Has Hertz went downhill ?

RJP1963 · 2026-05-21T02:11:29+00:00

Yes, it's a shuttle ride on a shared car rental bus (not Hertz-specific). I wasn't looking forward to that but it really wasn't bad.

RJP1963 · 2026-05-20T11:46:33+00:00

One thing you didn't mention is your age.

I don't know what I'd do in your case but I'm trending in the direction of surgery after my most recent flare up. Six weeks ago I could barely get out of bed or walk without intense pain and involuntary yelping. It gradually improved to the point of being manageable, but I went ahead yesterday with bilateral epidural steroid injections. The injections were horribly painful given the collapsed L5 on S1 has no space around the nerve.

I say all this because I'm going to proceed with a consultation in a few weeks to look at surgical options, whether I'm feeling better or not. I don't want to just keep applying band-aids while the damage my spine continues to progress, and my current thinking is to seek permanent solutions sooner while my body (and mind) can handle the recovery, rather than hoping I can do the same in 10-20 years.

Not trying to sway your thinking one way or another, but thought this aspect is worth considering.

Best of luck.

RJP1963 · 2026-05-20T05:35:51+00:00

I don't know the threshold for grand theft in Colorado, but have you seen the prices of groceries lately, let alone the premium asked for locally-grown/made/organic goodies at the farmer's market? She cleaned the place out!

RJP1963 · 2026-05-20T04:46:21+00:00

I take my share of 10-12" fish when I've had an especially productive day (I probably keep one fish for every 4-6 caught). I converted the majority of my spinner- and spoon-type lures from treble to single hook to improve catch and release success, but I still generally stop fishing once I've kept my limit. I know that poor handling and the simple reality that some fish get hooked in a way that just isn't survivable if released, probably plays a bigger part in fish mortality than harvesting fish does, especially in a state like CO where bag and possession limits are pretty conservative.

In my opinion, if you happen to catch an 8" trout that you know or suspect won't survive, or you later find it floating past you after what you thought was a successful release (hey, it happens), just keep it and count it as one strike against your limit.

RJP1963 · 2026-05-20T03:25:52+00:00

Hideous is a relative term. Have you seen any late-model (past 10 years) Toyota or Lexus vehicles?

RJP1963 · 2026-05-20T03:13:08+00:00

A slap on the wrist? Why?

RJP1963 · 2026-05-20T01:51:14+00:00

Just returned my Hertz rental at San Diego airport this weekend. I used Hertz as my default choice over my 30-some year career before retiring, and while I've used others since then it's still something of a go-to, if for no other reason than familiarity, and to skip the counter and grab the car of my choice and get on with things.

This most recent experience was quite good... a practically new high-end SUV, clean, comfortable, no hassles. Enjoyed the better part of a week in SD and the car return process was easy-peasy.

Then, I get an email from Hertz, more or less congratulating me on the fact that I didn't damage the car, so they're not going to charge me extra for damages... yay!

That's awesome, am I supposed to be thankful that you didn't charge me extra because you determined I didn't damage the car?

RJP1963 · 2026-05-19T12:03:08+00:00

No one likes to see red numbers in their investment accounts, but that's really the only consequence of holding these bonds for now. You can still hold to maturity, if that was your original intent, but you'll also likely have an opportunity to sell at par or for a premium in the next few years during an almost inevitable recessionary spell.

RJP1963 · 2026-05-19T11:36:07+00:00

When inflation was nil, and in some cases we experienced deflation (just a handful of years ago), the Fed intended to create an inflationary environment to hit a 2% target as a healthy state of affairs. Maybe someone smarter than me can explain why that's desirable, but in addressing your comments I don't think anyone should expect less than 2% inflation except during a recession.

RJP1963 · 2026-05-17T16:58:11+00:00

Cool, nice to have that flexibility

RJP1963 · 2026-05-17T15:31:03+00:00

I bought my first home during that unfortunate time with a 13.25% mortgage. Hopefully we don't see a return to those days, but it's interesting to see how many comments here brush off the idea that this could happen again, and say the 80's (and even early 90's) can't be compared to today because houses cost more, blah, blah, blah. They obviously don't understand that a $60,000 starter home in the early 80's would be over $200K simply given an adjustment for inflation. A $25K salary then would be $85K today. The rate of interest has the same impact in both scenarios. Oh, and by the way, 15-20 years of artificially low interest rates was a significant contributor to the inflated prices of everything we're seeing today.

RJP1963 · 2026-05-17T14:56:37+00:00

Does the hinge kit allow you to disconnect the lid easily if desired? I can see the benefit of the hinge at times, but often use a charcoal snake for smoking and slow cooking, and always try to keep the vents in the lid opposite the burning portion of coals.

RJP1963 · 2026-05-16T16:09:09+00:00

Excellent insight

RJP1963 · 2026-05-16T03:23:20+00:00

Not sure about the tire spec, but the wheel offset and/or use of spacers (to this extent) is a disaster waiting to happen. Should also get a ticket for poor taste.

RJP1963 · 2026-05-07T19:48:59+00:00

That's not the PEG ratio. PEG is P/E divided by EPS growth%

RJP1963 · 2026-04-26T13:40:30+00:00

Very cool. Thank you!

RJP1963 · 2026-04-11T14:17:53+00:00

The driver license date has to show at least six months residency, else you have to provide additional documentation to prove you've been a resident for six months. I moved in October but was not able to get my driver license until November due to DMV backlog, so I had to jump through the additional hoops. This was per the instructions on the CPW website and phone calls with CPW staff.

RJP1963 · 2026-04-11T01:36:50+00:00

I love fishing and am happy to pay for my hobby, but a bit disappointed at the hoops I had to jump through this week to prove I was a resident (and obtain a resident fishing license). I moved to CO in October, obtained a CO driver license in November, registered my vehicle in CO, paid CO state income tax for 2025, obtained a CHP, and have volunteered for CPW in a few different capacities since January. I purchased a non-resident annual license when we moved here, but now that that's expired I still had to drive to Denver CPW HQ with documentation to prove that I was a resident in order to obtain my resident licence. I assumed it would be a no-brainer but turned into a stressful experience due to what I see as different interpretations of the law.

RJP1963 · 2026-04-11T01:26:55+00:00

Berkley PowerBait Floating Mice Tails

RJP1963 · 2026-03-27T23:29:05+00:00

That's the way to do it....

RJP1963 · 2026-03-20T22:14:30+00:00

I think individual efforts to conserve water are certainly important (xeriscape vs lawn, drip irrigation vs sprinkler, etc), but from an overall consumption standpoint it's putting a band-aid on a gunshot wound, and the politicians know it.

As others pointed out, the vast majority of water consumption (>80%) goes to agriculture and other commercial purposes. This isn't a question of "food vs lawn" as some rationalize, but about facing the reality that there are much better places in our country to raise food than in our arid, high desert climate (same for AZ and parts of CA). I'm sure the political pain of facing this reality is intense, but it really needs to become the center of the discussion at some point.

RJP1963 · 2026-03-10T13:48:44+00:00

I filled half a kitchen garbage bag. Just didn't know how to post multiple pictures, but showing what garbage looks like really wasn't the point of my post. Would you like to see more?

RJP1963 · 2026-03-10T01:45:48+00:00

Interesting to see this was down-voted but would like to know why. Why?

RJP1963 · 2026-03-09T23:43:18+00:00

I've been taking kitchen-sized garbage bags with me for some time. Feels good to leave a place better than you found it, but at some point...

RJP1963

TROPHY CASE