, to make a long story short, they need a new transmission, new suspension, and a bunch of other things. I was only half listening to my dad...but it’s going to cost him over $3,000 plus labor to get everything fixed.

The third thing he did just last week was re-finance his house. He got a much better rate, but didn’t borrow any money. I reminded him that they were going to be in NY much longer than I will be, and having some extra cash would be nice. “Oh, I think we’ll be alright.” He said. Uhhh.....oops! Now, I don’t know how that whole mortgage thing works, but if he’s not able to go back and pull some money from the equity (or whatever), then he’s going to have to dig deep into his retirement account.

Moral of the story? Listen to your kids!

 

Actually going further into debt when retired is very poor advice. Retirement accounts are actually FOR taking care of needs such as auto and house repairs. Personally, I would even be for using retirement accounts to pay off the mortgage -- but then I really don't like having a mortgage payment (I'll defer the merits of paying off the house prior to retirement to our financial advisors on the boards).

EVERY heating and air conditioning installer will do a NO OBLIGATION inspection and quote. Costco is not the place to go for specialized help. Have your parents find a GOOD HVAC shop.

Morale of the story: There may be a reason they're not listening....

 

It's really getting hot over here and not in a good sense.

 

Damn! Maybe I should cancel that surgical procedure I've got scheduled...

Well, it’s a bit different in the US than Canada because US taxpayers can write off their mortgage payments against income (although I’m not sure how that works exactly), but generally speaking, if you have non-retirement savings, it’s usually a good idea to use it to pay down debt, starting with the highest interest rate debt (usually credit cards); mortgages would generally be last on the list. You might want to set aside savings for a rainy-day fund, but only if your only debt is your mortgage. It makes no sense to be paying 20% or more on a credit card when you’re only making a few percentage points on your savings; it’s even worse when you consider that interest on your savings is taxable, while interest on debt (other than mortgages in the US) is typically not tax deductible (unless the debt has been incurred to earn taxable income, which usually occurs only in a business environment).

 

I can write off my interest and real estate taxes -- only if I itemize my deductions. Even then it's only a write off of income; if you're in the 35% tax bracket you effectively get 35% back. If you don't itemize you get nothing back (which could happen if your standard deduction is greater than the itemized deduction).

Thinking about it I really don't understand why a person wouldn't take the financial advice of a young man with a tricked out car and computer who is still living with mommy and daddy.

 

Now T2 *snicker*, that’s not *giggle* very nice *snort*…

 

Tee hee hee

 

It's not Costco who's doing the work. They have partnered with 3 different companies who specialize in Lenox, Trane, and one other brand that I forgot. The only reason I even bothered to go through Costco, is the member discount and the $300 Costco Cash Card. Going through a local contractor...say, Esco, or one of the many others...he wouldn't have gotten any discount at all. It's summer; these companies charge an arm and a leg for AC systems when it's hot. Supply and demand and all that.

Firstly, grandpa...I'm only living at my patent's house since I *lost* my home in the divorce.
I've been looking for a suitable roommate(s) for the past 6 months, but all my friends are all too poor ATM...

Secondly, I gave him "advice" because I knew the current state of their HVAC system and their car. It has been very obvious to me for quite some time that both are on their last leg. When I found out my dad was refinancing the house for a better rate, I figured he'd at least take a few thousand dollars out...for whatever...well, now he's hating life.

And thirdly, what the F**K does having a "tricked out" car and a computer have to do with anything? What...Have you no hobbies? I bet you, or your wife are into scrapbooking (or something equally lame and expensive), and have spent well over what I've spent on my car and my computer combined! So don't give me that f***ing BS. -.-

---------- Added 0 hours, 21 minutes and 39 seconds later... ----------

Why? It's not like he ever listens to me anyway. As it stands, he's out $3,000 (plus labor) for the car...and he has my neighbor, who works for Esco, coming over after work to inspect the HVAC system. It's probably going to cost a s**t-load to fix. To which I say...Ahahahahahahaha!!!!

It's just common sense that preventative maintenance costs a lot less than having major repairs done. (I should know, that's 75% of my current job description. It costs tens of thousands of dollars less to do a PM every 50-hours on a tool, rather than replacing the entire chamber after letting it go for 200-hours straight.)
My dad doesn't think this way. He's *never* had the HVAC unit inspected by a professional, and he does all of the car preventative maintenance by himself...which I have nothing against, so long as it's done correctly and within the specified time/distance as per the manufacturer's specs. I know for a fact that my dad only changes the oil in his cars after 8,000 miles. He doesn't use high quality oil that allows for extended time between oil changes. No, he uses the cheapest stuff on the shelf.

So, since he's hit rock bottom with his retarded decision making, listening to me when I gave my suggestions would have only softened the faceplant into the pavement he's now experiencing.

 

That was funny.

After losing my house in the divorce I moved into an apartment.

I don't have hobbies ... I have children. The closest thing I have to a hobby is finishing my basement (two bedrooms, a 15' X 50' rec room, a bathroom, and a 15' X 20' weight room -- I had a contractor do the plumbing) ... along wiring an emergency generator and power box to handle all the vital loads in the house. Oh yeah, and the wet bar ... can't forget about the oak bar I built in my rec room from scratch (complete with the really cool oak arm rails). It's been quite a lame and expensive "hobby".

 

I thought he was just dishing it back in his retort -- I even repped him for it.

Scrapbooking ... that was good.

 

I'm going to work like a madman for the next three weels... but the paychecks are going to be good, and by ricochet, I'll save on fog. The extra fog will be used for the grande finale. Can't have a three-week marathon without properly chilling out... I was trying to think of a witty pun, but my brain and myself are in a different timezone, so tough luck.

 

I know the feeling.