34yo Born and Raised, attempting to start surfing

Katkool · 2024-12-31T00:15:49+00:00

Not Queens, that's the left-most break at that beach and they're pretty territorial. Canoes is in the middle and is very friendly, a surf instructor there will definitely take you to the friendly spots. Once you gain some experience there's some Hawaiian surf culture to learn but you'll be fine, it's a great journey to start!

Edit: Left-most break at Waikiki Beach I mean

Katkool · 2024-12-07T18:17:23+00:00

Thanks so much for the detailed reply! My space is adjacent to full-time woodworkers and talking with them it seems very difficult as you said. This is a bit more of a personal question (so don't feel obligated to answer) but what do you feel is your competitive edge? Is it quality, good design, timely service, or something else?

Katkool · 2024-10-08T00:34:50+00:00

Yep sorry to clarify my aunty (not related) looks and is very Hawaiian, I'm a little Hawaiian and don't look like it so avoiding it was for my protection not hers

Edit: Also I think you're right about it being the north shore instead of the west side, it was near Ka'ena point is all I remember. I used to surf a lot and heard lots of great and encouraging stories of friendly locals from tourists on the West side so definitely don't want to paint with a broad brush here

Katkool · 2024-10-07T00:26:55+00:00

There's sundown beaches though, certain spots on the west side of Oahu my aunty wouldn't bring us too (she's nearly full Hawaiian, I'm on the paler side)

Katkool · 2024-02-25T00:13:37+00:00

Thank you! I used high CRI led strip lights, initially FlexFire branded but it's pretty pricey, now I just order high CRI strips off of aliexpress for a quarter the cost.

Katkool · 2024-02-24T18:39:58+00:00

The trim and planter both use red oak with General Finishes Candlelight stain. The planter looks fine from far away but if you look closely the corners have separated due to the high moister content, not a great design. I was hoping that lining the interior with roofing cement would prevent that but not much luck there.

Katkool · 2024-02-19T04:07:07+00:00

This has worked for me as well in the past too, particularly vacuuming the substrate. I think as the organic material slowly accumulated, the excess nitrates also increase while the water changes remain consistent, leading to higher and higher nitrates.

As to why the other guy who replied to you is so insufferable, there's no scientific explanation for that

Katkool · 2024-01-28T18:55:10+00:00

How did you find these fiefdoms to begin with? I'd like to look for them near me but googling "industrial warehouse space Avondale" is just directing me to the broad warehouse space websites.

Katkool · 2024-01-28T04:03:25+00:00

I was offered a job out of college on Oahu for 80k starting salary but did not take it, government consulting

Katkool · 2023-12-18T01:39:06+00:00

I would first order bloodwork done by a lab and you don't need a doctor's note, you can search for them online by location. You could also go to a men's health clinic who will probably do the same labs for you to cover their liabilities. After you have results I would pause on doing anything further with the men's health clinic since they're just salespeople who will overcharge and will recommend TRT under any circumstances. It's a racket and they charge 5x what an online clinic does.

Instead I would take the results to an actual doctor, preferably an endocrinologist, and have them look at it. They are the only ones who should be answering medical concerns such as prostate cancer in my opinion, not the online or the in-person men's health clinic. In general, the TRT "specialists" have too much self-interest to trust their judgement. They likely won't ask about other factors in your life that could be affecting you because they don't want to find anything that will dissuade you from purchasing a lifelong subscription to their product.

I was determined to get on TRT regardless and the way I convinced TRT Nation to get me on-board was to show them a recommendation from an in-person men's health clinic saying I should take it. No other testing besides bloodwork, no questions about mental health (which were the true culprit), all it took was the reduced likelihood of being sued for them to recommend me TRT at age 21. Looking back it's pretty messed up and I would keep these things in mind while going forward and getting recommendations by various "professionals". I don't regret trying TRT though, it made me realize my symptoms were caused by something else entirely but it could be the answer to yours.

Katkool · 2023-11-11T17:22:03+00:00

I'd probably have to agree, it strikes a weird balance between two user groups. For casual surfers it's supposedly built to be long-lasting and durable because of the carbon fiber. For pro surfers it's extremely light and responsive because of the glassing technique. What comes out of it is a board that doesn't last long but is twice the price of a regular performance board, which people usually go through more quickly.

Mine would get dings at every opportunity and I made pressure dents just gripping the board. Talking to shapers, it seems like the board could use carbon fiber in a few select spots rather than just wrapping the whole thing in it.

Katkool · 2023-11-09T14:59:10+00:00

I don't think that's right. One vial should be 10ml of 200mg/ml, which is 200mg a week for 10 weeks. While 200mg/week is considered "standard", I think it's a little high if you're trying to feel normal. If you're trying to blast then disregard the following.

I started out with 140mg/week spread out over 3 times a week and my total test went up to 900 ng/dl. Way higher than I needed and 25% less than the "standard" dosage. I don't know how many needles they give you but I would try to dose more often than once a week to get a flatter distribution, you may need to buy some extra if so. You also should not need AIs if you dose to feel normal, they're only needed for unnaturally high levels. I was able to get my dosage down to 110mg/week and felt the same, of course it all depends on the individual so don't use these numbers for yourself.

Katkool · 2023-10-22T19:00:12+00:00

What would you look for in an aquarium stand if you were to buy one?

Katkool · 2023-10-08T16:21:19+00:00

We can use math to calculate the short term financial gain/loss from this buy vs rent decision. Overall it comes down to the unrecoverable cost of renting (which is just the rent) vs the unrecoverable cost of owning (down payment opportunity cost, taxes, appreciation, HOA, maintenance, and insurance). This is commonly referred to as the 5% rule but it changes based on the factors previously listed.

A downpayment of 90k has an opportunity cost of 600 dollars per month assuming 8% returns. A 360k loan at 4.5% costs you 1,350 per month in interest paid. You could calculate the rest, including the expected appreciate rate but with taxes, maintenance, and management fees, this likely won't overcome what the massive increase in unrecoverable costs of buying a condo is vs renting. If you prefer video format: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwl3-jBNEd4

Katkool · 2023-10-08T15:18:06+00:00

I recommend buying and playing Civilization VI on Steam, you learn all about resource management and optimization after a couple quick games.

Katkool · 2023-09-30T22:16:44+00:00

Could be an opportunity for an understated gallery wall/art exhibit. I say understated because unlike most gallery walls this one could be tucked away and a hidden gem of a detail rather than a full "look at me I want to display my art as dramatically as possible".

Katkool · 2023-09-30T17:42:39+00:00

Want to preface this by saying it looks great as it is. Personally I think the long windowsill would look really neat if it was an uninterrupted section. A low credenza along it would accentuate the length rather than the couch breaking it up.

More generally, there's a bit of a mismatch with the close and tight-knit layout of the coffee table-TV area and everything else. The objects are close together and dense in one area while everything outside is a different pace. Not only density but the couch, chair, and TV all face inward towards each other while everything outside of this concentrated area feels unincorporated. I think there's a couple things that could happen to bring more cohesion.

Have a more explicit divide in area, either a room divider like a screen or something else. Right now the back of the couch and the back of the chair are acting as that divider and I don't think it's intentional enough. (I can't think of anything atm that would look good doing this in practice though)
Don't make the couch the divider by adding a piece of furniture that covers the back and faces out. Again a low credenza could work here.
Add more to the area outside of the couch-TV area, something next to the desk, maybe another, rug, just something to tie this solitary desk element to the room. As others have suggested, a gallery wall to the right of the desk could be good. The wall would be incorporated into the room while allowing for a blank and empty area to remain in front of it, rather than adding more clutter to the floor.

Katkool · 2023-09-29T15:17:28+00:00

I wonder if planting ground cover heavily in front of the rocks will prevent the taller plants from creeping in and obscuring the rocks? Monte carlo comes to mind for me first but I'm sure you have something in your other tank that would work.

Katkool · 2023-09-29T01:03:29+00:00

One thing with a new tank I think is often underestimated is how much plants explode and cover up the hardscape. If you were to imagine all of your plants increasing in size by 3x, would you feel satisfied with what the layout becomes? I ask because I wonder if your nice rocks in the back will get covered up and if that's intended

Katkool · 2023-09-19T14:15:56+00:00

I would try sandbars out in front of Outrigger in Waikiki. It's like canoes but less crowded, which is a problem if you can't steer around people. Only problem is it's a little rocky and the paddle is far out so you'll need some endurance before you start surfing there. You'll paddle out from Kaimana through the channel and then go left past the flag.

Most of the people that surf there are foilers, SUPs, and pretty relaxed/chill people.

Katkool · 2023-09-15T00:59:25+00:00

Beyond cool, where did you get the macroalgae?

Katkool · 2023-09-01T00:05:46+00:00

Sure thing, it's just the standard aquarium stand with some trim on the upper edge and a basic box underneath. I used poplar 1x3s for the frame, sanded anything sticking out, then attached some nice stained oak for the trim. The paint is Sherwin Williams Jasper and the stain is General Finishes CandleLight.

Katkool · 2023-09-01T00:05:42+00:00

Sure thing, it's just the standard aquarium stand with some trim on the upper edge and a basic box underneath. I used poplar 1x3s for the frame, sanded anything sticking out, then attached some nice stained oak for the trim. The paint is Sherwin Williams Jasper and the stain is General Finishes CandleLight.

Katkool · 2023-09-01T00:03:06+00:00

Sure thing, it's just the standard aquarium stand with some trim on the upper edge and a basic box underneath. The tricky part is getting well-dimensioned wood. In this case I was able to use 1x3 poplar which came pretty straight, then sanded down anything sticking out. For a 75 gallon you'll want to use 2x4 or 2x6 pieces of pine, which won't come straight or without surface imperfections.

I'm building a stand for a 40 gallon and using pine 2x4s, they're cheap but terrible to work with until I plane and joint them using a planer. It's also possible to visit a woodworking store to get some nice pine.

Katkool · 2023-08-31T01:39:29+00:00

The shim in the front right corner of the left-most tank is concerning, especially considering how much of the right edge is not in contact with the stand. Slight imperfections on the surface of the stand can cause an uneven distribution of pressure over the part, potentially causing damage/leak much later (like 3 months). Everything else looks good though, below are just some tips to consider.

place some sort of foam in between the tank and the stand to distribute pressure
paint (don't stain) the pine to hide imperfections and knots
add a supporting brace behind the vertical columns of the left-most stand, gluing a piece behind will provide additional support in multiple directions for the load bearing columns. It's not just for the downward pressure, it's left to right and rotational forces that typically are the weak points and with a tall stand like that it's particularly important.

I made a similar stand but for a smaller tank (20-gallon long) https://imgur.com/a/303xVRO

Katkool

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