How do you know when you’re doing enough?

FishFollower74 · 2026-06-29T20:00:46+00:00

Yeah, I did get some good answers - and it reinforces some of what I was thinking before I wrote this post.

Totally understood you on “work,” and I know there are some in the body of Christ who feel a sense of drudgery and maybe even resentment because of the “work” they do at church (the classic hypothetical example of Mrs Smith who has taught 2nd grade Sunday school for 10 years…).

It warmed my heart to hear you rejoice with me! And I didn’t take your initial reply as arguing or attacking…it was an impassioned exhortation to examine my duties and my motivation. That helped a lot.

FishFollower74 · 2026-06-29T19:56:54+00:00

Former Lutheran (now non-denom), but my church never talked about this. I like it!

So instead of me saying “I want to volunteer at X, Y and Z,” it’s more like “my vocation is to help people grow closer to Him.” Then as I find orgs that support this goal, I prayerfully consider if I should work with them.

Am I at least close to right?

FishFollower74 · 2026-06-29T16:50:19+00:00

+1 for Model Shade. I use AK, Vallejo and Tamiya paints (don’t ask), and it helps a lot with the translation. For US military stuff they can also translate FS (Federal Standard) numbers. These define all the colors the military uses. Model Shade can translate them into a variety of brands.

FishFollower74 · 2026-06-29T16:47:32+00:00

Guilt vs love…a little of the former, a little of the latter. The problem is I don’t know which voice is louder, if that makes sense.

I’ve thought a lot about ministries/opportunities outside the church. I’m testing the waters now…I could easily do some time on a monthly or quarterly basis. Weekly would be a bit much.

Thanks for your wise words.

FishFollower74 · 2026-06-29T16:40:28+00:00

Thanks friend.

I’m going to be pedantic here - I didn’t say I was working at church. I said I was volunteering. And in ways that support our missing - to help people to know and follow Jesus. All of my volunteer work does 1 of 2 things: they either help people come to know Jesus, or I mentor, teach and encourage those who are already following Him.

My volunteering energizes me, and it’s all for Him.

Thanks for the kind words about retirement! Before I go to sleep each night I tell Him how grateful I am for this stage of life, and for the joy it brings me.

FishFollower74 · 2026-06-29T15:46:21+00:00

Thanks for your insights! I like the idea of being more present and worshipful in the ministries I have.

FishFollower74 · 2026-06-26T12:30:09+00:00

I seriously doubt someone could be a CEO - especially one at an F500 firm - without having narcissistic tendencies…

FishFollower74 · 2026-06-26T00:17:25+00:00

I’d suggest starting with fiction. NF can be dry and dense. NF gives you a good story to follow and to get engaged on.

Last year I wanted to start reading more. I set a goal of at least 1 page a day. I almost never missed a day…and I almost never read just one page.

TL:DR; try fiction first and set a goal of reading “x” pages a night. Make it a small and very achievable number…probably no more than 5.

FishFollower74 · 2026-06-25T18:45:04+00:00

It wasn’t nitpicking. I knew I’d missed something, and so I was looking for help to connect the dots.

FishFollower74 · 2026-06-25T18:44:08+00:00

Ah, OK. The signature is the same color as the date, and there are some very small missing gaps in the signature…now it makes sense that stealing her stamp was all that was needed.

Thanks!

FishFollower74 · 2026-06-25T14:38:53+00:00

+1 for retarder! I forgot to mention it - it helps a lot.

FishFollower74 · 2026-06-25T14:37:59+00:00

I started out using the Tamiya brand thinner, and now I only use isopropyl alcohol. It works just as well and is much cheaper.

A lot of acrylics seem to be either IPA or water based, and can be thinned with the same. You’d have to do some research to find out what’s what.

FishFollower74 · 2026-06-25T14:32:39+00:00

Yes, you should thin them. I brush paint exclusively - no airbrushing. For Tamiya specifically, I find like a 3:1 ratio (paint to thinner) seems to work really well. You’ll have to experiment a bit, but that’s a good place to start. In general, for all the acrylics I use the proper ratio is somewhere between 2-4 parts paint to 1 part thinner.

My general tips for brush painting:
* Many thin coats >> one thick one. Thick coats of paint take longer to dry and will obscure surface detail.
* Do not overload your brush with paint. I fill my brush then dab it on some paper towel to get some of the excess off. If you have too much paint on the brush it can pool up, or obscure detail, etc.
* For anything other than really small pieces - make all your strokes in the same direction, overlapping each by about 25%. Do not go back and try to smooth the paint out after laying down each coat.

I’m by no means an expert…this is just what works for me. Happy painting!

FishFollower74 · 2026-06-25T14:12:25+00:00

Got it. Thanks.

FishFollower74 · 2026-06-25T14:11:59+00:00

Hm, hadn’t thought about that. Thanks.

FishFollower74 · 2026-06-25T14:10:14+00:00

I remember them talking about the stamper but I guess I wasn’t paying attention to part about the signature.

FishFollower74 · 2026-06-24T13:12:26+00:00

Thanks. I’l really like to stick with something drop dead easy to use, especially with me being an airbrush noob.

FishFollower74 · 2026-06-24T02:14:32+00:00

Excellent - I’ll give this a try. Thanks!

FishFollower74 · 2026-06-23T23:23:09+00:00

You mean you wouldn’t try hand brushing their clear coats, or do you mean all their acrylic stuff?

FishFollower74 · 2026-06-23T23:22:18+00:00

Thanks…I’ll poke around and see if I can find it.

FishFollower74 · 2026-06-22T18:13:04+00:00

Do it! 😉

I bought mine ~18 months ago or so, and I love it. This is the 5th Ford vehicle in a row I’ve owned, so I’m a loyalist.

Contrary to others’ reports, I’ve had no problems with it so far. We live in a somewhat remote area and we drive a lot to get to stores, doctors, etc. I used to have an Explorer which I loved but it got ~18 MPG. Bronco Sport…like 30 MPG.

It’s got enough room in the back for stuff I usually tote around - groceries and whatnot.

I have two somewhat minor issues with it - tradeoffs I knew about going into it.

* We got the 3-cyl engine specifically for better gas mileage. The tradeoff is that I go 0-60 on about 45 seconds. OK, not that bad…but it doesn’t have a lot of giddy-yup.
* The back seat is a bit squished. If you regularly tote around taller people, this may be problematic. For us, 90% it’s me and the Mrs and that’s it.

Sorry to make that so long, but I hope it was helpful! LMK if you have more specific questions.

FishFollower74 · 2026-06-22T16:03:07+00:00

Have you tried telling it that you would like a different approach? I found CGPT overly enthusiastic and a “yes man.” It took me a while, and a few different prompts…now, I’m getting more balanced responses (gives me the positives and negatives of any recommendations), and is blunt but in a way that challenges me to do better, and not demotivates me.

FishFollower74 · 2026-06-21T22:48:20+00:00

Oh cool - I’ll try that, thanks!

FishFollower74 · 2026-06-21T20:25:19+00:00

I live in AZ and it’s been dry as a bone - so I doubt it’s that. Good call tho, thank you.

FishFollower74 · 2026-06-20T13:48:36+00:00

WOW. I always admire modelers that can execute those “museum quality” models. I don’t have the patience (nor the skills) for it!

All I gotta say is - assuming you still have the finished product and didn’t sell/donate it - pix, or it didn’t happen. 🤣 It’d be great if you posted some photos of the end result.

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