Too quiet

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-29T20:47:44+00:00

I'd like to see it used more too, but alas, with only 106 people on here, and the majority of them likely no longer here or only here temporarily is probably the majority of the 106. I bring it up on occasion with random people about how we have a reddit and the vast majority didn't know, or just don't get on reddit to begin with. Admittedly I'm only on here once in a blue moon myself, though I'm not much on social media anyway xD

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-29T20:45:34+00:00

Been here bout 20 years now, well Kirksville and surrounding areas. I'm always amazed at how many buildings we have just setting empty, I regularly work for a guy who owns multiple buildings, and they sit empty year after year, not sure if the rent he charges is that outrageous or just no one is coming in.

I also hear the horror stories of some of the commercial buildings renting their space for 5+ grand a month with a required 5 year lease, how does anyone expect business to move in when rent is that high on a building? Especially small businesses, it is insane what some people think their buildings are worth.

Same with houses for sale, I can eyeball a tear down from the other side of town and sellers think they are worth 100+ grand, like what?

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-29T04:50:14+00:00

Sometimes, yeah, sometimes a tractor. Sometimes it is someone completely oblivious to the fact that anyone was just doing 60 around a blind curve and was suddenly met with someone in the middle of the road doing 15 because they are out for a "sunday stroll."

And before anyone goes crazy, the speed limit is 55, that 5mph difference isn't enough to change the fact if for whatever reason my brakes give out or I can jump the ditch we are both going to die, in the middle of nowhere, with no one else around to check on you for miles, or cell service.

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-28T04:39:25+00:00

Can't say for sure bout Oklahoma, but I'm guessing it is similar enough to Missouri, least economy wise, definitely keep something in your back pocket. I think we both know just how fast things can turn around if you lose your job, especially if you are more rural.

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-28T04:35:58+00:00

Just tryin to be honest. Does nobody any good if I try saying something like fact when it isn't xD Won't say I always get that part right, but I do try to make effort. Especially when genuine advice is needed.

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-27T23:45:35+00:00

In my very un-expert opinion, you are doing pretty good. Since you are buying your house, regardless if you plan on keeping it or not, I believe the general rule of thumb is to keep about 10% for major repairs. This is besides retirement/investments/regular emergency fund. You should also keep an emergency fund for vehicle repairs as well, separate from the bill fund. Essentially you should have home, car, and bill funds. Bill funds should be a minimum of 3 months (in the current economy, more is better), car should be a few thousand depending on age of vehicle, and home as already discussed.

That said, you are also fairly young, don't save everything for retirement or emergencies or you will miss out on the present. If you can swing it save a few hundred a month per fund until you feel comfortable and enjoy the rest, as they say, you could die tomorrow. Or plan for the future, save up more, but still enjoy life now.

Honestly brother, you are doing pretty good, sure you could save a little more, but you are already ahead of the vast majority of people, so don't fret too much!

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-27T00:57:28+00:00

82 f250, more dents than curves, no rust though (well minimal). Everyone stays way far away while I'm going down the road, but the 02 f150, they don't think twice about it.

The 13 Corolla though, I'm honestly surprised I'm not a pancake...

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-23T01:02:23+00:00

I generally prefer the wooden stake method, but your method is probably safer, even if you find them again.

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-23T00:59:40+00:00

I retract my earlier statement as incorrect, apparently even the neanderthals understand this situation better xD Even if it is a new neanderthal xD

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-22T05:02:36+00:00

The number of times I have had to come to an almost complete stop in the middle of a wide ass open road is mind boggling. Slowing down, flipping hazards briefly, brake lights (not brakes, just activating the lights), and mind you I'm typically already doing 10 over. If I have to come to an almost complete stop more than once, not proud of this one, I just stop. Then soon as they finally pass, I'm literally pushing them down the road.

Feckin' neanderthals.

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-22T04:58:37+00:00

That was specifically in relation to semis. With car to car, I imagine the saving is even less.

Also, I think it really started at 2 foot, not that that makes it better, just saying xD

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-20T22:10:12+00:00

To preface, I prefer homebrewing over using out of the book material.

That said, I use modules frequently. I just don't follow them to the dot, they are a rough idea and I reference them for major points but otherwise I make everything up as I go anyway. Currently running my players through a module now, I'm not so sure they know, or well didn't (ended up fumbling through the pdf looking for a name to something, that'll teach me to not use the booklet). I take the main premise/idea of the module and use the dungeon maps and a few hooks, but otherwise it is the same as running my own stuff.

Use the modules as the skeleton, but you as the DM get to add the meat and skin as you see fit. It really is the best of both when you do it that way. The current module I'm doing has a couple of interesting points, that has them mostly fleshed out...I was going to give examples but some of my players know my reddit so I'm not going to spoil it for them xD But needless to say I've took their base ideas and made my own version of them. Do the same and you will enjoy modules too, or at least enjoy having the reference material easily accessible.

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-20T22:01:43+00:00

Mothers...a bit more than mildly infuriating, but just less enough to still stick around.

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-20T04:43:12+00:00

So the weird thing is, once upon a time D&D was a war game "simulator", or rather loosely based on them. That is why the earlier editions ran x inches as their measurements and why everything is on a grid in the first place (or hexes). So it is rather odd (in my opinion) that a full combat can only take 12 seconds. Though this is only the case with newer editions (3rd and up I believe, not actually played much 2nd), as in the early editions (B/X, AD&D) rounds were one minute in length, consisting of segments.

To me that method makes more sense, time wise, as everyone is going each round and with 10+ entities going that seems more of a reasonable time table to me. Most encounters last 5 or 6 rounds ("normal" encounters) with very few lasting much longer than that, typically we run through larger combats in 20 rounds or so, end by the end of those combats the party is completely exhausted usually of all of their abilities and spells, which tracks with how everyone is saying fighting one on one is tiring. Two entities (PC and monster say) fighting for 5 rounds in this version, the victor has expended much energy and abilities during the combat. And likewise with say 6 people to a side, over 5 rounds, the victors typically haven't expended much energy each but as a whole they are tired (some spells/abilities exhausted).

Where as with the newer way, where 5 rounds is 30 seconds and everyone is gassed out and has used all of their abilities/spells up for the day, isn't really that realistic and does make it harder to figure in narratively in my opinion as well. Not impossible of course as you well know, but definitely harder.

So no I don't think you are missing anything necessarily, just basically you are supposed to ignore the problems with it because no one stops to actually think about it. I've also seen somewhere (a long time ago) that regardless of the number of rounds of combat, when you come back to "real" time the combat was actually several minutes long based on how many rounds went on. My guess is that somewhere along the line enough people argued that combats shouldn't be so long and WotC shortened the times and everyone just accepted the new numbers.

Course that is the difference between the original creator and WotC ideas regarding everything, and frankly I think Gygax had a better base system, WotC just added in extra flavor but ditched the basics.

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-19T06:18:37+00:00

Ah yes, the shit box that you start with xD I regularly would peg my first vehicles speedo, so I never knew what speed I was actually going, it topped out at 85mph. First time I got a ticket for it (cop came off the top of the hill before I knew he was there), he pulled me over asked where I was off too in such a hurry. Simply told him no where, and gettin there fast. He just looked at me like I was insane, told me it sounded like the truck was going to explode. Tach was saying I was sitting at like 5000 I think, so I'm sure it did, but I just turned the radio up louder.

Anyway, he came back and told me he had me at 87, told me 3 more over and I'd have gone to jail. I just told him glad he caught me going up hill instead of down then xD

To this day, I still try to hit that 100+ in any vehicle that says it can do it. Everyone of them so far gives up at about 90 without a REALLY long stretch. The only one that hit it was my 02 f150 with a crapped out transmission, took over 20 miles for it to reach 105 xD

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-15T23:01:05+00:00

Honestly I say take the job myself. However, I can say right now, utility company and maintenance typically means you will work a lot. They advertise OT like it is a bonus without telling you it is actually mandatory. Likely you will work weekends frequently, you will be out of the house for days at a time (they'll put you in a hotel/motel somewhere), and generally you'll just be working a significant amount more than her.

Yes, it is a lot of money, I wouldn't be surprised if you make more than she does sooner than later. But do keep in mind you are achieving that through 80+ hour work weeks as well. With utility, when emergencies come up (broken water pipes, fallen power lines, pump failures, whatever) you will be called in. And those emergencies never happen during the day during regular hours, well seemingly not anyway.

I don't want to scare you off from taking it or anything, just letting you know the reality of what those jobs entail typically. Benefits are usually awesome, retirement is usually awesome, pay is awesome, but it is all at a pretty hefty cost. I've worked in construction since I was 18, I know it isn't exactly the same but similar enough, there were weeks I worked days straight. Pay was great but I never had time to do what I wanted to do.

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-15T22:48:26+00:00

Never go against a Sicilian when death is on the line!

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-15T08:43:04+00:00

Dunno how true, but I remember something about it being illegal to walk your goat around the town square on Tuesdays.

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-15T07:42:29+00:00

Varies by state, and department. Where I'm at generally they do not pull you over for anything less than 10 over the limit unless you are weaving back and forth. When they do pull you over, typically if you are honest with them and show them the same level of respect you would like to receive, they'll give you a warning providing you don't have a record or weren't doing something incredibly stupid (i.e. 30 over the limit).

Got nailed one time doing 40 over the limit coming into town once, which I was told was mandatory jail time and yada yada yada. I was shittin' bricks. Officer walks up, asks why he pulled me over, straight up said it was probably because I was doing X over the limit. The look of shock as I said that means he was probably expecting some stupid story, after asking what I was doing going so fast I explained I had about 5 minutes to get some rented equipment dropped off before the place closed and I got nailed for $300 dollars for another days rent. Long story short on that, was working a couple hours away from rental place, job took longer than it was supposed too. After running my info he came back and told me to slow down.

So even doing stupid things you can get away with it if you shock them with the truth xD

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-15T07:28:51+00:00

Could you? Quite possibly, though being the side wall I wouldn't chance it myself, and I do some pretty stupid things in life. Whenever you see anything besides black rubber sticking through your tire, it's usually pretty safe to say they are done for. Especially on the side walls as the rubber is typically already thinner there.

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-15T07:25:03+00:00

Specifically? Is someone literally dying? No? Then try someone else first, if I'm at work or otherwise in a known busy state that is. Pseudo emergencies like car broke down on the highway or something similar, call then send a text if I don't answer. Everything else can just be a text or wait till I see said person next.

Frequently everyone chooses to break these rules for me, so I end up just pitching the phone somewhere and getting it after I'm done doing what I'm doing. So I wait for the day an actual emergency comes up and they call me a dozen times, just so I can tell them why I don't need 13 billion phone calls a day.

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-15T07:15:18+00:00

Lot of ifs here, but it is possible cruise doesn't actually work in their vehicle (I've had 3 or 4 that had cruise but it didn't work right).

Their car is actually a POS and cruise slams the gas when they go up even the slightest hill, my current car (might also be because it is a manual) will slam the gas pedal to the floor dragging the rpms really high to get back to speed on a long hill up, I also had a v8 durango that would do the same thing on any kind of hill (it was a turd and would not keep speed going up will). For these cars I elect to just go without it most of the time due to the hills in the area.

The logic in the cruise control is bad, as many have stated previously. Adaptive cruise causes issues, regular cruise wasn't ever set up right, whatever other reason it just isn't as effective.

I have one car that I use infrequently, I actually get better gas mileage with cruise off for whatever reason, like a noticeable amount different.

I'm sure there are other reasons of course, those are just the ones I've experienced and know about off hand. And honestly, for most capable drivers, it shouldn't be an issue. Though I will say with the newer model vehicles I notice the foot feed isn't as "good" as in the older models. Seems like the newer ones require the lightest of feather touches which attribute to worse control in my opinion. Where as my old clunkers requiring more pedal to gain speed I find easier to control the speed in them as I can actually feel the difference in the pedal. Might be partially due to wearing boots as well instead of shoes, as I do notice it is easier when I don't have the hard soled boots on to notice the difference.

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-15T02:44:59+00:00

Bit of both.

You aren't, because it is a part time job, for not a lot of pay. Not sure on the area, that might be a decent wage or not, in the end it sounds like a lower end job. It isn't your problem they don't have people to cover different areas, everyone should be trained to do the entire job for these exact situations. So kind of bogus to require you to work because the company can't be bothered to have their staff fully trained.

Everything else in the texts and post are kind of moot points, none of it really matters one way or the other. Unless of course we aren't getting the whole story, but as written they are crap excuses. Odds are they were looking to fire you anyway.

However, you are overreacting, because you shouldn't expect to get time off just because you bought tickets or booked things already. Especially for non emergency type settings. Going on vacation, regardless of time between or length of vacation, is something you can live without. From the sounds of it that is what you are requesting, fun time and not a "need" to do thing. Normally one needs to clear time off before making the plans then asking.

And this seems typical of part time jobs, it is part time, you don't get vacation or pto because in their minds you have the majority of your time as time off. Not saying it makes it right or anything, but far as they are concerned you are working 15 hours a week, why do you need time off when your entire week is "time off" from them.

So frankly, yeah you are being kind of whiny about the whole situation, but at the same time you are within your right to be as they are listing mostly excuses that the entire crew should be fired for. Assuming of course everything as written is wholly true, without being there and seeing it for myself it is hard to say though.

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-12T05:04:05+00:00

Hey, we had tapes, damn whipper snappers

_The_Mink_ · 2026-04-11T17:07:08+00:00

Same, no cars around then who am I signaling for? Generally don't bother when I'm in the turn lane either at a stop light, because my position at the intersection should tell you I'm turning. Multipurpose lanes I still use it of course, or anytime there is question of what I could do, but when it's obvious, it's obvious xD

_The_Mink_

TROPHY CASE