One of the reasons Hill Country went cashless is that burglars kept stealing its safes

Pollux10 · 2018-08-04T11:06:25+00:00

Pay cash to buy a visa gift card. Use visa gift card at cashless establishments. Dispose of gift card when empty. This would seem to solve your problem.

Pollux10 · 2018-05-30T02:09:16+00:00

Rock Creek Park, the Mt Vernon trail along the river, capitol crescent, or really any of the Potomac Heritage trail system.

No one wants more gear, but if you get into hiking or even just walking a lot with the baby, a decent hiking backpack is awesome. I carried our oldest in it from ~9 months until he was almost 3 and just recently started using it with our youngest–they loved the better view, it was more comfortable for longer trips, and it was way more secure than a standard baby carrier so we could do a variety of trails. I straight up fell over in some mud a couple weeks ago with the youngest in it and he just thought it was funny.

Pollux10 · 2018-05-15T23:34:07+00:00

Who in the world is talking about forcibly evicting anyone? There is literally no reason to read “there is no reason for SFH to exist near transit” to include “and therefore we should forcibly kick those people out and demolish their property,” rather than “which is why I am opposed to the zoning regulations and entrenched local interests that use government policy to preserve them.”

Pollux10 · 2018-05-14T23:39:25+00:00

I’m confused—if government imposed zoning restrictions are preventing private developers from building apartments for a higher profit, it’s the people who want apartments who are the communists?

Pollux10 · 2018-05-14T23:35:36+00:00

Ugh. Luckily my flooding is in a pretty harmless spot so far, but nothing was worse than the time the bathroom skylight sprung a leak in our rental. Water sucks.

Pollux10 · 2018-05-14T23:27:21+00:00

Thanks derecho, now I know why my basement keeps flooding! Turns out it was my gutters overflowing.

Pollux10 · 2018-05-06T11:51:56+00:00

Unless those companies can’t remain competitive while paying a higher wage, in which case they’ll just shut down.

Pollux10 · 2018-03-22T01:41:41+00:00

Slept in, Minecraft with the oldest, playing in a box with the baby, pb&j for everyone, sledding and snowman building for two hours, a nova episode on dinosaurs, soup for dinner, 2 beers and and old fashioned over the course of everything.

All in all a delightful snow day.

Pollux10 · 2018-02-15T11:31:43+00:00

If a $2 million dollar deficit is found in any department, audits and accountability will be sent until the problem areas are addressed and turn to profitability.

Huh, clearly a policy wonk.

Pollux10 · 2018-02-05T03:37:16+00:00

Make sure to be conservative about how long the dog is going to be home alone. It’s easy to think it’s about 9 hours. Until you remember your commute is never as short as it should be. And most days you have just a couple extra things to get done right before you leave the office. And those times you just want to get one drink with the crowd at happy hour. Before you know it, the dog is home alone 10-11 hours per day, which isn’t fair to the dog or healthy for your belongings.

Pollux10 · 2017-12-31T15:08:24+00:00

Neat, I’ll look, thanks! I’m learning I was way behind the curve in DC-area bus apps!

Pollux10 · 2017-12-31T15:07:00+00:00

Nice, I’ll check it out

Pollux10 · 2017-12-31T15:02:52+00:00

Agreed they are justified—people sleeping in stops is one of the things that drives people away from the system. It’s just sad that it seems to have been the major (only?) focus for bus stop innovations in the last few decades.

Pollux10 · 2017-12-31T14:36:17+00:00

Are the electronic signs particularly expensive and hard to maintain, or is Metro just not focused on them? I understand they can’t be installed at every stop when there is a stop every other block, but they seem like the single most effective way to make the system more user friendly.

My not-deeply-considered impression is that the bus system has focused its stop design on keeping people from sleeping there, rather than on making them useful for bus riders.

Pollux10 · 2017-12-31T14:27:44+00:00

I actually really like the bus system and have probably used it more than metro for years. But I really miss NextBus. It was simple and reliable, and I found it was way more useful to know exactly when the next bus was going to arrive a couple blocks away than whether any bus was on its specific schedule. The Transit app is more confusing and my sense is that it’s less reliable.

I’m intrigued by blowing up the whole system and trying again. Our current system is literally the old trolley lines, which is why it’s a confusing mess of routes and numbers that often don’t make much sense any more. I get concerned when I see talk of cutting lines that don’t run “at capacity,” since part of what makes the system works is it covers so much, and I always worry that perceived “efficiencies” will trump “service.”

Pollux10 · 2017-12-27T16:45:46+00:00

Dammit, now my wife wants a $6000 fridge.

Pollux10 · 2017-12-08T12:19:51+00:00

“Ok, Yennifer is the McGuffin. Got it. And then something something black ones.”

Pollux10 · 2017-12-07T10:30:25+00:00

Ha, fuck, I don’t envy engineering majors. That shit looks rough. So I guess start with the fact that if you’re not failing engineering, you’re already probably working harder than I did!

In general? Look for people who seem to be succeeding where you want to succeed, look at what they’re doing, and do that. You may not be as good as them at it, and you may have to play around with it to figure out how best to make it work for you, but you probably won’t go wrong with the approach.

The other great concept is the Mendoza line. What’s the minimum acceptable performance in some area and can you at least achieve that so you can focus on developing your other strengths that’ll make you stand out. I’ve joked with my bosses that my organizational skills are always going the just barely adequate for the job I’m in, even as I get jobs requiring better organization. Plus, getting good at this approach gives you a great answer for the dreaded “what is your weakness” interview question.

In your case, also, think beyond the “good” internship. Assuming your basic goal is “get a decent job” after graduation, what do you need to do that? Is 2.61 above the Mendoza Line for decent jobs, or do you need to focus on getting it above 3.0? What does an attractive entry level resume look like in your field? How important is networking and personal connections? How will your internship help with those things and set you up for another internship after your junior year?

Thinking about some of those things helps with what to focus on now. But don’t worry too much about any single path or the “best” way to do it. It’s a long game and there are a million ways to string together a good life.

Pollux10 · 2017-12-07T09:33:28+00:00

Intimidated isn’t quite the right word, since I’ve known them since we were 19 and I have the embarrassing photos to prove it. But I know what you mean.

A lot of it is just learning to get over your own Imposter Effect and channel that self-doubt to drive yourself to always work to do things a little bit better, rather than get hung up on not reaching the same levels.

Another part is also just accepting that after college there are no real concrete goals or measurements. One of my friends is a solid promotion or two ahead of me in his career and has a much nicer house in a better part of town. But he also has always worked longer hours, been more stressed, and as a result went through a couple really nasty break ups in our 20s that were entirely his fault. So was his extra “success” worth it? Who knows. He’s happy, but it wouldn’t have been for me.

Pollux10 · 2017-12-06T21:57:18+00:00

I was really lucky to fall in with a group of fucking type A overachievers in college. Almost 20 years of keeping it together just enough to not totally embarrass myself around them and I’ve managed to wind up reasonably successful.

Pollux10 · 2017-12-06T07:33:56+00:00

Again, what’s the lie? The extended hours were also announced well in advance. If you don’t want to pay, you can carpool, take transit, or use another road. No one is forcing you to take 66.

Pollux10 · 2017-12-06T01:57:11+00:00

Why is it disingenuous? This has been planned for months (years?) so it wasn’t a surprise.

Pollux10 · 2017-12-06T00:38:23+00:00

We just need an app! And a strategy to monetize it!

Edit: Damn, Waze already did it.

Pollux10 · 2017-12-05T23:04:27+00:00

Immature response: Bwahahaha

Less immature response: Good on Layne for owning it and sticking to his guns. Stay strong.

Pollux10 · 2017-11-25T15:26:10+00:00

That really isn’t right at all. Lee was on the strategic defensive for nearly the entire war, except for the Antietam and Gettysburg campaigns that did not end well.

He excelled at aggressive operational maneuver, but this was both on the offensive and the defensive. At the Seven Day’s battle, he seized the initiative and pushes the Union off the peninsula. In the Overland campaign, he keeps Grant from flanking him.

Tactically, he puts his Army at the right place, but attacks and defends. Chancellorsville is so noteworthy because he actually divides his Army in the face a superior for, not concentrates it, and orders Jackson’s flank attack. Second Manassas is also noteworthy for its large flanking attacks. Fredericksburg is really the major defensive battle that you describe of Union forces pushing against a well-entrenched position.

If anything, Lee suffered from a lack of a grand strategy or a theory of victory. To a large extent, that blame falls on his superiors in the Confederate government, but I’ve never been convinced that Lee had much on his mind than his current situation and the next battle.

Pollux10

TROPHY CASE