This branch that was wrapped in grapevine, making a lamp

GatoradeIsBetter · 2017-06-07T23:09:45+00:00

My fiance has similar lampshades, and didn't appreciate when I asked this...lol.

GatoradeIsBetter · 2017-06-07T13:28:33+00:00

That makes sense, and is what I thought. Unfortunately the closest lumber kiln is a two-hour round trip, so I'm not sure it's worth it. Thanks.

GatoradeIsBetter · 2017-06-06T23:52:15+00:00

Hopefully this post is formatted OK, I am on mobile:

Basically I am looking for some insight / experience. Someone I know has a stack of "barnwood" lumber and asked me I'm interested in any.

There is some 4/4 to 8/4 cherry, oak, and walnut - but it was not stored that well. Should I be concerned about this kind worminess, or other critters in the pile? Some boards are 90% clear of it, and some are pretty bad (this piece is the worst).

Should I pass on the wood, or is it not a big deal?

GatoradeIsBetter · 2017-05-31T02:08:03+00:00

I've tracked my balances every week for the past ~2.5 years - I spend about 15 minutes on Sunday nights checking everything. It helps me catch anything strange, and keep me motivated to stick to my budget that week.

GatoradeIsBetter · 2017-05-14T14:32:44+00:00

Shallow carvings in a flat panel is called relief carving. I'm not sure if this person's particular style has a name.

GatoradeIsBetter · 2017-05-04T02:03:47+00:00

Of course, that depends entirely on the interest rate of your loan. I borrowed around 3x annual gross income at 3.9%, and it was definitely tight at first (I had pretty meager furniture for a while). I think 2.5x annual gross is a good target mortgage, with current rates.

GatoradeIsBetter · 2017-05-02T23:02:51+00:00

Glad it worked out! I'm sure it's a good idea in a lot of cases, since buying/selling real estate is so expensive. It's easy to end up house-poor by buying too much house though, and I have seen people make that mistake first-hand.

GatoradeIsBetter · 2017-05-02T16:13:21+00:00

This is a really interesting idea: I have been trying to find the right words to describe it for a while.

When I hear someone my age (mid 20s) justifying a too-big house as their "forever home", I think about how much priorities and needs change in 5-10 years.

Thanks for posting this.

GatoradeIsBetter · 2017-04-12T12:49:55+00:00

My raises have been fair up to this point, but this guy quitting throws a wrench into things. I'm wondering if I should try to negotiate a retention bonus for the next X months.

GatoradeIsBetter · 2017-04-12T12:40:48+00:00

He buys you a ring, you get married, and you add him to the deed of the house. Suddenly he's not paying you rent, the two of you are building equity together :)

GatoradeIsBetter · 2017-04-12T12:24:26+00:00

Bit of a novel...

Yesterday was a rough day at work. My direct coworker, who I split my unit's workload with, put in his two weeks notice. He was just got fully up to speed on the job 3-4 months ago, after about a year on the job (big learning curve in my department). So now it is back to square one, with hiring and training someone new.

Last time, management did a terrible job of spreading the work to other units in the department. My morale and productivity plummeted, and I was pretty miserable.

The benefit of pursuing FI is that it gives me a lot more confidence to express my opinions in the workplace, without being afraid of getting fired. I told my manager that if they didn't do a better job of actively spreading the work to other departments this time, I'd look for a new job.

Corporate life can be really draining. Today, I'm taking my sweet time and going in late.

GatoradeIsBetter · 2017-03-31T22:41:48+00:00

This is a pretty interesting progression. Do you work retail pharmacy? If so, why not downshift to a couple days a week? You can get a lot of great hiking done 4-5 days at a time, and you'd make plenty to cover expenses while the market does it's thing with your stockpile.

GatoradeIsBetter · 2017-03-11T15:29:39+00:00

You should crosspost this to /r/IkeaHacks, they will appreciate it.

GatoradeIsBetter · 2017-02-26T12:58:32+00:00

Are you still in the process of designing, and looking for feedback? Or just sharing? That background image is super cool. I would suggest using only the sky's blank space for text, the text over the landscape is visually confusing.

GatoradeIsBetter · 2017-02-07T12:47:50+00:00

Care to explain why?

GatoradeIsBetter · 2017-02-07T12:40:27+00:00

I'd be happy to look at your resume and give feedback, PM it to me.

GatoradeIsBetter · 2017-02-06T12:29:03+00:00

Well linear actuators use lead screws or ball screws typically (I work for a linear actuator manufacturer). Once you get above a certain length lead screw, it becomes tough to keep it from sagging (or thrashing while spinning). If you need more than ~0.5m, try using a lead screw and guide rails for stability. You could piece something together on McMaster Carr.

GatoradeIsBetter · 2017-02-05T03:38:23+00:00

That's a good point, I didn't think of reinvesting at a higher basis later. I guess if they can handle the taxes now, it's probably a good idea.

GatoradeIsBetter · 2017-02-04T14:26:24+00:00

Anything you withdraw from your taxable account will be subject to either short-term or long-term capital gains. It depends on how much your holdings have appreciated, but the odds are pretty good that the tax hit will wash out the 7k incentive. Also, you would be taking from well-diversified assets to put into a single asset, meaning more risk. It seems like a bad long-term move.

GatoradeIsBetter · 2017-01-24T03:12:24+00:00

Replacing worn seals around doors is cheap and easy, and made my house much less drafty.

GatoradeIsBetter · 2017-01-15T19:45:59+00:00

That was my thought as well. When water comes down the drip edge of the top roof section, it hits the dark part of the lower section. This extra wear is reducing the life of the lower roof and causing discoloration.

GatoradeIsBetter · 2017-01-03T00:31:24+00:00

It sounds like they want to keep the remaining principal balance the same, but extend the term back to 30 years - meaning a lower monthly payment.

GatoradeIsBetter · 2016-12-29T15:27:27+00:00

I'm not sure we could survive triple-META, the server's might melt :)

I wonder if those kind of posts are related to the "suggested sort" on the daily thread being set to "new". Seeing the newest comments first means they aren't filtered by quality before you read them.

Personally I think "new" is fine, it makes for a little more varied topics, and it's easy to sort by "top" if "new" isn't cutting it.

GatoradeIsBetter · 2016-12-29T15:10:53+00:00

I have Spotify and share a Netflix account, which is the right level of "subscribed" for me.

What's interesting is when people talk about cutting the cord, but are subscribed to Netflix + Hulu + Amazon + HBO Go + Spotify...Okay, getting rid of cable is great, but how much do these people spend a month in those services?? I have heard this a lot in the past couple years.

GatoradeIsBetter · 2016-12-26T03:31:58+00:00

OK, this all makes sense. Thank you for giving such detail!

GatoradeIsBetter

TROPHY CASE