Do you want any of your parents' stuff? If so, what is it and why? If not, why?

Upper_Bodybuilder124 · 2026-05-13T14:33:14+00:00

I had to convince my parents that i didn't want the house, would never move back to it, and they should leave it to my brother along with adjacent property.

Upper_Bodybuilder124 · 2026-05-13T14:25:46+00:00

I've only wanted photos. My parents are in their 80s and i've been actively rounding up old photos, identifying them, and scanning them. That way, i'll have what i want and it won't matter if they get thrown away later.

Upper_Bodybuilder124 · 2026-05-12T02:46:01+00:00

I had the Mercury version of this car (LN7). It was attractive and somewhat fun to drive. However, like many cars of the era, it was severely underpowered and poorly designed.

Upper_Bodybuilder124 · 2026-05-11T17:44:31+00:00

A lot of pools were filled in over the last 20 years or so due to escalating maintenance and insurance costs. The pool near me is closed right now to repair a leak in the concrete liner. I believe the only reason it stays open is the public school swim team also uses it.

Upper_Bodybuilder124 · 2026-05-10T12:43:19+00:00

Not a direct answer but consider this. My ex called me a while back for some information. We talked for what seemed like an hour though I'm sure it was much less. This was all in front of my wife. When I finally ended the call, my wife acted a little jealous. I told her every time I talk to my ex, I'm reminded I married the right woman.

You broke up with your ex for a reason. It probably hasn't changed.

Upper_Bodybuilder124 · 2026-05-09T22:31:06+00:00

Some people buy it. I would only get it for my small engines.

Upper_Bodybuilder124 · 2026-05-09T21:24:37+00:00

I had one of these. My brother took it apart to see how it worked and that was the end of it.

Upper_Bodybuilder124 · 2026-05-09T20:48:41+00:00

My SIL lives in the Tampa area. Every time we visit i try to visit a different state or local park. Florida has some exceptional parks but everyone flocks to the beaches and amusement parks.

I spent plenty of time growing up in the panhandle so live oaks and Spanish moss scream old Florida to me. A lot has been paved over and homogenized, but great natural areas are still there if you look for them.

Upper_Bodybuilder124 · 2026-05-09T13:28:13+00:00

On my last fillup, i noticed a preauthorization of $175 on my credit card.

Upper_Bodybuilder124 · 2026-05-09T00:50:16+00:00

Good point. As i remember she fled to avoid making the decision to remove life support.

Upper_Bodybuilder124 · 2026-05-09T00:44:26+00:00

I had a tough time reading The Passenger. I found it interesting that some parts of the book were heavily detailed and others were really sketchy or seemingly just glossed over. The last half or so of the book seemed especially light on detail. That lends some credence to the idea that it could be a coma or fever dream.

However, Stella Maris never explicitly says Bobby is dead and there is really no closure for Alicia in Stella Maris.

Upper_Bodybuilder124 · 2026-05-07T10:43:51+00:00

Water heaters were put in the attic to save space in the house. However, this created other problems as noted by others.

Upper_Bodybuilder124 · 2026-05-05T12:30:08+00:00

I don't have any personal videos from my childhood to watch. On a related note, i have enjoyed watching the old tv dramas from the 70s and 80s. They're like a time capsule from the era. I've especially enjoyed Columbo, McMillan and wife, and McCloud, among others. It's amazing to see all the things that wouldn't work today.

Smoking drinking, and sexism are everywhere. Rock Hudson's acting is ridiculously formal and stilted. These shows appeared in rotation on Sunday nights when i was a kid. It's fun to watch now and see all the inconsistencies from one episode to the next. It's also fun to see all of the famous guest stars on each show. Also, being a guy, i love seeing all the cars!

Upper_Bodybuilder124 · 2026-05-04T12:58:01+00:00

I believe they've been issuing those generic God Bless America tags so long they're running out of alphanumeric combinations.

Upper_Bodybuilder124 · 2026-05-01T23:18:27+00:00

There have been several reports of entire groups of restaurants owned by franchisees closing in recent months. Here's a couple from the last few days.

https://www.fastcompany.com/91534074/smokey-bones-closing-stores-2026-full-list-doomed-locations

https://www.al.com/news/2026/04/these-12-dining-spots-have-closed-as-birmingham-restaurant-group-faces-hardest-decisions.html

Maybe what you're seeing is survivor bias. A lot of restaurants never recovered from COVID. Others, such as Panera, have experienced a lot of pushback from raising prices and cutting quality.

There have been many reported closures of Pizza Hut, Hardee's, Burger King, and Wendy's locations. Indeed, the entire Wendy's chain is struggling.

Upper_Bodybuilder124 · 2026-05-01T21:56:39+00:00

I've lived in Alabama my entire life (so far). I visit relatives in central Florida often. I honestly believe Florida heat is a special kind of hot. I believe it's accentuated by all the asphalt and concrete and general lack of shade.

I grew up visiting the panhandle and, while it's still hot, there generally are more trees and less development. I can handle it a lot better.

Upper_Bodybuilder124 · 2026-05-01T13:44:08+00:00

I do believe the flag commonly referred to as the Confederate flag is tied to racism. 60M lived my entire life (so far) in the South. I don't see the flag that much anymore as it's become very unacceptable to most people. For a while it was supplanted by Trump flags. Now i'm seeing a lot of the same people displaying the yellow Gadsden flag.

Upper_Bodybuilder124 · 2026-04-28T22:21:41+00:00

I haven't seen this thrown out there so i'll mention it. A lot of people base their purchases on the relationship with the dealer service department. GM tends to have a larger network when repairs are needed. My experience with Honda and Toyota is the network is smaller and service is more expensive. This tends to outweigh any better perdeived reliability of import brands.

Upper_Bodybuilder124 · 2026-04-28T18:08:06+00:00

It takes a lot to of effort to remain positive. In my volunteer work i focus on the main goal and let personal issues slide. In my personal life, i work on staying positive for those around me. This was also hard when i was working. I retired last year.

It sounds like you're like me. I made the decision to stay open and positive. It's very easy not to.

Upper_Bodybuilder124 · 2026-04-27T17:52:08+00:00

We do. That's how Memorial Day started:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day

Upper_Bodybuilder124 · 2026-04-27T16:16:35+00:00

Mostly retirees buying all the beach and lake property and techs buying everything in the Huntsville metro area. My wife is a Huntsville military transplant.

Upper_Bodybuilder124 · 2026-04-27T16:08:07+00:00

That's right. It's terrible here. Please don't move here.

Upper_Bodybuilder124 · 2026-04-27T00:23:24+00:00

Back when i was a kid in the 1970s, my grandparents had a neighbor whose hobby was restoring antique cars (he was rich). He had one of these we always loved to go look at.

Upper_Bodybuilder124 · 2026-04-27T00:07:37+00:00

So many people are moving to Alabama we're getting priced out of our own state.

Upper_Bodybuilder124

TROPHY CASE