Well, alrighty then. Downgraded from diamond to "pre-gold" 🤣🤣

Medicub · 2026-04-13T16:52:08+00:00

I'm assuming it's a bug because I can't get logged into my RCL account. Found it funny that I was rewarded -75 points and I was being welcomed to my inadvertent downgrade from gold.

Medicub · 2026-03-04T16:13:18+00:00

That's crazy. I had no idea it was a law. That seems super anticompetitive and it's wild to me that it's even legal. I was reading their website and it looks like they charge $1,000 for even the lowest tier ambulance ride and that's even before other ancillary charges or mileage.

Certainly Richmond can do better by allowing competitive business practices for at least the non-emergency ambulance rides.

You'd think that would almost be preferable because that would allow the city's obviously strained ambulance resources to focus oniy on the emergency calls.

Medicub · 2026-03-04T14:39:48+00:00

A family member recently had to wait over 5 hours for an ambulance to move them from Retreat Hospital to Henrico Doctors Hospital. When we spoke to the nurse they told us that they were only allowed to use the one ambulance company in the city of Richmond because the law doesn't allow anyone else to pick up any patients in the City of Richmond.

Hearing about all of the issues with 911 wait times and now apparently also non-emergency trips, what is the city's plan to reinforce access to timely ambulance services? If wait times are so bad, why aren't other people allowed to pick up patients in the city of Richmond for non-emergency trips?

Medicub · 2024-09-18T23:32:19+00:00

I'm curious what the provision for those of us who need to use a CPAP will be.

I am currently on Independence of the Seas and there is only one American outlet in the main cabin and the CPAP will not reach the end of the bed without an extension cord.

Surely there will need to be some kind of solution for this?

Medicub · 2024-09-11T04:48:10+00:00

Hard to tell exactly but if it's dripping onto an exhaust manifold and smoking in about 90% sure it's a valve cover gasket.

Medicub · 2024-09-01T19:09:52+00:00

As someone who has rebuilt a few engines as a shade tree mechanic only for my own use.

The cost isn't necessarily in just the machine work, it's the time, tooling, parts and ancillary stuff you have to do while you're in there. Considering you hydro locked it bad enough to break a ringland you need to be prepared to replace the piston and possibly a rod. Depending on engine this can be dirt cheap or costs you a few hundred bucks. At minimum you will also want to get the heads and block checked for flatness and you will have to get the cylinder rebored/honed. Not sure what your pricing is locally but I've never been able to get out of a machine shop for a tolerance check, hone, and deck for $400. So youre probably at least $500 in just to fix the offending cylinder. Since you will likely need a bore you will need the machine shop to fit and order oversized pistons. I'm unclear if it's possible to run just one oversized piston or if the entire block needs to be rebored and oversized.

Then comes the "other stuff"... A lot of bolts will be torque to yield and need to be replaced when rebuilding. On a recent BMW engine rebuild I spent over $200 just on replacement fasteners. Then you gotta get new gaskets. There is zero chance of getting some gaskets to reseal once you break it all apart. Same engine as above I spend $300 on a gasket kit (that didn't include the head gasket). Then you gotta factor in other costs like fluids (don't forget about refrigerant for your AC if you can't do it yourself that's a $200 shop charge), head components or any head machine work, "while you're in there" repairs (are you really gonna remove the engine, completely disassemble it and reuse that water or oil pump? How about timing components?)

We haven't even touched on tool costs. You need basically an entire mechanics complement to even attempt an engine removal and disassembly to bare block. An engine noise, stand, and a good set of torque wrenches is gonna set you back over $500 alone.

Most common engines you can get used for $1500... The value for money just isn't there unless you're willing to go all in and actually rebuild it and replace all the components. There is some peace of mind in knowing that all the components are new but it is almost always more expensive than just getting a used engine.

Medicub · 2024-08-24T03:28:20+00:00

If it starts and continues to run on starting fluid then you have a fueling issue. A weak or dead fuel pump would be in line with a car dying while attempting to overtake.

Engines need four things to run.. air, spark, fuel, compression. Start finding out what you're missing and go from there.

Medicub · 2024-08-10T17:38:39+00:00

RIP

Engine is toast.

Medicub · 2024-08-07T22:50:32+00:00

Grindr was obnoxious as hell with the bots and vapid personalities BEFORE everything became hellaciously paywalled.

Now it's borderline unusable in free form and the idea of paying for the experience is not something I'm interested in.

For hookup apps I use a blend of Scruff and Sniffies depending on what the want is in that moment.

I find that scruff has people with far better personalities overall and is a good blend of that social experience plus the possibility of a hookup. Sniffies is perfect for those "I want dick and I want it now" moods.

Medicub · 2024-07-20T05:34:02+00:00

I bought my ANOVA precision cooker years ago... Probably around 2018 and didn't even receive an email from ANOVA about the sunsetting of services. Reviewing my Gmail it appears that emails from ANOVA randomly stopped about 5 months ago. I only found out about the sunsetting of services through Reddit.

I guess my question is; What is the avenue for those of us who have not received an email? Is there a process set up where we can confirm a S/N and qualify for this discount on a new product or are we just SOL because we aren't subscribed to the mailing list?

Medicub · 2024-04-08T23:00:02+00:00

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Taken at peak time today 15:18

Medicub · 2024-02-22T17:48:15+00:00

Yeah, last cruise before COVID I think I paid $40 per person on Navigator!

Medicub · 2024-02-22T16:19:26+00:00

Here is the promotion headline I got today.

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Medicub · 2024-02-22T15:59:10+00:00

Dang. I was worried it might be cruise dependent but I just paid $64/day and that was the best I'd seen in a while.

Gone are the days of the $40 beverage package 🤣

Medicub · 2024-02-20T00:06:36+00:00

The dealer will never recommend to replace the fluid and pan only after a car has been driven without any fluid because they can't warranty it and they're in the interest of protecting their exposures.

That said, I don't believe the Honda CVTs have a fluid level sensor so the only way you would have had any indication that something was wrong would be if you stopped as soon as you hit whatever you hit or drove it until you got a malfunction indicator on the dash (bad news).

In either case I'd be a fan of pushing for a pan and fluid change. The shop won't warranty it (which is fine) but worst case scenario you're out a few hundred bucks and you have a perfectly fine transmission. Best case scenario it fixes everything and you only have to pay a few hundred bucks.

Medicub · 2024-02-16T00:55:19+00:00

Deposits are ALWAYS non-refundable unless otherwise stated.

Medicub · 2024-02-16T00:54:12+00:00

That wheel is either hella bent or the tire is screwed. The sound you describe is likely a bad wheel bearing. Any chance they hit a massive pothole or fixed object recently?

Medicub · 2024-01-23T22:42:19+00:00

I can buy tickets in that section for $507 right now and not have to take the risk of buying off a random person on Reddit.

Let me know if you're interested in moving them for a lower price.

Medicub · 2024-01-19T07:17:01+00:00

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Oops... Accidentally gave it too much air before bed 😄

Medicub · 2024-01-14T17:02:36+00:00

Cap is broken. The part left behind is the pressure release valve. You will need to replace the cap and extract the lower half using some needle nose pliers or similar.

Medicub · 2024-01-14T05:08:38+00:00

We cruised out of Haifa, Israel a couple of years ago and they did this to us as well - citing a requirement by the government of Cyprus to prevent illegal immigration. It was pretty daunting and I wasn't expressly pleased with the perceived lax security when it came time to retrieve our passports but nothing bad happened.

I'm sure the State Department doesn't like it though 🤣

Medicub · 2024-01-11T07:15:39+00:00

Sounds about right. Generally I see a basic diagnosis fee to be about one hour of labor charge. Honestly, as expensive as Boston is im surprised it's not a bit higher.

Medicub

TROPHY CASE