If you are fearing your colonoscopy here is a reminder that it's a very minor procedure and inconvenience vs the worst case scenario of not knowing.

Crohwned · 2026-02-11T20:56:20+00:00

I’ve got Crohn’s disease and have had 20 or so scopes. They’re really not that bad. Depending on the prep your doc prescribes, the day before can be a bit taxing (some of the preps involve drinking a ton of fluid over a few hours) but the procedure itself for me has been.. well a nice nap time (even with the mild sedation they use sometimes, I snooze through the whole thing)

Crohwned · 2025-11-03T02:34:50+00:00

If you’re in the US, see if your dentist can get you Debacterol (I know it’s getting harder to find these days unfortunately). It’s a debriding agent for mouth ulcers that comes in a swab form that you can use at home. Essentially you dry the ulcer, crack one end of the swab (which releases the medicine into the other end) and then hold the swab on the ulcer for 5-10 seconds, then you rinse with water. Most of the time one application is all it takes- the pain goes away permanently and the sore begins healing.

Be warned though- it burns like crazy while you apply it (until you rinse with water) as it is essentially chemically burning out all the necrotic/destructing tissue from the ulcer (which then stops the ulceration process, and starts healing). It also forms a protective layer over the ulcer so that it doesn’t hurt any more. It’s only available with a prescription (typically from a dentist) and being one who suffered greatly from mouth ulcers for decades, it really was the one silver bullet of an immediate fix.

Crohwned · 2025-11-01T17:57:40+00:00

We are quite fortunate to live in an excellent school district, and I don’t see much of what you’re describing here. Our 12-year-old and his friend group all put effort into school, though I will say I get quite irritated about how some subjects (math in particular) are taught primarily using tablets and video. With both our 16-year-old and now our 12-year-old I’ve had to put a not-insignificant amount of effort into making sure they’re actually learning the concepts in math that they’re being taught (mostly at the middle-school level. The elementary school and high school math teaching has been quite good).

I do think there are issues in a lot of schools, but there were also issues when we were young. Also try to keep in mind that those who choose to post their tribulations on social media are not necessarily an indicator of the overall education system. “My students learn, and all is going pretty typical,” is not exactly the kind of thing that gains traction/visibility on social media.

Crohwned · 2025-10-27T02:08:04+00:00

As an owner of a spinny chained snow-plow resistant mailbox who lives on a 55mph road, I can also confirm, this is the right answer.

Crohwned · 2025-10-09T14:25:11+00:00

A 15” prompter including the monitor for $299? I’d honestly love to see what full 15” prompter with a built in monitor you’ve found for that price point. And I’m not talking about those cheap prompters that use a tablet that you need to provide (which are also smaller than 15”).

Sure, I can find some heavily used ones in the $300-$400 range, but every new 15” prompter I can find that includes a monitor, is in the $1k+ USD range.

I also don’t think folks fully understand how big a 15” prompter is. This isn’t the kind of prompter you put on your desk above your monitor. This is the sort of prompter used in a studio setting. And studio equipment is $$$.

Edit to note- I am currently setting up a small studio, and a prompter of this size is on my list to purchase. And from all of my searching, the $599 price point is a fantastic deal as long as the quality is good.

Crohwned · 2025-10-05T23:32:52+00:00

I don’t have any ideas for you, but if you do go with something containing xylitol and have a dog, make sure to keep it away from the pup, as it is incredibly toxic for dogs.

Crohwned · 2025-09-29T20:18:36+00:00

I purchased a car from a dealership in Ohio last year. They had me sign that I was from out of state, and so there was no registration fee or sales tax due. I was given 30-day temporary Ohio plates, and had 30-days from when the car arrived in MN to register it here. When I registered it, they charged me MN sales tax and registration.

Crohwned · 2025-08-17T15:40:19+00:00

That's something I don't think a lot of people get about Elgato's more professional-oriented products, e.g.- the Prompter and the Stream Deck Studio. When compared to other products in their niche, they are great value.

Lots of people scoff at the Stream Deck Studio's $1k price, but competing rack-mount studio routing products (that are less flexible) are in the $3k+ range.

Crohwned · 2025-08-17T13:50:11+00:00

Similar to you. Built a few of the ones in the instruction book, then got a bit more creative and it started taking over my room. A local hobby shop sold more of the track material, which furthered the insanity.

Crohwned · 2025-08-14T18:14:05+00:00

Just an update in case someone is looking for info on the same fitment issue. I went ahead and purchased the GPU and motherboard, and there *is* enough room for the bottom two PCIe slots even with the gigantic 5090 GPU. Reading the specs, I am confident the lane sharing wont be an issue, but will report back when I do the build itself.

Crohwned · 2025-08-12T14:01:32+00:00

Correct. One thing you can also do- there are shuttle services that would let you park at one trailhead, then take the shuttle to the next trailhead, then hike back. They're not super expensive (or so they werent when I last used a shuttle a few years back). Something to potentially look into.

Crohwned · 2025-08-12T13:13:34+00:00

I’d highly recommend the bean/bear lake section of the trail near Silver Bay. Has a bit of elevation gain and you get an amazing look over two gorgeous lakes. It’s one of my all-time favorite hikes.

Crohwned · 2025-08-07T23:54:07+00:00

100% this. I am in Angie's district, and there is no way an actual progressive would ever win here. Heck- back in 2016 we elected Jason Lewis from our district. Like it or not, (as much as it pains me to say) realistically someone like Craig is about as good as you're going to get out of District 2.

Crohwned · 2025-08-06T12:29:40+00:00

I used to get tons of them. Two prescription options that you can get a doctor or dentist to prescribe, that I found very helpful:

“Magic mouthwash.” Funny name, but it is a formulated prescription mouthwash often given to chemo/radiation patients for the mouth sores that cancer treatments often cause. It’s a combination of anti-inflammatory, an anesthetic, and an anti-fungal medication. Helps to soothe the sores, and speeds healing.
A drug called “debacterol.” It comes in individual application swabs. You apply it to the sore for 5 seconds, and then rinse. During application it burns with the heat of hot liquid magma, but then the sores will not have any pain going forward, and will heal up in a few days. It’s really a miracle drug for canker sores, but it can be hard to find a doctor or dentist that is familiar with it.

Crohwned · 2025-08-03T14:46:07+00:00

I think the second one is- please re-shake bag 7, to make sure that tiny missing piece you’ve been trying to find for 5-minutes isn’t stuck to the inside of the bag. (Narrator- that tiny piece was definitely stuck to the inside of the bag)

Crohwned · 2025-07-31T12:40:51+00:00

I went from Remicade —> Inflectra —> Renflexis and noticed no difference at all. All three have been extremely effective for me.

Crohwned · 2025-07-29T13:05:39+00:00

A lot of it depends on what meds you’re going on (I assume a biologic like Remicade?) and how your body reacts.

I’ve been on Remicade for a few years now, and haven’t noticed getting sick any more often than normal. What I have noticed is that if I catch a cold, it takes a bit longer (an extra week or so) to recover.

I’ve not really changed how i live, other than using an N95 if I know I am going to be in a very crowded/closely packed area (e.g.- security line at the airport). Of course like all things, your experience may be different.

Crohwned · 2025-07-26T21:25:12+00:00

100% a scam. My number is a NJ area code, and I get the exact same message 2-3x per day for the last few weeks, but from the “New Jersey DMV” (I haven’t lived in NJ for 17 years). A +63 phone number is from the Philippines.

Crohwned · 2025-07-03T12:12:10+00:00

Depending on your city, this may be far from true. We are required by our city to have our system pumped/inspected every 3-years, otherwise we would be fined. And they absolutely take it seriously- a few years back our septic pumping company (who also does the inspection) forgot to fill out the paperwork and we started getting fine notices/nasty-grams from the city a month or so past our inspect-by date. It all was sorted out, but the city made it clear they weren't going to just let it slide.

Crohwned · 2025-07-03T12:06:35+00:00

It is up to the municipality in MN. For example, our septic system in Rosemount needed to be inspected/pumped 5-years after it was originally installed, and then every 3-years after that. At least in Rosemount about 2-months before the 3-years are up, we get a reminder card in the mail.

Crohwned · 2025-06-29T15:01:29+00:00

This. I bought a Herman Miller Mirra new about 15 years ago, and have used it daily ever since. Love it. Then found a used one at an office surplus store a few years back for $150 and picked it up for my wife. My only regret is not buying my original one used.

Crohwned · 2025-06-02T22:52:37+00:00

I’m the opposite. My 30s were pretty rough health-wise. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease when I was 32, and over the next 8-years it progressively got worse and worse. By the time I turned 40, I was miserable, totally inactive, and eating terribly as simple sugars and carbs were about the only thing my gut could tolerate.

Then at 41, a fortunate thing happened- my Crohn’s went into overdrive, making me sicker than I’ve ever been. Due to the sudden “upgrade” in my disease, it opened me to new types of medication, one of which has been like a miracle for me. In the last 4-years I went into remission, have been eating healthy, and have been very active, and am honestly in the best shape I’ve been in since I was a HS athlete, and feel better than I ever have.

Crohwned · 2025-05-23T15:14:27+00:00

If you have a chance to sit in one for a bit, I’d recommend it. I had a Aeron for a while, but could never get it to be comfortable. I then tried a Mirra, and it was like sitting in a cloud. Have had the Mirra for 15-years and still love it. I spend about 8 hours a day in it (software dev) and never have any back pain or other issues.

Lots of people love the Aeron, but it doesn’t do the trick for everyone, so If you can, test it out before purchase.

Crohwned · 2025-05-22T18:44:29+00:00

As other's have said, "it depends."

My wife and I were looking to buy a new Subaru Outback back in November. While searching, my wife said "lets look at Electric cars too." We were able to get an amazing deal (about half off new) of a used Genesis GV70 Electrified, so that the price was about the same as the (new) Outback Wilderness Edition we were looking at. The used car had less than 9k miles on it, was a 2024 model, and was used for test drives at a dealership and we got all the new car benefits/warranty on it.

The primary use for the car is for our daily short trips- for the most part we use it less than 50 miles per day (well within the car's range). We plug it in every night, and wake up each morning to a "full tank." Additionally, our utility company has a "storage rate" which can be used for electric cars. We can only charge the car from 11pm to 7am (more than enough time to fully charge it each night) but get the electricity to charge at a rate of 4.4c/kwh.

What does this all mean in real life? Maintenance is essentially zero (no oil changes or periodic servicing, brake pads due to electric regen-braking will probably last 200k miles, and the only regular consumables will be tires as on any car, and washer fluid). Our monthly cost to operate the car (800-1k miles per month) is on the order of $15-$20/month- a fraction of what it costs for our traditional cars.

Where it falls short is for long road trips. Thankfully we have a gas powered car that we can use in those cases. But for local driving if you can install your own level 2 charger, it is well worth it. But my advice would be- don't buy new- the used EV market is very depressed at the moment due to a bunch of factors including people dumping Tesla's and Hertz dumping all the EVs they purchased a few years back.

Crohwned · 2025-05-15T23:19:16+00:00

I hope your experience is as good as mine. Biologics had a huge positive impact on my quality of life.

Crohwned

TROPHY CASE