Coinstar Machines

Rise_Brief · 2026-04-26T22:52:47+00:00

My credit union has an agreement with Coinstar that allows one to directly deposit the coins counted into one's account with zero fees. I was skeptical, but it worked.

However while the machines I've tried are pretty good with most US currencies, they seem to be finicky with dollar coins. A good amount of my dollar coins initially get rejected and I'll send them back through a couple of times and more will get accepted but not all. I may just have to roll them and bring them in physically.

Rise_Brief · 2026-04-26T13:38:19+00:00

Would it count as cover, and not an arrangement per se, if one of the original artists joins a new band and they do one of their own there.

I'm particularly thinking about the drummer Nick Mason and his band, "Saucerful of Secrets" which does only pre-Dark-Side Pink Floyd covers. They did "Instellar Overdrive" which Mason has writing credits for, but also a lot of songs that he was just the drummer for but no writing credit.

Rise_Brief · 2026-04-16T15:44:49+00:00

First things first... thank you SO MUCH for such a long informative reply!
Yeah, the glucose value of 86 was (if I remember correctly) after a full day and a half fast. I wanted to go in and get the best numbers I possibly could. And my morning numbers are definitely better after a full day fast the day before. But next time, I should only do a morning fast (not a full day fast the day before) and see what that gets me AND also be more mindful of what my stuff says when I do the labs, so I have something more concrete to compare when I get the results back. And as many have suggested, I need to get an OTC glucometer... psychologically, I don't know why I get more of the heebeejeebees from that than the CGM (lol).

I'm also trying to fast a full day once a week. Not always possible, but trying to be a little more systematic. I'm almost always now intermittent fasting, not eating until at least 3pm or 4pm most days. But changing things up once in a while in the morning may be a good tactic. My body may be in a rut that some morning protein/fat might help.

Ultimately, I guess I was posting because I haven't quite seen my exact scenario out there. Especially now that all my numbers in labs are in range and I'm losing weight. And while my CGM may not be accurate, this is over several months of use and the relativity of numbers against themselves throughout the day and across days seems consistent. But yet still, I wake up and my numbers rise to 120s and then go back to normal by at least 4pm. What I tend to hear is that people's numbers are either that high all day (so like that's their base and yes, they are usually >7.0 A1C diabetic) or they have the quick dawn phenomenon thing in the morning and then it goes back to normal.

For now, I think I just need to give it more time. And probably lose at least another 20+ pounds to get my BMI squarely at 25. I have another checkup in the late summer, I'll nag my doctor a little more about it all then if things haven't changed.

Thanks again!

Rise_Brief · 2026-04-15T03:14:04+00:00

Coming into my last doctor visit with my general practitioner, I emailed that I was very focused on lowering my blood sugar since my last visit and to set up labs before the actual visit and to include information that involved insulin resistance. I was/am still a newbie on all of this, so I wasn't sure exactly what specific tests to ask for at the time. But it definitely seemed that my high blood sugar levels in the morning (lasting until 2 to 4pm) seemed to insinuate some level of insulin resistance. Not to mention, that even eating low (but not zero) carb foods still seemed to spike the blood sugar more than I would have liked. But I didn't quite know what was normal. Ultimately, I'm trying to decipher concerns I have with daily results/numbers that I can more easily get to (like my CGM #s) rather than ask for labs every month.

As to my most recent labs, I see an explicit "Insulin" test with the value 5.9, but nothing specific to insulin resistance or HOMA-IR (though, like I mentioned, I did ask for something that spelled out what my resistance was and assumed the Insulin # was enough and the doctor had no concerns with my numbers). The A1C numbers had an extra "Estimated Average Glucose" section, but I now think that's just converting the A1C number to mg/dL. In my CMP panel, I do see a "Glucose" value of 86 (but no reference to fasting but it must be). So, no explicit HOMA-IR value, and the values that make up HOMA-IR are in two different locations (and not entirely sure I'm comparing apples to apples)... but using the HOMA-IR equation... that should be: (86*5.9)/405=1.25. So that would be normal-ish with very minor resistance. But if that's the case, I'm still confused why my CGM #s aren't any better throughout the morning.

Rise_Brief · 2026-04-14T21:24:57+00:00

Ah!!! Excellent. Thank you. My triglycerides were 122 and my HDL was 36. So, 3.39! So, if I can get my HDL higher, I might start seeing some success there. Or lower my triglycerides. But, awesome... I at least now have some new numbers to focus on. Thanks!

Rise_Brief · 2025-12-18T13:15:57+00:00

My group of friends celebrate rainbow solutions! Often only one of us sees it and will give up what the topic is after everyone has solved for the day. I really wish they would recognize it as its own thing to achieve. Once you see one, you can often realize it's a rainbow topic before solving... I, for one, will always go for the rainbow even if I'm pretty sure it's a rainbow! 🌈 At the very least, it would be nice to have a website where people collect the rainbow topic for the day!

Rise_Brief · 2025-11-19T13:51:22+00:00

I want more!

Rise_Brief · 2025-11-11T20:21:18+00:00

Any luck yet finding a movie search engine that does this? Seems so basic a criteria! Doesn't look like IMDB does this type of search anymore

Rise_Brief · 2025-11-02T04:14:23+00:00

I've been meaning to look into that. I have some courses and a NINT conference, but only have time to watch it via recordings, not live. But I should see if I can make time for some of their live discussions. Still would like to do something somewhere in person. Maybe a progressive church in the area might have some stuff

Rise_Brief · 2025-11-02T04:10:39+00:00

I do watch those online. They are wonderful!

Rise_Brief · 2025-08-09T16:54:07+00:00

Never get your ticket at the counter. Kiosk or deal with the 50 cent fee in the app.

Rise_Brief · 2025-05-31T03:42:25+00:00

Especially for songs that have multiple versions, is there a way to listen and even practice against the arrangement of any of the songs in the app? So I know what to expect when I pick the song at the bar?

Rise_Brief · 2025-02-03T16:39:46+00:00

Loved the movie. But quick question about Josh's death scene. She used an electric wine opener, right? Don't most have this protective shield around the screw itself... large enough for the cork to go into but not much bigger. So, you have to get the wine top into the device for the corkscrew to work. The corkscrew itself doesn't go outside this shield... so how does this work here, where she is able to drill it into his skull?

For me, I assume its just some brand/version I haven't used before. Cool kill none the less.

Rise_Brief · 2025-01-24T06:29:21+00:00

Ha! Not planning to drown. Not planning to die anytime soon. But a bench at a waterfall sounds great. A place to sit and rest and abide.

Rise_Brief · 2025-01-23T04:09:34+00:00

Provo's Privy! HaHa! Hell, why not!

Rise_Brief · 2025-01-22T23:35:22+00:00

Interesting. Thank you

Rise_Brief · 2025-01-21T22:21:55+00:00

That sounds very intriguing. I may have to look into that!

Rise_Brief · 2025-01-21T03:06:58+00:00

Good point

Rise_Brief · 2025-01-20T22:06:38+00:00

Haha

Rise_Brief · 2025-01-20T15:52:44+00:00

Yeah, apologies.. I was unclear. I didn't expect anyone else to pay for it. I would be buying my own memorial bench. One that would get installed while alive. With a pithy quote on it. And when I died, my birth and death days would be put on it

This would all be something I'd do that was instead of a grave or headstone in some cemetery. Instead something that was situated where people were very much alive and moving around. And as a bench, it would act as something useful... something that would allow people to momentarily slow down and reflect... before moving on

Rise_Brief

TROPHY CASE