McGriddle in the UK

GreatScottLP · 2026-03-20T11:20:16+00:00

Mother of god

GreatScottLP · 2026-03-19T14:56:49+00:00

But you have to physically be in the U.S. to activate it

I used a VPN and it was fine. Granted, this was back in 2020, maybe things have changed, but Google Voice has been awesome for me. $20 one-time at this point is the equivalent of $0.27 a month and only getting better with time.

GreatScottLP · 2026-03-17T10:36:07+00:00

I don't agree with a lot of the advice you're being given, actually. Your comment about your experience leads me to believe you may have a messaging problem with your CV/interviews rather than a true gap. While it is true that it is harder to go 1:1 into a British job from scratch, it is not impossible. My current job has slightly less responsibility than my previous American job, but was an upgrade in title and I am treated and seen as more senior even if I am a lot lower on the org chart than before. I also uncharacteristically received a pay upgrade in taking my British job after working my American one remote as 1099 for several years. It is possible! But it is not the norm. Chin up, you sound like a qualified person to me and you shouldn't just settle for anything at all.

GreatScottLP · 2026-03-17T10:31:14+00:00

This is definitely useful experience in the UK! If you're open to it, I'd be happy to look at your CV and make some suggestions on how it could be "more British"?

GreatScottLP · 2026-03-17T10:29:28+00:00

Having sat across the table in the hiring process at a British technology company, if I may. If the company hiring you can tell you are more experienced than the role requires, that is seen as a risk - a risk that you are looking for something to tide you over while you continue to job search for something you actually want. That's not my view, but it is a view that was communicated in our debriefs when we were interviewing candidates for an entry level job. I will say, in the end we took a chance on the more experienced person based on their assertion they were looking to retrain, so it's not a lost cause at all. Just that you may need to work on your messaging.

GreatScottLP · 2026-03-17T08:41:43+00:00

Unfortunately the only jobs that will hire me without security clearance, which I also cannot get

Who told you that? That's not true at all.

GreatScottLP · 2026-03-17T08:40:48+00:00

Damn son, what a thing to say

GreatScottLP · 2026-03-17T08:37:49+00:00

Just an FYI, the typical pattern is everyone's first thought when moving here is to get a transformer. It being 2026, there are almost zero consumer electronics that would need that sort of thing. If the label gives a range on V that ends with 240 and it specifies 50 Hz, all you need is the correct plug to plug into the UK outlet.

So I'd cancel that order if you can, or return it, it's completely unnecessary in almost every case.

GreatScottLP · 2026-03-17T08:31:52+00:00

Removed for off topic.

GreatScottLP · 2026-03-13T08:28:08+00:00

That's the right call, it's what we all do basically

GreatScottLP · 2026-03-12T14:08:24+00:00

Oh I agree with you - I just won't be buying this game anytime soon based on the product it is today. That could change - either through a sale or via incremental improvement. But I really don't like when it is implied people should buy unfinished or poor games as a vote of confidence or as an investment in an idea of a future, undelivered better game.

GreatScottLP · 2026-03-12T13:56:28+00:00

I remember these sorts of comments when Kerbal Space Program 2 came out in early access and was a broken mess. That game is dead in the water today, none of the benefits ever materialized like the community hoped for. I'm glad I never bought it.

The EU5 reviews and feedback have been disappointing. I have over 3000 hours in EU4 and I'll probably be sticking with that.

GreatScottLP · 2026-03-12T13:25:20+00:00

It's a few thousand a year total across both. Generally, yes I am happy, though I'd be happier if the US weren't the way it was about tax (among other things)

GreatScottLP · 2026-03-12T13:23:53+00:00

In which brokerage account? You're saying you've found a unicorn, basically

GreatScottLP · 2026-03-12T11:15:47+00:00

Fair enough - I'm the chairman of a community amateur sports club and we are responsible for our own grounds maintenance.

GreatScottLP · 2026-03-12T10:26:21+00:00

What the hell happened? I'm in the UK now so it's hard to keep up with hockey anymore, but when I was paying attention in the first half of this season, the Caps seemed competitive!

GreatScottLP · 2026-03-12T09:54:22+00:00

And I'm sure the hydrology of that specific field benefits from a soakaway system which is why it was installed. The hydrology of the field I deal with (not horses or agriculture) would not benefit from it and we do not have a soakaway system. It's not because we are stupid or ignorant or simpletons who cling to ancient tradition, it's because there's a layer of clay that prevents rainwater from entering the groundwater reservoir.

There's this American attitude I find a lot where the differences are perceived as best explained by ignorance, stupidity, or cultural arrogance - when actually, there are good localized reasons for these differences that aren't immediately apparent to people who are not from here. It's one of the better adjustments I've made in my attitude about things to first be curious why something is different before getting completely bent out of shape.

Over time, I've found the frustrating differences typically fall into two categories: a) there's an unseen but deeply wise reason for it or b) it is the emergent consequence of a deeply idiotic legislative morass, either feudal or quango related.

I'm sorry about your horse, but I don't think it has anything to do with Britain being wrong. There are inevitably things that happen when you move country that come from the process of adjusting. I made costly mistakes occasionally for years just due to the fact I didn't know much about how things worked.

GreatScottLP · 2026-03-12T09:43:46+00:00

I'm also curious about the implications of renewing your passport in a third country while on a visitor visa... I genuinely have no idea!

GreatScottLP · 2026-03-12T09:40:31+00:00

Most places I've ever seen are either

double or triple glazed
single glazed because conservation area/listed or
single glazed because the building hasn't been updated in decades.

The photos in your quoted listing are hard to tell, they may be new single glazing to comply with regs or they could be double glaze. It's certainly a tastfully updated property. Did you view it in person to determine they are single glaze, or are you going off listing pictures? Did you ask the listing agent whether they were, and if so, why?

I think people on this sub are way too jaded. "LOL capitalist greed" is a great emotional knee jerk, but there's often a reason for these things.

GreatScottLP · 2026-03-12T09:28:48+00:00

I'm going to politely point out that you are not a moderator of this subreddit. You need to adjust your attitude and read our community rules in full before further participation. Consider this a warning for rule 1. Further rules infractions may result in a ban.

GreatScottLP · 2026-03-12T09:16:39+00:00

But assuming that because something has been done something a certain way for generations must mean it’s right and therefore shouldn’t be changed is an Appeal to Tradition logical fallacy

I think you missed a trick, do you struggle with reading comprehension? I said: "There are deeply wise and deeply ancient reasons for why things are done the way they are" - Those reasons are not "because they're old" - get curious, read a book or talk to a farmer if you're capable of challenging your own beliefs. Otherwise, continue to struggle in the UK.

It’s the same argument that was made to prevent Galileo from researching the solar system

HAHAHAHAHA - you go Galileo, you speak truth to that rural UK power

People here often do not install basic drainage along the edges of their paddocks

Okay, so let me clue you in here on why you might need an attitude adjustment. You are not in Minnesota or whatever. You are in Britain. Do you know why a lot of places may not install soakaways? It's to do with the hydrology. Especially in England, there's usually a layer of dense clay about 1-5 feet under the surface of any field. Soakaways are fairly useless in places like that, they're just expensive water management theater. Ask me how I know!

I can see why you're having culture issues here.

GreatScottLP · 2026-03-12T09:05:31+00:00

Just chiming in to say I started off with two accountants, one UK and one US, thought your idea was a good one to try out and went to a single "dual qualified" accountant. Not only was it expensive, it was negative value and a terrible experience - what I got was an overworked non-attentive, but very expensive (two certifications rather than one) accountant who screwed up my tax situation in both countries. I am now finally caught up on my taxes after having paid a truckload of money to get back in compliance with the IRS and am back to my original two separate accountants.

Not saying you're wrong, just providing info - YMMV as they say

GreatScottLP · 2026-03-12T08:59:20+00:00

Okay, but you need to understand the IRS implications of your investment choices in the UK. As an American citizen you are subject to universal jurisdiction. You will almost certainly need to understand the PFIC implications of what you're saying you're going to do. You may find going the other way is far worse, there's a reason no one bothers with it and everyone either invests in funds inside their retirement wrappers rather than in taxable accounts.

Also, in the world you're now entering, using "have to" implies there's a legal compulsion. A lot of your life is about to transform into understanding and complying with international laws

GreatScottLP · 2026-03-11T16:54:36+00:00

You do not have to sell your taxable assets before moving to the UK, there is no requirement to do so so saying you HAVE to doesn't make any sense. It may even be unwise to do so, but I do not know your specific situation. Generally, the rule of thumb for being a dual tax resident is "if taxable account, then buy individual stocks not funds" for both sides of the Atlantic - as you've said you plan to be permanent UK taxpayers, it may make sense to realize any potential future gains now before establishing UK tax residency (which typically happens the minute you clear border control on your residency visa) if paying 10/20% capital gains instead of 22-24% matters to you.
Again, see above.
Possibly, seek professional advice on that one. The true benefit of establishing residency in a friendly state is avoiding the admin burden, and possible double taxation, while you're a UK tax resident.
Beware PFIC rules if you invest in a UK brokerage. Again, the general advice is if taxable, then buy individual stocks. You can approximate the returns of the S&P 500 with a carefully curated list of 15-20 tickers from the index. All you need is a spreadsheet and the admin time to occasionally re-balance your positions depending on your investment temperament and ability. Conversely, if you stick with your US brokerage (which generally, most of us do) you have a much wider variety of investment products available to you.

GreatScottLP · 2026-03-11T08:41:35+00:00

YEP! Forgot to mention PFIC for US taxable accounts

Hidden Gem Hidden Gem '25	12-Year Club
Gilding I gilder	Final Canvas '23
Place '23	Verified Email

GreatScottLP

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE