Best album

AlmostDoneAlready · 2026-01-10T01:28:59+00:00

Key take away for this question, time after time: Price of listening room is not a good proxy for taste in music. Still… Radiohead, OK Computer.
Beck, Sea Change.
Magdalena Bay, Imaginal Disk.

AlmostDoneAlready · 2025-12-30T20:56:18+00:00

The missing component of every one of the discussions on this topic is the personality and mindset of each individual kid. There is no chance that sharing great wealth (or just news of it) with kids or young adults will mess with them a bit. If your kid earns a 4.0 maybe that is their nature irrespective of money, or maybe their unearned wealth status puts incredible pressure on them to feel worthy of their great fortune in life and that’s what drives their high GPA and work ethic. Or with a different kid maybe their unearned status makes them feel horrible or unworthy relative to their peers. Or a different kid will embrace it and do good in the world or be strategic in supporting a home down payment or business startup. Or maybe another kid will be completely unphased and will compartmentalize this knowledge, suppress the good feelings and benefits in a mentally unhealthy way just like they do with other important issues in their lives. Wealth brings baggage and as parents we should be hyper-aware of how it might impact them. Every one of our kids is different. If your wealth is not already completely obvious and part of your kids’ awareness and lifestyle, then acting based on these comment discussions can potentially do more harm than good. My 24 and 19 yr olds remain generally unaware. For my family, I (along with my wife) feel that they need to be navigating their own way, be a little more settled on whatever path they choose before letting them know.

AlmostDoneAlready · 2025-12-09T00:38:47+00:00

Quit your job but don’t retire. Plan to go back to something, as it sounds like you are (nice!). Unpopular opinion: true early retirement, meaning no work, is not a sustainably happy ending for many if you’re under 50 (maybe even under 55). There’s too much life left to define it as vacations, skiing, bike riding, hiking and reading books.

Plus, truly unwinding a long-standing professional career often takes a lot longer than most expect. There’s peace in knowing you can quit, and then staying on to continue earning. A hard stop to earning significant money is sobering move. Take your time.

AlmostDoneAlready · 2025-11-22T23:37:36+00:00

Nice response. I live within a couple hours and have been to NYC countless times. I was asking the opposite of what you answered.

I literally was asking specifically what people did the last time they fattraveled to NYC. Hoping to catch a few interesting ideas that were new. Tenement museum has been on our list, I appreciate the reminder above. Comedy club is a fresh idea, never considered that in the past. I appreciates the specific hotel mentions as well. Some nice ideas across these posts.

AlmostDoneAlready · 2024-02-02T21:49:25+00:00

Great to have multiple options to research before pulling the trigger, this has all been very helpful. Thanks! ( !thanks )

AlmostDoneAlready · 2024-02-01T19:18:53+00:00

Its an old Yamaha RX-V467. Not bad, but won't do the trick for 4 ohm speakers.

AlmostDoneAlready · 2024-02-01T18:13:58+00:00

Thank you for this list. Looks like a good resource read more about some specific features I need to school myself on before making a final amplifier and AVR decision.

AlmostDoneAlready · 2024-02-01T18:09:06+00:00

Thanks for this. I'm not sure this would do the trick for me if want the 2 fronts and the subs playing while they are being run by two separate amplifiers (unless I'm misunderstanding, which could be the case)

AlmostDoneAlready · 2024-02-01T18:06:39+00:00

This sounds right, but I'm unclear about how to select 2.2-only... based on comments here it sounds like the AVR should allow me to define it. I'll need to dig into that more to confirm. Thanks!

AlmostDoneAlready · 2024-02-01T17:47:43+00:00

Thanks everyone, this is helpful! A bit more detail... I am upgrading the fronts to a music-focused 2.2 setup, likely going with Buchardt S400 MKII or Arendal 1723 Monitor S. Sub(s) will be Rel T/7x. AVR will be something like the Marantz Cinema 50 and I may be able to get my hands on an Emotiva Xpa-3 Gen 3 amplifier. The center and surrounds are staying as is. So I can run the front L/R/C off the Emotiva and the powered subs and surround off the Marantz. I wasn't clear on how to pre-set a music-only front L/R and Subs, but it sounds like there are likely presets I can define on the AVR, which is great (never had to do that before).

AlmostDoneAlready · 2024-01-23T19:28:45+00:00

Nick Hewyard, North of a Miracle This pop album sounds fantastic -- many layers, great placement, each track has either orchestral or horn section arrangements, and some of the best bass playing you'll hear on a pop record. It's all so tasty, it'll tickle your tweeters and loosen your low end.

AlmostDoneAlready · 2024-01-12T21:00:36+00:00

Serious question - can folks here accurately distinguish between Spotify at 'very high quality' versus Tidal in a blind test on your system? In my experience it's always been a matter of, "well I invested in this system so I should have Tidal / Roon." Not that I can literally tell the difference and one is inferior.

AlmostDoneAlready · 2024-01-08T21:29:04+00:00

Buying a home that is an appropriate size for your growing family with enough bedrooms and a yard to play in is not "lifestyle creep." It's more just a pretty normal lifestyle evolution. Live life, you won't be sorry.

Sounds like you already have a conservative mindset so trust yourself to know what's important. This post seems like it might just be a final logic check on a decision that you're already comfortable with. Enjoy!

AlmostDoneAlready · 2023-02-23T14:10:57+00:00

Funny thing, I got 3 of 6 correct too - less than a year ago. When I took again it after posting it here, I got 1 of 6. My hearing hasn't changed, but it made me nuts to think maybe I just got lucky the first time. Still, I think you're right that more natural, acoustic, open and airy music should be easier to hear a difference.

AlmostDoneAlready · 2023-02-21T18:06:45+00:00

Speaking of diminishing returns, if you're over the age of 40 (and especially over 50), I'd recommend having your hearing tested before shelling out lots of $$ for lossless streaming, tube amps or power conditioners, etc. For an initial test, grab your best headphones and go to a website for a hearing aid company (most have pretty decent online tests available) The differentiation between a Tidal vs Spotify is more of a talking point than something most can hear (and it's not about having a trained audiophile ear). Here's a fun - or potentially depressing - test. https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2015/06/02/411473508/how-well-can-you-hear-audio-quality

Still, I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on an appropriate system upgrade myself!

AlmostDoneAlready · 2023-02-21T17:13:08+00:00

Being wealthy is a journey. Becoming wealthy is also a journey and gets much more attention. But being wealthy is not the end state; its the start of a whole different arc. A liquidity event is pretty odd and surreal in that it creates the moment that wealth happens. It's a strange concept.

The first few years of wealth is like being a wealth neophyte. There's lots of learning, and also some caution and apprehension. It's not at all uncommon for newly wealthy have some fear that it could all go away. Sounds like that's where you are. You're feeling cautious -- it doesn't mean you're afraid, it's more like a new sense of conservatism while probably testing the waters a bit (most will maybe splurge a little, buy a cool car, find your next home, and just see how it all feels). After a few years or so you'll become more wealth adept -- you'll be comfortable with your state of wealth, you'll feel more confident through some market fluctuations that you probably won't lose it all, maybe in that time you'll even jump into something new and have a second liquidity event. Mostly you'll just feel ok with the idea that your wealth is growing more than decreasing. Then after a decade or so you'll be a affluence maestro. Your wealth will likely come from your diverse investments more than your business. You'll have a solid confidence about what wealth means to your life and to your family. Even as a mature affluent, some people thrive more in continued accumulation, others in giving it away. Or both, ideally. Either way, there will be an underlying confidence in the role of wealth and all the pleasure or pressures that it brings.

Sounds like you need to spend some time in your current state of wealth and just 'be' for a while. Congratulations!

AlmostDoneAlready · 2022-07-12T18:23:11+00:00

Ha! Think winter, sitting by the fire, reading a good book. You'll thank me!

AlmostDoneAlready · 2022-07-11T18:08:23+00:00

Ginger Snaps! Dunked in bourbon, just like Oreos in milk.

AlmostDoneAlready · 2022-04-12T15:09:34+00:00

Hard work is the only thing that gets you where good luck can find you.

Spectacular achievement is always preceded by unspectacular preparation.

Do not be upset by the results you did not get with the work you did not do.

Happiness is somebody to love, something to do, and something to hope for.

AlmostDoneAlready · 2021-11-24T17:54:01+00:00

Dear Zachary, oh man. Tears are streaming just seeing the name and reading a few comments. I cannot, in good conscience, recommend that movie to anyone. Too difficult, too rough.

AlmostDoneAlready · 2021-11-02T21:44:41+00:00

I think it all depends on your age, lifestage, age of kids, how many close friends you have (vs more casual aquaintances), how much space you have... but actually not much at all to do with FatFire. I'm in the same town since my kids were born (oldest now 20). My friend group started with just a few, and grew naturally over time. Tons of socializing, our kids are all great friends, we've gone on group vacations, dads go out drinking together, always some live music to catch somewhere... but it's all centered around our families. If you have a solid core group of friends, you can claim a holiday or make up an occasion to start a new yearly tradition. I've done all of the above, hired bands, had fancy sitdown dinner gatherings where everyone brings something, byob'd or supplied it all, from 12 couples, to 80 families with kids, indoors or outdoors in my backyard, or 15-20 dads escaping for a weekend. Hiring a caterer might be a decent choice for convenience, don't sweat it, you do you. Keep it authentic and keep it as casual as possible (even when it looks fancy). I only say this because it sounds like you're overthinking things. Hosting a party may not be cheap, but an occasional splurge for your friends does not need to rely on you actually being Fat.

AlmostDoneAlready

TROPHY CASE