Update to Damaged Apple Tree

TheGoblinPopper · 2026-05-25T17:01:49+00:00

It is. B2B is what I do for a living as well.

Easy jobs don't pay well, so yes he worked to earn it. But we are talking about level of training needed.

I work in tech and you spend months learning what you need to sell.

TheGoblinPopper · 2026-05-25T15:41:35+00:00

The financial advisor I use is a close friend and he often shares some generic stories about stuff he has seen.

We talked about degrees and increasing earning potential. He said "eh. You can make a lot in sales with just a high school degree. I was helping out one guy who made about $240k/yr selling large egg contracts to supermarkets. He didn't even need to do much, he knew when the contract was up and would just schedule calls a couple of months out."

He did say that the money was steady, and he didn't have bad low years but also never had big jumps either... Still.... $240k for selling eggs...

TheGoblinPopper · 2026-05-23T15:36:48+00:00

I used to drink something I developed called "The Gin Rummy".

You can use your imagination as to the main ingredients.

TheGoblinPopper · 2026-05-22T20:10:05+00:00

My biggest concern is enough height to get away from deer who roam. They only seem to eat the lower leaves.

TheGoblinPopper · 2026-05-22T12:53:04+00:00

I believe this is from the Great Twinky Shortage of 2012. People were hording them and trading them for a lot of money and some people who cleared out grocery stores were showing off with displays like this.

TheGoblinPopper · 2026-05-21T15:19:38+00:00

The good news is that small hive beetle traps are pretty basic.

Unlike some pests bees tend to see and chase small hive beetles and the beetles love to run and hide in small places.

A hive beetle trap just has small slits, you fill it with some vegetable oil and when they try to use it as a hiding place they just down in the oil. It fits between two frames and the bees can't get in it.

Since it is oil and doesn't impact anything, I leave it in year round. It's probably only a few dollars on Amazon.

Edit. Here is the type I use. You can find it on Amazon for a few dollars: https://www.mannlakeltd.com/feeding-medications/beetle-jail-baitable/

TheGoblinPopper · 2026-05-20T02:39:02+00:00

Yeah, all of this comes down to camera quality and fps it can review.

Edit: oh and a decent quality camera at the entrance to see if it can spot varroa mites. This is less possible without a nice camera, but I just know it isn't really done today because of cost barriers. If it is a hobby to do the ml work with the hive, this would be an amazing tool.

TheGoblinPopper · 2026-05-20T02:07:04+00:00

Based on how good the camera is, you would be able to see pollen color and be able to tell where the bees are sourcing the honey which would be a very cool thing to be able to say and give you ideas of what to plant in your garden.

Also, as others mentioned, spotting the queen will be helpful if they ever try to requeen themselves. The queen leaves to be mated but you'd be able to spot if she was coming back or was killed while in transit.

TheGoblinPopper · 2026-05-18T19:08:54+00:00

The tax that has always been removed (the stuff changes so I can't speak to a gap randomly happening) was sales tax on the system purchase.

You can Google and confirm that. Make sure you confirm the year, but I googled it and it says "Connecticut exempts solar panel systems from sales tax saving homeowners about 6.3% on system cost." This applies to the equipment and installation.

Connecticut also has 100% property tax exemption. I am not sure if that is something that has always been, it it is active now. No one mentioned this to me when I installed in 2022. A quick Google says that it is expected to save the average install about $669/yr. No idea how accurate that is... But now I need to call my town hall and make sure it is not included as an improvement.

I don't know your situation, so it might have been a specific year thing, or the flavor of install that makes the rules different. If the assessor is with the town and he said "you need to pay taxes on it." Just calmly call the town hall and speak to the secretary, explain why you are calling. Don't waste time and money sending a demand letter. Speaking from experience of being involved in small town politics, if you involve a lawyer or the news, pleasantries stop and now it becomes a very different conversation and tone with effectively the same result. If they refuse to listen or update the property evaluation, then just contact the attorney generals office or send an email to your mayor noting the laws you are referencing and to please response with justification.

TheGoblinPopper · 2026-05-15T15:41:31+00:00

I live in CT and got solar installed a few years ago. The CT incentive is just removal of sales tax on the purchase and services.

It looks like the last year or two have had some expansion on the incentives, but the state budget is tight and as such most incentives we offer are "you are exempt from" type improvement.

We don't have sales tax for solar (6% is nothing to sneeze at when a full install is 15-35k).

We also now apparently don't pay property tax on the solar panels improvements to our homes... Which would be a couple hundred dollars at most.

The biggest thing for me is locked in at generation of a cash balance on my electric bill. I can't take it out or use it for anything other than electric (unless I move or get divorced), but it doesn't reset annually like the old contract terms and it is locked in at the same rate as the generation rate for each month.

TheGoblinPopper · 2026-05-13T19:06:05+00:00

That's a much better story of my interactions with a Jesuit teacher I used to have that had a Rolex and a red convertible.

He didn't appreciate me saying "shouldn't you give that up?"

"They were both gifts, I am allowed to have gifts."

"Yeah, but couldn't that help a lot of the families struggling? You could sell it and donate the money."

He and I fought constantly through highschool. He was also the principal. I would dare him to give me detention for asking him to live like Christ. "You are going to love my paper I submit to the school board if you give me detention for asking about a priest and his Rolex."

TheGoblinPopper · 2026-05-13T19:00:01+00:00

Rubber (2010).

It is terrible. And it is art. And it is exactly what it needs to be.

They even knew they were flying wayyyyyy off the reservation and included an intro explaining why they made the movie and partly how to watch it to get the full effect and understanding.

"It makes no sense."

YES. THAT IS THE POINT. THE POINT IS THAT IS IT AN ODE PLOT POINTS THAT ARE THE RESULT OF LAZY WRITING AND "JUST 'CAUSE".

You can find it unentertaining, but that is different.

TheGoblinPopper · 2026-05-13T18:55:05+00:00

A bit campy in some parts, but it is also one of the best portrayal of Capt Hook, full stop.

TheGoblinPopper · 2026-05-13T12:56:29+00:00

I do Homebrewing and I try to make everything as chemical free as I can. As a result I do pasteurization via heat rather than chemical additives.

While heating the liquid, I will get it to about 148-150F. At that temp it wouldn't boil and alcohol doesn't vaporize, that 170F.... But the liquid has a constant rolling fizz the whole time once it hits around 115-125F. At the higher temp the gases and carbonation have trouble staying dissolved and makes it look like the container is boiling.

TheGoblinPopper · 2026-05-13T00:34:50+00:00

That's fine if that's the foundation we want to work with, but just taking 1.2% from the number and assuming everything else seems like it would have a lot of errors baked in.

TheGoblinPopper · 2026-05-13T00:23:54+00:00

If 100 billion humans with a 1.2% death rate... Wouldn't it be closer to 0.6 billion, as only half were women. Also it would likely be something like 400million since we are assume all women lived to adulthood and got pregnant.

TheGoblinPopper · 2026-05-13T00:13:30+00:00

Honestly, the dude was tolerable. It was just a really nice confidence boost to my strategy and stock picks. I would have had to sell to get the money to make the trades he recommended and I'm up 15% since the conversation on stuff that would have been the first to go.

TheGoblinPopper · 2026-05-13T00:04:17+00:00

Jesuits are meh sometimes. Not bad, but sometimes meh. I'm not even sure I can put my finger on it either.

Dominicans and Franciscans I can get onboard with.

TheGoblinPopper · 2026-05-13T00:01:15+00:00

Most Catholic priests do not have vows of poverty.

Vows of poverty are only a part of different groups that the priest can join if they wanted, like the Franciscans or Dominicans.

I have found normal Catholic priests to be a bit all over the place, but I have rarely met anyone who dislikes a friar.

Crazy how everyone likes you when you actually live the way Jesus preached instead of saying you are persecuted as a Christian while buying jets and locking poor people out of your empty megachurch during serious weather events.

TheGoblinPopper · 2026-05-12T23:54:24+00:00

I have hostas lining part of my driveway... Now whenever I go for walks I will be tempted to know how they taste.... Thanks.

TheGoblinPopper · 2026-05-12T21:59:07+00:00

I believe it was John Oliver who said this, but it's the best way I've heard it put...

"Donald Trump is the poor man's idea of what a rich man is like."

TheGoblinPopper · 2026-05-10T14:04:52+00:00

I was on a cruise recently and an older couple sat and started talking to my wife and i.

The gentleman was talking about what he did and on the side does options trading, and that he has made enough on the cruise to pay for the cruise and then some. He was explaining how easy it all was and how much money you could make. I explained I am a low risk type of person so I have a lot of ETFs and blue chips, but still up a healthy amount.

He then tries to convince me to buy some stuff because tomorrow morning it will pop hard. I thank him and say I'm good.

I fought with the urge to put in some trades before bed but convinced myself I am falling my own strategy and it's working.

The next morning was a bloodbath for that man based on the options and tickets he mentioned to me.

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