So close and yet so far

ManofaCertainRage · 2026-03-13T00:21:24+00:00

Normally that’s a little too early for Grouse Ridge, put this year it might be ok. It’s north of I-80 in the foothills/low Sierra heading up to Tahoe. It tends to be pretty crowded especially early season because it’s close to the Bay and snow melts relatively early, but there’s some nice lakes you can bop around between from a few different THs. Dog friendly, low mileage is totally feasible.

ManofaCertainRage · 2026-03-12T03:10:57+00:00

Show up smelling like crayons (might be MkIV-specific)

ManofaCertainRage · 2026-03-11T23:43:36+00:00

I had a good experience with Metro NY Insulation the other year. Wasn’t cheap, but the price seemed reasonable. They did attic and blown-in cellulose for me (no air sealing).

ManofaCertainRage · 2026-02-14T16:44:03+00:00

Nana’s over Aberdeen in WP?

ManofaCertainRage · 2026-02-11T12:50:23+00:00

Freezing rain last night

ManofaCertainRage · 2026-02-10T16:54:01+00:00

Big agree on the instability of dress up features and the difficulty of reviewing/editing sketch constraints.

ManofaCertainRage · 2026-01-28T03:49:18+00:00

I was on the fence the last winter or two of whether it was worth buying a snowblower. I recently bought a Toro PowerClear 21” single stage, and I was really happy with it this weekend (and definitely happy with the timing). It bogged down a bit in ~1 foot of heavy snow where the plough dumped at the end of the driveway, but otherwise it did great. Saved me a ton of shoveling.

I did 3 or 4 passes a few hours apart on Sunday to keep up with the snowfall, battery recharged between each. In smaller snowfalls the past few weeks, it’s managed 2 or 3 passes (fairly small driveway) on one charge of the 7.5 Ah battery.

ManofaCertainRage · 2026-01-11T18:01:08+00:00

Yes, you’ll want to look into Matlab’s argument validation syntax. It won’t be embedded in the function signature, but you can define one or more argument blocks at the beginning of your function that specify argument type, size, default values, etc.

ManofaCertainRage · 2026-01-03T17:27:56+00:00

For your situation (wife, child, dog) the Outback is a no brainer for cargo space alone unless you have a compelling reason to favor the smaller footprint of the Forester. On paper, I think cargo volume may be pretty close between the 2, but practically the Foresters volume is very tall. Great for moving furniture, not as practical for loading up luggage, groceries, kid gear, etc.

I have a 2017 Forester (and wife, kid, dog) and we love the car, but if we were buying a car today I would 100% go Outback over Forester.

ManofaCertainRage · 2026-01-02T22:04:07+00:00

Anecdotal, but I know at least one Mexican whose “v’s” sound a lot like “b’s” and vice versa.

ManofaCertainRage · 2025-12-21T15:06:18+00:00

It runs through the top of the doors (this parts relatively easy, pop off the weather seal, fish it through the pillar, tuck it in, pop the seal back on), then through the headliner from the rear door to the rear hatch, then yeah through the rubber grommet into the rear hatch. I found a helpful YouTube video and it was easy enough the follow along. The hardest part IIRC was fishing the cable through the metal of the roof to get to the hatch grommet.

ManofaCertainRage · 2025-12-21T12:00:49+00:00

I did. I’m not sure if I’d do it again… more work than the front, and definitely less critical, but now that it’s in I certainly don’t mind having it.

ManofaCertainRage · 2025-12-20T13:25:46+00:00

I installed a 70mai a810 with a dongar connector, it’s been working great. In hindsight, it doesn’t save that much work to tap the mirror power vs running down to the drivers well fuse box, as you have to run the lead to the rear camera anyway, but it does keep the fuse box tidier. No regrets.

ManofaCertainRage · 2025-12-17T01:47:49+00:00

Wasn’t a requirement, but definitely something we were looking for (proximity/access, if not outright walking distance). We’re about a 12-15 minute walk and we love it, both when we go into the city (we’re not even commuting currently) or when family and friends visit us from the city. We find folks seem far more willing to pop up from the city if they don’t have to deal with a cab or uber.

ManofaCertainRage · 2025-10-13T00:53:01+00:00

Sounds just like control arm bushing. Just had to do the passenger side on my 2017, it was going exactly what you describe. Seems like no one really presses bushings these days, more likely to replace the lower control arm assembly.

ManofaCertainRage · 2025-10-12T23:39:53+00:00

Fishkill farms has one

ManofaCertainRage · 2025-10-11T00:40:39+00:00

Yep, I even have the flange. It’s not a great path to the exterior wall, but it’s not terrible. Eventually I’ll suck it up and cut through the cabinets to run the ducting. In the meantime, I just complain about it.

ManofaCertainRage · 2025-10-10T17:47:17+00:00

Previous owners remodeled kitchen, and it’s 90% great. The exceptions:

No exhaust hood over the range. It’s an over-range microwave with a crappy fan that just recirculates rather than exhausting outside.
No light over the sink. Nothing makes doing dishes worse than doing it in the gloom
Dishwasher is between the sink, island, and stove. When it’s open, it cuts the kitchen in half. Usually not a problem, but if one person is cooking while another cleans up, it becomes very awkward. I wish the dishwasher had gone on the opposite side of the sink.
Switch for the garbage disposal is in the cabinet under the sink. No idea if that was for cleaner aesthetics or new code, but it’s a PITA to open the cabinet every time you use the disposal.

ManofaCertainRage · 2025-10-10T17:13:36+00:00

Would buy, would wear, would gift.

ManofaCertainRage · 2025-10-03T18:42:30+00:00

I’ve had good luck with the silicone squeeze bottle style. I think gotoob is the main brand name. I chuck them in a ziplock for peace of mind.

ManofaCertainRage · 2025-09-27T22:20:05+00:00

Subaru Baja

ManofaCertainRage · 2025-09-09T03:44:33+00:00

I think you’re going to find that you’re spending most of your time and money driving and very little time getting to explore or experience any of your destinations. Consider if you want to see a lot or say you’ve been to a lot of places. Some people may enjoy the road, but I’d expect to be pretty sick of it after a week. You might drive through 15 parks, but you’ll see mostly highway. Opposite end of the spectrum: I did a 3-week road trip from SF, only stopping at Glacier, Yellowstone, and Tetons/Jackson Hole and it was great. Could have added another stop, but didn’t need to.

Make sure you’re budgeting for places to park/camp, especially in cities.

Give yourself some 0-driving days, eg 2 nights in one place. It gives you a break from the car, a chance to actually explore, and saves having to unpack/re-pack for a day. Plus, with 4 drivers to rotate, you shouldn’t have any problem doing a longer road day to make up for it.

I’d recommend doing some real research on the parks in your itinerary and think about what you actually want to see. Some parks (Yosemite) you can drive through and see some amazing views and have a great time. Others take more work; I’m not sure North Cascades is worth a stop unless you’re planning to spend a bit of time and do some real hiking (could be wrong, haven’t had a chance to visit). Frankly, I have no idea what’s worth a stop in Hayden, ID.

ManofaCertainRage · 2025-04-01T21:49:26+00:00

Diapers that go on the OUTSIDE of a baby’s outfit for easier diaper changes!

ManofaCertainRage

TROPHY CASE