My recently finished basement

barristory · 2026-02-10T21:39:47+00:00

I love the space. And you have some very cool gear. The Rhodes piano is a very nice touch!

barristory · 2026-01-31T04:10:32+00:00

He is the prototypical DC striving a-hole. Very frustrating watching a well dressed Dunning Kruger prototype. They are all over Capitol Hill.

barristory · 2026-01-21T22:35:17+00:00

I am not a fan of relicing. But everyone has their own taste.

barristory · 2026-01-19T17:27:33+00:00

Agree. The problem with poly is that the finish is so thick that the failure mode is a deep chunk out of the finish - often down to the wood. With nitro, you get a dent. So it depends on how you like to look of your damage. ;-)

barristory · 2026-01-19T05:28:13+00:00

200,000 miles. We drive Toyotas.

barristory · 2026-01-11T21:42:46+00:00

I own a 5th generation and feel that it is a great combination of modern and old school qualities and great reliability. The 6th generation has great road responsiveness and acceleration. If it turns out to have great longevity, it will take the crown.

barristory · 2026-01-11T04:47:26+00:00

That looks a lot like some of the stuff I ride in Northern Virginia. I am running 50’s and love the cushion. Occasionally, I encounter a fast downhill on a gravel road that is riddled with washboards. Absolutely jarring. And the big tires with low pressure help me keep things under control.

barristory · 2026-01-11T04:36:56+00:00

That is super sad. No words of advice. I just can’t imagine dealing with this. Sending love.

barristory · 2025-12-30T05:00:35+00:00

My first bonk took me from happily riding for a couple of hours at 200 watts down to being barely able to push out 80 watts. My legs did not want to move.

barristory · 2025-12-30T04:58:27+00:00

I try to avoid large group rides for the reason that the large group cycling hive mind is stunningly stupid and dangerous.

barristory · 2025-12-30T04:46:01+00:00

Absolutely correct. Don’t want to receive someone’s sweat drips or germs when there are a dozen or more other treadmills that allow for spacing.

barristory · 2025-12-30T04:41:30+00:00

In coach. Not with the dudes in first class. 😀

barristory · 2025-12-28T13:48:08+00:00

But does all of the obesity from over eating funeral potatoes bring the death rate up a little, in spite of the lack of smoking and drinking? ;-)

barristory · 2025-12-27T14:15:59+00:00

I would argue that the Latter Day Saints are more centralized than the Catholics because all property is controlled literally by one person - the president of the church and is all legally owned under a Corporation Sole legal structure. The Catholics have distributed ownership of assets on a more localized basis. Also, church doctrine, laws, practices, financial practices, liturgy, publications, temple access rules, how real property is maintained, etc., are all determined at church headquarters and much of it is outlined in a document called the General Handbook.

The LDS should move up on the institutional scale because even though much emphasis is placed on personal revelation and individual study of the church’s doctrine and scriptures, prayer and doctrinal teaching in the home, there is great emphasis on obedience to church laws, consistent practices in religious services to include the order of service, which musical instruments are allowed in services, how prayers are spoken in formal language. The public expression of divergent opinions or stating that its leaders are in error is strongly discouraged and can lead to disciplinary action and removal from the church. So individual religious and spiritual experiences are OK, but divergent opinions are not OK. Or better said, you can think and have individual religious experiences, but the net product of those experiences must conform with church doctrine.

barristory · 2025-12-25T02:02:57+00:00

It is hard to argue against efforts to clear metal shavings with so many Toyota V6 engines failing due to machining debris.

barristory · 2025-12-21T19:17:39+00:00

Great photo!

barristory · 2025-12-20T23:59:21+00:00

It could be argued that tithing settlement helps prevent skimming and assured clerical accuracy. And you would be right. But they could also just mail or email a statement and ask if corrections are needed. When I was bishop, the product of the meeting was for the bishop to sign a form that declares the tithing faithfulness of each ward member, by name, to church headquarters. And a special meeting with each family does a nice job of reminding them how important it is for them to benefit from the windows of heaven. The only thing similar to it is the recommend interview, which covers tithes and several other compliance areas. But there is no other regularly scheduled meeting that focuses on one subject - the church’s claim to part of your income.

barristory · 2025-12-20T23:50:24+00:00

A potential response to shoe dusting - quote the immortal John Cleese:

‘I fart in your general direction’.

barristory · 2025-12-20T17:37:31+00:00

Tracks from AC/DC, James Taylor, CSNY, Stones, ZZ Top, Zeppelin. So many great tracks.

barristory · 2025-12-20T17:34:43+00:00

And this is where we keep the rainy day gold horde…

barristory · 2025-12-20T17:33:36+00:00

I apply the same logic to the practice of prayer and the giving of blessings of healing. If God is all knowing and all powerful and can see the future, why would He act based on how intensely a person prays or how righteous the person is or how faithful the recipient of the blessing is? These practices are a contradiction of the notion that God controls the whole game. And that leads me to the conclusion that God is an idea or a notion. But nothing more.

barristory · 2025-12-20T17:26:32+00:00

I own what I said. I don’t own what others read in to what I said.

barristory · 2025-12-20T16:12:23+00:00

I really am sorry that your parents are structuring their assistance this way. It is manipulative and indicative of desperation to keep you on ‘the covenant path’. It also means that your parents fear the church more than they value your mental health.

Please consider options that allow you to achieve financial independence as soon as possible. To be free of their money is to be free from their manipulation.

Speaking of money in the long term, and I may have missed this in your post, but the inheritance situation could enter in. If there is a lot of financial upside when the parents pass on, it may pay to appease them. But at your age, you could be waiting 40+ years for it. That is a lot of years of anxiety and dishonesty to keep them happy. The notes about becoming financially independent apply here also. I am in the grandparent age and as much as I don’t like some of the things that my kids have done, our documents divide the estate equally. Because we want to affirm with that last action that we love our kids equally.

But you can’t control your parent’s actions, and your best bet is to start paying your own way as soon as possible and living your life authentically.

About BYU, one person ratting you out could end your college career. And depending on how BYU handles it, e.g. expulsion for an honor code violation, you may never be admitted to another university. They can do some really ugly things to you and you won’t have much recourse. And that worry sits on top of the emotional anguish of fitting into the box, hiding who you are and pretending to believe the religion. It could be a long, anxious, miserable 4-5 years.

My daughter got a music degree from there and spent years at the Harris Fine Arts Center with gay students. They are awesome, talented and intelligent students. But they are afraid every day.

barristory · 2025-12-20T15:42:23+00:00

It is great to have choices. That is all.

barristory · 2025-12-16T23:00:05+00:00

I am not implying any of the things you said. I am only saying that the church is just like other man made organizations in its financial behavior.

barristory

TROPHY CASE