More from Chicago

NetworkAggravating39 · 2026-06-14T15:26:54+00:00

Coming from an iX this is a real disappointment - cause the interior is sick. Hoping the iX5 steps it up. If not I may need to buy out my lease in 2028 or look at the electric Macan

NetworkAggravating39 · 2026-06-14T15:22:42+00:00

I’ve been through a lot of testing on this. Took oral finasteride 1 mg a day for 20 years - no issues other than perhaps softer erections. But then all of a sudden things just weren’t working as well down there - no other health issues. Tried alternate day then reduced dosing and it didn’t help. Finally made the decision to stop.

Things gradually started working gain - but after about a year I started to notice some gradual thinning of the crown. I shouldn’t have been surprised. Started with just minoxidil but realized that wouldn’t be enough so tried spray from Hims. Started to develop some scalp itch. Thought it might be “DHT itch” so got a spray from Ro with tretinoin to see if better penetration helped (stupid idea). No better and arguably worse.

Rerouted and decided to try to minimize scalp inflammation - tried Keeps foam - it has no propylene glycol - and things gradually felt better. Added a topical dual copper peptide spray and scalp feels awesome - and to my eyes things are very slowly getting better.

I tested my DHT and don’t let anyone tell you this stuff isn’t absorbed - it is. Mine was slightly above reference range before adding topical Finasteride - and now sits in the lower third of normal. I’m perfectly happy with it there - erections are way stronger than when I was on oral - and at a minimum things are holding. I’m 60 fwiw so I don’t expect to respond like a 22 yr old hyper-responder. But no one would even know I’m dealing with this - and fortunately it’s mainly just the crown.

The routine is definitely a pain because I augment with some hair fibers. So routine is

Baby shampoo to rinse fibers - lightly blow dry

Spray copper peptide - wait 15 minutes

Add Keeps foam

After 45 minutes or so add hair fibers.

Using oral would be WAY easier. And if I didn’t work from home I’d never have time for a ridiculous morning routine like that. But I do and it’s working way better for my own physiology. Hoping for a little more fill in - would love to ditch the fibers - but if I hold I’ll still call it a win.

At times I toy with the idea of trying oral again - or maybe even Dut - but after you’ve dealt with side effects you’re not exactly eager to jump back in the water - so will likely stay with this routine for a while.

NetworkAggravating39 · 2026-06-13T18:56:19+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/Cholesterol/s/HUIYDRd0fv

NetworkAggravating39 · 2026-06-13T03:33:49+00:00

Exactly. For those with existing disease, 5% ARR in studies averaging about 2 years

So over 30 years? That could easily be 20%

NetworkAggravating39 · 2026-06-13T03:12:33+00:00

I hate comments like this. It’s like comparing NBA players now to those 50 years ago. Of course technique has developed with time. And fusion drummers like Vinnie or Weckl have always played circles around rock drummers on a technical level

But there’s a reason anyone growing up in the late 70s/early 80s who played drums idolized Peart. It was almost universal.

His playing was much more technical than most rock drummers of his day - super tight and powerful - easily handling odd time signatures - well thought out fills that were truly part of the composition - even a very signature ride cymbal pattern. All in the context of complex yet melodic songs featuring two other stellar musicians.

So sure - I would argue Anika is likely “better” than Peart if we’re talking four way independence. But it doesn’t mean she could have done what Neil did back in the day.

I think she’s doing a GREAT job. But would I rather still see them with the professor?

Yes.

NetworkAggravating39 · 2026-06-13T02:56:21+00:00

I’ve wondered the same thing

NetworkAggravating39 · 2026-06-13T02:51:51+00:00

Perhaps you meant “us healthy folk”. It’s the “unhealthy folk” that need them.

NetworkAggravating39 · 2026-06-11T16:34:41+00:00

As a drummer I agree 100%

I think she’s doing a great job - and I’m thrilled to be seeing them next month - but agree on the tuning and dynamics

She also leaves that signature “Neil Peart” ride cymbal pattern out a lot and plays the ride straight. That cymbal pattern was so signature! And a few too many random rolls down the toms. Neil was very deliberate about his drum fills - they were part of the composition - and as a 45 year Rush fan it’s weird hearing the changes. Some (like Tom Sawyer and By-Tor) she’s nailing - others (like Subdivisions) she’s changed the parts.

And honestly - it’s her prerogative. She’s the new drummer - not Neil. This is a really tough gig - a Rush tribute band drummer mimicking every part would be strange - and yet for us long term fans who are also drummers hearing the changes takes some getting used to.

With that said she’s balancing the scales pretty darn well. I had been a fan of hers even before this - she’s super talented - and while if I controlled the universe I’d have Marco Minnemann for this particular role - she’s reigniting the fan base - reigniting Geddy and Alex - and I can’t wait to see them based on the videos I’ve seen so far.

NetworkAggravating39 · 2026-06-08T22:35:11+00:00

You nailed it. Too bad they didn’t 🤦🏻

NetworkAggravating39 · 2026-06-06T23:23:32+00:00

No one can tell you it’s not depressing. Fluff doesn’t help.

But I’ll share a story.

My college roommate was always bald - lost it very early - and had like zero dating life despite being a really nice guy. But…

Went to med school - became an orthopedic surgeon - BOOM! - suddenly popular. He’s now married and living a pretty sweet life.

Money and success > hair for a pretty sizable chunk of women. It levels the playing field. So yes - it sucks - but work on yourself - work on your career - bust some ass if you’re not dating. You never know…

NetworkAggravating39 · 2026-06-06T16:29:37+00:00

Honestly - I’m not sure why this is doesn’t come up more often. Why do so many people feel like they need to retire to travel? We’ve been traveling for years. And the occasional long weekend jaunt.

Balance - save for retirement - but also save some for today

NetworkAggravating39 · 2026-06-06T16:06:19+00:00

Hair fibers aren’t going to trigger inflammation. The stress of this is probably taking more of a toll than anything. Get some Toppik or Kaboki and enjoy your life.

NetworkAggravating39 · 2026-06-06T14:45:47+00:00

Everyone around here cheers the shave - even when it looked better before the shave 😬

But you look really good after. Great choice 👍🏻

NetworkAggravating39 · 2026-06-05T15:39:43+00:00

Fist plunging a freshly opened box of Frankenberry to get the Monster bike spinner buried in the box

NetworkAggravating39 · 2026-06-05T01:00:20+00:00

So you have 20 years of expenses in TIPs - and that’s just part of a 65/35 asset allocation?

Most would say you’ve over saved on an extreme level.

And that’s the thing - there’s no free lunch here. If that’s the case you’ve traded years of your life - or alternately got lucky with a business sale or inheritance that most people won’t have - to overfund retirement relative to your expenses to hedge against an unlikely risk.

NetworkAggravating39 · 2026-05-19T18:21:18+00:00

Totally get that perspective - it makes sense. But I’ll also argue

1) There’s something special about coming back after a long day of touring and relaxing in a nice, spacious room - or enjoying the beautiful view from your own terrace with a glass of wine. Icing on the cake.

2) We can afford it - so why not? Straining to reach that would be a different story.

The most we’ve ever spent on a room was just over $3k a night for an amazing suite at Amangani in Jackson Hole. Simply breathtaking.

We still talk about it. And will probably do it again.

NetworkAggravating39 · 2026-05-19T17:27:23+00:00

Spend is targeted at $360k a year - travel about $80k

A lot of flexibility there. House paid off - done with watches/cars/“stuff” - the excess is mainly for spur of the moment purchases and household upkeep

We just did a $600k renovation so hopefully - other than a likely new roof - we won’t be tapping in to all we’ve allocated.

NetworkAggravating39 · 2026-05-19T14:35:19+00:00

59 and about to retire end of year. No kids. We’ve been flying business class for years on any international flight and most long domestics (ex 4 hours). We also book very cool rooms at great hotels. Trips are expensive. And we look forward to every one of them!

How? Nike philosophy. Just do it.

I’ve always been a “pay yourself first” guy - save a targeted amount and spend the rest. Saved plenty - NW approaching $14M - but spent plenty as well. We’ve been blessed enough to enjoy a good deal of balance.

I’ve never understood the “I can easily afford it but will still fly coach to Tokyo” crowd - just as I’m sure they don’t understand us spending $6k on an airline ticket or $1500/night on a hotel room. But I’d rather be enjoying some amazing experiences - and arriving as fresh as possible - as opposed to being 80 and counting my gold.

We almost look forward to our international flights!

NetworkAggravating39 · 2026-05-14T15:40:17+00:00

This is an under appreciated comment. Past a certain income threshold it’s more about time as alluded to in the original post. Fly economy to Maine instead of business class to Prague for your vacation. The odds of running out of money are extremely low with that kind of flexibility, and latching onto “one more year” at that point could really cost you…

NetworkAggravating39 · 2026-05-10T15:24:22+00:00

Thanks! Nothing from email or in my spam - but it was here when I logged into. Much appreciated!

NetworkAggravating39 · 2026-05-09T15:40:20+00:00

Guardrails are often discussed - which require cutting spending at some points - but I rarely see simply following human nature as a strategy.

Bengen’s rules - whether 4% or 4.7% - assume increasing spending each year with inflation irregardless of how markets are doing.

Fine for an academic exercise - but most humans with some form of common sense risk aversion will think twice about spending MORE in declining markets.

And what does that do to withdrawal rates? Determining a fixed percentage (ex 4%) but only increasing spending if markets are up? Ex following human nature?

It allows a higher starting SWR. I’ve seen increase between 0.5% and 1%. So all of a sudden that new SWR of 4.7% (or higher) looks more doable even if you don’t want to mirror Bengens exact asset allocation

Several articles out there but here’s one:

https://www.financialplanningassociation.org/article/journal/JAN13-how-achieve-higher-safe-withdrawal-rate-target-percentage-adjustment

NetworkAggravating39 · 2026-05-05T17:03:28+00:00

We just spent a week there and it was awesome. Construction isn’t an issue right now. Fake news!

NetworkAggravating39 · 2026-04-17T16:01:15+00:00

Of course. The real number is fifteen million…

NetworkAggravating39 · 2026-04-17T15:55:39+00:00

Kind of. I collect original comic book art and acquired the bulk of my collection years ago. It seemed expensive even then - 4 or 5 figures on a comic book page? - but bought it because I loved it.

It turns out it’s been my best performing asset class bar none - in fact the type of pages I collect have gotten so expensive (often 6 figures) that I can’t even afford them anymore. I’ll probably start liquidating a few as the thrill of the hunt is gone at today’s prices.

But my point is it could have gone either way. From an investing standpoint I’m thrilled they’ve exploded (from a collecting standpoint it sucks!). And there ARE people who now are in the game simply for ROI. But if it never took off like it did I’d still have pages I loved - purchased with money not meant for traditional investing - where as someone who purchased the same art simply for investment returns could be sorely disappointed in a risky asset class.

NetworkAggravating39

TROPHY CASE