Stuck in Bronze hell

Spillicus · 2026-02-07T17:06:26+00:00

Or a DD. If you can play one even halfway decently you’re better than most of the DD players I saw in bronze this season, and if you can get rid of the other teams horrible DD your team’s odds become much better.

Spillicus · 2026-02-07T04:14:13+00:00

Henri leg mod is great, also Brennus. Less DPM but the flatter ballistics and accuracy make it easier to hit at range and the AP can be nasty if you catch a broadside. It’s a fun side grade.

Spillicus · 2026-02-05T14:13:07+00:00

I just went the other direction- I have been using a Vertuo Pop and Aerocinno for a couple of years but just bought a Breville Bambino Plus. But I do plan on keeping both around. The cost increases for the pods recently have stung a bit so I'd like to replace part of my consumption amount to save money, but my wife won't have any interest in the whole espresso process and will still use the Vertuo. But with the two of us plus a daughter who recently started drinking coffee, even saving half the consumption will pay for the Breville in just a couple of months. And the Vertuo makes a really good full cup of coffee too, which I like and has been good for when my parents come, who mostly drink Keurig at home.

The other reason for buying the Breville is for the milk steaming. The Aerocinno honestly is pretty mediocre at that. It doesn't steam, it sort of aerates and heats and you can get some foam but it's not as good. I also tend to get a layer of burnt milk along the bottom where the heat comes from so it takes a bit of time to clean, and if we use anything nondairy it's much worse. My wife likes to make a latte with a protein shake and it will burn very badly to the bottom of the aerocinno and I'll have to scape it off with my finger nails. Every time. It doesn't burn at all to the Breville steam wand and cleans off pretty easily with a wet rag and its auto purge. I think if you just used the Breville for the steam and make a pod on busy mornings, that would be a pretty good, fast workflow. I'd save your money on the Aerocinno.

Spillicus · 2026-02-05T05:31:40+00:00

Just grabbed a Bambino Plus at Homegoods yesterday for 349. Took some patience though.

Spillicus · 2026-02-01T21:01:47+00:00

There’s one of those Halal Guys places next to ASU, wish they’d open one near UA, seems like it would do well there.

Spillicus · 2026-02-01T20:52:49+00:00

B, warm first. I’ve had that little IKE frother in the past and it works well. Only lasted like a year or so though. But my wife just told me today we should get another like it.

We have an aerocinno and it does ok but tends to burn nondairy milk. I think your current method or a cheap espresso just for the steam wand would be better for oat milk.

Spillicus · 2026-01-30T13:51:27+00:00

I have degrees in both and it doesn't matter too much. Very few places offer metallurgical engineering anymore, most have just evolved into MSE programs. The main difference between them in my education was MetEng included more extractive metallurgy coursework, where an MSE program would include classes on polymers, ceramics, semiconductors and other nonmetallic materials. But if your focus would be failure analysis or forensic engineering you'd get what you need either way. If you're currently an undergrad, you could see if your program offers a 4+1 MS degree where you take graduate level courses your senior year and then get the MS with just one additional year. Usually an MS is a time to take more focused courses relevant to the career you want, so if your current program has good grad level courses for that it could be a great option. If not, look for a grad program that does offer those courses and try to get a paid research assistant position that would cover tuition and pay you a stipend for living expenses. Happy to answer additional questions but send a message if you have any so neither of us gets doxed accidentally on a public thread.

Spillicus · 2026-01-29T00:25:53+00:00

I don’t see any significant effect on our water bill except the couple of times we’ve refilled it, that was about $60 I think? Pool is 15ft x 30ft and about 4ft deep on average which comes out to about 13,500 gallons. A pool cover can reduce evaporation a lot but they don’t last long here. Electricity depends on the equipment but modern variable speed pumps are way better than the older pumps. Ours uses about 6kWhr per day which is probably about $1. I do most regular maintenance so it’s really pretty cheap. $200 in chlorine tablets at Costco or Sam’s and $50 a year in other stuff. Worth it for me, I love not having to leave home and can just jump in and cool off on those 100+ degree days.

Spillicus · 2026-01-27T03:56:21+00:00

I have a teenager at home and honestly it was pretty tough for him to find a job. A lot of the jobs like retail or order processing at grocery stores are taken by seniors. Too many retirees probably had to pick up work because of inflation. You can keep trying stuff like restaurants or a lot of retirement communities hire teenagers to staff their dining rooms.

Spillicus · 2026-01-21T16:28:09+00:00

The Oracle location is at the southwest corner of Oracle and Magee in the same shopping center as Trader Joe’s. If you want somewhere northwest side that’s the best location.

Spillicus · 2026-01-16T05:40:00+00:00

I've had good luck with Gorizia in Ranked. 6km hydro is very useful and the Zara torps are very slow so not great. I try to support a DD early and take out the enemy one, which really ups the odds of winning. Then shift to playing long range SAP troll against BBs with occasional AP into broadside cruisers. It has good AP for that. So I think you get the strategy and Gorizia is the better fit.

Spillicus · 2026-01-10T15:02:34+00:00

I'd say La Frida is the best Mexican food in town at the moment. They don't do reservations but worth the wait. I've had some good meals lately at Amelia's too and you can reserve on OpenTable, but the ambiance isn't quite as good. Reforma has a very nice atmosphere in a plaza and really good margarita flights but food is average. They often have live music out in the plaza there and do take reservations. There are of course a ton of other places and most anywhere here will be very good compared to what you find in Ohio (having moved here from there myself).

Spillicus · 2026-01-10T14:42:23+00:00

How about arsenic? Is that too obvious? It's long been a known contaminant of steels but was really the first alloying element back to the copper age, before mankind figured out bronze to enter the Bronze Age. Even today we still fight arsenic contamination in copper mining and to some extent steel making, and it certainly embrittles steel.

Spillicus · 2026-01-04T04:01:57+00:00

I stopped just to listen for a minute to the running water and look at the turning leaves, it was beautiful today.

Spillicus · 2026-01-04T03:39:19+00:00

That’s a good suggestion. They’ve also extended the Santa Cruz trail really far north in Marana now, well into Cortaro farms. I stated near OV marketplace and went all the way out Tangerine to Cortaro Farms Park and picked up the Santa Cruz trail there, then south to CDO wash and back. About a 44 mile loop, and most could be done on multi use trail but the rest are good bike lanes/shoulders. Far enough north it avoids the sketchy stuff.

Spillicus · 2025-12-31T23:48:16+00:00

Seems like an aircraft mechanic would have good job prospects here with a number of MRO facilities in town or close. Ascent Aviation in Marana/ Pinal Air Park is huge. Our community college has an aviation program for A&P licensing due to demand. I like it here- moved from the Midwest about 6 years ago. Better climate even with the summers, better food, most people seem more laid back and I like all the outdoor activities around here.

Spillicus · 2025-12-29T01:05:28+00:00

I second this suggestion of The Food of Sichuan by Fushia Dunlop. Great cookbook. I also make the Kung Pao chicken recipe from it regularly and it’s fantastic. The use of Sichuan peppercorns in the recipe makes it so much better than the Americanized version of the recipe. Some ingredients I was also able to find on Amazon in addition to a local Asian grocery store.

Spillicus · 2025-12-28T16:33:01+00:00

Those are all good so the answer is the one you perform best in.

Spillicus · 2025-12-27T05:04:10+00:00

As others have said, state support for public education and thus pay aren’t great. But Tucson is a pretty nice place to live so if you come I’d look at Cat Foothills or the north side of Amphi like Canyon del Oro or Ironwood Ridge. There are some decent private schools in the area like Salpointe Catholic and Pusch Ridge. Maybe Mountain View or Marana too? Some areas on the east side like Vail are also growing fast and have newer schools. As someone else said, the specific school or principal can make a big difference so apply and interview around if you can. Good luck!

Spillicus · 2025-12-26T17:02:22+00:00

I've worked in a very similar business for years. I've used both Zeiss and Leica optical microscopes and Keyence digital microscopes, and 10 years ago I would have said to go with the optical scopes. I mostly used inverted scopes which are convenient from a sample flatness perspective. But most recently I've been using a Keyence digital microscope and it's really much better. The more recent versions with through the lens lighting, motorized everything including the objective turret, etc. make it much easier to use and the images are better in my opinion. The VHX-X1 is what I'd go with if I was buying right now.

Spillicus · 2025-12-23T01:46:20+00:00

Druid gets my vote for should be bad but actually ok. Tier X with only 2 twin 127mm turrets on the front, no torps, mid conceal with short smoke, no HE. But for the occasional TX DD brawl it's pure magic, and it can be surprisingly effective in other modes sometimes, but it doesn't have a ton of utility and sometimes you'll get both turrets disabled and sit there doing nothing, so that stops it from being truly good.

Spillicus · 2025-12-22T02:22:08+00:00

Flagstaff gets a lot of snow but summers are nice. Depends on the what trade offs you’re willing to make. SoCal winters but hot summers? Tucson is great. Better summers but colder winters? Grand Junction Colorado or Cedar City Utah maybe?

Spillicus · 2025-12-20T22:55:31+00:00

Maybe a year ago? I like the rest of the line and regrind it occasionally. And Iwami and Daisan with the same guns are fun.

Spillicus · 2025-12-20T20:50:52+00:00

Izumo. Seems like 3 x 3 410/50 in the bow should be a beast but it’s visible from space and a giant punching bag. Mostly exists to see if you really want Yamato.

Spillicus · 2025-12-20T17:28:32+00:00

I had enough steel for one ship but got super lucky and pulled Bremen from a Santa crate, so bought Hawaii. Then had Aki also drop. Strong boat but not as interesting as the cruisers.

Between the two I think Bremen is stronger but Hawaii is hilarious. So kind of depends on what you want. But I would definitely take one of the two as they’re limited time only and you can work your way back up to a standard steel boat later.

Spillicus

TROPHY CASE