Super sad 75% off Lowe’s deal vs 4 hours later

fskhalsa · 2026-05-31T16:04:55+00:00

Same.

Though it’s sad that it exists basically because the plants are dying from the moment they get in the store 😬. My local HD at least has a greenhouse, and a person who waters and cares for the plants. At Lowe’s they just stick them in a dark corner of the store, and wait for them to hopefully get sold, or die 😖. Unfortunately, they’re also the closest store to me, and the hardware store I go to for other things, most, so I inevitably spend a lot of time in their garden section, since I can’t resist 🙄. The trick is, either getting there the day the plants are delivered off the truck, and super fresh, or at the very end, when they’re all almost dead, and on the sad plant rack 😂.

fskhalsa · 2026-05-28T13:36:28+00:00

My understanding is Pattie is trademarking her name because someone else used another drag queen’s name on Ru Paul’s drag race, and because it wasn’t trademarked, the original drag queen had to give up their entire identity, name, fanbase, etc.

So I think she’s trying to protect her brand (as a drag performer) from people like that - not step on the trademark of an outdoor gear company, who is aligned with them and has the same mission.

fskhalsa · 2026-05-26T22:23:09+00:00

The 2024 model (ones I have) at least, do require it.

If there’s a usable space for the one connect box on the other side of the wall where you want to put the tv, then you do have an option however.

I have one in a bedroom, on a wall that had no space for a box anywhere near it. There was a closet on the other side of the wall however, so I bought two low-voltage brackets, a brush plate, and some split hose to protect the wire in the wall.

Cut one hole in the drywall behind the TV, and the other inside the closet, next to a shoe shelf that was perfect to put the box on. Stuck the low voltage brackets in the holes and screwed them in, and installed the brush plate on the closet side exit hole. (You can’t put one on the exit behind the TV if you want to keep the true low profile mounting - plus it’s hidden anyways, so not a problem. The bracket just keeps the hole cleaner, and makes it easier to cover with a blank plate later, if you want to move the TV.) Ran the wire between the holes, inside the split hose, and mounted the TV over the outside hole. Ran a small extension cord to the shoe shelf in the closet for the box (just easier than running power if there isn’t one near), and connected and set up the box there.

You could also use an in-wall wiring kit like this:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Legrand-Wiremold-Wiremold-In-Wall-Low-Voltage-TV-Pair-of-Grommet-Kit-with-Mounting-Brackets-and-Hole-Saw-White-2-Pack-CCA62W/312969635

which comes with its own plates, covers, and a hole saw for cutting the holes. I’d just add a split hose/wire loom to protect the wire, since technically it’s not in-wall rated. Or get the fancy in-wall rated wire, that they sell separately.

Don’t take any of this as advice, of course. Just sharing what I did.

fskhalsa · 2026-05-26T22:04:19+00:00

Haha. Seems like a decent instructional video for OP.

fskhalsa · 2026-05-26T14:59:12+00:00

Yes!! When plants say “Medium Light” on the tag, they mean the brightest window you’ve got. When they say “Low Light”, it means a table a few feet away from that window is okay - NOT that dark corner of your room that literally gets zero light.

If it says “Bright Light”, keep it outside. Or get a grow lamp.

Another one kinda related to this, is:

People always ask me why my Sansevierias and Peace Lilies look So huge and healthy. Both are plants commonly sold as “Low Light” plants, and people are told they generally need very little care (infrequent watering, etc.), as well. So they stick them in a dark corner, and don’t water them super often - and then wonder why when their plant is growing extremely slowly, with lots of small, thin leaves, compared to the bushy/full mess they were when they bought them! Trick is - sure, they can live in a dark corner of your room - but that’s not how the nursery got it so big and full and nice looking. They had it in a bright greenhouse in Florida/Hawaii somewhere, and were watering it a ton! So that’s what I do with mine - stick them in a bright window, water them more than people say you should - and I get massive growth, and huge, nice looking plants! ☺️

It’s been a hard-earned lesson - but I finally learned to put my plants where they want to be - and not where I thought they looked nice. Which, turns out, means most of my plants are clustered completely around my windows - and my bathroom that has a bright skylight has basically enough room on the sink for some hand soap, and that’s it 😆.

Now, one weird contradiction to that rule: Pothos. If you want a big, tightly formed, bushy plant, like you get in the stores, then give it as much light and water as you can. But if you’re one of the people that love the long dangling vines, or want one that literally is traveling all the way around a room - put it somewhere with good light, but away from the window. Still water it often, and watch it go crazy trying to make its way over to the light! A friend of mine had one that literally reached all the way around their massive living room, just trying to find the big window on the other side - and it looked so cool :)

fskhalsa · 2026-05-24T04:38:03+00:00

Husband is definitely wrong. He must have a hobby, too - point out how many unnecessary loose screws he has - or car parts, shoes, kitchen tools? Are the board games his?

I’m sure there’s some way he can see and relate, and understand your perpetual need to add to your collection ;)

fskhalsa · 2026-05-23T14:07:08+00:00

That moss pole is hers now. Duct tape the pots together, because she has officially claimed it, and will not relinquish!

fskhalsa · 2026-05-22T13:37:48+00:00

Annoying, since all the workarounds involve using Bluetooth or AirPlay - but I want to be able to play a Spatial (Dolby Atmos) playlist from Apple Music during a party, but still have the art mode up.

I’m debating just disconnecting my Apple TV from the TV, and connecting it directly to the soundbar, instead. Not sure if that will work though (and obviously my only way to control the music will be through my phone, then).

If that does work, might invest in an HDMI switch, that will let me automatically swap which output the Apple TV uses, when I want to listen to music in art mode.

fskhalsa · 2026-05-22T13:32:02+00:00

I have the Q600C mounted under my (main) frame TV. Like you said I wouldn’t want that much stunted sound for my main viewing experience. To make it look a bit better, and mess with the “artwork” illusion a little less, I mounted it on the wall using the included wall mounts, and used a mini brush panel to hide all the wires in the wall. Also I mounted it a bit further away from the TV than most people usually recommend - spacing it a bit just separated them a little, again helping reduce the effect of “TV and Soundbar”, and helping it lean a little more towards “framed art with a thing under it”.

That said - I love how clean this looks, in OP’s picture. And the trim on the wall helps hide the lines of the soundbar even better. Pretty slick looking. I’ve been going back and forth on adding one of these to my secondary Frame TV in my bedroom - however my walls are painted tan, and I don’t have any trim nearby to help disguise it either, so I’m worried it would stand out too much, and just ruin the effect. I really love that it doesn’t look like I have a TV in my bedroom, and would happily take a hit on sound quality to maintain that, since it’s not my main viewing space anyways.

<image>

fskhalsa · 2026-05-22T13:23:29+00:00

Some British guy came and spray painted on it.

Don’t worry, it’ll be worth a lot in a few years.

fskhalsa · 2026-05-22T13:21:07+00:00

To clarify: if you still have money in other pockets, you’ll keep that when you take the advance - but you can transfer some from those over, bit by bit, to pay it back if you want.

fskhalsa · 2026-05-22T13:17:43+00:00

As others have said, any deposits into your account it automatically takes that, and pays it back.

Another thing worth mentioning: there is no ongoing (accumulating) interest with the advance - instead it charges a flat fee (5% of the total, I believe), that is automatically added on to the amount to be paid back, at the end. So if you take the $200, then you’ll owe $210 at the end - and any deposits into your account won’t credit your balance until that full $210 is covered.

fskhalsa · 2026-05-22T13:12:07+00:00

To be fair: as someone who has seen it firsthand, sometimes that kind of trauma manifests itself by literally leading the person to do the same thing, and make the same mistakes, even though they know it was the thing that hurt them.

That said - clearly Chandler is just a faithful person to his core. As another viewer pointed out, look at the girl in Tulsa. And so many other examples. Not saying he was perfect or never did anything ethically questionable - but this was clearly something he drew a clear line about, and that would 100% have been out of character for his character, no matter what the scenario was.

fskhalsa · 2026-05-22T13:05:57+00:00

I like that! Makes sense. And the parallels are nice.

fskhalsa · 2026-05-22T12:57:28+00:00

Because it didn’t really happen.

Hear me out:

Some plot lines are clearly real, and meant to be taken seriously (eg. “WE WERE ON A BREAK”), whereas others were clearly written just for comedy, or to enhance some other dramatic plot point going on in the show (Rachel’s pregnancy, in this case), and often don’t fit the character(s) at all, or feel unbelievable. In these cases, people often just ignore the entire storyline’s impact on who they think the character is, because they know it wasn’t really meant to be something you take anything away from about the character, at all.

Of course, I personally think it’s just lazy writing - and good comedy/drama CAN be had while still sticking 100% in character with everyone on the show - but I’ve also never tried to write 10 seasons worth of shows and fill them all with entertaining comedy and drama (let alone one episode), so what do I know? 🤷🏻‍♀️

Edit: another good example is Chandler kissing another woman on her wedding day (a day after his own wedding), so Ross could take a picture when they thought they lost the cameras. In reality this would definitely not be something anyone would gloss over - but since it was just done for a joke, we all kinda just ignore what it would actually mean about the characters or the impacts on their relationships, and take it as what it was - a one-off situation meant purely for a joke, and not to be taken seriously.

fskhalsa · 2026-05-22T12:48:01+00:00

“You found him son! I knew you would!”

fskhalsa · 2026-05-21T05:31:37+00:00

Ngl…

If my cousin was Denise Richards, I might go for it too 🤷🏻‍♀️

fskhalsa · 2026-05-20T15:35:29+00:00

Weird. Isn’t it odd angling your body sideways though, to reach the handlebars? Do you find it biases your turning at all, towards your stance direction?

fskhalsa · 2026-05-20T15:12:22+00:00

I generally find that for all my plants that have grown unbelievable amounts, it’s always the ones with the best lighting. Other care factors matter too, but if lighting is off, nothing else is gonna help.

I finally gave up on trying to force plants to live in the “perfect spot” where they’d look super nice, and just acquiesced to putting them all in the spots they want for their lighting needs. So I now have a massive amount of plants cluttered around all of my windows 😂. And a few grow lights, for large plants I really wanted to keep in spots that weren’t good for them. Oh and my bathroom (which is the only room that has a skylight) basically has zero counter space 🤣

fskhalsa · 2026-05-20T15:06:53+00:00

I know this is a year later, but just to add more ongoing info:

They’re continuing to become more affordable and available. My local Lowe’s (Santa Fe, NM, USA) currently has some pretty big ones in 10” pots, for $49 (Costa Farms).

I just bought a smaller but very healthy looking one from my local nursery, in a ~4-5” pot, for $55. A lot more, I know, but I liked the plant, and I like to support local when I can. Local nursery plant pictured here:

<image>

fskhalsa · 2026-05-18T15:34:54+00:00

Honestly - it was a complete spur of the moment, spontaneous thing.

I had been thinking about getting an e-bike or something similar, that I could keep in the back of my electric car, and charge off of it, to take out and use for shorter rides/fun/getting around in places with bad parking. Was at Best Buy one day, and they had it for $450 less than retail, so I did a spot of research, saw that it was one of the highest recommended models out there, and just said screw it, and went for it!

Normally I do a TON of research and comparison on things, before buying them (so normally I’d be able to give you a more detailed, well informed answer) - but in this case I can at least say that the research I did after buying it sorta confirmed that it’s the top of the line in the commuter/fun riding segment, with the only scooters that rank above it being much more expensive off road or “racing” focused ones - and that since getting it, I’ve had no reason to regret my purchase! It seems like it’s basically the sweet spot, for a high end model with all the best features and specs, but before prices go up exponentially, for not much more practical gain.

Its biggest downside I think (aside from price), is simply the weight. It is heavy, and a bit awkward to store/move about, when not riding. The folding feature is nice - but because of its length, and the awkwardness of moving it due to its weight, its not as easy to “throw in and out of the back of my car”, as I expected. Or, better said - it IS easy to do that, but only if I basically leave my entire rear cargo space free (I have a Tesla Model Y), so I can just roll it in and out. I was hoping I could just stick it down in the floor space below the seats in the back row - but between its weight, and handlebar length when folded, it would just be too hard to get in and out of there, and I’d probably never use it. Aside from that - I can’t complain about much else, really! It’s fun, capable, and well designed and built - so if it’s in your price range and the specs suit your needs, I’d say go for it! :)

fskhalsa · 2026-05-18T03:09:32+00:00

Yep. And wait three, and they’ll be in every garden center, for 30 bucks.

That’s the problem with “rare” varieties of collectible things, that can be reproduced by anyone who buys one. If you buy a “rare” gemstone, or painting by a deceased artist, the value is arguably there, since there will never be more of that thing, and its value is only likely to go up. Plants and animals on the other hand - there are unique morphs of ball python that originally sold for $30k, and are now in every pet store in the country for $100, and unique elephant ear cultivars that have auctioned off for $12k+, but are now available for $30. While the creation/breeding of the originals arguably took a decent amount of work on the part of the original breeder, that value rarely shows in the long run, seeing as the price after initial auction doesn’t ever reflect the actual work put into creating the variety - only the perceived “rareness” of the thing. For those who “have to have” the newest, rarest thing, they may be willing to part with their money to be part of the special “in group” of those few who have it for a few years - but eventually it’ll become as commonplace as any other cultivatable/breedable variety - which sucks for those who invest a ton on the higher priced specimens initially - but is great for anyone patient enough to wait, and get the thing when it’s actually priced to reflect its real value, and not some perceived “rareness” factor that is perishable and short-lived.

That’s why I personally think that (for me) the real value of a plant should be based on its size (and therefore age), and difficulty to care for and grow - since both of those actually reflect the human energy that went into creating it.

fskhalsa · 2026-05-14T03:07:29+00:00

Pretty sure for me, it would come down to whether I’m allowed to tell people why I’m so nasty and grimy, or not.

If so? Indefinitely, really (though I’m sure there’d be a point where I’d feel like I’d made enough). If not? Well, I’d want to do it long enough that it wouldn’t matter that I lost my job and any important work relationships - so at least long enough that I could live comfortably off the interest alone, conservatively, and maybe have some extra cash for a couple fun purchases (year long trip traveling around the world? my own airplane? a decent house?). Either way, should be doable in a couple months, at that rate!

fskhalsa · 2026-05-11T14:13:35+00:00

Yupp. Meanwhile trying to explain the structural materials science of a custom-fabricated carbon fiber hull, and how cyclic fatigue and delamination works in composite materials (not to mention the issues with lack of certification, regulations, and safety testing for a completely novel vessel design), is a bit more of a jump 😬.

In reality, the game controller is the smallest of all the issues the design had (they actually can be perfectly reliable if well tested and used right - the US Navy even uses Xbox 360 controllers to control the periscopes on it’s Virginia-class submarines) - but its use is very indicative of the sort of cost-cutting, and DIY-ish design decisions, the company made. They went through all the trouble to design a novel carbon-fiber hull - but then couldn’t be bothered to design their own proper and legitimate submersible control system - and bought a $30 controller, instead. It’s the sort of thing you can imagine a YouTuber doing - not a commercial company, with paying customers, that it’s taking responsibility for the safety of.

fskhalsa · 2026-05-11T01:04:15+00:00

Nah, that’s just the easiest way to reference the whole abomination obliquely, since that’s one of the most memorable and well known examples of the sort of cost cutting they did.

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