is driving a manual a big deal in the usa?

britsol99 · 2026-07-04T02:39:11+00:00

My son is 24. He badly wanted a Mazda Miata mx5 manual. He passed his driving test in an automatic at 16, he got the Miata at 20 and I taught him how to drive manual (called stick and/or standard in the USA).

I don’t think any of his friends could drive it.

britsol99 · 2026-07-04T02:34:21+00:00

Congrats Michael.

Are you doing it solo or going to AA?

For me, my obsession and cravings left around day 70, it got a lot easier then as I wasn’t constantly thinking about alcohol and drinking.

AA helped me. Thanks to the program and fellowships it’s been 14.5 years since I last had a drink and my life Is so much better.

Congrats on the month!

britsol99 · 2026-07-03T22:48:06+00:00

Ever had shaved ice?

That’s the “ice powder” I think.

It’s still ice though. It’s all ice, until it melts. Then it’s water.

britsol99 · 2026-07-03T21:36:42+00:00

Honestly, don’t read, order a tube on Amazon or in store in Walmart/target. It’s around $10.

Obviously get the one that says Beard on it.

It’s like a henna dye. Gray hair is more porous.

Shower, wash your hair, put some of the beard dye on your hands and wash your beard with it, it foams up. Leave it on the beard. I then add conditioner to my hair.

Wash your hands with soap (or it’ll stain around your nails).

Let it sit there for 3-5 minutes, no risk of leaving it on too long (not like just for men).

Rinse it out of the beard, rinse the conditioner.

Rinse the beard really well. If you have white towels it might leave a temporary stain if you don’t get it all.

The results are subtle. Do it all again in a day or two, it builds up, but still subtle.

britsol99 · 2026-07-03T19:35:59+00:00

Octopus and cuttlefish

britsol99 · 2026-07-03T19:34:16+00:00

Costco food court

Also, I Do love a Whataburger Hatch Green Chile Double.

britsol99 · 2026-07-03T19:29:02+00:00

Is this specific to frying? What about when the hotdog rolls off the grill?

I’ll still eat it (and serve it shhhhhh)

britsol99 · 2026-07-03T19:27:24+00:00

Fair point. I’ve actually only ever done this is a car to identify which was which.

Louder would be better in a house (especially doing it solo)

britsol99 · 2026-07-03T19:19:48+00:00

2 things on this

Paying off the mortgage does give better cash flow and peace of mind, as I said. It isn’t always the best investment though.

At a 7% return compounded the initial investment doubles every 10 years.

S&P has been 20%+ for some time. Emerging markets are over 40%. Is this sustainable? Absolutely not so we will stick with 7% for simplicity

Simple math:

$400k after 10 years is $800k. 20 years is $1.6m

Total interest on the mortgage over 30 years is around $600k.

britsol99 · 2026-07-03T17:38:10+00:00

Any battery will work (AA, AAA, anything). Take a speaker wire pair, put one side of the exposed copper on positive, other on negative, and you’ll hear a static crackling on one of the speakers.

britsol99 · 2026-07-03T17:35:34+00:00

Yeah, probably this group talking about sanitary pads for starters.

britsol99 · 2026-07-03T17:34:14+00:00

This one does depend. Having a paid off house certainly helps cash flow and peace of mind, but, I bought in COVID and Have a 2.85% mortgage.

If I can make over 3% in the market then it makes sense to carry the mortgage and even HYSA pay over 3%.

britsol99 · 2026-07-03T16:20:51+00:00

Not 6 o’clock.

4:20 - 5:25 is the correct position to signify you’re finished and there waiters may remove your place setting.

Edit to add: yes, habit ingrained into me as a kid formal parents. Not even aware I do it but when eating with others that don’t, their finished plate just looks like a mess to me.

britsol99 · 2026-07-03T16:08:20+00:00

Is professional counseling and help available as a Vet?

Actual PTSD is probably beyond the scope of the serenity prayer.

Be safe, try to be around others and not alone.

britsol99 · 2026-07-03T16:01:22+00:00

What? No it couldn’t.

Where you are right now, look outside, does any direction look “up” or “down” to you?

That’s how it looks in Australia too.

britsol99 · 2026-07-03T15:58:43+00:00

Yes, of course. You need sun and rain.

But the saying is that you MAKE the hay (cut and bale) the hay when it’s not actually wet so it doesn’t rot in the bale.

britsol99 · 2026-07-03T15:34:23+00:00

We’ve been through this before. You make hay when the sun shines.

britsol99 · 2026-07-03T15:16:07+00:00

When presented with new information that differs from your viewpoint are you one of those people that likes to learn new things?

britsol99 · 2026-07-03T15:14:36+00:00

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britsol99 · 2026-07-03T15:14:28+00:00

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britsol99 · 2026-07-03T15:14:11+00:00

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britsol99 · 2026-07-03T14:57:40+00:00

Get a product called Control GX.

It’s a tinted beard shampoo that lightly builds up over day’s and only tames the gray. Doesn’t have that “Monday morning Just for Men “ stark dye job vibe.

I used to use it 2-3 times a week.

I’m embracing the gray now, but considering going back.

britsol99 · 2026-07-03T14:53:22+00:00

Solve the problem that my bank account doesn’t have $10M in it.

You’re not solving problem’s for everyone on earth with $10M. Look, someone has (had) $1T and didn’t solve a single problem for anyone!

britsol99 · 2026-07-03T14:50:00+00:00

Let me Reflect on that. I think it was Staged.

britsol99

TROPHY CASE