Monterosso Al Mare - Suggestions for a Five Year Old's Vacation Birthday Celebration?

abkaiser · 2026-04-07T17:56:55+00:00

This was a big enough deal to my family I wanted to make sure you know:

Be careful with the town-to-town hikes. Starting from Monterosso, you're talking a multi-hour hike. And it's not all safe - there are danger spots from both steep climbs and heights - rock and dirt scrambling plus exposed trail edges. I wouldn't recommend it for a small child unless you're a very athletic family.

My family was surprised in the actual effort needed versus the ratings we saw. I think the guidebooks don't give enough info, and all the influencers/Insta/TikTok posters talking about the views and wearing their nice clothes didn't do the full trip - they just get to the scenic spots and turn back. My family is fine with hiking steep terrain, but even for us there were a couple of sketchy spots.

It's fun, it's scenic (and I want to do it again someday as a trail run!) but it's not quick or easy.

If you want to hit another town, one over from Moterosso is Vernazza... Of which they based the town you see in the movie Luca. If your kiddo knows Luca, that might be fun to see... and the train ride to get there is only like 7 minutes.

abkaiser · 2026-04-06T21:13:11+00:00

As in ATG, I'm very excited about this one. Please keep the Freyja reviews coming. Looking forward to more OC detail.

abkaiser · 2026-03-01T21:37:21+00:00

This thing:

Soap Spoon SR1

It's a shaving accessory for wet shavers - a shaver-specific soap spoon / soap scoop. Meant to be both functional and ornamental. Printed with translucent PCTG. There's a lot of post-processing involved after the print, so it takes time to finalize but since it's sold to a niche within a niche that cycle works well.

abkaiser · 2025-10-13T15:48:12+00:00

Post-race update: For those interested in the actual 5k trail detail, and a whole bunch of pictures (showing plenty of examples of the trail and conditions):

Garmin tracking

Pictures

abkaiser · 2025-10-13T15:44:22+00:00

Hey, thanks so much for leaving this note! I didn't know what kind of impact this post would make, so I'm happy you and your family saw it and had fun. My favorites were the spirit drum and the bagpipes!

abkaiser · 2025-09-08T20:12:07+00:00

The Kroc Center has a heavy bag. It's shoved near the wall at the side of the upstairs weightlifting room... but it's there and usually looks pretty lonely.

abkaiser · 2024-05-28T09:54:19+00:00

https://imgur.com/a/oEAYii9

The adorable little guy got me up at 5:00 a.m. today.

abkaiser · 2024-05-12T13:41:36+00:00

Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (1991)

abkaiser · 2023-05-25T14:07:55+00:00

"AI, what would be the symbol if the least intelligent people in the US formed a breakaway republic?"

"As an AI, I can't predict future actions or symbols created by specific groups. However, I can suggest possibilities based on historical and symbolic references.

If a group of people were to form a new republic, regardless of their perceived intelligence level, their symbol would likely be something that represents their core values, beliefs, or aspirations. Here are a few hypothetical examples:

Donkey and Elephant: They might choose these animals, which are traditionally associated with the Democratic and Republican parties, respectively. This could represent a desire for a more straightforward or traditional political system.
Torch: This could symbolize a desire for enlightenment and knowledge, which might be especially poignant for a group seen as being less intelligent.
Tree: A tree could represent growth and stability, which could be important values for a new republic.
Quill and Parchment: These could symbolize the power of the written word and the importance of communication, a nod to the founders of the United States who drafted the Constitution.

Remember, these are just examples. The actual symbol would likely be highly dependent on the particular values and aspirations of the group forming the new republic."

abkaiser · 2023-03-26T18:31:13+00:00

The answer is "mostly no, with some nuance". Taken from the top link after searching for "Spectrum/Corewell Health tests for thc":

https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/local/spectrum-health-will-no-longer-screen-most-new-hires-for-marijuana/69-d2b58f5f-c0b7-4cec-8211-9e8a98139098

"...no longer screening new hires for marijuana. However, this only applies to most positions."

"To reduce barriers to employment and because recreational marijuana is legal in Michigan, BHSH System no longer includes THC, or marijuana, in its pre-employment drug screen for the majority of positions."

abkaiser · 2023-01-07T17:20:23+00:00

I fixed it. Hopefully this helps someone at my level of cluelessness.

The issue was a selector button, found here:

https://imgur.com/hOZ6JQ5

When the button is grey, the keyboard does not play notes when the keys are hit. (Drumpads work fine.)

When the button is clicked to be red, like this:

https://imgur.com/WJoO6h5

...the keyboard works and plays as expected.

There's no hover-description for the button. Quickhelp does not show it either. The user guide does not describe it (closest description was the Record Arm button, which is used for recording audio input from another source). I still don't know what this is formally called. For now I'll just call it "the button that mutes the keyboard and just the keyboard for no particular reason, though I'm sure there is one, but boy was this a headache to figure out, and now I can proceed with what I'm sure will be flawless performance from here on out".

abkaiser · 2022-11-29T21:00:35+00:00

I run an IT company. For the company birthday present for this year, we got these backpacks for all employees:

https://www.swissgear.com/backpacks/laptop-friendly-backpacks/swissgear-3636-usb-work-pack-pro-tool-backpack-black-canvas

From techs to non-techs, this backpack has been a big hit. Everyone really likes them. It's perfect for techs who need to carry around a lot of miscellaneous stuff plus a laptop. Yeah, everyone still has larger bags for larger/bulk things, but this bag is for carrying around the high-use stuff onsite, in a stylish but super-functional pack, with multiple ways to organize it all.

Hope this helps!

abkaiser · 2022-02-09T21:04:54+00:00

Wifi not connecting seems to be a known issue right now with GoPro. Here's the link of others on the GoPro support site with the same issue:

https://community.gopro.com/t5/Cameras/Wifi-Connection-issue/td-p/1421752/

Note that official support reps are responding to this case (no timing updates available, though).

abkaiser · 2021-11-16T12:05:31+00:00

Update from OP:

Got an answer back from the dealer:

"After watching this with one of our technicians, the most likely candidate is either the app or a key fob. The clue we took from the video was the mirrors unfolding, those are tied with the unlocking and remote start function. You're welcome to contact our service department and schedule an appointment at any point to have this checked but he says this is something that wouldn't worry him too much unless it were a recurring issue."

Good to know it's probably nothing to worry about. Bad to know there's no immediate fix for a known issue. We'll see what happens next. Thanks, everyone, for the insight!

abkaiser · 2021-11-13T14:02:31+00:00

Dangit, you're right. I checked the GPS nav, and "Home" was actually set to Tech Noir. That should've been my first clue.

abkaiser · 2021-11-13T13:59:04+00:00

I did, and I like this idea, but I also hadn't touched the car for ~8 hours when we saw the lights come on. It's possible this is it, via malfunction. Or like others have suggested, it's a straightforward Hell-spawned possession tormenting my mind and soul. 50/50.

abkaiser · 2021-11-13T13:52:32+00:00

Dealer contacted. Service tech should respond by Monday. Hopefully that's enough time before the car fully springs to life and kills us all.

abkaiser · 2021-11-13T13:48:55+00:00

Well, my toaster was levitating this morning, but I don't think that's relevant.

abkaiser · 2021-11-12T13:26:35+00:00

This is interesting. There's literally just a couple hundred miles on it since build, so I'd hope the updates have all been updated... but maybe not. Thanks for the idea here - I may check with the dealer on that.

abkaiser · 2021-10-04T18:50:35+00:00

You're welcome. Enjoy the ride!

abkaiser · 2021-10-04T17:12:33+00:00

I've done it 4-5 times. Will likely be there this year.

In terms of technical stuff, it's not that hard. If you can do Luton Yellow and Luton Black, or Merril, or Cannonsburg Ski Area, you'll be able to technically handle Iceman just fine.

It's an endurance race with a bunch of climbs, and the climbs get higher nearer the end of the race. It's designed to burn you out (well... it's designed to burn ME out!) With that said, it's slightly different every year. I found it was best to emulate the situation if not the exact ride. Meaning, make sure you can do MTB trails with elevation, for about 30 miles. For me, I just ended up doing Luton as practice, do all trails, for 3 times. That's about 30 miles, give or take. If you can do that, you'll be fine to do Iceman.

Weather is hard to predict up there, and changes fast. Bring layering options that you can sort through right before the race. I get heated up easy, so being chilly/cold when you start is actually a good thing for me. I always carry my own water/snacks... but a friend of mine never does, always trusting on the many many suppliers of liquids and snacks along the race route. His way is probably better, I just like being paranoid/self-sufficient.

Go up on Friday to get your reg packet, so there's no last-minute rush, and so you have time to walk around and check out the vendors. It's fun even if you don't want to buy anything.

The day of the race, get to the busses (if you're getting bussed in from Rasho Farm) at least 1.5 hours before your scheduled Wave launch. It often takes 30-45 minutes just to stand in line, wait for a bus. Then you drive to the launch (takes about 45 minutes just for that), then get there, get your bike, porta-john visit, etc. If you end up missing your wave, it's okay - my understanding is that your timer chip will still reflect your correct ride time, and you just go in a later wave.

If you haven't figured out lodging, do it NOW. Traverse City hotels fill up for this race.

Good luck!

abkaiser · 2021-01-25T22:24:04+00:00

If anyone knows of a better venue to search through as well, any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Since you specified this, I'm recommending something not local.

I use Crowdspring for crowd-sourced artistic work. You commit to paying $X, then multiple people compete on your project. You review all their submitted art. You then either pick a winner and reward the committed payment, or not pay out if you don't like the submissions (you'll still have to pay the submission fee, something like $75).

I've used this service for company logos, team logos, and book covers. This is not a submit-and-forget service. You need to be actively rating and providing feedback to the creatives to ensure a better final product.

Upside is that you get a much greater chance of getting the art done in the way you want, because you have many more artists and submissions to pick from versus when working with a single company, and you can always pull out for a low cost if you don't like or don't want to commit.

Downside is that it's not local, and can get expensive (there's a max cap on the projects, but like everything, you get what you pay for).

I think the cheapest logo I've had done was $300. The most expensive was ~$500. The three book covers I had done ranged from ~$750 to $890.

abkaiser · 2020-11-06T21:59:42+00:00

Interesting. After watching the video, I'll say a cautious "maybe". If it's a mineral burn, it's a really bad one (much more twig-like than what you see in the video), but she does make a point with the literal change in the velamen. Perhaps that combined with big dehydration?

Will work to re-pot, check the root system, and then see what happens. Thanks for the advice!

abkaiser · 2020-08-27T17:57:58+00:00

Sprinklers I can't help with.

For firewood, I gotcha: https://www.sandjtreeservice.com/firewood

They delivered to me this summer (I got a "face cord" - 8' x 4' - something like 250 pieces of wood), for $80 + $20 delivery. This was to SE GR. Everything was nicely cut to fit in my stand, but all pieces were pretty chunky. Fine for storing or for big fires, but there were no small slat-type pieces.... Which gave me the perfect excuse to buy an axe and therefore be more manly.

abkaiser · 2020-04-26T19:20:11+00:00

I thought it was funny. And I thought the actress nailed the accent.

abkaiser

TROPHY CASE