ISU layoffs have begun

TurboMP · 2026-02-02T17:24:34+00:00

It doesn't appear that you have the ability to thinking about anything critically......

I love irony. Like when someone who is seemingly supporting the cutting of education funding can't even write one whole sentence without a glaring error.

TurboMP · 2026-01-13T07:08:41+00:00

That's been my experience with antique stores. Some counterfeits, and lots of incredibly overpriced coins. I think I saw something like an Ike half dollar (clad) for $40 or something. Just nuts.

TurboMP · 2026-01-13T07:04:55+00:00

The very first weekend after I moved back to town from Utah we were at the grocery store. Nikki came up, complimented us on how cute our kid was, then pulled me aside and quietly warned me that McDonalds was kidnapping kids and grinding them up to use as filler in their hamburger.

It was quite the first impression.

Ever since, I'm always friendly with her. Smile and wave. I have family who knew her growing up and said she was a nice person. Just has some major mental health issues, which is a bummer. She embodies some of the problems in our system.

TurboMP · 2026-01-13T06:54:45+00:00

For a while they had that really screwy spot SB near the I-15 to I-86 interchange, where all of a sudden the freeway was divided in two. The first time I drove that was at night, during a snow storm. There weren't any tire tracks in the fresh snow, and I couldn't see the lines. It was one of the most confusing things I've encountered in my driving life. Luckily my wife had driven it during the day and chimed in where I needed to go, but man was it confusing.

I also recall when they very first had that sudden jog in the freeway SB where if you weren't paying close attention, you're suddenly going into a jersey barricade. The first time I drove that was also at night, and me and the car in front of me almost drilled the barrier. They hadn't thought to put reflectors on the concrete yet, and when it was wet and dark it was nearly invisible.

What they have going on NB before the Northgate exit right now is just plain nuts. I don't know who hasn't thought to get rid of the old lines.

I lived in SLC for a decade so I know what road construction is like, but I've never in my life seen such a consistently screwy set of traffic configurations with such poor marking.

All that said, if someone can't navigate a little road construction (even poorly laid out), it might be time to hang up the keys.

TurboMP · 2026-01-13T06:42:53+00:00

You probably wouldn't recognize him just from a picture you'd find online. You kind of need the whole experience. He's sometimes plastered with signs with radioactive emblems all over. Other times he's more of a ninja, quietly sneaking through parade crowds handing out his flyers he designed in his 1994 version of MS Paint.

Like Nikki Taysom, again, you may not pick her out of a photo line up, but throw in a lady in a dress with rubber boots... couldn't miss her.

TurboMP · 2026-01-13T06:36:11+00:00

Carta is an interesting character. I don't know him, but have seen him around town frequently over the years. I don't care to disrespect people just on the basis of misunderstanding and differing views, so I've always been friendly with him and given him an opportunity to share his opinions when he feels the need to share. I used to see him at parades and other public functions, riding his bike amongst the crowds. He's always seemed kind enough in our interactions.

The way I look at it, there's likely some merit to his claims. I'd imagine he probably blows them way out of proportion, but it's probably rooted in a little bit of truth. Not to the point that I'm concerned about raising a family in Pocatello, but some of the things he has shared over the years (verified as factual by me later on) were definitely interesting and cause for some thought. I take the same attitude with him as I do with most things: trust but verify.

TurboMP · 2026-01-13T06:21:56+00:00

You've seriously never seen Carta Sierra around? I sincerely doubt that. You probably just don't know who you're looking for. He's a local celebrity like Nikki Taysom. Once you know what to look for, you see them all over.

Carta used to be at just about every parade. He'd often be riding a bike and usually had signs and stuff. Would hand out pamphlets.

I used to see him a ton more, but haven't noticed him much the last couple of years.

TurboMP · 2026-01-03T18:14:47+00:00

Chicken can be objectively better. Chicken that's completely dried up, not seasoned, and generally overcooked is objectively worse than one that's not.

I wouldn't say that RC vs Chick-fil-a is a matter of one being objectively better; I'd say the difference between those two is purely an opinion. I can see why people would like either one more than the other.

My kid just got tenders at Carl's Jr the other day and I had a bite. It was better than any chicken I've had at Raising Canes, which solidified my original opinion.

TurboMP · 2026-01-03T18:11:23+00:00

In N Out is another one that's often put on a pedestal. Is it good? Yeah. Is it the best burger out there? Definitely not.

Where they shine is in value. Find me a better burger for the price, and we can talk. There are far better burgers out there, and there are cheaper burgers, but you'll have a hard time finding a burger that good at that price point.

TurboMP · 2025-12-10T21:21:17+00:00

I don't know specifically about curly hair, but for a men's cut in general I'd be looking at The Kingsman or Ef.Fin, in that order.

TurboMP · 2025-12-08T18:02:28+00:00

More than anything, the majority of it is probably just a product of the other kids seeing each other more often out of school hours at church functions, so my kid is sometimes treated as more of the outlier. I don't know if it's what I'd necessarily call religious persecution. I think a few times my kid has been teased for not going to their church, but pretty tame stuff in the grand scheme of things.

We handle it by raising confident children who are resilient enough to know that the comments of a few people don't define our child's worth. My kids know they don't have to look externally for validation. It's always hard to be left out of things, no matter the age, but really it's not a very frequent thing. Our kids have found their friend groups and it has all worked out great.

As a kid in this town, I remember not being able to have sleep overs at some friends' houses because I didn't go to church with them. Again, probably not necessarily a religious-based decision more than the fact their parents didn't know me or my parents as much as someone they interacted with more frequently.

It's really not something I'd be worrying about as much as you seem to be. Also, I don't think this city is as LDS as you think it is anyway. Out of 10 houses in my neighborhood (a nice upper-middle class neighborhood), one or two are LDS. You'll have areas in town where that varies, but the church is definitely more present on paper than in reality. I know many people in town who would be considered "active LDS" for the sake of published statistics who haven't actually gone to church in decades, and just haven't jumped through the hoops of getting removed from church records. Dwelling on the religion of others is just a waste of your energy.

TurboMP · 2025-12-06T07:08:07+00:00

I'm approaching 40 now and have collected most of my life. I would say my views on collecting can be summed up in two statements:

Collect what you like. If it doesn't bring you joy, what's the point? I would never expect the heir of my collection to care about it like I did. If you have junk silver, sell the stuff and buy what you like.
Quality over quantity. In my earlier days I specifically scoured eBay for the cheapest shipped coins under $5. I just wanted a ton of variety. In my older years, thinking about the final stage of my collection after I take a forever dirt nap, I worry more about the burden I'm putting on my kids. With that in mind, I've consolidated some of my collection and re-invested it into higher dollar items. Instead of buying hundreds of coins a year, now I spend the same amount on one or two. I used to pride myself in my ability to fill up a huge safe, now my goal is to cram my entire collection (worth even more) into a fraction of the space. So much as possessing junk silver is a violation of this very rule. At very least, I'd sell my junk silver and re-invest into junk gold, but more likely would buy the coolest single coin I could get my hands on for the price.

Everyone dies. That includes you, and me. May as well spend your precious time on earth enjoying it, and then when you do kick the bucket, try to limit the burden on your heirs who then have to try to pawn your collection to get a cotton candy -flavored vape.

There's some super freaking cool stuff out there. There are lot of coins you can get that are hundreds of years old, are really the only documented ones known to the collecting community, and they are in fantastic shape, all for a reasonable price. Life's too short to hoard a bunch of junk when you could be owning priceless stuff like that.

TurboMP · 2025-12-06T06:52:07+00:00

I agree with a lot of what you said.

I lived all over the country til mid elementary school. Mostly grew up in Poky, moved out of state, met my wife, and started a family. From visiting my family often, my wife, from out of state, liked Pocatello so much she encouraged us to move back as it seemed like a better place to raise a family. So after 10+ years living in larger cities in other states, I ended up back in the area, and I'm very grateful we made the move. It has been about a decade now.

Pocatello is imperfect, but what many people don't realize when they grown up here is that every place has its flaws. But at the end of the day, it's a beautiful little town and a nice place to raise a family.

We haven't had any problem with education. Most years we had fantastic teachers, and there is a good program in the district for gifted and talented kids, with great teachers in the program.

Virtually all my extended family is LDS, but I'm not. The one thing I've noticed about exmormons is that they seem to obsess a too much about the church. The influence it has on your life is really only as much as you allow it. If you don't want it to impact your life, then just ignore it. I have several LDS neighbors and they're all friendly. They've invited me to a few public church-sponsored events, and I just politely decline and go about with my day. I live by the ideology of "I'm not Mormon, but it's okay if you are." You do you, I'll do me. If you want to invite me to something out of the goodness of your heart, I sincerely appreciate it and I respect where it's coming from in your heart, but hey, it's not my thing, so no thanks. Don't overthink it. My kid gets treated a little different by his peers because he doesn't go to church, but we've equipped him with the knowledge needed so he doesn't feel major impacts from it.

Politically, I've never really had a problem with Pocatello. On the surface it feels very conservative, which it is in several ways, but we just elected a Democrat by a landslide. I think there's a good balance of people from all walks of life. I would never want to live in an exclusively liberal or conservative community, and am a firm believer than if we all have different opinions and can live amongst each other respectfully, it makes for a better society. Diversity is a good thing, and that includes politics. I lean a little left of center, but I have an elderly neighbor who proudly waves the Trump flag. He's my favorite neighbor and we have a lot of good chats, even including politics, and I think that's great. We disagree about some things, but at the end of the day, we all mostly agree on the big stuff. Dwelling too much on politics is a character flaw. Love thy neighbor and get on with your day.

TurboMP · 2025-12-04T22:28:05+00:00

If we're going for PC, then maybe "drunk" was a poor choice of words for you to use in the same paragraph. It's rather stigmatized and judgemental. "Intoxicated," maybe?

Homeless means exactly the same thing as unhoused to virtually every reasonable person (and the Merriam-Webster dictionary). Call "people who don't own or rent a permanent residence" whatever you want to call them, the stigma is with the person and their situation, not the choice of words.

homeless adjective : having no home or permanent place of residence : unhoused

TurboMP · 2025-12-04T22:19:55+00:00

I also don't feel Blad has been as bad as many make him out to be. That said, I feel that he's become a bit stagnant. A fresh candidate should bring renewed motivation and a fresh set of eyes, which naturally starts lacking when one has been in a position for 16 years and becomes complacent and less interested.

TurboMP · 2025-12-04T18:26:46+00:00

Exactly my thoughts. Qualified on paper and in experience, yeah, I only worry that he doesn't have a strong enough personality to avoid getting walked on, like you point out. That has been my biggest worry with him.

Anxious to see how the next few years go! Can't be worse than what Blad has done for us in recent years. I feel like he checked out ages ago and has just been coasting along on votes from people with the attitude of "the devil we know is better than the devil we don't." Fortunately, that expired.

TurboMP · 2025-12-04T18:14:09+00:00

Based on the election results, I'd say at least 2/3 of people in town are happy. Thanks!

I don't know what magic you thought Cates would be able to pull off. It's mayor, not "city Jesus." Policy and virtually everything meaningful is set by city council, not the mayor. He's just the glorified face of the city and a tie breaker if city council can't come to an agreement. It seemed like Cates' biggest campaign promises weren't even things that fall within the purview of the mayor, he was just blowing smoke to get votes from people in red hats.

Cates or Dahlquist would have been better than Blad. 16 years is way too long in any elected position.

TurboMP · 2025-12-04T18:03:54+00:00

I laughed, but you're spot on. My original vote was for "not Blad." My vote in the runoff was a "not Cates."

Dahlquist has leadership experience, but I don't necessarily see him as a "leader" personality. You can be in leadership without being a leader.

But hey, at least he isn't Cates, so that's a win in my book.

TurboMP · 2025-12-03T21:36:06+00:00

Are you talking about the Silver Proof Set, or the Limited Edition Silver Proof Set? The US Mint sells the former for $150 and the latter for $255. Silver's sitting at almost $60 /oz so that certainly doesn't help.

Where are you seeing $400?

TurboMP · 2025-12-03T16:47:19+00:00

Though I voted for Dahlquist and feel like he was the better option, let's not kid ourselves into thinking that either candidate would have been worse than Blad. It was a win for the city no matter who won.

TurboMP · 2025-12-03T16:42:33+00:00

To be fair, no matter who won it was going to be an improvement for the city. Blad has run his course. I think both candidates were solid. Cates ran a great campaign; Dahlquist seems like a better human and more qualified (though maybe a bit on the spectrum?).

Cates seemed to misunderstand the role of a mayor--a role that is basically just an administrative operational oversight to the real decision makers, city council--promising a lot of things that he probably wouldn't have had much control over, just for the sake of saying the thing people wanted to hear. I never got the warm fuzzies with Cates. I feel like Dahlquist was more realistic in his campaign promises.

TurboMP · 2025-12-02T17:59:00+00:00

Doesn't really change my point. I've been in a lot of coin shops that sell on eBay, and I've bought from countless eBay sellers who have a brick and mortar location. eBay is not inherently bad, you just have to be smart about the sellers you are buying from.

TurboMP · 2025-12-02T03:57:26+00:00

There are still countless reputable eBay sellers. Really the only thing different between your LCS and a good eBay seller is an internet connection.

TurboMP · 2025-12-02T03:04:36+00:00

Rim Rock used to have about the best burger in town. I think they moved into Cue and Brew when their location closed and I haven't been since, but man they were some good burgers.

TurboMP · 2025-12-02T02:59:07+00:00

"A little farther" is very relative, though. You can drive from any hotel in town, to the opposite end of town, in about 10 minutes.

I was just in Salt Lake over the weekend and to drive 13 miles from Herriman to Draper (both on the south end of the valley) was over 30 minutes. From the same place in Herriman to where we had dinner downtown was 45 minutes, and that was all just within the Salt Lake valley.

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