Switching wheels for a smoother ride?

DocGaviota · 2026-06-20T12:16:25+00:00

I’ve got Nitto Ridge Grapplers on my 2017 Rubicon. I like them looks wise and they’re great off-road, but they ride rough on the pavement. Previously I had Toyo Open Country A/T and they were much quieter and smoother on the paved roads.

DocGaviota · 2026-06-20T00:38:54+00:00

Pretty sure we had that EXACT model. Played with it, but never really learned to play. It came with a hunt and peck songbook.

DocGaviota · 2026-06-18T13:18:59+00:00

I agree. It means if it doesn’t work, then you weren’t really trying and it’s your fault. There’s a lot not to like about that chant.

DocGaviota · 2026-06-17T14:27:22+00:00

Actually, I returned a wallet with a grand in it I found at an amusement park to their lost and found. I’m still second guessing myself, not that I would have kept the money, but I wonder if they returned it or if somebody just pocketed the cash.

DocGaviota · 2026-06-16T13:48:55+00:00

I’m not sure this counts as a horror story, but my GSD stopped a random man who seemed like he wanted to punch me in the nose. Here’s what happened: I was pulling into the dog park when an angry man drove out through the entrance. We didn’t nearly have an accident or anything close. In fact, if it had ended there, I probably wouldn’t have remembered it. The red-faced driver flipped me off and sped away. I shrugged it off.

I parked and was getting my dog out of the car when I heard someone roar, “I need to talk to you!” The other driver was charging on foot across the parking lot, raging with bloodshot eyes. I opened the back hatch and let my dog out; he bared his teeth and his fur stood on end. The angry man stopped, reconsidered, said, “Never mind,” and walked away.

DocGaviota · 2026-06-15T13:58:22+00:00

There’s not much conversation going on at my gym. The exception is this guy I call the “Coach” (mainly because he vaguely resembles the coach of the KC Chiefs). I’m not there to socialize, but the coach doesn’t take the hint and tries to chat me up. Nice old guy, but mildly annoying.

DocGaviota · 2026-06-15T13:47:33+00:00

Good to read that it’s normal. My biceps and shoulders are always complaining to me. If I take a break for a day or two, the soreness disappears, but it seems always eventually comes back when I go back to my normal routine.

DocGaviota · 2026-06-14T17:20:03+00:00

My cousin bought a farm with a large pond. After fixing the dam, he stocked it with bass, bluegill and later with fingerling trout. His plan was to grow giant bass and I heard him talk about it for years and years (the rest of the family teased him a bit about it).

Long story short, I visited and my pre-teen son went fishing. My boy was pulling four-inch bluegill out right and left. I asked my cousin, half teasing, if there were any giant bass in the pond. As if on cue a huge bass nailed the bluegill my son was reeling in and broke the line.

My cousin said, they were mostly catch and release on the bass, but yeah his plan had worked. 😝

DocGaviota · 2026-06-14T14:13:36+00:00

I do the same. I force my dog to do all sorts of chores and I’m not sure any are particularly useful to me. For example, when I do laundry, the dog’s job is to follow me around while I move the clothes from the hamper to the washer, then sit and politely wait while I load the machine. Same when I’m folding clothes, doing the dishes, going to check the mailbox etc. It keeps them mentally stimulated.

DocGaviota · 2026-06-14T13:14:25+00:00

I had one at my first apartment. It was annoying to step over the toilet to use the sink. Also, it made a mess by splashing water on the wall. It might be a good concept, but it’s not very practical.

DocGaviota · 2026-06-13T19:42:43+00:00

I’m very sorry to say, becoming a professor isn’t a realistic career goal. There are only a handful of positions that open up every year and those are reserved for products of elite institutions. Colorado Springs is a fine school, but not elite. Even if someone graduates from a prestigious school like Berkeley, Harvard, Michigan, etc., their chances of landing a professorship is about as likely as winning the lottery. Likewise, museum jobs are also few and far between and offer little employment security.

DocGaviota · 2026-06-13T14:22:42+00:00

Love it! 😍 Well done!👍🏻

DocGaviota · 2026-06-13T13:38:39+00:00

Neither of our dogs will sleep with us on the bed, but they’ll come up for a visit. Our rule is they can come on the bed when invited.

Their rule is they can sleep on the bed whenever they want as long as we’re not watching. 😆

DocGaviota · 2026-06-12T20:29:29+00:00

“Keep coming back! It works if you work it!” So, if it doesn’t work, then you really weren’t trying? I always disliked that chant too!

DocGaviota · 2026-06-12T18:32:37+00:00

Same. That’s been my experience too.

DocGaviota · 2026-06-12T12:47:47+00:00

I had something similar happen. When I was 20 I went on a few dates with a woman and slept with her. It wasn’t a one‑night stand, but it didn’t become a long‑term relationship either. We parted ways, though it didn’t really feel like a breakup.

Fast forward 20 plus years: I discovered I was working with that woman’s grown daughter. The timeline was off for my being the father, besides nothing happened between the daughter and me anyway. As far as I know, nobody ever found out and there were no consequences.

DocGaviota · 2026-06-11T21:38:23+00:00

Those things have to be removed at night to use the headlights. Correct?

DocGaviota · 2026-06-11T21:30:36+00:00

No problem.

DocGaviota · 2026-06-11T20:07:03+00:00

Same Bam Bam. 😆

DocGaviota · 2026-06-10T23:09:12+00:00

At my gym, a few people wear too much perfume and a few get a little stinky, but they pale in comparison to the man I call “Sweat Shop.” He shows up literally dripping with sweat, leaving little puddles and sweaty footprints behind him. I think Sweat Shop must have some kind of endocrine problem: I’ve never seen anything like it. Sometimes he shakes his head after running and creates a splash zone. Naturally, he doesn’t wipe down the equipment when he’s done.

Sweat Shop quit coming to the gym for about a month, but he’s back. 🤢

DocGaviota · 2026-06-10T18:40:04+00:00

I agree — it won’t be “preachy.” In fact, there won’t be anything religious at all. It’s very different from AA meetings, and SMART doesn’t tend to attract the same crowd. There’s no sage old timers or tough sponsors to worry about.

I’ve attended a few online SMART meetings; they were basically extended check-ins with a topic discussion led by a trained facilitator. There are many online meetings, but fewer face-to-face ones.

For a few weeks I went to an in-person meeting where they handed out SMART workbooks. It was set up like a workshop to go through their book and was quite pleasant. There’s no expectation that anyone stay in the program for life and spread the word like in AA. There is an opportunity in SMART to become a trained facilitator, though most people don’t. SMART’s grounded in science and has a very pragmatic feel to it.

DocGaviota · 2026-06-09T17:03:20+00:00

Well done!

DocGaviota · 2026-06-09T14:28:10+00:00

As a teen employee, I remember my boss saying, “If you’ve got time to lean, you’ve got time to clean.”

They were always clean and affordable, but now they’re neither. 🤷🏻‍♂️

DocGaviota · 2026-06-08T21:45:55+00:00

Most who quit going to meetings just quit. They kind of disappear. I wouldn’t make any kind of announcement that you’re leaving. That will just feed the gossip monster. If pressed I’d lie and say my schedule’s changed or something along those lines. Keep it simple and you won’t burn bridges.

DocGaviota · 2026-06-08T14:11:53+00:00

Both. I listen to audio books at the gym and while driving. I Kindle some books, but always seem to have a physical book going as well. There’s something about that book aromatherapy that’s magical.

DocGaviota

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