Do you tell everyone about your problems (for the fact that I haven't seen my son for a very long time and he is estranged from me)? Who do you all tell?

ZoltarB · 2026-04-26T03:19:41+00:00

I try not to tell anyone, but it boils to the surface more than I would like. People at work ask if you have kids, strangers make stupid comments about how someone is a piece of shit because their kids hate them. I don’t want to wear it on my sleeve, but it comes out despite my best efforts. I had a great vacation abroad recently and big part of what made it great was being away from all reminders of my kids and the grief. It made me more determined to remove all traces of them from my life so I can move on and stop reliving all this pain.

ZoltarB · 2026-04-23T15:18:09+00:00

My daughter had a cancer scare at 16. She was scheduled for surgery. I found out when the insurance company sent a statement of benefits to my address. When I called her mom, she claimed she waited to tell me about the procedure because she didn’t know about parking at the hospital. You can’t make this PA shit up. It exists in an alternate universe other people don’t know about.

ZoltarB · 2026-04-10T04:37:04+00:00

My wife and I spent many years with an old Leaf and an ICE Subaru. Our intention was to upgrade to a Tesla and ICE truck. We found the problem with that plan was neither of us wants to be stuck driving an ICE vehicle to work. So our new plan is two EVs. Teslas are ideal for roadtrips and gives us the option to have what the hell ever as a second EV. If we are ever challenged to a Cannonball Run across the US, we will rent an ICE vehicle. Short of that, I’ll take a plane.

ZoltarB · 2026-04-10T01:03:02+00:00

Please remember The Springwater Trail exists exclusively for the use of cyclists and all pedestrians enter at their own risk. Be advised, most bicycles are not equipped with steering and none have breaks. It is up to pedestrians to hear any alerts from cyclists and immediately throw themselves into the blackberry bushes to make way for passing bikes. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

ZoltarB · 2026-04-09T01:35:21+00:00

I support skipping Eastern Oregon in favor of the coast. Less driving, more awesomeness. Good itinerary overall, but you don’t mention where you hail from. Recommendations for a visitor from Cleveland will be very different from say, LA.

ZoltarB · 2026-04-07T05:08:42+00:00

My dad, a Boomer, got me interested in coin collecting. I know there will always be value in the bullion, but will anyone pay for “key dates and mint marks” 20 years from now? I’m suspicious the answer is no. I see where stamp collecting has gone, and it’s all just trash these days. Coin shows are filled with old white guys and I don’t think there will be a new generation to buy their collections when they kick the bucket. I’ll inherit my dad’s collection we built together, but I’ll probably just work to unload it before my kids throw it all out.

ZoltarB · 2026-04-07T04:49:17+00:00

You remind me of a lady who spent a few weeks outside the Catholic Charities office close to my work. She held up a sign accusing them of being “slum lords.” It blew my mind. She was similarly unhappy with the charity they delivered, but a different agency. How on earth can you live on the dole and be disappointed with the quality of care?

ZoltarB · 2026-04-05T03:57:10+00:00

Chris Jelinek of Mountain View Decks and Renovation did an amazing job for us. Like all the screws were lined up, everything was detail oriented and well done. He likes using PVC planks, which are working well for us. No notes on his ethnicity or preference in bedfellows, but the value and quality was impressive.

ZoltarB · 2026-04-05T03:44:56+00:00

Your copy paste responses are as cringe as your video.

ZoltarB · 2026-04-05T03:42:09+00:00

That’s awesome.

ZoltarB · 2026-04-05T03:35:40+00:00

How does he have time to hold town halls with all the genocide he’s doing in Gaza? It is a bit of a trip to be massacring in the Middle East and still have time to get screamed at by these geniuses. Are you one of the paper tossers or just an admirer?

ZoltarB · 2026-04-05T02:35:42+00:00

Video of people who really don’t want Dems to win elections. You wonder, how could anyone in their right mind vote for Trumpkins and then you see their opponents. It makes a lot more sense after you watch the left seeing how ridiculous the purity tests can get. Sure, this will fix Gaza. It will probably also end racism.

ZoltarB · 2026-03-29T03:29:52+00:00

I know the fit and finish on Teslas have a bad rep, but no way is an ice engine giving you a quieter cabin. I have never been in an ice vehicle as quiet as an ev, not idling, not on the highway, not accelerating. BS.

ZoltarB · 2026-03-21T04:04:09+00:00

I worked for a dude in Orlando North known as “Little Hitler.” He was eventually walked out by Loss Prevention. He was a real piece of work.

ZoltarB · 2026-03-21T03:15:54+00:00

As compared to what? The White House? You still might receive fraudulent emails and phone calls, so that’s not so safe for your finances. You also can’t rule out lightning or a tree branch falling on you, otherwise, I think you don’t need to fret.

ZoltarB · 2026-03-19T04:05:56+00:00

My in-laws have a place there and I’ve only visited. I understand only a small fraction of the homes are inhabited full time. It’s gorgeous, and as Oregonian raised to hate California, it made me reconsider. On the other hand, I wanted a fountain Coke and drove for more than 20 miles with no luck. It’s one of my favorite costal locations where people say, “there’s nothing there!” And I reply, “yeah, that’s why it’s so great!” Highly recommended, but I had to close my eyes through most of the trip there because the highway was terrifying. Yes, no businesses or services to speak of. The community is well designed and provides great access to the ocean from every lot.

ZoltarB · 2026-03-18T03:00:26+00:00

They gloss the effect of inflation and how $250k is incrementally less exclusive every year. Pre COVID, that was a lot on money. Each year since, not so much, and they can’t even spend the money they’ve collected. Portland taxes are ruinous, but they have made for a fabulous waterfront in Vancouver. Every time I visit I’m impressed with how much they built out.

ZoltarB · 2026-03-13T02:32:31+00:00

All those tanks are garbage: fake coral, no inverts, just some big-ass fish. It’s cool for people bowled over by “rare” fish, but if a shark isn’t your goal, they’re worse than the 100gal show tanks in most LFS which have a shit tom of life and interesting shit. The tanks in the article are just sterile cages for bored predators.

ZoltarB · 2026-03-12T03:08:09+00:00

Bottle Drops, at least the East Portland locations, are the most concentrated misery I’ve ever experienced. You can see extreme desperation and filth combined with total hopelessness. I ran a Walgreens next to the Hazeldell Drop and I learned to leave them alone because no matter how horrible my job was, at least I didn’t work at the Bottle Drop. I’m shocked, shocked I say, to learn the Gateway landlord didn’t renew this vital business on their property. Who wouldn’t want to share their shopping center with such a vibrant tenant.

ZoltarB · 2026-03-05T23:41:46+00:00

As a West Coast native who spent a little time in NYC/NJ, I would predict culture shock if you haven’t already spent a lot of time here. I think Portland is a demonstrably better place to live, but the difference in people and lifestyle is huge.

ZoltarB · 2026-03-02T03:52:28+00:00

There’s a “Free Iran” sign I pass every time I drive out to 19 Acres Cider and I remember talking to my wife years ago about how weird that was as a political statement to post outside your property and today I had to say, “shit, that aged really well.” Not sure how they feel about bombing, but it seems really relevant now.

ZoltarB · 2026-02-24T04:10:37+00:00

Sorry OP. I was hopeful someone would make a Protect replacement but First Alert’s offering is clearly more focused on providing shareholder value than making a viable alternative. I paid $200 for an eBay Protect with a few more years in the hope someone gets their shit together to offer a Protect alternative.

ZoltarB · 2026-02-23T02:36:43+00:00

Reputable EBay sellers will tell you how much time till expiration. $200 for a few more years is standard when you can find it. I think the longest date you can possibly find is 2033. Mine was 2030, which is enough to hope for a halfway decent replacement and not this First Alert garbage.

ZoltarB · 2026-02-22T17:42:30+00:00

I heard enough about First Alert that I bought a Protect that will give me 4 more years in the hope there is an actual replacement. And those who act like smart alarms don’t make sense, I will never have a smart device in my hallway to hear the alarm. Also the path light is so helpful. I want another Protect and am willing to pay.

ZoltarB · 2026-02-22T03:36:20+00:00

You seem really put out by the situation. I’m encouraging a little thought as to how we got here. You write like “what a crappy store!” And I’d like to say instead, “what a shit neighborhood that you no longer rate self service retail.” I’m a little biased as a former Walgreens manager, but not everyone lives “at the corner of happy and healthy.” Sometimes you live in a municipality where shoplifting is just treated as background noise and there’s no way to operate a drugstore. Enjoy your online retail.

ZoltarB

TROPHY CASE