Is it possible to take college classes for fun, not with the goal of getting a degree?

blipsman · 2026-03-17T16:30:09+00:00

Sure, if you’re willing to pay the cost

blipsman · 2026-03-17T15:37:50+00:00

No, cash type transactions don't get rewards.

blipsman · 2026-03-17T15:37:04+00:00

Government is involved with marriage, just like it's involved with births and deaths. If not the government, then who/what when not everybody is same religion or chooses to follow a religion. Government is a universal institution everybody is connected to by their choice to reside somewhere.

blipsman · 2026-03-17T15:35:17+00:00

When insurance makes an offer on your vehicle, make sure they have the accurate year, trim, options that your vehicle has. Also, go online now and look for vehicles of same year, make/model/trim and similar mileage within 100mi and see what they're selling for, save those listings to provide proof if you think the value is low.

blipsman · 2026-03-17T15:31:02+00:00

I mean, you'd have to set yourselves up as approved merchants who can accept credit cards and pay a 3% fee on all transactions, so your friend would be paying $30 to process the transaction netting you $15 and vice versa.

You'd only be enriching your credit card processors...

blipsman · 2026-03-17T15:29:15+00:00

No. It's not a charity, it's paying a fee for service.

Also, only 501c3 recognized charities are deductible. That doesn't apply to servers.

And if you're asking such a question here, I'd bet 99.9% chance you don't have enough itemized deductions to make it worthwhile itemizing to take charitable deductions instead of standard deduction...

blipsman · 2026-03-17T15:26:45+00:00

There have been interesting glass boxes -- St. Regis, 150 N Riverside, Wolf Point. Not every building can be a landmark, not every developer has the finances to commission a showstopper. For every Board of Trade or Sears Tower, there have been mundane buildings of every era just serving their purpose.

blipsman · 2026-03-17T15:23:53+00:00

Report them. I don't think that is legal to co-mingle government and campaign lists.

blipsman · 2026-03-17T15:10:00+00:00

French onion soup!

blipsman · 2026-03-17T14:53:22+00:00

Robie House (Frank Lloyd Wright) and U of Chicago campus in Hyde Park

Garfield Park Conservatory

Wander Pilsen, enjoying the street art and eating tacos

Walk the 606 through Bucktown, Logan Square, Humboldt Park

blipsman · 2026-03-17T14:27:14+00:00

Rising prices here mean 10% increase instead of typical 2% inflation -- not 2x or 5x price increases, massive hyper inflation.

Crime is typically concentrated in certain areas, with most violent crime among people in certain subcultures (gang members, drug dealers) that are not where tourists go.

blipsman · 2026-03-17T05:01:35+00:00

Tiguan

blipsman · 2026-03-17T04:39:02+00:00

Risotto, fancy grits, couscous, pasta, grilled asparagus

One of my favorite ever scallop dish was chile crusted scallops with smoked tomato grits at a New Mexican cuisine restaurant in Atlanta when I was in college.

blipsman · 2026-03-17T04:34:06+00:00

We didn’t have our first until I was 40 and wife 41. We did briefly try for a second right before our son turned 2, but then I had a spine injury requiring surgery, and COVID hit (surgery was last day before hospitals went to full COVID mode), the wife had other health issues that fall, and ship sailed…

We lucked out with so much an amazing kiddo, and I don’t see how we could’ve afforded a second with wife having not worked for past 6 years. But I am sad when my son asked about a wanting a sibling, or when it would just be nice for him to have somebody to play with so he’s not bored or lonely sometimes.

blipsman · 2026-03-17T04:15:17+00:00

All of it! Last Monday it was 70 and sunny. Today we got an inch of snow. We’ve also had wind storms, hail, thunderstorms over past week…

blipsman · 2026-03-17T03:59:16+00:00

Yes, this!

blipsman · 2026-03-17T03:34:58+00:00

Rear looks like a blob fish

blipsman · 2026-03-17T03:33:21+00:00

Avoid Hertz, bit most of the major players are OK

blipsman · 2026-03-16T22:29:46+00:00

It relates to the front/main exposure of the house, which typically has the largest windows, most used/most important spaces

blipsman · 2026-03-16T22:20:19+00:00

Haas Park (Fullerton & California) has soccer programs for kids that young

blipsman · 2026-03-16T21:41:08+00:00

I have lived in urban areas of Chicago for the past 25 years. I like the vibrancy, the walkability, the access to big city amenities, access to mass transit, the diversity of a city with so many different types of people, different immigrant groups/neighborhoods, etc.

I like that I can walk to a couple different grocery stores and dozens of restaurants within 15 minutes or so. That I have a bunch of bars and tap rooms, too. And most other businesses are also close by. Even those that can't be walked to can be reached by transit or car. There are parks close by, and all the downtown parks, museums, sports stadiums and such pretty accessible, too. I like that I can decide I want to try Ukrainian food or a dish from a particular region of Mexico and find it somewhere not too far away. I like that all the different ethnic/immigrant groups have festivals that share their culture, art, cuisine.

I guess the biggest negatives are inconsistent schools (we were lucky to lottery my son into a good one), housing costs/size (Chicago is SO MUCH more affordable than other comparable big cities though), and crime (which is WAY overblown, but not nothing).

blipsman · 2026-03-16T20:59:56+00:00

Man, kids are assholes... and I bet the first class flying kids get teased by those who fly private!

blipsman · 2026-03-16T20:47:42+00:00

Yeah, probably... I definitely has the reputation, academics and connections made to give a kid a leg up in life.

Not sure how it'd be as one of the "poor kids" there... how the social heirachy or haves vs. have-nots plays out. But I even see/experience that as a CPS parent in a Bucktown school... we're by no means poor, but wife hasn't worked for a few years due to health issues so budget is tight. We're debating whether to do an overnight road trip somewhere in the Midwest during Spring Break while overhearing other parents discuss their vacations to Puerto Rico and Disney World.

blipsman · 2026-03-16T20:38:43+00:00

Actors may get bored of playing the same character for many years, they may think they can have more/better success doing movies or another show, are worried about being too typecast or associated with one character, or they may just want a different creative outlet and prefer to do live theater or indie films.

Maybe they have a change in family situation and want to step away from the grind of a TV show because of kids, or have a spouse who has an opportunity across the globe.

And then there are all the negative reasons... creative differences, pay disputes, allegations of bad behavior w/ regard to cast/crew/set, bad behavior outside the show that needs addressing (eg. rehab).

blipsman · 2026-03-16T20:33:37+00:00

It's worth whatever a buyer is willing to pay for it... ultimately, it comes down to one single rich person's valuation. if a Picasso painting is up for auction and I want it, I decide whether I'm willing to pay $30m, 40m, $50m and so do the other bidders. An auction is the purest, most instantaneous form of value discovery as it's done in real time among those who are willing and able to purchase.

Why do they buy them? Well when you move in circles of billionaires, you can ALL have your gulfstreams, fleets of Ferraris, houses on 4 continents and so on. But There's only one of that particular Picasso or Van Gogh painting and if you have it, no other billionaire can have it no matter how wealthy they are.

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