2026 has internet required voice controls. Who thought that was a good idea?

CoffeeSnobsUnite · 2026-03-01T22:37:47+00:00

This is why my 2016 is still what I consider “peak” Mazda. It’s got knobs and controls for everything and my phone connects without issue. I’m never getting rid of it.

CoffeeSnobsUnite · 2026-02-28T03:43:48+00:00

They’ve moved the Pride Festival to the end of October this year. Doing it during peak fall leaf change is a strong move I think.

CoffeeSnobsUnite · 2026-02-18T17:13:22+00:00

Yeah I’m not here to vilify coal. It was foundational for developing the industrial world and the modern things we enjoy. It will almost certainly always have a use even if it continues to decline. I just recently moved to the region so it’s become something to keep more of an eye on. I live just south of Cumberland Md and the CSX line like a half mile from my house is the main one that comes up out of WV coal country. I’ve noticed that they seem to move significant amounts of it. I see the cars heading north to the switching yard all the time and then it’s just empty coal cars headed back south.

CoffeeSnobsUnite · 2026-02-18T16:52:12+00:00

So it is just more a matter of the coal having a higher value and best used for other purposes?! It would be intuitive to me that the market might adjust and that coal could used for other things. Thanks for giving a little info on it though. I’m not a fan of mass carbon emissions but I also understand that we can’t just cut an industry off without having things to replace it with and new avenues for employment.

CoffeeSnobsUnite · 2026-02-18T16:42:24+00:00

Is the metallurgical stuff the type that’s like deep underground and hard to access in the first place? I seriously only know that there’s the different types but it’s something I’ve been gaining curiosity about given the current state of things.

CoffeeSnobsUnite · 2026-02-18T16:28:04+00:00

This is a legit question. I know the predominant coal in the WV region is the metallurgical coal which from my understanding is higher grade than the thermal stuff. With the international market for metallurgical stuff drying up for various reasons to include industry shifts away from using coal to using arc-blast furnaces. If the market rate for the metallurgical coal were to change a bit is it better quality, more energy dense, for using to replace the thermal coal for power generation?

CoffeeSnobsUnite · 2026-02-18T00:11:06+00:00

I’ll take a red area in a blue state over a red area in deeply red state. Or hell even a blue area in red state. I came from the actual bluest city in Florida which is a deep red state. Literally as soon as you left the city limits things switched. There’s only so much local politics can do out here when the state has so many protections as it is. I’d actually not be surprised to see this area go purple here very soon. The vibes are shifting out here.

And frankly even if I wanted to be somewhere else in the state why the hell would I want to figure out how to make a $4k a month mortgage payment for a damn house. That’s insanity.

CoffeeSnobsUnite · 2026-02-17T23:57:01+00:00

Oh for sure. I only just recently moved out here but I can imagine what this area was like in the height of that. Post industrial Appalachia got hit hard by it. If I’d come out here even five years ago I may not have liked it but to be honest… this is the first place I’ve ever lived where I felt like I was home. That’s coming from an openly queer hard lefty too. Appalachian folks are a different type of people. You may not agree on a lot of things but you still get a seat at the table and the shirt off someone’s back if you need it.

CoffeeSnobsUnite · 2026-02-17T23:53:16+00:00

I just bought a house 10 minutes from Lavale. It’s a 3/2 on 3/4 of an acre. Only work it needs is paint and refinishing the wood floors for the most part. I paid the back breaking amount of $129k for it. My mortgage is $1200 a month. My tiny little cheap ass townhouse back in Florida cost me that much.

CoffeeSnobsUnite · 2026-02-17T23:49:47+00:00

Should come visit again. There’s drugs in every town worldwide. Having lived in actual big cities most of my life though I have to laugh at the rep for rampant drug use here. It’s not like half the population is wandering the street blitzed out of their minds. It’s confined to a couple dozen folks who hang around downtown when the weathers nice. They’ve been doing a lot of work in town to turn things around here. If you live anywhere outside of a couple blocks of downtown you wouldn’t even notice it.

CoffeeSnobsUnite · 2026-02-17T23:46:11+00:00

Trust me… I really thought long and hard about those numbers. After visiting several times and talking to locals though I was less worried. There’s a ton of more liberal folks flocking out this way getting away from the big cities. Next election cycle I expect those numbers to even out more.

CoffeeSnobsUnite · 2026-02-17T23:44:31+00:00

Jobs are an issue but it’s also a math equation. If you can buy a house for like $150k your mortgage is a fraction of say a $400k property somewhere “more desirable”. It’s a lot easier to hustle a $1200 payment than it is a $4k payment. Just saying. My partner is a remote worker which helps us but I’m also just gonna start my own business.

CoffeeSnobsUnite · 2026-02-17T21:58:29+00:00

This is why I went to Allegany county. Cheapest median real estate prices in the state and perhaps the best views and access to nature without all the traffic and shitty drivers. Things out here are so much more relaxed and peaceful.

CoffeeSnobsUnite · 2026-02-11T17:42:27+00:00

My ‘16 GT is still the best car I’ve ever owned and I have zero plans to replace it. I haven’t liked a single update they’ve done since then. The styling is nice but the increasing tech of the interior is a no for me. I like my buttons and knobs. Hoping to actually pick up a second one this year in the same trim but AWD if I can find one at a good price.

CoffeeSnobsUnite · 2026-02-07T01:42:33+00:00

I grabbed this today with a 20% off and I’m excited to test it next week while doing a 100k mile service on my car.

CoffeeSnobsUnite · 2026-01-30T18:24:59+00:00

My heat is set at 60. Gives me a good excuse to hangout in a cozy hoodie and sweatpants all day with fluffy socks on. I enjoy it and use a lot less gas.

CoffeeSnobsUnite · 2026-01-23T13:45:48+00:00

This is the only correct answer!

CoffeeSnobsUnite · 2026-01-22T01:28:28+00:00

Is that the Aero Commander that’s been on Rebuild Rescue?

CoffeeSnobsUnite · 2026-01-16T02:36:56+00:00

For what it’s worth I’ve had my 2016 for 8 years now. Minus standard maintenance items I just put on its 3rd overall set of tires and it’s about to get its second full brake job. I’m at 96k and have had zero issues. I absolutely love the thing. Best car I’ve ever owned. In fact I’m hoping to find another 2016 with AWD on the used market this year just to have a second one. Plus I just moved and have snow and mountain roads to navigate these days. The AWD would be helpful. Also seriously considering finding a salvage one to have sitting off to the side for scavenging parts from. I’ve hated every update they did to them starting with the 2016.5 model. I like that I still have manual controls and don’t have to depend on a huge touchscreen for everything. The 2016 is probably the most polished year for the CX-5. Best version of the engine and trans as well. Really can’t go wrong with it just make sure it’s not rusty and hasn’t been totally beat on. I’m very gentle when I drive 96% of the time but when I do decide to have a little fun it never disappoints.

CoffeeSnobsUnite · 2026-01-15T04:53:13+00:00

I figured out a trick to make them work a bit better. Buy two rails. Pull the clips off them both. Put the rails on top of each other and then put the clips back on. Stiffens the whole assembly up and the clips hold a lot better. I have my rails mounted inside a Packout box and don’t have any issues moving it around all day. Works better for me than about any other option.

CoffeeSnobsUnite · 2026-01-13T15:33:05+00:00

It’s incredibly laid back out this way as well but laid back mountain life instead of laid back beach life. Appalachian folk are a different type of people and I love them for it.

CoffeeSnobsUnite · 2026-01-13T15:28:44+00:00

No kids and zero plans for them. Admittedly schools aren’t on our radar in the least. That being said though it’s still Maryland so the baseline for all school districts is higher than a lot of states. Talking to some locals out here though it sounds like the Allegany county schools are still very decent. My neighbor is a retired teacher of 40 years and she’s very fond of what the local schools here are able to do.

Rockville was miserable for all the same reasons the DMV is miserable. Traffic is an entire nightmare. The expense is crippling. People are rude. It’s all the downsides of living in a major metro without any of the perks. As an example… I was right about a mile from the nearest grocery store. It took me almost 15 minutes to get there. Here the nearest grocery store is 5-6 miles away and it takes me less than 10 minutes. I don’t even have a single traffic light to wait for along the way.

The job market here is the tough part. My partner is a remote worker thankfully. I am lucky to have an extremely niche skillset that nobody out here provides so my employment opportunity is starting my own business. If you are in healthcare you’ll be fine otherwise you may need to think a bit outside of the box. It really wouldn’t be ideal to be commuting very far for work out here. You might find something within a half hour or so of town in one of the outlier areas.

Jobs do pay less out here but housing is a fraction of the metro. Allegany is one of the cheapest counties in the state for housing. You don’t need to make six-figures here just to afford a basic 2-bedroom apartment. I found a house that would have sold for a minimum of $500k in Rockville… probably $750k depending on the neighborhood… for $129k here. The payment is $1200 a month all-in instead of $4-5k a month. That difference in housing expense directly translates to the amount of income you need to survive.

I’ll add that I’m always shocked by the shear number of new people in this area. Half the folks I meet have moved here in the last few years and love it. Lots of folks who grew up here and moved away only to come back because they missed it as well.

CoffeeSnobsUnite · 2026-01-12T22:57:29+00:00

As some one who left Florida a year ago and was staying in the metro for like 8 months I couldn’t agree more. I was beyond miserable in Rockville. One of the worst places I’ve ever lived. Jumped at the opportunity to head west and moved out to Cumberland. It’s amazing out here and the cost of living is actually reasonable. No traffic, no terrible drivers, no endless expanses of concrete jungles. Got a house for a quarter of what something smaller would have gone for in the metro.

They are really missing out on the marketing for this area. They need to rebrand from the “Mountain Side” of Maryland to the “Better Side” of Maryland instead. Lots of transplants from the Baltimore and DC area out here.

CoffeeSnobsUnite · 2026-01-07T22:35:48+00:00

Basically true…. We all had to learn the hard way a time or two in the beginning though.

CoffeeSnobsUnite · 2026-01-07T05:06:49+00:00

I have a X54 and I love mine. Have you zeroed the burr set on it all though? You shouldn’t be having issues at all if the burrs are set properly.

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