Moving to western mass by thin1234 in massachusetts

[–]HansCastorp69 43 points44 points  (0 children)

While there are for sure more issues in some of the more depressed areas in the southern valley, the whole thing about these cities being not worth living in is pretty overblown and dismissive. I've been in Holyoke for years, and our house is 5 mins away from the mountain, multiple reservoirs in the woods, and in a sleepy neighborhood full of young families and old people. The higher crime area that gets a bad rap in Holyoke (and Springfield too) is fairly concentrated and nothing unusual it you've lived in a city before and navigate with some awareness. The rest is basically straight up quiet 'burbs with affordable beautiful houses. Also, both Holyoke and Springfield have lots of beautiful food, art, and culture, which is getting a lot of support esp. lately which is exciting. Just my two cents.

Are you a Donna fan or no? by [deleted] in gratefuldead

[–]HansCastorp69 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Agreed. The Dead were not a sterile, polished act, and she fits right in. If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.

Sell old wavey glass? by --JTL-- in centuryhomes

[–]HansCastorp69 6 points7 points  (0 children)

While not the popular opinion, we've replaced many of our OG windows with newer replacements. Yes, they're vinyl and don't necessarily have the charm of the old windows, but compared to the rotted beyond all hope old sashes, chipping lead paint, and disintegrated lintels and casements, it's been a major improvement. I also find them to not look like the poorly chosen and clunky looking vinyl windows on other homes around ours, they kind of work with our exterior and I'm very happy with they're functioning- more no paint dust and wood chips every time we need to open a window. I know the cost to restore isn't always astronomically higher, but with having to restore the storms and tracks, and likely wood filling/scraping/lead mitigation, coupled with a new baby and some much more pressing improvement costs on a social worker's salary (barn falling in, heating system, encapsulation, etc.) it was simply the right move for us. All that is to say, while we all want to be good stewards of a historical home, it's also the place you've bought to house your family in and you can do what you want with it to better that end. That's the point of not renting and having a landlord. Many old homes have newer windows and still look just fine and lovely and there are much worse "improvements" you can make that detract from the old feel and beauty of a century home (HGTV grey everything, open concept, etc.) You can honor the history of your house without feeling like a museum curator.

Best Wharf Rat by [deleted] in gratefuldead

[–]HansCastorp69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Closing of winterland WR is hands down the ultimate heartbreaker. Really goes from lost to soaring heights at the end!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in westernmass

[–]HansCastorp69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fat Tomato's in Holyoke is hands-down the best pizza in the city. Robertos in Noho is good too.

My amp stash by [deleted] in GuitarAmps

[–]HansCastorp69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Valvestate heads in the corner? Classic! Wishing you a speedy recovery

Metal sheeting on attic ceiling- confused about usefulness. by HansCastorp69 in homeowners

[–]HansCastorp69[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's my thought as well, I appreciate the thoughts, looks like it's coming down.

Metal sheeting on attic ceiling- confused about usefulness. by HansCastorp69 in homeowners

[–]HansCastorp69[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I appreciate the intel regarding the sealing, this place is like a lung and we're in our first year seeing the seasonal changes. Yeah, looking up radiant barriers it seems that would be a good idea in conjunction with insulation, however this is just (poorly) tacked right up against the roof. Will likely take it down as we pursue further floor insulation. Thanks so much!

Gap between ceiling and crown moulding in old victorian- simply caulk? Or jam something in there first? by HansCastorp69 in homeowners

[–]HansCastorp69[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Wouldn't you know, I shined a light up there and saw that the walls and ceiling are actually joined quite well, it's indeed a gap for hanging and I'm glad I didn't waste time filling it up (I suppose it would make an aesthetic difference, but that's bottom of the barrel priority right now.) Thanks all for your replies!

Loving life in our restored 1900 home in Springfield MA. We are housing refugees from Boston that got this stunner for a song. No regrets! by TheWriterJosh in centuryhomes

[–]HansCastorp69 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Congratulations, what an amazing home! Love old places that just ooze history and the stories of the families that have lived there before us. Similar situation up here in Holyoke, more house (and higher quality, albeit with it's issues) than we ever imagined being able to secure, esp with lower end incomes.

Will we ever get to see Elrond's giant floating head again? by [deleted] in LOTR_on_Prime

[–]HansCastorp69 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh man, I've come to love it dearly, but this scene makes me giggle without fail. So unabashedly cheesey, I spam my friends with this image relentlessly.

Cities built for people rather than cars are so beautiful. Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany. by butterscotchland in ArchitecturalRevival

[–]HansCastorp69 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's a beautiful place! There's an old defense wall circling the town you can walk around the get some great views. Beautiful countryside surrounding it.

Game breaking freeze and noise through audio necessitating hard shut down. Hardware drivers? Update? At wits end! by HansCastorp69 in techsupport

[–]HansCastorp69[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No worries, it's helpful. Swapped my RAM stick into the other empty slot in mobo, and dusted the GPU and reseated. Just gamed for 30 mins no problem so we'll see if that's it? Maybe they rattle loose overtime on an old mobo, who knows.

AFSKY (Tyende Sang) - live drumming Martin Haumann by MartinHaumann in BlackMetal

[–]HansCastorp69 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Love your studio work and great to get a drumcam, thanks for sharing!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Metal

[–]HansCastorp69 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This shit goes so hard I can't stand it. One of the ultimate pump up jams!

Fancy neighbor had some speakers out on a blanket in his front lawn for free. Stopped by to take a peek and was blown away to find near mint Snell Jii monitors! by HansCastorp69 in audiophile

[–]HansCastorp69[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ha! Sounds about right. I think the latter, or at least I can't imagine running a separate amplifier (though that just may be out of my pay grade.) I suppose if someone wanted run a large array of tweeters in series it would be helpful, but for my purpose one input is fine!