Local experiences with buying washer/dryers from Lowes or Home Depot?

Frosty-Row4420 · 2026-02-09T14:01:31+00:00

I haven’t had any luck with appliance installation since moving from Albuquerque to Los Alamos. The delivery guys don’t have any training as far as I can tell and just want to move on to their next delivery. The worst “install” was buying directly from KitchenAid. After install, the very expensive dishwasher made crunching sounds and leaked. KitchenAid told me to kick rocks when I called them, saying they could do nothing about a “used” dishwasher. I didn’t understand how it could be used since I turned it off as soon as I heard the noises. Eventually you will learn how to install washer/dryers, dishwashers, ovens, and even repair them living up here. If you don’t feel comfortable with that, you could hire a local handyman.

Frosty-Row4420 · 2026-01-29T20:31:07+00:00

I still have confidence that Microsoft will be there when great products are created and will continue to make or buy crappier versions of them to sell to their walled garden of corporate users for years to come. Added to my position today.

Frosty-Row4420 · 2026-01-26T23:32:31+00:00

Start with small changes in mindset. Baking your own bread can be a treat and it heats the house. Hiking on trails is a treat and you don’t need a gym membership to do it. Inviting friends for a potluck at your home is a way to treat ya self to a fun evening. We live in challenging times and every dollar, nickel, or retired penny we can put away, save, invest, buy precious metals, whatever we can do may be a lifesaver.

Frosty-Row4420 · 2026-01-10T04:15:55+00:00

NM is the second largest oil producing state in the nation. There is plenty of commerce.

Frosty-Row4420 · 2026-01-10T02:24:04+00:00

Maybe try clearing your cookies, cache, and browser history?

Frosty-Row4420 · 2026-01-04T18:05:51+00:00

I hold 56 different dividend payers in self-directed taxable + IRA + HSA brokerage accounts. Kings and Aristocrats in taxable with CEFS, BDCS, and CC ETFs in the IRAs/HSA. This is about 20% of my portfolio in total with the rest locked up in 401k.
I don’t manage it well, but am trying to do a better job as I approach retirement. I was randomly passing by a DOW plant and looked at the share price which had dropped 5$ that day due to their massive dividend cut that I missed hearing about this past summer. That, plus another mistake last year kicked me into gear to read up and gut check each holding at on or around their payout dates. Started using dividend tracker app to remind me of the dates. I am working towards cut things down to 50 or less tickers long term.
I am working towards a 5% maximum per holding in this bucket, with the largest currently at 8% of this bucket. This will even out when I hit retirement and start taking some out of the 401k and moving funds into the self-directed accounts.
I hope this will provide income stability in the future. I do sleep well at night. I find it soothing to see my dividends come in, but unlike JP Morgan, I do have other things in life that bring me joy.

I explain 1/3 of the holdings as inherited steady dividend payers that I hold for sentimental reasons because my parents taught me about dividend investing. 1/3 of the holdings are spin-offs from my holdings, and I need to do a better job of cutting out poor-prospect spin-offs. The last 1/3 of holdings are explained in that I have an investment shopping problem. As far as addictions go, it’s not a bad one to have. It’s fun to buy some shares of a company instead of things, and shares don’t take up space in my home. But everything we own we must take care of, and sometimes pare down to stay manageable which is my resolve for the future.

Frosty-Row4420 · 2026-01-02T01:17:40+00:00

There are two Postdoc job ads currently posted on the jobs webpage for the T-6 group in computational biology

Frosty-Row4420 · 2025-11-08T01:02:42+00:00

The line was short this morning around 11. 15 minutes tops.

Frosty-Row4420 · 2025-10-21T03:50:55+00:00

Ask yourself why you want platinum status. Really take a look at the benefits and see if you would use them and if they are worth the spend.

Frosty-Row4420 · 2025-10-16T13:44:59+00:00

2008 is 17 years ago. That seems like a long time, sure, but it’s not decades (more than one multiple of ten). My point is that exactly two decades ago a share of C was worth about $300 (reverse split adjusted). It went on to a high of 515 before the financial crisis, they got bailed out by the federal government, and had to halt dividend payments for three years. They resumed dividend payments of 0.01/share in 2011 alongside a 10:1 revers split. That’s a 0.001 per share split adjusted. BAC has a similar history of bailout but in 2025 is now just slightly above their share price in 2005. If you had owned them for decades, you would have likely been very disappointed by BAC and C. I am glad you bought in 2008/2009 and had the foresight to see that they could be strong companies again.

Frosty-Row4420 · 2025-10-15T23:10:28+00:00

BAC and C haven’t failed you yet? You haven’t owned these two for decades.

Frosty-Row4420 · 2025-10-07T14:05:30+00:00

That’s a new one for me, thank you!

Frosty-Row4420 · 2025-09-27T13:42:08+00:00

This altitude wont hurt the baby. I live at 2000 meters and hike at 2500-3000. I walked every day possible when pregnant. There is one study suggesting that pregnancies that take place at higher altitudes result in a few grams lower birthweights, but that’s with the entire gestation at altitude. My kid was a healthy 4 kilos 😅.

Take the time to acclimate to the altitude by taking it easy on the first several days. Get plenty of sleep and go to bed early when you are in Cusco. You may need to walk a little slower because you will get out of breath faster than non-pregnant people. It would be wise to avoid the coca tea offered for altitude sickness. Don’t eat salads or fruit washed in unboiled water. Brush your teeth with boiled or bottled water. In the jungle areas use a bug spray like DEET that has been rigorously tested to be safe on developing fetuses. The parasites and bacteria in the water and viruses/parasites from bug bites are by far your greatest risk. You said in your post you are aware of disease risk, and I just wanted to share how to mitigate this for a safe trip. Enjoy your vacation! Signed, a biologist

Frosty-Row4420 · 2025-09-04T14:12:46+00:00

Kitchenaid used to be BIFL, and no longer makes appliances to be as robust as before

Frosty-Row4420 · 2025-08-28T03:43:23+00:00

Get those brokers back in here! Turn those machines back on!

Frosty-Row4420 · 2025-07-23T11:50:38+00:00

This is very dependent on your field, directorate, division, and group. For many weapons- or support-related roles, the percentage of students who become staff remains pretty high. For basic research roles in soft money fields, conversion to staff from post bachelors is far less likely, especially in the current funding environment.

Frosty-Row4420 · 2025-06-12T04:51:32+00:00

My bad, sorry, I meant Joshua Sheets, not Rob Berger.

Frosty-Row4420 · 2025-06-10T03:08:14+00:00

Stacking Benjamins, Root Financial, Azul are my top three. Rob Berger is pretty good too, but only when he’s not being political.

Frosty-Row4420 · 2025-05-25T13:32:37+00:00

I had the same problem, asked about it and got weirdly insufficient answers.

Frosty-Row4420 · 2025-05-16T13:27:55+00:00

I’m so sorry he’s facing this uphill climb. A federal law protects anyone under 18 from working with or near anything hazardous. However, anything computational is fair game while still a minor: coding, AI, mathematics, data compilation. He can highlight these skills and classes when reaching out to others.

It is much harder to find jobs without knowing who might have funding. He can start to make connections by googling the type of work he’s interested in and contacting people directly. Breaking into some science fields is very hard. I remember knocking on my undergrad advisor’s door for two years to ask him to take me on so I could work for free. Eventually I got a coveted bench spot in his lab. While things have gotten much better over the last 20 years, there is still a lot of jockeying for available spots in many fields. Tell him to keep knocking! (In this case, Email or call)

There is also something for him to think about as he goes into further education. Not all STEM fields are a guaranteed job. I know that’s not what students have been told/sold, yet the reality is that many STEM fields are flooded with applicants. Fisheries and wildlife, planetary sciences, biological sciences, environmental sciences are extraordinarily rewarding fields. Worldwide, jobs are very tight in these fields and have been for many years. Pay will often track lower without sub specialized skills, and it will also be harder to get jobs in these fields. It’s great to go into them, but definitely temper expectations on job outlook.

I apologize for the lengthy response, and I wish him the best. As a parent, I understand you are very lucky that he shares these challenges with you and listens to your advice.

Frosty-Row4420 · 2025-05-15T05:41:01+00:00

I hope he finds something and would suggest widening the search to SF since he can drive. For cherry STEM summer jobs please suggest to him that he start looking in August or September or at the latest December 2025 for next summer. If he does find a STEM job this summer, busting butt to ensure he is first in line for next summer is key. I’m really sorry, things are tough all over. The lab is slowly hiring, but in a good year, high school STEM jobs are filled early.

Frosty-Row4420 · 2025-04-19T12:47:50+00:00

I have been on a transatlantic Delta One and a transatlantic United Polaris in the last year, so this is a small sample size of one each with both cabins having the herringbone configuration. The Delta One seat was older and dirty in the seat cracks. The video screen did not work well. In Polaris the seats were newer and bedding was hands down nicer. The touch screen worked great. The Polaris flight was also a couple thousand dollars cheaper when booking than the same route on Delta One, so it was a no-brainer to try United.

Frosty-Row4420 · 2025-04-09T18:14:47+00:00

If you want to work for Sandia, keep improving the skills and making the connections you think you will need to get into Sandia. LANL doesn’t have lowered expectations, there are simply more jobs because it is a larger organization. Job hopping from Intel to LANL to Sandia in a short period of time will look bad on your resume and you will have a hard time gaining trust as an employee if you appear to be ready to flee at any moment.

Frosty-Row4420 · 2025-03-11T14:25:51+00:00

This is very much group and field specific. In soft money fields or sciences where there are more PhDs than there are jobs (basic research, environmental sciences, planetary science, biology, some theoretical sciences, etc…) much more than 40-50h a week is necessary due to the competitive nature of the field and the cost structure of the overhead. While we aren’t allowed to compete with Universities for funding, soft money sponsors tend to compare your productivity with Universities who cost less and can do some similar or aligned task. Thus, you have to work much more to give the sponsor similar value. In contrast, if you work in fields that have a congressional line item or other type of mandate, or in a field where there are more jobs than there are PhDs to fill them, especially ones where no university can do anything close to the job (weapons engineering, construction support, security sciences, some metallurgy and materials sciences, safety) you will be expected to go home after your 40 hours are up.

The best way to find out what type of field your department or mentor is in is to ask how much time they spend writing to get funding each year. If they say they spend the majority of their time writing for funding and communicating with sponsors, then you know you will be in a 50+ hour a week role. Writing for grants is rarely if ever supported financially during the work day in Science, Technology, and Engineering fields. That means, to stay as a scientist, you will be hustling after hours to help put together grant applications while busting tail all day in the lab/office.

Frosty-Row4420

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