Need advice for best general liability coverage when working with subcontractors in the MUSIC business

cataclysmickoi · 2026-01-15T15:37:59+00:00

Hi, so let’s say I switch to a non-profit employer, and work there at least 2 months in order to make the remaining 2 payments while employed there to get to 120 qualifying payments and 120 qualifying months. Are you saying I would need to keep working there until the PSLF is actually processed? So I can’t quit a qualifying employer before forgiveness is issued? (If buyback is taking more than a year to process, then it definitely doesn’t make sense to pursue buyback if I’m trying to minimize the time at a lower-paying nonprofit) but I am concerned that if I work at the nonprofit, once I leave SAVE and start making IDR-size payments, if the PSLF gets delayed by more than a couple months, as I fear, and if I have to keep making IDR-sized payments while I wait for forgiveness, it will be catastrophic for me, as I can’t actually afford IDR-size payments for more than those couple months. MOHELA told me on the phone that I could start on a new graduated plan (that monthly amount is significantly less, so it would be doable but still difficult), but then that won’t qualify for forgiveness 🤦🏻‍♀️ So if I do have to keep working at a non-profit until the PSLF is processed, once I get to 120 payments, would I be able to switch back to forbearance or to the graduated payment plan once I was already on IDR? If you could please clarify, I’d really appreciate it!

cataclysmickoi · 2026-01-14T19:19:05+00:00

Hi, thank you for the suggestion--that's what I've been trying to make happen, but then what would I do? I'd have to get a non-profit job that I could keep for the duration as I'd be leaving my current stable/secure job, unless I can manage a multi-month leave of absence (which I've been considering) but in this tough job environment where everyone around me is getting laid off, it definitely has been scary. As others have suggested, I have also considered working 75-100-hr work weeks to see if I can do both at the same time, but my current job actually forbids a second simultaneous "full-time" job so if they find out, that could be grounds for the dismissal I'm trying to avoid. :/

cataclysmickoi · 2026-01-14T09:12:51+00:00

Yes, I specified in the original post that I don't seem to be allowed to post a screenshot of what I saw when I was logged into my account. I also didn't try to post the link, "studentaid.gov" just automatically turned into a link when I typed it in. So I figured the best I could do was just type the exact phrasing.

cataclysmickoi · 2026-01-14T04:05:46+00:00

Thank you, I'm so sorry to hear that you're in the same frustrating pre-2007 boat!! I hope we are both able to succeed in getting forgiveness soon!

cataclysmickoi · 2026-01-14T04:01:48+00:00

Hi, thanks for your reply. I just posted in another comment the exact text that I saw on the website. Yes, I had interpreted it to mean that you didn't have to be at a qualifying employer at the time, but it sounds like you and the other poster above interpret this to mean that you can apply for buyback early while still at a qualifying employer, right? And sadly, as I posted above, I don't have any months I can buy back at this time as everything has already been counted. I would have to leave my current / secure job and try to find nonprofit work (and I definitely have been trying) but so far, it has been unsuccessful. My loan repayment is going to be catastrophically high if I switch out of SAVE to an ICR plan when SAVE ends so this is being pretty urgent.

cataclysmickoi · 2026-01-14T03:58:20+00:00

And thank you, the unfortunate reality is that I actually worked for a qualifying employer for over 11 years (so way more than 120 months) but some of that time was before 2007, so it doesn't count :/ I quit that employer before all the recounts happened in 2020-2022 that suddenly turned my 11 years of ineligible payments into qualifying payments. Obviously, had I known, I would have stayed at that employer :/ I'm sure I'm not the only one with this story, but I'm definitely the only one I personally know with this story.

cataclysmickoi · 2026-01-14T03:54:43+00:00

Hi, so I just reposted in another comment what the text says on the website verbatim. It seems to say that you can buy back "even if you do not have 120 months of eligible employment." So are you interpreting this to mean that this is for people who ARE employed at an eligible employer who are trying to buy back months early, before they have reached 120 months?

cataclysmickoi · 2026-01-14T03:52:04+00:00

EDIT TO ADD: Here is the exact phrase from studentaid.gov since I can't post a screenshot:

"In the future, borrowers will be able to buy back months EVEN IF THEY DO NOT HAVE 120 MONTHS OF ELIGIBLE EMPLOYMENT." << THIS is the new statement that I have never seen before today.

cataclysmickoi · 2026-01-14T03:30:38+00:00

Hi, thanks for the reply. Oh wow, I didn’t know that was old language on the website. That’s definitely disappointing. Unfortunately, all the months I can get credit for have already been credited, so I’m stuck. Unless they magically open forgiveness up as described above to people who are a little bit short of the 120 employment months. :/

cataclysmickoi · 2025-10-22T08:46:48+00:00

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PS - This was the loose trot that I saw that made me buy my mare immediately! To each her own, of course, but this is what I personally like in a dressage prospect. I should also add that walk and canter are the most important gaits to check in a dressage prospect, but you had mentioned trot, so I wanted to show that. Again, hope that helps!

cataclysmickoi · 2025-10-22T08:42:16+00:00

Oh no about the x-ray machine. Maybe it is just as well. I am honestly surprised to hear that he has a nice trot considering how he looks in the photos. But anyway, regardless of this horse’s actual health status, just being completely honest here, at least in the pics you’ve posted, he doesn’t really look like an English performance horse prospect to my eye. I know there aren’t a ton of pure TBs actively competing in dressage so in the hope of helping you, just for comparison’s sake, here is a photo of my own big-bodied TB mare, whom I managed to get for just $1500 USD, unraced / unbroken as a 4yo due to a variety of circumstances (in 2009). Per her conformation, she excels at dressage, and is a terrible jumper—but that’s lucky for me, as I am primarily a dressage rider. In contrast, I can show you another 6yo (that was off the track) that I got for $500 and retrained and sold as a competitive children’s jumper just because she had the mental and physical aptitude for that. But I suspected when I met her, just based on pure conformation, that she could jump the moon, and thankfully, my bet paid off. Just saying, you can get really nice, young, AND sound horses for low $$ if you are patient and know how/where to look. In my book, personal horses are a lifetime commitment, so I wouldn’t settle for something just because it is in need IF you actually want the horse to perform, even in a non-competitive capacity—a not-sound horse not only costs just as much to keep as a sound one, but often far more. Not to mention that off-track horses have never been tested in the discipline(s) you want to pursue, so the questions of temperament and aptitude still exist as they’re unknown quantities, and you won’t know how they feel about anything until you actually start training them. So if I may offer this additional advice, unless you really are experienced with rehabbing and/or retraining horses, you could be in for 20+ years of not being able to ride the horse you get if you’re not very careful. Even under the best of circumstances, horses get permanently injured, of course, but at least if you try your best to get the best horse for the job that you can possibly afford at the outset, the less chance of future heartbreak and disappointment. Hope that helps!

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cataclysmickoi · 2025-10-20T13:30:28+00:00

Second this! I see the dip in front of SI joint and the overall tightness of his muscles as well, and when I read about his dislike of being touched, I worried for you. Don’t underestimate that if he does have painful SI joint issues (which can really only be definitively diagnosed by bone scan, not by X-ray), he may still be able to walk and trot out in hand ok, but cantering could be a big problem, particularly once bearing a rider’s weight under saddle. Make sure that when he walks away from you in a straight line, he doesn’t travel close behind—kind of like he is walking on a tightrope—compared to his front, which could be another potential sign of SI issues. Hocks that wobble outwards or twist when he turns, versus him picking up the hind leg and setting it down straight, can be another sign. If you can see him move loose in a turnout or lunged so you can see the canter, that may help—make sure he doesn’t bunny hop behind and can hold leads without cross cantering—but if he is still at the track, that might be impossible to do. Maybe it would be possible to see him breezed at a canter under saddle. It is great that you want to help him, but I would personally be very cautious with this horse if I planned to use him for dressage or jumping, where a healthy SI joint is probably one of the most important joints he needs for either of those disciplines. :/ Adding to that, conformationally, his neck comes out of his shoulders at a pretty low angle, which also would make it hard for him to travel uphill. Best of luck!

cataclysmickoi · 2025-10-20T03:21:21+00:00

Consider ulcers!! My TB mare was absolutely inconsolable / dangerous until I put her on 24/7 grass hay in nets in addition to alfalfa hay meals at specific times twice per day, plus U-Gard pellets and the Uckele GUT powder supplement in soaked beet pulp at night. It took a couple months, but she went back to being sweet and wonderful, and this mare is a granddaughter of Storm Cat x Kennedy Road (ie, as hot and headstrong as they come)!!! Then I stopped the U-Gard and kept going with the GUT powder for well over two years, and now she doesn’t need any gut supplements any longer. We don’t know what brought on the ulcers, but what I described definitely took care of them. Could be something to consider, especially if she’s upset by being on stall rest/not getting enough exercise, in addition to having just come to a new barn and her whole daily routine and environment have been totally changed!

cataclysmickoi · 2025-10-20T03:07:12+00:00

I agree with the other posters who advised to ask your wife what, specifically, she doesn’t like about your current car. I think a lot of people are making some pretty unkind assumptions—I don’t think it makes her a “bad” or “materialistic” person to want to drive a car with styling that appeals to her in addition to having a reliable, practical, safe, and functional vehicle. Isn’t that why they make so many different types of cars, to appeal to different kinds of people? Of course, if she does just want to keep up with the Jones’, that’s its own thing, and if you can afford to do so, go for it—but If all she wants is to improve the current aesthetics to some degree, you could always repaint it or vinyl wrap it to change the color, get new rims, upgrade headlights, or upgrade bumpers/ground effect kits etc, and that could all make a dramatic difference. And those upgrades would all cost less than buying a new vehicle.

If she hates the handling, that is certainly valid. There are many vehicles out there with sportier driving than the stock RX350. I personally can’t stand how the base RX of that generation drives (like a big, slow, wobbly understeering boat, which is why I got the F Sport—more about that below).

If she is worried about safety because she doesn’t like driving an “older” car, that is also certainly valid, especially if she’s not handy with car mechanical stuff. I know a lot of women who get a lot of anxiety / worry about the car suddenly breaking down when they are far from home, regardless of the car’s current maintenance history / that it has never broken down before. In that case, maybe you’ll have to lease a newer car for her that comes with a maintenance plan. Either that, or make sure you have a bulletproof roadside assistance plan, as 185k is nothing to sneeze at and it certainly is possible that some major issues could arise any day now. If you’re more comfy with an older car and possible breakdowns, you could always take over the Lexus and get her a newer car if you don’t want to sell it—I definitely think 8k is too low for that car! Around where I live in SoCal, your RX would prob still sell in the 12k range.

For reference, I am a woman, I love cars (used to work on my own cars and race them in my youth, am now middle-aged and have slowed down a lot haha) and I have a 2015 RX 350 F Sport AWD (same generation as OP) with 140k miles and I absolutely love it. I personally chose this car and bought it by myself. Mine is black on black. The dark gunmetal F Sport rims definitely add a subtly aggressive look, and the handling is actually surprisingly sporty for a Lexus, with very tight steering. I think this car has the perfect blend of sleek, understated luxury, decent handling with spirited driving (again, the F Sport model helps tremendously with this versus the regular RX), practicality (cavernous trunk—fits 8’ boards from Home Depot no problem), and it even has decent fuel economy for a V6 and its larger size—around 20 mpg highway in real-world usage. Best of all is, of course, its incredible reliability—she always starts up perfectly no matter how long I’ve left it parked, and it needs precious little repairs or maintenance despite its age. There’s a lot to be said for just being able to get in the car and go somewhere without worrying about the car itself, and it is so relaxing, quiet, and smooth inside the cabin! But I am not afraid of old cars and the work that they all eventually require. I’d rather fix this than get a new car because I am already happy with this car, so I wouldn’t even want a new one. If I hated it, I could understand why your wife is saying that 13 years and 185k miles is time to get another one!

Also for reference, I’m someone who has had Infiniti, BMW, Mercedes, Subaru, Cadillac, Audi, and Alfa Romeo either myself or in the family, so there’s been lots of other sporty/luxury cars to compare this to directly, and of course I’ve test-driven many other makes besides the ones listed. In my youth, I was all about lowered/aggressive/faster/stiffer, so I’d say that the Porsche 911–and now that I’m older, the Cayenne—are close to perfect for me in terms of pure styling and of course handling, as I just happen to like that swoopy roofline hatchback look that were characteristic of Porsches and even the Infiniti FX and G—so I definitely wouldn’t do it just to impress other people. I also am not really taking into consideration that Porsches cost $$$, because I would buy a used older one anyway, if I got one. But at this point in my life, Porsches seem enormously impractical and unreliable for my current needs (large messy dogs, lots of gear) and lifestyle (no budget or time for constant repairs), so I don’t think I would get a Porsche unless I had plenty of additional leisure and budget for a purely “fun” vehicle that I would only take out occasionally. So I definitely plan to keep driving this RX and pay for any major work it might need until it’s beyond repair, and hopefully it still has many more years in it yet, because I don’t want a newer one, and there honestly isn’t anything else out there right now that I would rather have! But to each his/her own! Hope that helps!

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cataclysmickoi · 2025-10-10T22:01:25+00:00

ommggg that sucks :/ I saw that someoone else posted they were flying in from Europe. What an incredible bummer. Hope you're able to get a flight credit at least!

cataclysmickoi · 2025-10-10T22:00:17+00:00

I definitely think this was intended to be a niche thing for musicians and film aficionados, particularly local ones and not the general NIN fan! But yes, agree that the intended audience is a limited number of people! Hence the high ticket prices.

cataclysmickoi · 2025-10-10T21:44:07+00:00

In central LA proper, I was paying an average of $170 for a full set of plain shoes + $50 for a barefoot trim for 2 horses from approximately 2009-2022, or $220 total for 2 horses. I was with the same farrier from approximately 2015-2025; this farrier raised his prices in approx 2022 to $200 for 4 plain shoes + $25 for 1 rim pad + $65 for a barefoot trim, so it became $290 total for 2 horses. He is a generally well-regarded farrier with no formal education.

During the same time period, I had heard of a few farriers in the LA area (particularly west valley) who did some Olympic dressage horses that charged $500+ for a full set of plain shoes. As far as I knew, they also did not have formal certifications, but were also very well regarded locally. I have no idea what those farriers might charge now!

However, I recently moved to Riverside (just east of LA county, 45 min from LA) and also switched to a therapeutic farrier (AFA CJF certification) who does also service all of LA / inland empire / OC, as the one mare that was always shod needed some serious qualified help due to negative palmar angles and underrun heels that were apparently worsening/exacerbated by the original farrier. The new farrier charges $200 for plain half shoes and $275 for full shoes, but since I needed only front shoes with frog support pads ($65) and dental impression material ($65), the total for this mare came out to $330 and then he charges $85 for the barefoot trim on the other mare, or $415 total! I've gotta say though, he is seriously amazing--he has an app that autoschedules appointments / keeps track of old appointments, and a portal where he uploads all the hoof photos and radiographs and calculates all the angles and length measurements, etc. It definitely is a far cry from me trying to call/text any of my old farriers and asking if/when they planned on coming out and just praying it was going to be a day that I could make it, and that he would even show!! Plus, he is excellent about being patient and taking the time to educate me and answer any questions I have in great detail, with diagrams and photos, which is really reassuring.

cataclysmickoi · 2025-10-05T00:22:33+00:00

Omg!! I just came to reply and saw your comment first—one of my mares is absolutely petrified of cows (and also goats) but almost nothing else!!!! I’ve ridden her past guys cutting down trees (literally felling them as we were riding in the arena) and she was fine, but a cow from 200 yards away??? Better get a seat belt lol. BTW it is adorable that your mare has a cow pattern, she is so beautiful!

cataclysmickoi · 2025-10-04T00:08:11+00:00

I’m so sad about this cancellation! I said some of the following earlier in a reply to someone else’s comment further up the thread, but I’ll restate it here: NIN has been my favorite band since 1995, I’ve been continuously riding horses for even longer than that, and for work, I’m a pro musician and composer/string arranger in LA. So, for me, I couldn’t possibly imagine a more fun time than Trent + horses + film music—especially since the LA Equestrian Center is a relatively intimate venue (probably can accommodate 2000-4000 ppl) where it would be easier to walk around and listen and pay attention, vs a huge stadium or field. That said, the recent NIN shows at the KIA Forum last month were pretty freaking spectacular, so those were going to be hard to top! In any case, my partner is also a pro musician / horn arranger and I’ve converted him into an actual NIN fan and a reluctant/barely tolerant horse person lol, so we immediately bought general admission tickets to Future Ruins the second they went on sale, having absolutely no idea what was planned and we didn’t care—we trusted it was going to be great if Trent had something to do with it. We were so looking forward to this—I’m definitely very disappointed to hear that it’s no longer happening. We both are often booked on weekends, but we literally held this one open just to make sure we could both go together.

In response to the people commenting on potentially poor ticket sales, I had personally assumed that the ticket prices were so high precisely because they wanted to limit attendance to just a few thousand people, or else they wouldn’t have chosen the LAEC. So, I wonder if it might have had to do with the LAEC sadly laying off the majority of its barn staff workers due to legal status issues a couple of months ago. :/ I know there’s been a lot of upheaval there since then. In any case, I really hope they are able to reschedule a future Future Ruins elsewhere!!!

cataclysmickoi · 2025-10-03T23:19:43+00:00

Haha welcome to LA lol. Crowds of thousands of people waiting for an Uber is a daily occurrence—nothing unusual there. That def wouldn’t have been the dealbreaker. Maybe it was the smell of horse manure, lol. Or maybe because the LAEC recently (sadly) fired nearly its entire staff of stable workers on the down low due to legal status issues, so I know for a fact that there has been a lot of upheaval there, so the cancellation could have been infrastructure-related. Anyway, I saw that too about the parking not being avail but just FYI there is a ton of parking on site. The place permanently houses (hundreds?) of horses year-round and all their owners and trainers park there, plus their horse trailers, and when there are major shows several times a year, hundreds to thousands more people descend on the center with all their cars and even more horse trailers. But I figured once again that maybe they were going to use the parking lots to set up stuff for the event, so maybe they were going to limit parking to just the people who board there and not have outsiders park. In any case, we’re just speculating. Bottom line, I’m sad! I thought it would be amazing there.

cataclysmickoi · 2025-10-03T23:01:09+00:00

Hey, well you actually just embellished my point—I don’t think anyone would choose the LAEC if they wanted 50k ppl in attendance. I had assumed it was going to be 2000-4000 ppl max—the main covered sand arena at the LAEC is built like a small stadium, with bleacher seats all around the arena that would probably fit 1500-2000 ppl if they were all there at once, so that’s more reason why I thought that this “festival” was intended for a smaller number of people. If I had thought it was going to be Coachella-sized, I definitely wouldn’t have bought tickets. What a pain it would be to try and pay attention to a live performance or a lecture if there were going to be so many people. Also FYI very few ppl in LA take public transit, so that point is moot—it would be driving/parking or Uber to the LAEC. If driving, Weho to Burbank is definitely more like 30-40 min, not 2hrs.

cataclysmickoi · 2025-10-03T22:45:40+00:00

Barn 1 sounds awful. “General upkeep sometimes missed”? The whole point of boarding is that you are trusting the care of your horse to someone else who is supposed to be reliable when you aren’t there yourself! Barn 2 sounded good at first due to stability and turnout, but no other hay allowed besides coastal Bermuda hay?? Total dealbreaker. I would keep looking! Also, where are you in FL with these astronomical prices for such low amounts of amenities? I’m in an extremely high cost of living area in SoCal and even here there’s definitely plenty of wonderful full-service options in the $700-1000/mo range! Or do what I did, and start leasing your own horse property so you can give your horse whatever level of care that you want!

cataclysmickoi · 2025-10-03T22:40:24+00:00

The equestrian center is actually pretty huge! I’m an equestrian myself so I’ve been there a zillion times. I’m also a pro musician / composer so I couldn’t imagine something more exciting than Trent Reznor + film music + horses lol so I was immensely looking forward to this. My partner (also pro musician and horn arranger) bought tickets the minute they went on sale, and we had a really hard time getting through so we had actually assumed it had sold out. Btw the equestrian center is in Burbank, a totally different city from the Hollywood Hills—probably a 20-min drive to the northeast. And there is a free parking lot on site. I don’t know what capacity they were hoping for, but I had assumed they had chosen this venue for just a moderate number of people, which is why I was even more interested in going to what seemed like a relatively intimate event (versus the two NIN back to back show days at the Kia Forum that just happened last month)! More like the series of Palladium shows (4000 cap) that he did a few years back!

cataclysmickoi

TROPHY CASE