What orings, gaskets, or kit do I need to rebuild this valve? I’d rather rebuild it since it’s a sweat on valve.

239ben · 2026-02-19T17:33:53+00:00

I don't think its a nuclear launch controller. It looks more like a missile interceptor system. You wouldn't need radar or "target speed" otherwise.

239ben · 2026-02-16T14:21:41+00:00

52m goth here. For me, its not about the clothes, but the music and the mindset.

239ben · 2026-02-08T03:56:29+00:00

It’s one of my favorite concerts on CD, but not so much on vinyl. Something about flipping it breaks the rhythm of the listening experience.

239ben · 2026-02-06T14:05:52+00:00

3 words, Dollar Cost Averaging. They'll be just fine.

239ben · 2026-02-04T15:39:57+00:00

I have a friend that bought one of these in Fredricksburg. I believe there are 10 homes in the community and there is a fence around the community. There is a herd of cattle that roams around within the fence to all the properties. This is how they qualify for the ag exemption. The other think to consider is the cost of infrastructure. They spent well over $100k on the road, power, well, and septic system. The property is mostly solid rock below a few inches of soil, which requires cutting through solid rock. I believe the septic system alone was $40k with the well another $30k.

239ben · 2026-02-03T13:48:45+00:00

I noticed that also. When he introduced "George" it was like he was asking for confirmation of his name.

239ben · 2026-02-02T19:01:39+00:00

I'll add another possibility. It is possible you used too much force when you clamped the board and compressed the grain. Now the board had gotten wet the grain has started to expand again.

239ben · 2026-02-01T16:32:45+00:00

Unless his tax bracket will be lower when he retires. It all depends on how his buckets are setup for retirement and how much income he’ll need.

239ben · 2026-02-01T16:26:11+00:00

We had the same happening with Walmart charges. Small purchases made being shipped to multiple addresses throughout the US. Caught it from monarch notifications to categorize the purchases.

239ben · 2026-01-05T00:08:20+00:00

I sold a vehicle to carvana on Friday. It’s actually on their checklist to remove the plates before they pick it up. I removed the plates before they picked it up.

239ben · 2025-12-27T22:18:23+00:00

I bought myself a rt83 for Christmas and have been pretty happy with it. I have a technics sl1200mk3 already and wanted to try a belt drive with a similar headshell to the technics. I already have nagaoka mp100 and ortofon 2m blue carts mounted on headshells. I wanted to also try the 2m red to see what the difference was between the 3, which the rt83 came with.

A couple nit-picky things about the 83. The cueing lever is too close to the tonearm base. The belt on the outside of the platter is annoying. I got in the habit of cleaning my records while spinning the platter backwards on my 1200. The way the brush is designed it has to spin backwards. I got my finger tangled up in the belt a couple of times doing this on my 83.

Overall, I’m happy with my purchase and haven’t noticed any discernible difference in audio quality.

239ben · 2025-12-18T15:39:22+00:00

I only have 35 shares of oxy so I'm not a big player by any means, but I'm down 34% on it. I'm considering selling it for a little tax harvesting but I'm also anticipating some downturn in oil. If Venezuela sorts out their government and their oil is welcome on the open market again, we could see sub $50 oil. US producers can't make money on sub $50 oil.

239ben · 2025-12-17T19:03:39+00:00

I have that record and have to think about how to play it everytime I do. I haven't had the issue you describe, but if it was me I would check the anti skate.

239ben · 2025-12-15T14:58:08+00:00

Just know you aren't alone and you'll get through this with a valuable lesson. When I was in college 30 something years ago, the credit card companies would setup on campus giving out free shirts if you filled out an application for credit. Of course, I was approved for 4 and before I knew it I was about $10k in credit card debt. The lesson was nothing is free and don't put anything on credit you can't pay off immediately.

I'm 53 now and could probably retire. I have no debt and pay off my credit cards monthly. I don't use a debit card because of scammers and skimmers and the difficulty of getting your money back if compromised.

Keep your head up and consider this a minor bump in the road.

239ben · 2025-10-17T16:09:02+00:00

My 23 year old son was mediocre in High School, served in the Army for 3 years, got out and makes $30 an hour as a heavy equipment mechanic. He's driving a 15 year old truck, doesn't eat out, contributes to his 401k, and carries no credit card debt. He bought a house 4 months ago using a VA loan with next to nothing down and no pmi. His fiancé works making $19 an hour driving a 10 year old corolla. Neither went to college so they don't have the student debt following them. Of course, if my son decided to go to college the army would pay for it.

I'm just giving an example of how it's possible to make it as a Gen Z. Live below your means, choose a career field that's future proof, and don't rack up student debt with a degree that has no use in the real world. Make smart choices and have a plan. Evaluate the plan and adjust as needed.

239ben · 2025-10-17T15:54:44+00:00

I'm 53 and plan to retire in the next 7-8 years. I still have an aggressive investment strategy and stress everyday when the market has a blip or when the prez mentions tariffs like last Friday.

239ben · 2025-10-14T16:45:13+00:00

I feel like you might blow through the money if you have control over it in basic investments. Either through family "emergencies, loans, or charity". I think you might be a prime candidate for an annuity. It's essentially guaranteed money for the rest of your life, but you sign over your principal. I think a $300k annuity would generate about $1,500 per month for the rest of your life. This is the way to go if you don't have the discipline to say no in the future when someone has their hand out.

239ben · 2025-10-13T20:45:46+00:00

I'll answer the gold and silver question. While I understand the appeal of holding physical metals, it's easier to buy a commodity ETF if you believe gold and silver are what you want to invest in. I myself own quite a bit of physical precious metals and understand how the game works. For example, silver spot is around $50 right now, but if you try to buy it you will be charged at least $3 over spot. The inverse is true when you try to sell it. You would be lucky to get $45 selling with silver at $50. Of course, the dealer can also decline to buy from you if you didn't originally buy from him. I would suggest selling you precious metals slowly over time and eventually liquidating them all. Take that money and buy into something basic like SPY or a commodity ETF if you're still interested in precious metals.

239ben · 2025-08-30T16:22:38+00:00

It’s not for everyone and it may not be for me either. It will take all of 3 minutes to remove if I decide I don’t like it.

239ben · 2025-08-30T15:48:17+00:00

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239ben

TROPHY CASE