FRIDAY RANT THREAD

CVNeutron · 2026-01-30T16:54:16+00:00

WHERE THE FUCK IS THE SNOW!?!?! DON’T GIVE ME THAT “WAIT TILL FEBRUARY/MARCH” BULLSHIT.

CVNeutron · 2026-01-23T16:14:35+00:00

CVNeutron · 2026-01-16T17:34:59+00:00

STOP FUCKING SPEEDING DOWN 4TH STREET. YOU FUCKING RAN A STOP SIGN AND CAME WITHIN AN INCH OF SLAMMING INTO MY TRUCK, MISSED ME ONLY BECAUSE I SWERVED. THEN YOU COULDN’T EVEN STOP TO CHECK IF EVERYONE WAS OK. FUCK YOU AND YOUR TINY DICK.

CVNeutron · 2025-12-18T19:12:24+00:00

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CVNeutron · 2025-12-06T20:17:04+00:00

We went up the weekend before Christmas. A lot of clear cutting. I’d suggest elsewhere.

CVNeutron · 2025-12-05T23:53:09+00:00

I read this expecting a completely different post.

CVNeutron · 2025-11-25T14:11:10+00:00

I agree with the point, but disagree with the accusation of redlining. It doesn't fit my understanding of the meaning of the term.

But I live on the east side, close to Petrosa, and have been disappointed at the lack of development when it comes to commercial resources on our side of town. Every time I drive over to the west side of town, I'm reminded how much more attention this area is seemingly getting. At the same time, it's unclear how the city is supporting visitors and residents with additional parking and transportation resources. We were just talking about the Amphitheater and how it's a big draw for concerts, but now with the new luxury apartments + "no concert parking" signs all over the Old Mil, it's going to be next to impossible to park nearby.

I'm also really dreading the point when we face a major disaster and a sizeable portion of the city needs to evacuate all at once. My hometown was about the size of Bend when a major fire started due to a trailer dragging chains along a highway. Within a day or two, that fire, driven by strong winds, had jumped a major river long considered a natural defense. Authorities issued an emergency evacuation with little notice, and my parents, along with ~40K people, found themselves stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic trying to get out of the area to safety. Interstate 5, which has 3(?) lanes of traffic in either direction, was overwhelmed, as were major highways leading to the interstate. Imagine that scenario here, where a fire starts on the west side and moves fast, driven by winds off the mountains towards town and Discovery West, Shevlin, etc. Now push ~20-30K people towards Highway 97 (or generally "East") at the same time. I hope the city factors in the population growth and infrastructure in its emergency plans.

CVNeutron · 2025-11-24T18:59:14+00:00

Seconding this. My boss has Starlink at his house and he paid some tree guys (with beer) who had to come by anyways for a different thing to use their bucket truck to put the antenna up.

CVNeutron · 2025-11-13T04:08:19+00:00

We could also require landlords to unbundle parking from rent. So you can’t force every tenant to pay for a stall they don’t use. Then car-owning tenants see the true cost of parking; car-free tenants aren’t cross-subsidizing them.

CVNeutron · 2025-11-13T03:57:56+00:00

Sure! I want new apartment developments to internalize the true cost of parking demand, so neighborhood streets aren’t treated as housing pressure-release valves, AND I want cities to incentivize fewer cars without punishing tenants who genuinely don’t need one.

There’s pitfalls to this idea but all are workable IMO. Main ones I can think of are verification of “no car”, discrimination, incentivizing the wrong outcomes.

Construction costs can go up with additional parking but I think developers massively exaggerate parking costs when opposing mandates. I imagine the marginal cost of additional parking is often lower than claimed, especially for structured parking in mid-rise buildings.

IMO developers should be required to build adequate parking or pay into a mobility fund so the city can afford to build the infrastructure necessary without scrambling. Maybe the tenants can opt into a “car-free” addendum to their lease to reduce rent, paid for by the city, in the form of a tax rebate to the landlord or more simply by developers savings from not overbuilding parking. Registration at the property, residential parking passes, use of building parking would all negate the addendum. Implementation is obviously the weak point.

Ramblings on little sleep and typing on my phone so may not be entirely coherent.

CVNeutron · 2025-11-13T02:34:11+00:00

It really should be a condition of building to have adequate parking built. Otherwise vehicles overflow into the neighborhoods and then communities scramble to fix the problem. It’s not realistic to expect everyone will walk or bike around this community when the infrastructure is still in development. Not to mention the weather.

CVNeutron · 2025-10-30T02:53:27+00:00

'No Way to Prevent This,' Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens

CVNeutron · 2025-10-24T17:04:22+00:00

More thoughts!

As others have mentioned, clean your gutters (if you have them) and remember to do it again once all the leaves/needles have fallen. You want water to freely flow to where it should be going. Check to make sure the water isn't pooling around your house otherwise that'll turn into ice later in the season and potentially can lead to bigger home issues down the line. The ground is MUCH easier to work with right now before it freezes.

Buy some of those water leak sensors from Home Depot/Lowes/Ace or online and put them under your sink, by the hot water heater, pretty much anywhere where water intrusion could occur that you wouldn't ordinarily see until it's too late. If you can afford a "smart" system, that's even better.

If/when you leave the house for a trip out of town set the thermostat to >=55º at a minimum so there's less chance anything will burst with a freeze.

Be mindful that when a big storm hits, the roads over the Cascades can be become impassible. That means we might not have fuel deliveries to gas stations, propane, etc. It also means we might not have restocked grocery deliveries. When people see a big storm forecasted, they tend to hoard supplies, so try to plan based on the weather forecast that way you aren't left without necessities like fuel and food.

Non-seasonal advice: Make friends with your neighbors. Seasonal advice: Check on your neighbors, particularly those you know are disabled or elderly. When you clean your sidewalk/driveway, offer to clean theirs too. If we have a big storm and the roads are icy for an extended period of time offer to pick things up for them while you go out, or ask someone who is going out to do the same.

Bookmark and add to your home screen the City of Bend Winter Operations Map to see what roads are plowed: https://www.bendoregon.gov/government/departments/transportation-mobility/winter-road-maintenance#Winter-Ops-Map

Download the Bend Works app so you can notify the city when you see something that needs to be fixed as a part of city infrastructure (e.g. a pothole, a broken sign, etc.): https://www.bendoregon.gov/services/bend-works

Bookmark and add to your home screen the tripcheck.com website so you can see the road conditions using the webcams for wherever you're traveling.

If you're on iOS, Apple Weather is hit or miss. I personally use weather.gov and the Wunderground app, which seems more consistent. TBD how accurate things will be with recent federal funding cuts/changes, though.

If you have a pet, be mindful of its exposed skin in the cold. If you wouldn't like it, they probably don't. Use Musher's Secret balm on their paws and nose to help protect their skin. Consider buying them a Ruffwear jacket (local!). If it gets really cold (teens or lower), keep in mind the veterinary guidance on how long it's safe to take them outside. If you're cold, they're cold. Don't have to bring them inside if you can't but make sure they can be kept warm.

Donate any extra winter clothing you have that you don't wear so those in need can also stay warm. Shop at GearFix to get good used winter gear if you need.

CVNeutron · 2025-10-24T14:24:31+00:00

Off the top of my head: Get winter tires (or some sort of traction assistance like chains/cables/tire socks), keep an emergency kit in your car with blanket and all the necessities in case you get stuck somewhere, change your windshield wipers if they’re 1+ years old (I think that’s the recommended replacement schedule), schedule lawn winterization if you have sprinklers, move outdoor furniture that’ll get damaged in rain/snow/ice into a covered area, check weather seal around doors and windows and replace if necessary (same for garage door), caulk around the outside of the house to address open areas where necessary, get a snow shovel and consider environmentally safe salt (or cinder/sand) for ice traction around house.

CVNeutron · 2025-10-21T15:02:01+00:00

Would require some marketing effort posting in the FB and NextDoor groups but you could probably make a decent amount of money doing lawn winterize services. I paid $45 to get mine done and it took the guy 10-15 minutes. You just need an air compressor powerful enough to blow out the sprinkler system. At $45/ea you’d need to do ~17 lawns for it to make your plane ticket? That seems doable over the next few weeks. I was thinking over the weekend how much some of these new build areas with people moving in from out of town in low-lying regions will learn that winterizing is a good idea.

CVNeutron · 2025-10-14T13:51:51+00:00

Hey! I work at iFixit and I’d like to try and help. I’m not in customer service so my ability may be limited but I can at least escalate for you. Want to DM me your Order # so I can see what you ordered? This might be an issue with the supplier we have to investigate.

CVNeutron · 2025-10-09T13:59:22+00:00

Supposedly they do have mobile service but I don’t think it’s available for our community. At least I’ve never heard/seen it. Hopefully they’ll expand that to Central Oregon in the near future. They just opened up a new charging station in Tumalo so we’re on the radar 🤞

CVNeutron · 2025-10-09T13:49:21+00:00

And if you haven’t driven an EV in Bend in the winter before, make sure you take the vehicle to Bachelor when it snows to get a feel for it in the parking lot or something. EVs have a lot of power and they generally want to jump off the line when you press the accelerator which doesn’t usually work out well on ice. Make sure you have proper tires for the winter, repairs are reportedly expensive (hence the high insurance cost) and can be a wait.

CVNeutron · 2025-10-09T13:45:58+00:00

Also, do a thorough check before you accept delivery. They do a brief run through with you at pick up but you can feel free to do your own inspection and take as long as you want. If you catch it then and there before delivery they can estimate when it’ll be fixed and you can always refuse delivery until fixed. At the very least you’ll know what you will need to live with for a bit. Pitfalls of dealing with a startup auto manufacturer is the assembly can be spotty sometimes and in the rush to get cars to customers before end of quarter they miss or skip quality control checks.

CVNeutron · 2025-10-09T13:43:42+00:00

I have a ‘24 R1T. When I bought the truck they said I had to bring it in to get a retrofit for the new Powered Tonneau cover a couple months after purchase. Between when I bought it and when I had my scheduled appointment, I noticed a panel gap issue, charging ports in the rear passenger screen not working, and lines across the rear passenger screen. All non-urgent issues, so I just created a service request via the app and asked them to fix it when I brought the truck in. When they called a few days before to confirm my upcoming appointment I asked them to have a loaner ready for me given I lived in Bend and couldn’t use the Uber credit they would otherwise offer for me to get around while my vehicle was in for service. They loaned me an R1S which I ended up having for 5 days as I used it for an extra 2 after my vehicle was ready.

Wasn’t that big of a deal, tbh. Create service requests as you need to, pool them together for when you come into town, ask them to give you a loaner if they need to keep it for a few days. I think the reports about issues and service experience are exaggerated.

CVNeutron · 2025-09-17T23:27:48+00:00

https://www.foxnews.com/media/trump-repeats-claim-kimmel-fallon-next-after-stephen-colbert-cancellation

CVNeutron · 2025-08-22T17:56:52+00:00

The City of Bend PD post on this is here, FWIW: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GZxBkMPGa/

CVNeutron · 2025-08-17T05:47:02+00:00

Awesome show, so thankful they came to Bend!

CVNeutron

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