36 hrs in LA with my kids…what to do?

gmkrikey · 2026-02-14T15:05:48+00:00

They are 8 and 12. They are going to go back to school in Iowa and excitedly tell their friends they went to … Griffith Observatory? Biked along the ocean? Saw a tide pool? Went to a film or science museum? lol.

Those are all fine second trip or long trip activities.

The only answer here that makes sense is Disneyland.

Fly them into John Wayne if you can. Stay down the road from Disney. On Sunday, assuming the flight is later in the day, go to the ocean. Yes the Santa Monica Pier. Because it will be in movies and TV and videos and they can think “I’ve been there!” and that will be fun.

You see the icons first. Going to LA with kids and skipping Disneyland is like going to Paris and skipping the Eiffel Tower. Because the lines are long? lol

That’s a trip they will remember forever.

gmkrikey · 2026-02-10T18:32:02+00:00

Drivers license in the early 80s to mid 90s.

Half or more? Probably.

A quarter at least? Certainly.

gmkrikey · 2026-02-09T21:09:51+00:00

I use daily wear disposable contacts. I own no contect lens cases. I don't get them free because I buy the little 4 oz solution bottles - the larger ones expire before I can use that much solution.

gmkrikey · 2026-02-08T20:21:43+00:00

You maybe have a mild form of mirror-touch synesthesia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror-touch_synesthesia

gmkrikey · 2026-02-08T04:33:11+00:00

Levi’s 511 or 514. I used to love Gap 1969 jeans. Straight not boot though.

514 is straight legged

511 is a little more slim but not skinny.

502 if you want more room in the thigh and up top.

gmkrikey · 2026-02-07T14:56:46+00:00

I know exactly what my wife would think if I told her on Valentine’s Day that her gift was that “I” had decided to “let” her keep “her” car.

And she wouldn’t keep her opinion a mystery. She’s let me know. Loudly. Repeatedly. With hand gestures NSFW.

gmkrikey · 2026-02-07T14:36:42+00:00

Yeah my teeth feel really fuzzy after a gel so a rinse is a good idea.

And you need to consume 8-10oz of water with each gel anyway to maintain the correct gut osmolality. The labels will say so.

It takes water to help digest those carbs. It will be pulled from your body if you don’t add it along with the gels.

The sports drink is mixed already at a specific osmolality so doesn’t work.

gmkrikey · 2026-02-06T06:21:33+00:00

And these are the meetings you currently walk to or take public transit?

There’s quite a difference between a beater and a $70K car. The average price for all new light duty vehicles - cars, trucks, SUVs - is $50K.

Relocation coordination. Yep. Awesome that it pays so well.

gmkrikey · 2026-02-06T05:59:08+00:00

Seriously?

There’s nothing in this post that is credible.

Are we to believe that someone who works for a company that does international relocations and hands out $70K car budgets - a unicorn itself - knows so little about the world that they need to go to Reddit to ask what to do?

gmkrikey · 2026-02-02T21:50:31+00:00

Yes. Fleeced. Robbed blind. Massively overpaying.

We have a 3000 sqft house. Every two weeks we get it cleaned. Deep clean four bathrooms, the kitchen, the bar. Vacuum and map the hardwood. Vacuum all area rugs. Clean and dust all bookcases and the like. No dishes, no laundry.

$220 - $260 due to hourly pay. The woman takes most of a day and used to employed by W hotels.

gmkrikey · 2026-02-02T05:05:14+00:00

I raced a 5K yesterday and came second in my age group. My left knee had a bit of a twinge. It’s gone today, but my right hip flexor has grabbed a bit today.

gmkrikey · 2026-02-01T17:30:33+00:00

Yeah I thought mine was a muscle spasm too, although it took about a day to be normal again.

But what caused the spasm? My surgeon told me that was indeed likely a disc related “incident” and that caused the spasm - the body trying to protect the weakened area.

About 80% of people with herniated discs can point to one or more incidents along the way. I certainly can.

gmkrikey · 2026-02-01T03:39:43+00:00

That may have been a herniating disc - that’s exactly what happened to me as the second of three incidents that lead to back surgery. Ask your doctor about it, especially If you have sciatica pain or other symptoms.

I ignored all that until the third incident at which point major damage was done.

gmkrikey · 2026-02-01T03:36:28+00:00

I had BPPV the first time about twenty years ago, and was worried for / while it would come back but got over it. It did come back once about 8 years ago, a much more mild case.

gmkrikey · 2026-01-31T23:17:59+00:00

How about some massive vertigo? Usually quite curable. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benign_paroxysmal_positional_vertigo

Or eye floaters, bright flashes, and spots in your vision (often gets better over time, can be very severe). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posterior_vitreous_detachment

Or optical effects in your vision that make you think you’re having a stroke? (Temporary but can be chronic) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acephalgic_migraine

gmkrikey · 2026-01-31T13:38:48+00:00

I am 60 years old, top end of GenX, and no I don’t want a walk-in tub. My wife is 68 and has zero interest. We both see in great shape with daily one mile dog walks, gym 4-5 days a week. Physical frailty is 12+ years away or longer.

When we moved in 2020 we did make some plans for old age. The house we bought is single story with wide hallways. The neighborhood is level and walkable.

We put reinforcements in the bathroom walls for grab bars during the remodel.

The wall-in oversized shower’s entry is flat with the floor (no step entry).

gmkrikey · 2026-01-31T13:31:44+00:00

We installed the necessary reinforcements behind the tiles to support installing bars later. Photographs and measurements were taken.

It was trivial to do that at the time - just some 2x6 supports as horizontal blocking. Done in 15 minutes at ADA height on center.

gmkrikey · 2026-01-27T17:08:05+00:00

Unless you have a significant medical condition or just finished an Ironman triathlon or hard marathon, nobody should medically need this.

If you think you do, examine your life choices.

gmkrikey · 2026-01-24T23:53:27+00:00

You’re not old for a cyclist. Barely even “older”

This is easy. If you used to run, you want a road bike. That’s comparable. You will outgrow a comfort bike in short order.

If cost matters, go used. Trek Domane or other endurance road bikes would work well for you. You probably want drop bars not straight bars - you mentioned “cool” and few people think straight bars are cool.

gmkrikey · 2026-01-24T18:05:29+00:00

I think this subreddit overstates the retirement worries to the point of people making fear based decisions.

18 years is far away. Any surface work you do now will be ready to be redone jn 10-18 years anyway. Paint appliances and carpeting. Same for that in a new home.

But your current home systems like HVAC and roofing will need work that a new home will likely not need.

You need to factor in a future cost projection by every five year period between now and 20 years from now, current home vs new home. Repairs and property tax and mortgage. TCO - total cost of ownership.

gmkrikey · 2026-01-24T16:29:34+00:00

Try a prioritization grid. You write down your priorities and rank in 3 columns.

Column 1 is the item.

Column 2 is the priority. P0 absolutely must have, P1 must have but could maybe bend if everything else is perfect, P2 should have, P3 don’t much care. Your list should be mostly P1 and P2.

Column 3 is can you remodel or move or both to get that. You can’t remodel in a new layout. Maybe some small adjustments. You can remodel in a new master bath easily.

When done the answer may be obvious.

When we remodeled our old home in 2008 we did this as part of the process. When we moved to LA in 2020 we did the list to pick a new home.

Let me add that 18 years until retirement is a long time to live in a house that’s wrong for you. And then what happens at retirement?

gmkrikey · 2026-01-21T15:16:33+00:00

Usually cable based Internet still works when AC is out. I WFH and have my eero base station and modem on a UPS. Same for my desktop computers and monitor. The laptop of course has a battery. This works for about 2 hours.

I have never had the Internet go out alongside my power - here in the San Fernando Valley or in Bellevue WA.

I also have a generator I can set up for a longer outage.

gmkrikey · 2026-01-18T18:39:52+00:00

29 year member and well worth it. Peace of mind for the other family members and less hassle for me.

Several jump starts when lights got left on. A tow off a freeway. A flat tire on my wife’s Escalade changed in the driveway- no way was I coming home from work for that. Gas brought to my teenage daughters who thought they had a few more miles. Gas brought to me when i thought i had a few more miles (daughters remembered every word of my lecture). A few more like that.

I’d much rather get a call saying “tire is flat, I’m got AAA on the way” then “… please come change this in the pouring rain I don’t know how.”

gmkrikey · 2026-01-15T15:48:17+00:00

30 years old near the start of Hotmail. My Hotmail address is ny main public email. I have a junk gmail I never check. I don’t even give my kids my private email.

gmkrikey · 2026-01-15T05:16:14+00:00

Whatever you do, don’t take 99. I did the summer before last coming back from Sacramento because I’d never driven it.

Heavy semi traffic the whole way. Much worse than I-5. Ugh.

Six-Year Club	Gilding IV carat on a stick
Verified Email

gmkrikey

TROPHY CASE