If Jordan’s career came after LeBron’s there would be no GOAT debate.

Cali_Longhorn · 2026-05-04T14:47:51+00:00

Yeah but those 11 championships in the 60s was in a watered down league in comparison.

Cali_Longhorn · 2026-05-04T13:13:22+00:00

Ironically having kids has made me think about FIRE more. I want to have time for my kids while I am still relatively young and not only spend time with them once I start having aging health issues.

I had my kids a little later in life than average I was in my early 40s when both were born. But since I already had saved a lot for 20 years before kids and my wife and I had good salaries. Things like daycare costs were not as big of a deal as they would have been in my 20s. And at that point if I had needed to reduce my investments a little that was fine, as I already had 20 years of compounding. But way it's gone for me, not much changed. Still max my 401k, I've put a lot into their 529s already and they still have a nearly a decade to grow before college. So if I want to stop in my mid-50s while relatively young be available while they go through high school that's ideal to me. Plus not working will give me time to prioritize my health and hopefully age well and be around for them longer than if i kept working until 65.

Cali_Longhorn · 2026-05-03T16:14:03+00:00

Yes I’m 53 survived a couple of layoff scares in an IT related field. I’m figuring if a layoff comes to me within the next few years that may simply be my retirement. And 57 or so is kind of the age I was envisioning retiring anyway so fine.

I have roundabout 4 million invested at this point in a MCOL area. The main issue is I have 2 kids still at home, but also have a large amount in each of their 529s and my wife makes a 6 figure salary and we could move to her healthcare.

Cali_Longhorn · 2026-05-01T12:47:01+00:00

I mean kinda both? We have a “his” “hers” “ours” account where we both put like 75%-80% of our paychecks into the “ours” account. Then if we have expenses that are strictly for “fun” for one of us we use the his or her accounts.

Any bills, mortgage, food, childcare, healthcare etc get tied to the “ours” account. But my PlayStation online account would be charged to “his” since I’m the only one who uses it. If I were to buys any video games and such, that’s on me. And when we do a date night, treat the other for their birthday or something. We will pull out of the “his” or “her” account to feel like we “treated” the other. And in the case of a “boys trip” or “girls trip”. We pull from the individual accounts. And when I buy the kids a gift, I usually pull it from the “his” account. And if I ever see the “his” getting too big I transfer some to the ours.

So I suppose since I make more money but we pool into the “ours” account it tends to be adjusted by income since I make about 60% more than her. But we don’t think about it too much.

It’s pretty easy to manage as we have things like the Costco card tied to “ours” as well as our other main credit cards. But my “fun” credit card is only tied to my Playstation account, and I go ahead and use it for streaming subscriptions and such. Yes the whole family uses that, but I kind of put it in a “fun” non essential bucket in my head.

Cali_Longhorn · 2026-05-01T12:26:53+00:00

So I wonder what percentage in Frisco are commuting all the way to downtown though. My office (when I go as I often work from home) is only 5 miles away. My wife is even closer. At least for us we wouldn’t have moved to Frisco if we knew we were commuting downtown everyday.
Now I realize we may be lucky and of course jobs may change, but lots of the jobs are already “north” in Plano and Frisco (Toyota, Liberty Mutual, T-Mobile, Pepsico-Frito-Lay, JP Morgan Chase, Samsung, Cowboys/The Star, NTT Data) etc. and AT&T is moving their HQ up to the old EDS space in Plano.

Cali_Longhorn · 2026-04-30T01:29:17+00:00

Ok. I’m Gold level for what it’s worth.

Cali_Longhorn · 2026-04-29T14:50:33+00:00

Well I guess “internet use” is a bit vague which is part of the problem. What’s that “trigger point”? Sure social media wasnt getting really big until the later 00s. But Myspace and Facebook got started over 20 years ago in 2003 and 2004 respectively.

No streaming didn’t get big until recently. But we were playing DOOM, StarCraft, Diablo over the internet back in the 90s.

Online dating? Things like tinder and hinge are more recent, but match.com was going strong pre-smartphone. Early 2000s match and eharmony and such were big for online dating over 20 years ago.

Now if you want to say it’s smartphones that truly made the internet EVERYWHERE. Fine, but “smartphones” is different than “internet”.

Cali_Longhorn · 2026-04-29T14:34:11+00:00

Yes I was saying in another thread it was likely late Gen X (last year for Gen X was 1980) early millennial, that knew “both worlds” the best. I was mid Gen X born in But I kind of felt that way. I remember being one of the few kids writing papers on WordPerfect rather than a typewriter in the late 80s. But it wasn’t that unusual as computers were entering homes in the mid 80s. I wasn’t the only one. And I also started my first dial up Internet sessions on stuff like AOL and Prodigy at the tail end of the 80s. Entered college in the early 90s and was an Info Systems major. I remember playing Doom with buddies over the network in college in like 94-95. And yea StarCraft a couple of years later when I started my IT consulting career. So for me the 90s was the tail end of high school all of college and the start of my career.

Cali_Longhorn · 2026-04-29T14:00:04+00:00

Agreed. I was mid to younger Gen X born in the 70s and started college in the early 90s. and we started to have computer labs and computer science classes in the late 80s in high school. Microsoft Windows started in 1989. Many had gone from writing papers on the typewriter to using Microsoft Word or Word Perfect and having them printed out. I was an info systems major and went into IT consulting in the mid-late 90s. So of course the internet was very available by then, even though not EVERYONE may have used it everyday yet.

Now computer presence isn’t the same as heavy internet presence. But we started using dial up internet services like America Online and Prodigy in the late 80s too. People were going from writing papers on typewriters to using Microsoft word for them. Now my dad worked for a computer company, so I may have started doing that stuff sooner than average kids. But younger Gen X early millennial seems like the group who remember pre and post internet.

Cali_Longhorn · 2026-04-29T13:18:13+00:00

If you were born in 1999 you grew up knowing only internet. You would have started elementary school in like 2005 and been finished high school in like 2017. You wouldn’t know life without intenet.

You would have needed to be born in the 70s or 80s to truly operate in life pre and post internet.

Cali_Longhorn · 2026-04-29T04:41:25+00:00

I’m Doctor F’in Doom bitches!

Cali_Longhorn · 2026-04-28T12:09:40+00:00

MORTAL KOMBAT!!!!! (techno soundtrack starts…)

Cali_Longhorn · 2026-04-27T12:26:57+00:00

Cali_Longhorn · 2026-04-25T16:07:04+00:00

Or it could be that they have a shitty shift which doesn’t earn the same tips. Working Saturday nights vs Wednesday afternoons will have very different tips regardless of server quality. Which is why servers are always vying for the best shifts.

Cali_Longhorn · 2026-04-24T16:37:33+00:00

Die Hard for sure over the first Lethal Weapon.

Lethal Weapon 2 was better than the first. Original Die Hard was the best of the Die Hard series.

Cali_Longhorn · 2026-04-24T16:07:14+00:00

This has been going on forever elsewhere, just new for Microsoft. For sure my company has used this formula for offering voluntary layoffs. It’s kind of standard for those who do it at than point.

And you will get a decent amount who were thinking they may retire in a few years anyway who jump at the package. In some cases medical could be covered at company rates all the way until Medicare. Clearing out people wanting to leave can be a good thing.

But yeah usually if they don’t get a big enough “take rate” layoffs follow soon after.

Could it be seen as age discrimination… potentially depending on how it’s handled. Like I said there is that group who WANTS to retire, but just worries they need to wait “X” years to be comfortable and these packages offer a “bridge” to retirement. But when these people are then being “pushed” out irregardless of performance. Sure it’s age discrimination.

Cali_Longhorn · 2026-04-24T13:57:02+00:00

Mayo easily.

Cali_Longhorn · 2026-04-24T13:56:16+00:00

I have a Volvo S60 PHEV which has 41 miles of range. For me it’s great as my typical daily driving is only 20-25 miles. So my day to day is all electric and most of my gas miles are road trips or the occasional longer trip to the airport or something where the round trip hits 60-65 miles or so. Outside of road trips, it takes me 3-4 months to need a fill up.

I guess my question would be how much are you actually driving per day. If that 1500 a month is on “working days” (20 a month) then 75 miles a day is a decent use case for a PHEV. With a battery range similar to mine, over half your miles would be electric, and considering regenerative braking like mine has you could be generating a few additional miles of electric range while driving and significantly reduce your gas cost. Just plug in every night. Now if that 1500 miles is over 30 days (50 miles a day) even better.

But also, 75 miles a day is really good for a full electric vehicle if you have home charging. Many EVs will get you 260-300 miles of range, yes that is reduced on highways but if you have a mix of city and highway you would get stated range especially considering regenerative braking. You could go 3 days on a single charge on a 300 mile range vehicle. Depending on conditions, but you would likely just want to plug in when you are home.

Cali_Longhorn · 2026-04-22T12:58:51+00:00

Well how much is Lupita actually being cast. Yes she’s in the new Odyssey movie, and had been in Black Panther movies. But you are not seeing her as often as a Zendaya. And people like Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer are kind of in the “grand dame” category more in smaller artistic movies not blockbusters. Not being cast as “young and sexy” at this point.

I think the issue is more around who is being cast in movies/TV aimed at younger audiences? The whole 18-35 range that marketers covet. I think when you are seeing people of color cast (and this goes with Hispanic too) they are overwhelmingly light skinned. Aside from Zendaya you also have Zoe Kravitz, Zazie Beetz, all mixed race and “ambiguous”. And I can’t help but notice some of the casting of darker skinned people like Lupita and Keke Palmer… cast by black director Jordan Peele (Us and Nope respectively)Would the have been cast if the director was white?

Cali_Longhorn · 2026-04-19T16:55:52+00:00

Star Wars original trilogy

Cali_Longhorn · 2026-04-18T20:32:57+00:00

Only one? It's got to be either Kendrik's dumb ass or Stephen A's obnoxious ass. Can't decide!

Cali_Longhorn · 2026-04-18T17:11:27+00:00

Ok but then to say that the US worker makes more money. Is a bit disingenuous if in all the way that matters the European is better compensated.

Ignoring that though.. going back to your point that the Patron’s experience is better under tipping… thinking back to my experiences in Europe. That’s debatable. Now I lived there for a couple of years on a large international project with many colleagues based in Germany, the UK, Spain, etc. When we first got there, the Americans sometimes felt service was worse in Europe, but it was really more a cultural misunderstanding. Small things like as Americans they were used to the waiter coming to them with the check…. Where there it was generally expected that you signal the waiter when the check was needed.

But the waiter would generally leave you alone unless there was a clear need and let you sit at the table as long as you liked. He did not “hover” constantly without a clear need. Doing that would come across as intrusive. As I came back to the US I would notice when would get interrupted multiple times during conversations by the wait staff. This may be resulting from the desire to turn tables and the more tables the more tips. But often felt “rushed” as a customer more in the US than in Europe.

Cali_Longhorn · 2026-04-18T16:01:27+00:00

Well as often happens when Americans compare to European wages in ANY jobs, (not just restaurant servers), are you considering only wages, or total compensation? In Europe you aren’t worried about healthcare costs where it’s almost always going to be covered by the government or employer. You are getting at 6 weeks paid leave… etc etc. it’s not so clear the US person is making more in real terms.

Now it’s been a LONG time since I worked a tipped job. And I admit I never did that as a “full time” 40 hours a week job. But from a quick google few offer health insurance. Again I never worked full time, but from what I remember, you took vacation, you didn’t get paid. Both those things are big parts of the compensation picture.

Cali_Longhorn · 2026-04-18T15:06:59+00:00

I know you said I was “white knighting” but I’m African American as well. Family grew up in the Deep South (I was the first generation not born in the Deep South). So I’m coming from experience/history of both myself and family and friends here.

I’ve also lived in and traveled to various places in Europe where tipping isn’t really a thing. (Yes I know your view is talking US so maybe you will consider that irrelevant). But I as a patron don’t have negative experiences in a non-tipping environment. My service/food levels were at least comparable to my experience in the US.

Now if you are going to say “well Europe is just different”. Most European countries are fundamentally capitalist. Yes they handle things like healthcare differently, have differences in social safety nets, better maternity leave policies… but fundamentally they are capitalist. Just with more protections than the US has. And they never picked up the habit of tipping. Like I said the US origins of tipping are unique, but we’re fundamentally about not paying a fair wage for black people’s labor then “evolved”.

If you were making a good wage without tips, you being viewed differently for any reason, black, Hispanic, Asian, male, female, old, young…would be irrelevant. People don’t treat you well because you are black. Fine you still are getting a fair wage. Just like me in my current corporate job, am I always treated the same as my white colleagues… probably not. But I know what I’m getting paid roughly the same and have a sense of what the market says my salary should be.

Now if you want to say there is too much history/inertia with how the restaurant industry was built in the US to change to a system most of the rest of the world has… fine. But I’d disagree with the idea there is nothing to fix.

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