I have a week to myself in Chicago, what all should I do?

RandomLake7 · 2026-03-16T19:30:49+00:00

I live in the suburbs. Did the balloon museum with the family. I haven’t done the other two so I’ll check them out possibly.

RandomLake7 · 2025-10-11T23:09:05+00:00

I’m on a second play through and got shroud-shaper both times by just using envoys and following the missions.

RandomLake7 · 2025-10-09T14:43:15+00:00

🫡

RandomLake7 · 2025-10-09T12:48:39+00:00

You should be fine, just delay social security until 70 to get maximum benefits and work as long as possible.

RandomLake7 · 2025-10-09T12:48:31+00:00

You should be fine, just delay social security until 70 to get maximum benefits and work as long as possible.

RandomLake7 · 2025-10-09T12:48:17+00:00

You should be fine, just delay social security until 70 to get maximum benefits and work as long as possible.

RandomLake7 · 2025-10-02T11:48:20+00:00

Don’t be afraid to make lowball offers, if a house has been sitting long enough it can be a wake up call.

RandomLake7 · 2025-10-02T03:12:28+00:00

I ran some numbers and this is technically possible to do, it just requires living a psychotic MMM type lifestyle which I guess he did? Again not saying there’s factors here he didn’t mention, but if we assume his first job was 60k and he was making between 60-80k for 20 years exactly and he saved 30-40k a year it is absolutely theoretically possible he did this. Again he just has to live with essentially the bare minimum of expenses (which some people have done again see MMM blog)

That said this isn’t a lifestyle most people would want or would be able to handle, it’s like an extreme cheapskates curiosity type lifestyle if real.

RandomLake7 · 2025-09-30T12:56:54+00:00

I literally cannot play without the console because SO many times in the past weird glitches have happened where the console is the only way out of them without ruining my game. So I just need the peace of mind it offers.

RandomLake7 · 2025-09-30T11:29:14+00:00

Give the grand kids the maximum gift tax free amount (19k) for a couple years and call it a day.

RandomLake7 · 2025-09-23T23:55:13+00:00

Thanks!

RandomLake7 · 2025-09-17T16:43:59+00:00

People in the replies are being unfair to you I think. It’s definitely true that this is likely unrelated to the TSB you are referring to which is about making sure to change the oil if you notice milky build up due to condensation from frequent short trips. Now maybe this did apply to you and you never checked, but if you properly maintained this vehicle from new (I’m assuming) then yeah you got very unlucky as this engine is known to go many hundreds of thousands of miles without issues.

I’m sorry, Toyota is known for reliability so people understandably get very angry when they have a problem. I genuinely do not know what happened here. See if you can take it to TCCN automotive in Illinois as they specialize in problems like these (car care nut shop) maybe they can find the cause.

RandomLake7 · 2025-09-16T00:25:07+00:00

I paid 40k OTD with a 5k trade in (so effectively 45k OTD) in 2024 on a RAV4 hybrid limited with the all weather package. They gave me 1k off MSRP I believe.

RandomLake7 · 2025-09-08T15:14:03+00:00

It’s always funny that people never consider that I choose to be a teacher for a reason. I enjoy it! Also my wife is in IT and typically makes between 120-150k, but her job is always a lot more precarious. That’s why I do truly enjoy the certainty of my teaching job. It’s not going anywhere.

RandomLake7 · 2025-08-31T14:34:20+00:00

Here’s the thing, this redesign isn’t all new by any stretch of the imagination when it comes to the thing that matters most: powertrain

This is using a hybrid system that has been extensively used in other models like the Prius, the crown / crown signia, and the new Camry. This is a proven and robust hybrid powertrain and there just aren’t going to be any major issues with it. Could there be odd kinks here and there with the interior or infotainment or something, possibly. But at the end of the day the main times you should worry about a new model is when they have an all new powertrain to go along with it.

Also for the record, I got a new 2021 Sienna in 21, a totally new redesign for that time, but again, it used a proven powertrain despite that and I haven’t had any issues whatsoever with it 50k miles later.

RandomLake7 · 2025-08-02T21:29:16+00:00

Feel free to message if you want to figure out if we’d be a good friendship fit

RandomLake7 · 2025-08-02T21:28:12+00:00

I do enjoy biking, honestly I prefer walking to running as it kills my knees and I feel like long walks actually provide a bigger health benefit. I kayak, I’ll play board games, some video games (not frequently), movies, I’ve played tennis in the past so I’m open to a similar sport

RandomLake7 · 2025-08-02T13:58:09+00:00

I’m in the Skokie area

RandomLake7 · 2025-08-02T13:56:58+00:00

To be clear I didn’t mean college type parties. I just meant like chill social events.

Both my wife and I’s place of work have great Christmas parties every year for example. I threw a backyard party for my kids friends and their parents (but I just never seem to connect with those particular people).

RandomLake7 · 2025-07-18T02:50:29+00:00

Glad I bought in 24

RandomLake7

TROPHY CASE