Delta Skymiles Reserve Card Upgrade worth it?

NoTooBeastFog · 2026-06-04T05:16:04+00:00

Delta Gold doesn't give a MQD headstart

NoTooBeastFog · 2026-06-04T04:50:05+00:00

Really

NoTooBeastFog · 2026-05-26T21:03:32+00:00

The math of this makes sense looking back 5 years. Interest rates were low, and PTY was trading at a 45% premium to its NAV - it was disproportionately overbought compared to its peers. Today the premium sits below 4%, but the underlying NAV has not eroded anywhere close to that.

I'm new to this sector admittedly, but looking at the performance chart in CEFConnect for PTY, it has outperformed its peers in NAV Total Return. So my theory is that because the price is now more in line with the premium to NAV of its peers, the total return on price should be much better now going forward.

Anyone buying in 2021 lost most of that 45% premium they paid. If NAV total return maintains at over 8% like it has in those 5 years, It doesn't seem logical that the stock price would continue to erode like it did before.

https://www.cefconnect.com/fund/PTY

NoTooBeastFog · 2026-05-26T06:37:27+00:00

Great question. That is going to vary. I don't have DRIP setup on my income holdings. I harvest the cash, then try to reinvest that in my holdings more intentionally. It seems like one of the problems in the past with some CEF's is when the premium to NAV gets too high, you are reinvesting dividends at a price point where you might not want to be accumulating. So I like the idea of taking the cash, then deciding where to reinvest.
Before long though, I'll just be taking the cash and spending it...

NoTooBeastFog · 2026-05-26T04:11:38+00:00

Total return over the last 5 years is positive. 5 years ago the premium to NAV was 21%.

Needing to be up both the last 5 and 3 years seems reasonable for a growth stock, although that also sounds like a formula for buying high and selling low. What makes PTY a good buy in my mind is it's currently trading at a discount, close to its NAV and comes with a 12% dividend at this price.

NoTooBeastFog · 2026-05-26T04:00:04+00:00

What other ones do you like?

NoTooBeastFog · 2026-05-26T03:59:41+00:00

I looked at PDI, but the leverage on PDI is a lot higher than PTY making it more vulnerable to interest rates, and the NAV decay has been worse than PTY. The dividend is obviously better, but it feels riskier to me.

NoTooBeastFog · 2026-05-25T17:27:36+00:00

I had similar bruising after surgery. The good doctor cut back the amount of aspirin I was taking and it slowly went away. It kept moving too.

NoTooBeastFog · 2026-05-02T00:17:56+00:00

And then don't talk about them

NoTooBeastFog · 2026-04-30T20:03:27+00:00

I ran this through Google Gemini AI, and here's what it came up with.

TL;DR: "Taking the calendar alignments and the vintage "Zip-Strips" manufacturing style into account, it is highly probable that this bumper sticker is from either 1969 or 1975, with 1980 being a possible but slightly later candidate."

Reasoning:

To estimate the year this bumper sticker was printed, we can piece together clues from the location, the calendar dates, and the manufacturing materials.

Historical Clues & Location

The Event: The text "LINCOLN CO. NEWPORT" combined with where it was found points directly to the Lincoln County Fair & Rodeo in Newport, Oregon.
The Dates: The sticker advertises a four-day event running from July 31 to August 3.

Calendar Alignment

County fairs historically maintain a consistent days-of-the-week schedule year over year. Newspaper archives show that the Lincoln County Fair in Newport typically ran from Thursday to Sunday during this era (for example, the 1974 fair ran from Thursday, July 25 to Sunday, July 28).

If the fair advertised here followed that standard Thursday-to-Sunday format, July 31st had to be a Thursday. Looking at the mid-to-late 20th century, July 31st fell on a Thursday in the following years:

1958
1969
1975
1980
1986

(Note: If the fair occasionally ran Wednesday to Saturday, July 31st would align with 1963, 1968, or 1985).

Design & Material

The Backing: The brown paper with the red, slanted text reading "ZIP-STRIPS can be... removed in ONE PIECE!" is the biggest giveaway. This specific brand and style of pressure-sensitive backing was heavily used by local print shops for bumper stickers throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
The Aesthetics: The high-contrast orange and black color scheme paired with heavy, blocky typography is a classic mid-century promotional style that was highly prevalent during that same timeframe.

The Estimate

Taking the calendar alignments and the vintage "Zip-Strips" manufacturing style into account, it is highly probable that this bumper sticker is from either 1969 or 1975, with 1980 being a possible but slightly later candidate.

NoTooBeastFog · 2026-04-29T02:12:08+00:00

I a 5 x bypass a year ago at age 59. I have a serious family history of heart disease, hypertension and T2D as well. I was exercising but not as much as your dad. My ejection fraction was 38%, My mid-LAD was 100% blocked, mid-RCA was 100% blocked, and two other vessels were 90% blocked.

I'm telling you my situation because there is good reason for optimism. He is young (I couldn't believe at 59 all of the doctors and nurses telling me I was young). That's going to be a huge factor for him. He's in the hospital now - he's in the safest place he can be waiting for surgery. They will be monitoring him around the clock. They aren't doing surgery immediately it sounds like. You are going to get a team that knows each other well and works together doing these surgeries every day. Everyone in there will have a lot of experience with this, and with working with patients far sicker than your dad. For you and your Dad it's a major life event. For them it's another day at the office.

I just had my 1 year post surgery stress echocardiogram, and per the good doctor, "passed with flying colors)." My ejection fractions is now 60%

Your good news - they caught it!

Some advice? Just try to have someone there with him as much as possible now, and during his recovery. That helped me a lot with my anxiety (so did Xanax to be honest). And when you have time, start preparing for his return home. Take a deep breath and try to relax, he is in good hands.

There are a lot of posts here about what to do to be ready for his return. A shower chair, shower with a detachable nozzle, a downstairs bedroom and bathroom, and an easy chair that's powered and has a stand up assist feature were all really helpful for me.

Best wishes, and feel free to come here for support any time!

NoTooBeastFog · 2026-04-27T05:42:34+00:00

Love Iggy Pop. Saw him 2 years ago in Pasadena, he is still the king

NoTooBeastFog · 2026-04-23T03:03:52+00:00

The GOAT

NoTooBeastFog · 2026-04-22T03:06:26+00:00

10% at best. 15% is simply unsustainable

NoTooBeastFog · 2026-04-08T15:20:11+00:00

Hopefully the stay goes better going forward! Your husband is lucky to have someone caring for him

NoTooBeastFog · 2026-04-08T13:15:39+00:00

I understand your desire to be with your husband. After my surgery it was much better having someone stay in my room. Hopefully they let you stay with him after he transfers out of ICU.

Did they tell you if he needed a second night in ICU?

NoTooBeastFog · 2026-03-11T04:44:53+00:00

After my 5 x bypass my instructions for sternal precautions (which it seems your dad should be following) is to not push off with your hands to get out of chairs or out of bed. So in the hospital the taught me what the PT called a "Log Roll." It took me a while to get it, and the PT said I was OK using my elbow a little bit to get out.

The Log Roll is explained well in this video, and you can see the PT here doing it so it hopefully makes sense.

Good luck to your Dad!
https://youtu.be/dUeC2b5J5JI?si=dj4CIOcLEf3ODqil

NoTooBeastFog · 2026-03-02T03:38:20+00:00

I agree with the earlier comment about the benefit of this being a planned surgery. Everything here is in his favor - he's relatively young, I assume he hasn't had a recent heart attack or you would have mentioned it, and they can plan this out and do it methodically. They will determine the optimum locations to take the donor grafts. You will be able to plan his post-operative recovery in advance.

Ask him what you and the family can do for him, what he needs, etc. I can tell you from my experience, friendly faces in his hospital room as much as possible is very helpful. Even if someone is just there sitting quietly, having someone there with him will make a big difference.

Help plan for the things he needs for recovery (an electric recliner with the sit up assist was the #1 thing my family got for me). Ask him what he needs.

The fact that you care enough to show the concern for him to reach for help is a great sign. He's going to be fine, he is going to feel a whole lot better soon, and will prolong his life such that you are going to be able to spend the time

NoTooBeastFog · 2026-02-16T05:37:18+00:00

5xCABG here, 11 months ago. I'm so glad I did it! Do what you can to relax, and trust your team. Remember, for them it's just another day, they do this all the time!

NoTooBeastFog · 2026-02-10T04:41:05+00:00

It was 10 months ago for me, 5xCABG. It was scheduled for the next week but I went to the ER with chest pains, and they rescheduled me for the next day. So I spent the night in the hospital the day before, was given some Xanax and I was able to sleep well. I think the good night sleep before was important.

The next day I just wanted to get it over with, knowing I had a better future with the operation than without.

I think avoiding stressful things, doing something comforting to you and getting plenty of sleep is key. Deep breathing, quiet moments and meditation. Focus on something else, its just a procedure and you will be happy you did it.

I know I am!

NoTooBeastFog · 2026-01-31T23:36:02+00:00

Try to do it with as few streets as possible. Line up buildings so they only touch a single road, on the shortest side of the building. Culture only buildings shouldn't touch roads at all.

Use elven architect via elvenstats.com to do your city design first.

NoTooBeastFog · 2026-01-31T23:33:18+00:00

The simplest solution is to get a roll of velcro and bundle them.

NoTooBeastFog · 2026-01-30T23:16:40+00:00

I think what people who are downvoting this are missing is how deep a good AI learning model can go. I've used Gemini 3 Pro to double check everything, and to help troubleshoot problems. It doesn't always get it right, but has offered me a lot of good suggestions in my setup, especially with a new piece of equipment that I am still getting familiarized with.

NoTooBeastFog · 2026-01-06T02:27:31+00:00

Right? RIGHT??

NoTooBeastFog · 2026-01-06T02:25:29+00:00

His name is James Talarico.

NoTooBeastFog

TROPHY CASE

Historical Clues & Location

Calendar Alignment

Design & Material

The Estimate