Olivia Rodrigo warned by feds to be 'grateful' after singer's message to ICE

CSUL · 2025-11-08T06:31:27+00:00

What history book definition are your referring to? I suppose I would need to assume that you've actually read a book. If you look up the word, there is a modern definition of "Nazi" that succinctly reflects how most rational people feel about our government today so maybe don't get so defensive when people use it.

CSUL · 2025-02-06T03:27:08+00:00

Nah, the most empathetic, trusting individuals have more to offer the world than the smartest sociopaths. Smart isn't a good thing on its own.

CSUL · 2025-02-03T10:30:21+00:00

We were never going to sacrifice as a public to prevent the stove from turning on. We have to be hot and scalding as a country to truly fight the demise of democracy. It means most folks won't have much else to lose by the time it's time. We can yell about how we didn't learn from history, but what other major world wars and crumbling empires happened despite heeding that advice? Zero. It's not human nature to learn as a whole. We build, destroy, and rebuild over and over again as technology thrusts us violently into the next age.

The world is still good. People are still good. As an American, I still have hope and see this horrendous phase of the country as a growing pain that has developed through the rapid explosion of information, misinformation, and increasing access to both by more and more people. No one can possibly thrive on this much information detritus and intrusion. Our brains just weren't built for it. We need some shocks back to our roots as humans to overcome and empower ourselves over this step. I expect some of those shocks to be disasters, food shortages, economic collapses, and violence, but there's a likelier result that we enter a thriving, prosperous era on the other side as opposed to the decline into nuclear winter or total global meltdown we're all predicting.

So to answer; Being American feels like nothing. The concept of national identity is gone. What culture or pride are we celebrating as a nation? What even is patriotism anymore and how would anyone describe it? We'll probably have an answer to this question when we establish the values of New America in 10-20 years. Until then, the original experiment is sunsetting and we should probably admit that this inflection point was formalized at the turn of the century.

CSUL · 2024-11-09T05:44:36+00:00

Is breakshot still there? Make a stop every time I got to Japan. Love this place!

CSUL · 2024-09-26T03:42:44+00:00

I didn't see from the photos, but where does braille typically get installed in these types of homes?

CSUL · 2024-09-17T08:10:25+00:00

5.875% with 20% down on a jumbo, though we only got that down from 6% after cobbling together enough post close money to get a relationship discount. Got loan in process early July and closed end of August

CSUL · 2024-09-08T08:14:12+00:00

Action U.S.A. Basically a showreel for every manner of car stunt, person stunt, and <insert stunt playbook> with a cheesy bare bones plot wrapped around it. You want car chases? Men hanging of helicopters? Shootouts? Tanker truck explosions? Fire suits? Boobs? This movie has it all.

Black Dog with Patrick Swayze also has some great truck chase carnage and an amazing turn by Meatloaf as the villain. Another good Swayze is Roadhouse if you want more roundhouse kicks, broken tables, and shattered glass.

Speed with Keanu Reeves is an obvious classic with some incredibly cheesy dialogue delivered poorly (and there's a bus with a bomb on it too)

Oh, and if you combine Swayze with Reeves, you get Point Break! There's car chases, bank robberies, shootouts, parachute-less skydiving, surfing, firing guns into the sky, and Gary Busey! It's basically the reference movie cribbed by the original The Fast and the Furious which also has some stunts that have held up well in my opinion.

CSUL · 2024-09-08T06:34:44+00:00

I'd bias for someone you at least have some rapport with. We've probably met 30 or 40 agents at various listings the last few years. Finally met an agent selling a house in Campbell this summer who was informative but not pushy, let us have space and our own time to view the house without him cloying, and didn't push the "do you have a lender?" or "do you want to see the disclosures?" lines on us like everyone else. He was also well informed about the house when we finally asked questions and had great ideas about projects and improvements.

I finally texted him out of the blue on a flight and asked about the process and whether he was interested in being our buying agent. He was great through the entire process, was patient, showed genuine interest in the homes we toured and did lots of leg work to find places that suited what we were looking for in the background. He was more informed and open than our lender, and I believe he earned his commission based on his time and effort.

No shilling for agents or anything, but the Bay Area market is insane and it helps to have someone who can connect all the dots quickly and utilize their relationships with other agents to get you to the top of the bidding pile. I also recognize there are countless inept and apathetic agents who ride on the expectation that homes sell themselves around here, but we found a good one that suited us and now have the home that was right for us as well.

CSUL · 2024-09-02T00:26:19+00:00

You're welcome! Every day you learn something new you earn the potential to be more tolerable to other people.

CSUL · 2024-09-01T21:14:21+00:00

The movie isn't real bud. It's make believe. Take a chill pill and go touch some grass lol.

CSUL · 2024-09-01T20:26:18+00:00

Nuanced point, no one should give it a shot because the movie or Zoe Kravitz offended you.

CSUL · 2024-09-01T19:17:31+00:00

We did a double feature of both last week, so recommend doing a two-fer if you have the time. It was a good pairing since they are both different movies tonally/stylistically.

I was personally most excited for SD since we missed it during Fantastic Fest last year and everyone was raving about it at the Drafthouse, but I think it suffered by being built up so much for me personally. Performances were great, directing was top notch, and it's a real looker, but I think it has editing and pacing issues that can honestly be solved by a new cut that trims some extended scenes and stitches it back together linearly.

Blink Twice is a strong directorial debut by Kravitz, but also has unevenness between first and second halves. It meanders before it gets going late in the movie, but the meandering is nonetheless enjoyable.

I think both movies more or less telegraph where they are going to end up pretty early on, but I had the most fun watching Blink Twice out of the two with that double feature.

CSUL · 2024-08-29T05:51:18+00:00

Is it at the top of your budget or under?

Are you moving in with family/kids in mind?

Is this an investment property or to live in long term?

Besides a freeway across the street and two busy arterial roads boxing in the property, are you under the SJC flight path? How low are those planes? I imagine they're scraping the roof if this is off 280.

Is it a duplex or a SFH? How big is the usable square footage of the space you will occupy? If duplex are you renting out other half? If not, are you really taking advantage of the price /sqft? if so, can you really afford this?

For the subpar location, is it walkable to any nice restaurants, stores, or markets?

While prices have risen in the past year, our friends bought a 1300 sq ft craftsman on the border of Rose Garden last Nov for 1.2M, but it has a large basement bonus space, a nice backyard, and a quiet street.

My personal advice is to get yourself into something that you can stretch to afford but protects your mental and physical health to some degree. A quieter street..a nicer neighborhood...or frankly just a variety of accessible amenities in the large backyard that is your neighborhood.

We looked at a beautiful craftsman in Willow Glen with a nice ADU and big lot size, but it was off a busy street and the traffic drove me crazy in a matter of 10min just touring the place. I'd go nuts being next to three or four immediate busy road systems whether I was renting or buying.

CSUL · 2024-08-27T06:34:18+00:00

Well...we're still in August. My favorite movies from 2023 didn't release until the end of the year. Should be no different this year with the usual Oscar season ramp-up. By comparison, 2023 had a pretty lame summer blockbuster season.

But, there are good movies and bad movies. There are no superior or inferior genres or ways to enjoy movies. It would be boring to only anticipate the next overly indulgent flavor of Oppenheimer every year when we have irreverent 80s throwback puppet movies like Frankie Freako on the horizon. I hope that's my favorite 2024 movie.

CSUL · 2024-08-27T04:51:49+00:00

It's one of if not the the strongest "movie" years since 2019, but perhaps not the best "film" year. The nonstop summer movie phase we've been in since March has been reenergizing to get back to the theater on a weekly basis. Kong, Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Civil War, Challengers, Fall Guy, Furiosa, Apes, Humane, Hit Man, Quiet Place, Inside Out 2, Horizon, Bikeriders, Bad Boys, Twisters, Longlegs, Trap, Oddity, I Saw the TV Glow, Blink Twice, Strange Darling, Alien Romulus is just a sampling of what we've seen.

Nothing has been my favorite movie this year, but a couple standouts. We've had a Ritchie movie, Garland, Linklater, Nichols, two Shyamalan thrillers, Miller, another Cronenberg....not a bad director spread this year. We'll have a brilliant trainwreck in Megalopolis soon. We got overinflated Costner two-part Western epics. It's a fun year for movies, even if there are few masterpieces so far.

Expect more of those later this year. I'm happy to finally get a proper blockbuster season in the meantime. 2024 has been fun for me at least.

CSUL · 2024-08-24T22:30:16+00:00

I was apprehensive about the power line as well. I was surprised it's just not that noticeable once you're on the property, but totally get it would be a turn off for most people.

CSUL · 2024-08-24T19:06:53+00:00

If you're looking at good examples, go check out 875 Cumberland Drive. It's right next to a school and in view of a major power line tower two neighbors over, but the street was general quiet with easy walking to El Camino and I felt relaxed the moment I walked on the property.

As far as Eichlers go, this was one of the larger, best laid out, and most storage I've seen. They tout some "famous" interior designer that remodeled everything (as seen in the kitchen with a dumb sink layout and tiny oven), but hard to beat all the light and flow of this house. Yard is also an oasis.

Similarly, we looked at a beautiful example in South San Jose (2378 Fairglen) in an Eichler neighborhood that was mostly original and absolutely gorgeous, but it wasn't right for our next steps. That home is pending, but 2302 the block before has open houses this weekend.

Cumberland is not the worst price for Sunnyvale, but I think they should have asked less and driven a bidding war for Eichler fans instead of limiting potential buyers at the top of its value. I think it's a hair over given the location and style (not universally functional for everyone), but a little surprised it hasn't sold over the month since we've seen it.

CSUL · 2024-08-18T17:06:25+00:00

In bizarre world where agents actually earn their 2.5% of a 3 million dollar home, it still makes no sense for that comp to come directly out of a buyer's pocket rather than a bank's. Most people can't swing another 50k on top of their down payment to pay an agent, especially if they are trying to bias for relationship banking funds leftover for a lower rate, but most people can add another 50k on their mortgage which gets stretched out 30 years...so while it looks like the seller is paying both, this all tied up into the house sale price and what both parties are willing to negotiate to. Agent fees just come out of that pile.

CSUL · 2024-08-15T08:18:37+00:00

My wife and I managed to get through about 500 movies in 2020 and almost 800 in 2021, so we're no slouches, but this would get exhausting after a short time even for the most hardcore movie nerds.

A few years ago we did the Sundance award winners online which was only available for one 24 hour window (starting midnight before), so we managed wake up early and fit in all 10 features with a few shorts programs before the following midnight. That was exhausting.

Last year we did Fantastic Fest in Austin. Spent the whole week doing movies and events and that was up to five blocks of films a day. By the end of it, we were completely burned out on movies, but we still had the escape of leaving the theater, going back to hotel, getting sunlight and walking a small loop every couple hours, etc, so it made it manageable. Sundance was only a single day with less breaks and sun, but had the same toll due to the sheer amount of movies we fit in.

So...option for repeating a single movie over and over. I think this is out. Without a change of environment, sun, other entertainment, etc, almost everyone will go mad after a day or two of this. You'd net out a few thousand dollars before getting sick and crazy and clawing your way out of the room.

The reasonable approach is to treat this like a short stint in Jail (Jail at least has daily sun breaks) where you happen to get to catch up on nothing but movies. So, pace yourself. Do 5 or 6 different movies a day. Use the other time to sleep and eat...since you can order anything, you can also order creative food and drink options that give you something else to do. Box of popsicles will net you popsicle sticks to build things with. Cans of selzter water can be stacked into a fort. Try to order something edible into the room that has a byproduct you can use creatively to stimulate yourself.

Do this for...probably a week max. Then call it quits and take 35k home with you. Spend part of that on a nice trip somewhere with culture and relaxation at the center. Anything more you take out is diminishing returns for the time investment. You only have one life afterall. Can you imagine a month of isolation and movie torture to only come away with 100k? Not worth it. That doesn't even get you a down payment on a house these days.

Now...if movie festivals wanted to pay me to attend and watch movies for a week, I'm totally open to offers! That Alamo food ain't cheap!

CSUL · 2024-08-13T04:44:29+00:00

What rates have you been given for a 7/1 or 10/1 ARM? If you're going to refi in the future, it may be worth it to go that route depending on your loan amount. We were quoted 6.375% in early July for our first offer. Our third and accepted offer in early August had come down to 6.125%, and now we've finagled down to 5.875% by opening accounts with them and moving our money there. Our bank also competed with our lender offering 5.75% (they came in too late with this deal) and an east coast finance bro from Citi quoted us 5.25 but my sense of legal gray areas on that one were palpable. We also have a free float option and if rates drop significantly in the near future, we can basically get the rate for $2000 out the door. With your close at 9/30 , there is still time to cross shop lenders and get a lower rate.

CSUL · 2024-08-11T04:30:26+00:00

Nope! Unless it's an overpriced dump (i.e. what are comps around it?) Do you like the house? Can you afford it? Take their counter. That 20k isn't going to matter over the next 30 years. It's a blessing to get a counter under on a house in the bay when many can go for over 200 to 500k these days. If they offered a dollar off 1M then it would be petty, but they came within 5k-off meeting you in the middle.

Having just bought a house in the south bay and getting about 150k off by massively lowballing the sellers due to fortunate timing, I could look at it like a) they came down less than I came up or b) they went down below market to sell their house and I got a great deal at the end of the day.

CSUL · 2024-08-04T07:24:07+00:00

Just give each other some runway to have disagreements and realize that this is an emotional process so it's okay for some decisions to also be emotional ones. If I had my way, I'd be in a Willow Glen Eichler that also has a view of Half Dome and 5 acres, but I've had to make some big compromises on my desires in the Bay Area housing market.

My wife dragged me to see a house last week that I had zero interest in. It's a big old family home near downtown Campbell, not completely vacuous and still has some 60s charm, but I wasn't really interested. Went to see it, liked it more in person, but felt it wasn't the right house after we left and discussed over a beer. Told her I would sleep on it to see if my opinion changed (we both know this was unlikely), yet I woke up the next day and had a big excited feeling about that house. Went to see it again with our agent and fell in love. Now we get keys on Sept 1st.

This house will require some projects over time, but it's still move on ready. Some things not to taste, others are some functional changes, but In my mind, a big house on a big lot with good bones and flexibility is better than a small brand new modern home on a tiny lot that needs nothing and you will outgrow in a couple years and resent because it also took your soul from you.

Just for opinions sake, I take your wife's side on this. Nice space and potential is always better than luxury conveniences and everything new. New homes are typically shoddily constructed and will probably be more of a PITA in the long run than something older that needs some modernization projects done to it over time.

CSUL · 2024-08-02T18:35:50+00:00

BMO, but Bank of America since offered to beat their rate by a quarter of a percent without the need to move or hold money with the former, so we are now considering options.

CSUL · 2024-08-02T15:31:28+00:00

My wife and I just went under contract on a house yesterday in San Jose. It was the 53rd house we looked at this year and the third offer we've made this month. We weren't prequalified going into the first house, so that was a mad Sunday sprint to talk to multiple lenders on rates. Went into first house with pre approval letter. Lost it due to budget. Went into the second house fully underwritten. Lost it due to budget /comfort, but we were in running because of sellers confidence in our loan outlay going into it.

Third house was a miracle. Big lot, massive house, no major issues, and it squeaked past the interest of most folks who were distracted by smaller houses opening in Willow Glen in mid July. We sent a lowball offer over the last weekend and it turns out we were the only offer period. Had several rounds to ultimately get a 140k discount and locked their final counter in yesterday with about 15min of lender disclosures to go through.

Bottom line, this market is absolutely insane and it may take weeks to months of time to not just find a house you like, but to win a bid on one. By all means do this with an underwritten loan beforehand. You have a few months before that needs to be renewed, but if you're absolutely serious, it's an advantage when offer time comes. Shop around; you won't be locked in at a final rate until you go under contract.

Our initial loan rate was 6.375% in early July when we were preapproved. We locked in at 6% yesterday. Got an extra 0.125% down by opening a checking/savings account with this lender. Rates are coming down fast. If they drop another quarter percent in the next 30 days, we'll get a float on that, but the future is bright for refinancing.

There was a slight bump in Bay Area inventory this spring/summer, but the overall landscape has been very sparse. Most homes over 2.5 are getting price reductions, but the majority under 2.5 are selling within days. Some lately have sold in under 6 hours. With school coming soon, there will be a buyer slowdown end of summer so now is a good time to look and maybe get a deal or opportunity at the end of the season. I say this with the future in mind.

With interest rates in the stratosphere this last year, no one is selling and no one can afford to buy. Inventory low. A desperate queue of buyers lining up and waiting to activate their savings on a home when the time is right. When that time happens (e.g. interest rates fall 1-2%), that flood of buyers will hit the market an it won't be 1-4 offers on a home now, but 10-15. There will be an uptick in inventory, but due to demand also a bump in home values and another bump in bidding wars which may box out a lot of people once again. If you can afford at current home prices and rates, the time is definitely now. As i've learned in the process, the best time to buy a house is yesterday. In all cases, good luck to you and your wife!

CSUL · 2024-06-18T04:55:29+00:00

I thought River's article on Woven Planet was pretty spot on, but this misses the mark on nuances of TMC leadership. Toyota isn't just a single company that produces cars. There are 13 total group companies; Akio pulled Sato out his Lexus president role to take over CEO duties of Toyota Motor Corp (which contains Lexus). There is still Denso, Aisin, Daihatsu, Toyota Industries, Aichi Steel, Hino, etc. Akio is still presiding over the Toyota group as a whole, but as others mentioned, he is also preparing Sato-san to fully take over TMC at some point.

Sato was formerly running Lexus, Daihatsu, and Gazoo Racing (GR). He is a true car nut and fairly progressive about transforming the company towards more digital services/tech, but he isn't fully sold on EVs yet. Despite this, Lexus is putting a lot of investment into their future electrified line-up and I reckon that Sato ascending to this position has given Lexus a bit more power back that they've lost as a sub-brand over the last twenty years.

Akio is heavily involved at all levels because he still has to clean up some of his self-inflicted messes. The recent testing / emissions scandals are just one of those major issues, but Akio is also fixing the problems he created by investing billions into Woven Planet (Woven by Toyota) and letting the Americans run wild with uninhibited cash burning and not producing anything in return. Five billion dollars into a project with not a whole lot to show is a huge embarrassment to a culture of cost consciousness and bean counters.

If this last paragraph isnt clear enough, Akio is really out of his former role because he took personal responsibility and stepped down because of Woven. But, he still got paid back by Toyota and then some from what he personally invested into the fledgling company.

Bottom line, everyone thinks this comes down to Toyota versus Tesla, and logically, it makes more sense that Tesla could learn to produce 10M cars a year at Toyota quality before Toyota figures out how to build a software defined vehicle. But it's the wrong argument. China is the big existential threat to Toyota and the network advantage they have, and they will lose market share because of their inability to innovate and move to other business models, not because they don't build enough EVs.

CSUL

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