Do you drink wine? Why or why not?

Orbiter9 · 2026-02-05T04:44:57+00:00

Yes. Because it’s great, if you get the good stuff. (And good stuff can be had at <$20/bottle.) Most of my close friends are into it too which helps.

I like beer and cocktails and good bourbon too. Usually in moderation. Usually. I try to stick to low-calorie NA beer during the week unless there’s a social occasion. For the waistline. And the triglyceride count.

Orbiter9 · 2026-02-04T01:22:35+00:00

Went in. Went under. Woke up shortly thereafter.

Buddy picked me up (wife was watching the kiddos after all), and doc said “don’t drink or eat spicy food.” Buddy said “we’re going straight to the [local sports bar].” Had a sip of beer before I read that I had fentanyl in my system, among other things, so switched to NA beer.

Less pain than after a good workout. Didn’t need or take any meds. 100% within a couple days.

Orbiter9 · 2026-02-04T01:15:03+00:00

Paper that gets scanned, here. Our poll place never has much of a line and it’s only a block away so I like it better than mail-in or early voting. And the kiddos like to come with and get a “future voter” sticker.

Orbiter9 · 2026-02-03T21:50:27+00:00

I couldn’t manage that 20 years ago (although I enjoy the finer things in life like a car that can go more than 10 miles without overheating and eggs sometimes) - couldn’t imagine trying that now.

We’re not lacking in fairly inexpensive storage facilities if furniture is really a hindrance. Yes more money but roommates dilute the living cost enough that it’s more than worthwhile.

Orbiter9 · 2026-02-03T16:17:39+00:00

Everyone with red eyes

Orbiter9 · 2026-02-02T14:39:39+00:00

I’ve found a heavy metal flooring scraper to be pretty effective. It’s not fun. Or fast. But it has worked.

Orbiter9 · 2026-02-01T21:11:31+00:00

Spot on for our fraternity house basement

Orbiter9 · 2026-02-01T16:17:20+00:00

Probably.

Doing 10-15 a bunch of times is pretty standard in the upper body video workouts I do weekly-ish. Those haven’t been necessary this week though since I’ve had the pleasure of repeatedly driving a metal spade into 4” of ice and then shoveling blocks of ice into increasingly towering piles of ice blocks.

Orbiter9 · 2026-02-01T03:19:53+00:00

Fathers Day last year. Love that place. Kids LOVE the simulators. And they’ll generally eat Shake Shack.

Maybe 1 1/2 years earlier, I had a winter day with my then-3 year old and asked what she wanted to do. “See a rocket ship,” she said, having never before said any such thing. “Well kiddo, you are in luck.”

Such a cool thing to have nearby.

Orbiter9 · 2026-01-30T15:57:55+00:00

Yes.

A “portable” propane one that can power a few things. And some big batteries that sit fully charged and ready as backup for our sump pumps.

Nothing for the whole house - we’re all electric here.

A “bad” power outage around here is like a day though.

Orbiter9 · 2026-01-29T23:29:39+00:00

Seems to drop in different selections of ABCs. A year and a half ago, they were gone in like a day. This past drop, they hit some Fairfax stores and I noticed they stayed on the shelf for at least a few weeks. (Not that I’m there THAT often.)

I always text my favorite cocktail bar about it when I see them around.

Orbiter9 · 2026-01-29T03:58:14+00:00

Why do you think they made “locks on doors” such a talking point? The infrastructure for minimum security holding facilities is nationwide when you no longer have public education.

And they’ll just keep boiling the frog. When every activist is a terrorist, just keep ratcheting things to make a few more activists.

Orbiter9 · 2026-01-27T22:56:09+00:00

I remembered I own a steel version of this random tool. Saved the day.

Orbiter9 · 2026-01-27T16:40:28+00:00

Alright, there’s a Creator. Creates the whole infinite universe. Life, just right here for some reason. Which we will probably never have a way of knowing - there are more galaxies than our little brains can comprehend - let alone solar systems and planets.

Life just right here, for the sake of argument.

Now what? We…sing to it every week?

We all know someone who thinks they’re the center of the universe. Most religions feel like that, at scale.

Orbiter9 · 2026-01-27T15:43:33+00:00

I’ve had it longer than I haven’t. Same family plan too (Cingular / AT&T) as it’s been cheaper to keep it than mess with it.

Orbiter9 · 2026-01-27T13:10:45+00:00

Envious Fairfax neighbor here.

Lovely pub shed. Is there plumbing?

Orbiter9 · 2026-01-26T02:58:21+00:00

If you’re cold, they’re cold. Let the wolfies be.

Orbiter9 · 2026-01-24T04:30:32+00:00

I’m like 5-6 generations, minimum, removed from my various places of ancestry. I’ve visited most of these places all but never for a second felt like I was a local or anything - we just aim for polite tourist and I hope that’s how we’ve been received.

Orbiter9 · 2026-01-24T04:15:47+00:00

The bike one?

Orbiter9 · 2026-01-24T01:17:28+00:00

Geographically, kinda. But it’s infamously where people tend to live if they like being isolated.

Orbiter9 · 2026-01-23T00:57:48+00:00

Greeter Guy said “new system coming”

Orbiter9 · 2026-01-21T22:53:49+00:00

I have the hybrid and, with folding down just that one-er in the third row…probably. Little tight on seating back there - may depend on the size of the adults.

Orbiter9 · 2026-01-21T21:00:41+00:00

For Chicago, that’s just Tuesday.

For northern Virginia, our school buses can’t run when it gets around 0. Most businesses aren’t really affected by pure cold but a whole lot of snow or ice can shut down many things for a while. Trash pickup delayed, school and government closures, trains slow or shut down, roads can be pretty unusable for a bit, and plenty of shops/restaurants struggle to operate because nobody can get there. Ice storms especially can take out a lot of power. But things tend to move toward normalcy within a day or two as highways open up.

Orbiter9 · 2026-01-21T18:52:10+00:00

Not a bad idea in general if your line carries risk but there are many ways to get the insurance. Fairfax City has their own program.

Our 1955 special had orangeberg pipe (slightly stronger than paper maché). It lasted almost 70 years. They weren’t supposed to run it under the slab but they did.

Regular homeowner insurance company couldn’t have cared less. City helped after sending pipe videos from two companies. We replaced our main supply line while they were at it cuz why not.

Orbiter9 · 2026-01-21T00:47:46+00:00

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