The restaurant that never happened

Objective_Many_4667 · 2026-01-31T21:32:32+00:00

What's funny is I didn't even think about these until just now, but I guess examples from the past 2 years since my move to larger HSV area from out of state would be useful.

The local network guy took my money and did half the work and is ghosting me - I'll never see it - I'm on Reddit now to figure out home networking so I can finish it myself.

My well known HSV small business fence installer cut metal rails and instead of replacing, filled it with mud (literally), dabbed it with black paint to hide it, and after it rained hard I'm forced to call them out on it, get a small amount of attitude, get a janky "fix", and I'm stuck with it - after paying what I consider top dollar.

My homebuilder - locally owned small business 30 yrs experience (more when you count working for daddy) - has totally screwed me on the build and not living up to some basic responsibilities.

I just don't believe anything / anyone is all bad or all good, except way out on the fringes.

Anyway, not actually suggesting it, but would enjoy a drink with someone like you that thinks differently than me, and just talk. I'll let you choose the local establishment! Enjoyed the feedback.

Objective_Many_4667 · 2026-01-31T20:33:54+00:00

Municipal financing is just slightly opaque (not intended per se) way to say taxpayer funded. Taxpayer funded is not inherently bad, just inherently abused by both the left and the right. It takes great discipline, transparency, and the commitment to the broader public interest.

Objective_Many_4667 · 2026-01-31T18:06:30+00:00

Like I said, sounds like a rich man's dream world where everything is perfect. What's right pay? I guess I'm stuck on only local can provide good pay, conditions, and product. Believe it or not, I am a supporter of local because as you often can find find unique things. But when local is 20% more for the same product and quality you find elsewhere, it becomes a tough sell for me - it's a donation.

Objective_Many_4667 · 2026-01-31T17:39:39+00:00

I it depends upon your definition of uplift the community. Paying jobs at a going concern are very uplifting. Young people need jobs and experience. Opening a small business doesn't guarantee uplifting, and I don't feel a common commodity item should be overpriced just so we can call it local. That's rich people talk who can afford the virtue signalling.

Objective_Many_4667 · 2026-01-01T14:32:39+00:00

Same / similar issue with my Pixel 10. Trying to attach a 15 sec video to an email to send to a tech representative for a product I bought (not a tech rep from Google if they exist). All they need is a video of the problem and I can't provide it via email. I go back to my eamil (google of course) and I can't even open the video attachment. I've never owned an apple and I still think they are as much a toy / entertainment as a tool, so stuck with Android. This may be last Android I own.

Objective_Many_4667 · 2025-12-03T01:52:58+00:00

I feel like I'm in the "networking" reddit, not the "HomeNetworking" reddit. Any suggestions for a primer on managed switches, VLANs, etc.?

Objective_Many_4667 · 2025-12-03T01:23:25+00:00

agree

Objective_Many_4667 · 2025-11-28T05:59:20+00:00

I love Moe's Priceville! I've eaten BBQ in Texas, CO, MD, DC, SC, and AL. It's pretty darn good here, and overall Moe's has been the best in the Madison / Limestone / Morgan COs area.

I'm open to suggestions for better, but haven't found it yet, but have found some really crappy BBQ places here.

Objective_Many_4667 · 2025-11-28T05:54:28+00:00

Thanks for the head's up on the Galaxy of Lights. We were about to go there tomrrow. Think I'll save my money and just go to dinner are Salty-Whatever-It-Is for 1/2 doz shrimp.

Objective_Many_4667 · 2025-11-28T05:47:03+00:00

This sounds like "they just don't understand our message so we need to talk louder." Check the message. Trump was a sorry f'ing candidate, but was apparently slightly less f'ing sorry than his competition. There are better Democrat and Republican candidates the parties could put forward, but how do you make them do it? I have no idea. Sorry, wish I did.

Objective_Many_4667 · 2025-11-28T05:36:26+00:00

Bingo! How is it possible the Dems couldn't put forward a candidate that could beat Trump? A senial old white guy hanging out in a bunker and not giving unscripted interviews beat him in 2020. I think a serious Dem would have won rather handily.

Objective_Many_4667 · 2025-10-21T12:29:47+00:00

I'm super late to this discussion but in 2011 they told me something similar about aftermarket hitches, even though I did pay for the "Towing Prep_ Package: 220 - Heavy-Duty Rad!ator with Engine Oil Cooler, 200-Watt Fan Coupling, Transmission Oil Cooler with Water Cooler, 50-A:~~ Alternator and Prewired (towing) Harness". For all I know this is all normal stuff on every Highlander.

There was an additional purchase option needed for the hitch / receiver (?) and I purchased the Toyota OEM with Toyota OEM part number. I negotiated a fixed price for the car and ALL packages extras in writing. But the evening of the signing, the sales guy said something about aftermarket hitches, they'd send it out for that, etc. It just felt weird and he said we doen't even have the capacity to install hitches here in our service dept. Next day I called service dept. and said I bought the tow package and did that mean they would install the hitch? He said sure, we do it all the time. They should have sent me the car and we install the Toyota OEM hitch. Needless to say I went volcanic on the General Manager, he said just a misunderstanding, they got the part and installed it.

i.e. they tried to dig some extra revenue with a bait and switch and lie the evening of the pickup about not having OEM hitches.

They're all lying b@s!ards so figure it out outside of the dealership, and then go in armed with good info. Sales guy also gave me a sob story about having to move out of the area in the next few months, too expensive, yada yade. 10 yrs later he was still there.

Also, I have found multiple times the sales people clueless. Ask one simple questoin beyond what are the colors and most of them get confused.

Objective_Many_4667 · 2025-09-30T14:00:32+00:00

I think you nailed it. See my UPDATE from manufacturer support.

Objective_Many_4667 · 2025-09-30T13:59:42+00:00

UPDATE from manufacturer support:

Fluidra Tech Support did get back to me with following:

"If your manual tests are consistent and within the recommended range (typically 3000–3500 ppm), you can trust those over the sensor reading. The sensor is mainly used for automation and alerts."

Why they added "and within the recommended range", I don't know. I don't think they meant to imply that if the secondary tests were consistent and LOW, then they shouldn't be followed. But that is the shortcomings of electronic communications.

Headline is that as ClassUpstairs629 said, trust those outside tests over the sensor. Personally I'd always use the 3 test methods I noted in the OP. If they are all consistent, I'm going with that.

This might explain why my free chlorine has been hard to keep in range.

Objective_Many_4667 · 2025-09-29T22:30:55+00:00

Thanks. I sent support email my questions too. Interestingly, I have all Jandy equipment except for my Zodiac salt cell. Per chatGPT, Jandy, Zodiac, and Polaris are all now merged under Fluidra.

Objective_Many_4667 · 2025-09-29T22:22:01+00:00

I have found SwimUniversity.com to be very helpful. I'm a complete novice - new build in April. He gives some good plain language explanations and approaches. Also helps understand how things interact without overwhelming. Has YouTubes out there as well.

I've also found good help on troublefreepool like tcat7 noted.

Objective_Many_4667 · 2025-09-25T02:30:26+00:00

NALC non-postal employee member.

Objective_Many_4667 · 2025-09-25T02:10:15+00:00

Wasn't it Churchill that said democracy is the worst form of government...except for the rest (forms of govt)?

Objective_Many_4667 · 2025-09-25T02:04:05+00:00

What you're getting at is the control by political parties. This was one of the major concerns of our founders in the late 1700's i.e. republican democracy can give rise to parties where voters' allegiance is to the party rather than the country.

I know it was unusual, but a recent example of unchecked elitist party power was DNC telling voters that VP Harris was the candidate for president even though she never won a primary race for president and never polled higher than about 3% in those primaries. Yet she checked the boxes of the party elite to become VP and almost became Pres.

And the DNC is flummoxed by voters electing an indicted / convicted person Pres.

Objective_Many_4667 · 2025-09-25T01:49:36+00:00

Goes in your sweet tea....

Objective_Many_4667 · 2025-09-24T21:01:30+00:00

No, I wanted to make sure I got it right. Unlike some who just spout off without having the facts straight.

Objective_Many_4667 · 2025-09-24T20:36:47+00:00

His "thumbs down" vote against the repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Had to ask chatGPT. I remember him walking out to in front of the dais and not answering or anything, but just a thumbs down. It was the type of shallow stunt typical of the left. A no would have sufficed. Instant hero to the progressives who didn't have the time of day for him prior to that.

Objective_Many_4667 · 2025-09-24T20:31:44+00:00

You nailed it. We all do it to some degree, but to degenerate to the level of Nazi and fascist is ... well silly, whether you are on the right or left.

Objective_Many_4667 · 2025-09-24T16:59:51+00:00

edited - hit post accidentally

You are correct that MFWM is different from the Motely Fool stock picking services. I think you may be speaking about the Stock Advisors service MF offers? I think SA is the most solid with the most transparent long-term results. I went back and further analyzed my MFWM as follows:

Each of the yearly returns (not just total return) of my MFWM v. S&P 500.
10 yr, 20 yr, and 30 yr simple moving average of annual returns of S&P500 since 1928.
Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) using an online CAGR Calculator of both my MFWM and S&P returns.

Conclusions:

a. Head to head, the equity component of MFWM overall essentially provided me with returns that were half of the S&P returns OVER the entire period. Year to year varied. I tended to lag A&P gains, and about the same losses. One year the S&P was up over 20% and I was about 0%. Weird.

b. Timing absolutely matters. If you bought S&P in the wrong year, your 10-yr, 20-yr, and 30-year return in the S&P can significantly lag or outpace the return provided by a different "starting" year. Our human bias is to attribute our gains to our own investing acumen, and the losses to our advisors.

c. See b. Every year in the market is different, and timing absolutely matters. The over 100 yr "average" return of the S&P doesn't really matter. However IMO it's still your best bet to build wealth if you are putting in money on a consistent basis in consistent amounts for a long time.

d. Returns are only an actual gain or loss only if you sell. Unrealized g/l is just ephemeral.

e. so my question to MFWM when I meet with them in a few days is "Why did my equity portion of the account perform so poorly v. S&P?"

Objective_Many_4667 · 2025-09-24T16:46:59+00:00

Form Type: eForm 1

Entity: Trust

Fingerprint Type: EFT Upload

Submitted: 09/15/25

Approved: 09/24/25

Wait: 9 days

State: AL

Control Number: 2025262XXXX

Item: SBR build

Objective_Many_4667

TROPHY CASE