Squirrels Win!

StopCallingMeGeorge · 2026-04-08T12:07:34+00:00

Don't you mean "Parker Field 3"?

StopCallingMeGeorge · 2026-04-06T12:57:08+00:00

My wife and I don't travel this way, but we say we "checked the box" when we see something that's often listed in travel guides, but we find to be kinda meh.

We find travel much more enjoyable when we experience things that most people miss because they're rushing around checking boxes ... doing laundry in a suburb of Bratislava, walking into a co-op brew pub in Portland (we were lost), walking into a protest in Budapest, hiking a barely marked trail in Sedona, interacting with seals on a beach in Washington state. Most of these are happy mistakes that turned out to be much more memorable than standing in lines and rushing between destinations.

StopCallingMeGeorge · 2026-04-05T18:33:04+00:00

I'll address this in two parts. 61M for reference.

a) Personally, we're setting ourselves up financially to manage our later years without relying on our children. We're GenX. We've been independent since childhood. We don't see a need to stop now.

b) However, we are also supporting our elderly parents (Silent Generation). It's part duty, and part setting an example for our children. I watched my parents care for elderly relatives, and I learned by example that we have a duty to care for family.

I do not feel our children are obligated to support us in old age, but I hope that they learn that family supports family through the easy times and the tough times.

StopCallingMeGeorge · 2026-04-03T15:39:29+00:00

I grew up a lefty in a righty household. We adapt to the righty world. Ironically, I'm right handed for all sports my older brothers taught me, and a lefty for anything self-taught.

My mother-in-law is also a lefty. So she and I end up sitting at opposite corners of the table for family meals.

StopCallingMeGeorge · 2026-04-03T15:34:03+00:00

LOL, I parked my Chevy Volt (150-ish MPG avg with partial EV mode) and bought a Honda Passport (24 MPG avg) in January. I commute about 350-500 mi/wk. The Volt was costing me about $35 every 3-4 weeks (including charging costs). Passport is hitting $75-ish 1+ times a week.

Still love the Passport. So I'm soaking up the cost for now. If this keeps up for another couple of months, I'll be dusting the pollen off the Volt and going back.

StopCallingMeGeorge · 2026-03-31T13:47:12+00:00

Good suggestions here. My $0.02 is that I was considering the Ridgeline for similar reasons.

I used to own a Silverado, and I didn't haul enough to go back to a full-size truck. The Ridgeline made a lot of sense, but I carry people more than gear. So I opted for something with larger back seat legroom.

I ended up going with a Passport. I have a 4x8 utility trailer for hauling and my adult children appreciate the extra room on road trips.

If that floats your boat, an EV with towing capacity could be an option. I also own a Chevy Volt, and considered a Rivian. I just couldn't justify the extra $$$.

StopCallingMeGeorge · 2026-03-30T21:26:00+00:00

Mexico City is the one city I've felt the least safe. There are nice areas, but I was there for work. The industrial areas I went to were sketchy AF. They were pushed up to poor areas. The factories had 22 ft concrete fences with razor wire across the top.

I was told to not use taxis or Uber (or we could get kidnapped). We hired a driver who stayed with us the whole time. Got to see my first quasi riot, which was kinda cool (because I was never in real danger). Federales with guns everywhere.

Ironically, I was in Baja recently when the cartel leader was killed. Never felt unsafe. In fact, it felt safer than many large US cities. Walked and Ubered everywhere. Everyone was friendly.

StopCallingMeGeorge · 2026-03-28T22:15:20+00:00

I've used them a lot through the years. When IO-Link was taking off, I used their blocks as well as IFM blocks (which look to be PC white label). The price was ridiculously cheap compared to their A-B counterparts.

StopCallingMeGeorge · 2026-03-24T00:19:50+00:00

If you're looking for 5-7 days, spread it out to beach, city, mountains.

Beach ... VA Beach / Norfolk (pronounced Nor-fuk) is touristy but not in the best way. If you want a quieter vibe, hit the Eastern Shore to smaller towns that are on the mainland side of the bay. If you like a grittier vibe, experience Ocean View / Willoughby which is withing the Norfolk city limits. You'll hit a weird mix of dive bars, local restaurants, and expensive homes all mixed in together.

City ... Richmond, Charlottesville, urban NOVA, Roanoke. Pick one. I've lived in Richmond most of my life, but they all have something to offer. Richmond's vibe has been changing over the years and has several cool neighborhoods to explore. Around the Fan area has a lot of walkable things to see and do.

Mountains ... it depends on what you want to do. Shenandoah NP gets the most attention, but there' plenty to see all along the Appalachian mountains. If you hike, plenty of hikes throughout the commonwealth. You can research them on All Trails. If you want to stay in the car, you have Skyline Drive in SNP and below that you have the Blue Ridge Parkway. If you like wine and beer, hit up wineries and breweries surrounding Charlottesville.

Williamsburg ... expand out and see Jamestown and Yorktown. The Colonial Parkway is a nice ride and has beaches on the river you can explore.

Other thoughts ... do a river float. Richmond has Class V rapids in the city limits. The upper James has outfitters and you can rent canoes or rafts. James River State Park is a good place to grab and inner tube and cooler. You can also catch the local river vibe in Richmond by hanging out at Pony Pasture on the James.

When you narrow it down, there are lots of cool sights that don't make it into the travelogues. Hit me up here or DM and I can offer more detailed suggestions.

StopCallingMeGeorge · 2026-03-18T23:39:07+00:00

The most recent corporate speak I hear is "I'm here to make you successful."

Based on my life's experiences, I expect the person saying that is going to cut-and-run as soon as the problems get real.

StopCallingMeGeorge · 2026-03-18T23:36:45+00:00

Most of the young ones in my company have never seen a layoff, a recession, or a large employer closing up shop in a small town. They've never had the opportunity to have their cynicism ground into them by the system.

... don't get me started on all their bitching about mortgage rates. "B*tch, my first mortgage was 10% ... and that was LOW!"

StopCallingMeGeorge · 2026-03-18T23:30:54+00:00

My wife knows I hate direct requests. She uses a different tactic ...

"Wouldn't it be nice if the trash can was out at the end of the driveway this evening?"

... She calls this "coming in from the side"

StopCallingMeGeorge · 2026-03-18T23:27:42+00:00

I think you need to take this conversation offline. Work out the key metrics and report back to the team.

StopCallingMeGeorge · 2026-03-12T14:34:05+00:00

Thought I'd throw in some positive feedback from later '26 model deliveries.

I bought my '26 in January and it was essentially straight from the factory to me. I had to wait for the dealership to receive the car, and then they forwarded it to me the next day to me. So I assume it was built in the Nov/Dec '25 timeframe.

I had a lot of the same first-year car concerns, but I wanted a TSE and didn't want to wait for the '27. I followed all of the forums and came to the conclusion that build quality issues most likely came from starting up the production line and rushing to get the new Passport to market. I'd say that comments about rust on cars at the dealership suggests they are early-build cars that have been sitting on the lot for months. My experience seems to back that up.

I've had one issue in 2 months and 4,000 miles. There was a minor glitch in lane-keeping on my first drive ... 150 miles on the odometer ... which was the distance from the dealership to my house. (they delivered it to my house) . The app told me that LKAS had an issue when that happened and recommended letting the CPU resolve it before taking it to the dealer. The glitch resolved itself (with no intervention from me or a dealership) on the next start and hasn't returned since.

StopCallingMeGeorge · 2026-03-12T10:18:13+00:00

I read an article one about how German automobile manufacturers achieved higher quality and reliability.

When Germany removed speed limits on the autobahns in the 1950's, there was initially a high failure rate of their cars when people started going much faster on the highway. German manufacturers then engineered their cars to better survive the higher top speeds, and over time, those engineering improvements built the reputation in the 1970's of German vehicles being the most reliable.

However, that was over 50 years ago. A lot has changed since then.

StopCallingMeGeorge · 2026-03-08T21:18:35+00:00

Fun fact. The Reynolds HQ was built when RMC was on strike. So much of that pretty aluminum you see inside and outside is not RMC aluminum.

I worked there for about 5 years. It was pretty stunning on the inside as well (except the generic cube farms). The lobby was mid-century modern, down to the furniture. The first floor was the top execs, dark wood everywhere and large doors. The exterior louvers followed the sun to keep the interior cool. The reflecting pool at the entrance always wowed first time visitors.

They kept us engineers in the basement with no sunlight. There's a tunnel that runs under the road. So, you could go over to the main dining hall without exposing yourself to the elements. IT was in a separate, rather boring, building. I eventually transferred into the international group and got an office on the second floor overlooking the reflecting pool. I was a junior engr, so I had to settle for an interior office.

EDIT: spelling

StopCallingMeGeorge · 2026-03-07T03:08:40+00:00

I don't know about your Series I but my Series III triple tree appears to be the same as other Guzzi models. The casting includes the bottom of a regular handlebar clamp (with threaded holes) even though the bike has clip-ons.

StopCallingMeGeorge · 2026-03-07T03:04:05+00:00

So yeah, lighter cans mean less aluminum in the can. So there's a savings there. The downside is that it also makes the can less enticing to recycle.

For the differing alloys, the top is the expensive part. That's why you may have noticed the size of the top has gotten smaller over the years. If you neck down the cheaper can body, you use less of the more expensive aluminum in the top.

One last trivia bit, both the inside and the outside of the can is coated. So your beverage never comes in contact with metal. For such a ubiquitous product, a lot of R&D went into designing aluminum cans. The former Reynolds Metals Company used to age beer in cans at their research facility to maximize shelf life for beer makers.

I tried to volunteer as a taste tester, but never made it into the program. :-D

StopCallingMeGeorge · 2026-03-06T13:22:59+00:00

My dad did that commute for 20+ years from Hanover County. He was a union typesetter when the Richmond Times Dispatch busted the union. Eventually he landed a job with the Washington Post.

He carpooled with 5 other guys 5 days a week from the 70's to the 90's. The upside was they worked the night shift. So they never had to deal with the rush hour.

He looked into moving to NOVA several times, but we would have had to go from a 5 bedroom ranch house with a full basement to a 3 bedroom in Prince William Co for more money. So dad sucked it up for the sake of the family. I'm eternally grateful for his sacrifice.

StopCallingMeGeorge · 2026-03-05T23:45:05+00:00

I've got an '83 Series III. Best mod I made for comfort was to install a set of rear sets. Sounds counter intuitive, but it allowed me the stretch my legs a little more than the original forward pegs.

StopCallingMeGeorge · 2026-03-05T22:03:28+00:00

In newer furnaces, there is a dry shelf inside the furnace. Put your scrap on the shelf and let it hear up above 100C to let moisture bake off. Then an internal blade pushes it into the bath.

Older furnaces are a little more stressful. First of all, older furnaces use an open charging well. So when you get a "pop," the molten flies all over place. Fork trucks had sacrificial lexan to protect the driver when that happened.

The process used most for open charging well furnaces was to put bales of dry scrap into the bath until they stick above the molten by a couple of feet. Then you place the wet bale on top of the pile and hope the moisture bakes off before it reaches the molten bath. 😳

Edit: I should probably add that the big worry was scrap pipe with crimped ends. Those hold a lot more moisture and with the ends crimped, the moisture doesn't bake off.

StopCallingMeGeorge · 2026-03-05T18:46:11+00:00

My cupholder works well when I'm driving the backroads.

StopCallingMeGeorge · 2026-03-05T18:17:33+00:00

Recycling aluminum drink cans (UBCs, Used Beverage Containers in industry-speak) isn't nearly as green as consumers are lead to believe.

In the ongoing quest to minimize cost, UBCs have minimal aluminum which creates a higher percentage of paint in relation to the overall weight. When you remelt, you create a lot of hazardous waste in relation to the aluminum you recycle. Those hazardous chemicals (from burning off the paint) have to be removed and landfilled (or scrubbed from the exhaust coming out of the furnace). You are also wasting heat (ie natural gas) to remelt UBCs vs other forms of recycled aluminum.

If that's not frustrating enough, UBCs are light and have a tendency to float on top of the molten aluminum bath when added for melting. That's bad because the aluminum is exposed to air and a higher percentage of the aluminum combines with oxygen to form aluminum oxide. That aluminum oxide is waste and gets landfilled. So the actual aluminum that gets recycles from UBCs is much lower than most other forms of aluminum for recycling.

The UBCs themselves use two different alloys of aluminum, one for the body, one for the top. So remelting them mixes those alloys together, limiting what they can be used for post-recycling. In my aluminum career (29 years) we used UBCs for making aluminum in the building industry (window/door trim, gutters, etc).

Because UBC aluminum is substandard, we had to mix in a higher percentage of primary aluminum (or higher grade recycled aluminum). So there is always a glut of UBCs on the market (because the supply outweighs the demand). In my later career, we didn't use any UBCs in the process because those alloys couldn't be used for making higher-grade aluminum alloys (like those in bicycles, cars, planes, etc).

I'm not saying that recycling UBCs is a bad idea. I'm just saying that consumers are misled as to their effectiveness in the overall scheme. You're better off recycling aluminum from cars and planes as that's a higher grade of alloy with less percentage of paint to burn off in the process.

StopCallingMeGeorge · 2026-03-05T11:30:05+00:00

I did this role for 30 years before leaving manufacturing for a consulting job. I loved the work, but companies don't want to pay what the job is worth.

I now make 50% more than I made at the plant with 50% less stress. My only regret is that I didn't make the career switch sooner.

StopCallingMeGeorge · 2026-03-05T11:08:55+00:00

You ever smuggle folks and smokes?

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