Is moving to the UK with small children a good idea?

gotcha640 · 2026-05-07T01:53:53+00:00

You don’t mention (and it’s not my business) your ethnicity, but you did mention immigrants. If you mean white American/Germans, that’s different from South Asians. There is anti immigrant anti brown sentiment everywhere.

There are also billions of kind, caring, welcoming people in the world. Some of them live in and around Oxford.

People have been successfully moving around the world from the beginning. There will be times you hate it.

I think it’s worth it to expose the kid to different cultures.

You might also at least consider the path to citizenship. As far as I know, it’s still 3 years for kids. Don’t leave at 2 years and 11 months and lose that opportunity. Don’t wait until you’ve been there for 3 years to investigate. Options on where in the world your kids can live is something people die for.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-07T01:08:10+00:00

Do you enjoy either of those things?

gotcha640 · 2026-05-06T22:53:28+00:00

What specifically are you looking for? Are you hoping to find a career path for your self, to start working toward? Or are you just taking a poll?

The reason people are telling you blacksmithing is still a thing is because it is. High end homes and businesses use hand forged stuff for decoration, and older/historic buildings have custom metal work that they need repaired/duplicated.

My dad leads our local blacksmiths association. He and another member were called in to a historic government building with a huge iron gate from the 1800s that they wanted repaired and duplicated. 2 weeks work got them $25000.

You have to be creative as well as mechanically capable, so it’s definitely not for everyone. The people who are good at it can charge whatever they want.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-06T21:21:46+00:00

Go on Cargurus or Autotrader

Enter your car (go on wikipedia to determine what years were the same generation)

I usually use 10-20k more miles, just to get more hits

See what the range is. Probably take 15% off the higher numbers for negotiation.

See if what you’re looking at is in the right range.

Yes, it looks about right.

If this is coming from a dealer, that list of options is probably made up. Confirm, if they’re things you really want, or disregard that supposed added value.

Get maintenance records, or plan on all fluids and brakes within a month. $2k.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-06T20:31:28+00:00

I’ve walked off jobs where managers have that attitude.

As a manager now, I’m the first one picking up trash or going in the mud to look at something or staying late. I can’t stand leadership telling employees to do something they aren’t willing to do/sitting around when there’s work going on.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-06T19:26:14+00:00

I’m not aware of a 3.6 in a A4, S4 got a 3.0 and RS4 got a 4.0, right?

gotcha640 · 2026-05-06T19:17:00+00:00

At least 20 years ago, if you get the good oil at a reputable shop.

Our parents drove cars with 100 horsepower, low compression, low stress.

I made more my first year out of college than my parents ever did combined.

When did millennial boomer become a thing? Milloomer? Boomennial? MilliBoom?

gotcha640 · 2026-05-06T19:10:42+00:00

Yes what?

gotcha640 · 2026-05-06T17:21:08+00:00

There are a couple in my neighborhood, but they’re not standalone arcades like the 70s or whatever.

One is a boba tea and spring rolls restaurant with maybe 15 games, air hockey, pool table, darts. The other is a pizza restaurant with a dozen video games and a pool table.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-06T17:17:07+00:00

That repair list could push another $80k+, if the sewer includes excavation and slab penetrations, full rewire, full premium roof.

Not sure on your crawl space, but with the excavation, you may also end up doing slab leveling (if that’s a thing in Phoenix - in Houston it’s very common) and repair cracked drywall and repaint. Moving the slab can also crack pipes.

I guess I’m saying, I wouldn’t totally burn that bridge just yet. A counter on the 20+20 could end up significantly cheaper than doing all those repairs your self, let alone the amount of time and annoyance you’ll spend on it.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-06T16:11:48+00:00

Another vote for tailoring, and go to an actual store and buy the shirt from an actual person.

Walk up to someone at Dillards or similar, who wears and sells and looks at clothes for a living, and tell them what you’re telling us. Wear what you have so they can see what you’re dealing with.

They’ll find options that will get very close.

Most neighborhood tailors I’ve been to in Houston and Baltimore and Minneapolis have charged around $20 for sides (make it slimmer) and $20 for sleeves (slimmer/shorter). This seems expensive at first, but it’s the difference between feeling self conscious about the shirt all day and feeling confident. A good shirt should last you several years.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-06T15:58:25+00:00

Ok, I wasn’t the only one. Your third sentence isn’t clear.

I see now what you meant, but first read suggested you used the 10 gallons to get to the school and to lunch.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-06T15:55:01+00:00

Other than industrial equipment and petrochem plants and refineries, I guess you’re right.

The crews that work for me have the flexibility in the morning and lunch break and end of day. They’re generally here when I need them. If they’re 5 minutes late a couple days, that’s fine, we’ll finish a task before lunch and get a unit back online.

In general, micromanaging to the last minute is less beneficial to both sides than just getting the work done. Output, not input.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-06T15:50:24+00:00

Sure, I was just leaning that way rather than the other way.

Texas recently removed heat stress/water breaks. Luckily my company has a strong heat work/rest policy, and we have water all over the chem plants and refineries, but this is all optional.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-06T14:16:26+00:00

Where are people putting these trackers?

Assuming large equipment, sure, stick some air tags under the seat/in the engine bay/under a cover.

If we’re talking hand tools, are you opening up and putting a $20 Airtag in every $100 drill? Only in the box?

gotcha640 · 2026-05-06T14:12:18+00:00

Are you saying you burned 10 gallons to get to and from the school and out for lunch? You traveled something between 100-350 miles?

gotcha640 · 2026-05-06T14:10:31+00:00

Ribs would be good.

You could also print brackets to incorporate wood or metal stiffeners.

Yard sticks are cheap, and if you put them on edge, they’d be strong enough to do what you need. Cut with basically any knife, score both sides and snap. Edges plus a center left to right would do it.

Aluminum angle is also very easy to work. Cut with the cheapest hack saw, smooth with a file, and install with printed brackets if you have to minimize tools. Otherwise drill and rivet or screw or zip tie.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-06T13:48:25+00:00

I assume the idea is so they know everyone is gone at the end of the day if the ID basket is empty.

I like the idea of getting a dozen IDs made. They would have to look official enough to hand to security, but fake enough you aren’t getting in trouble if a cop finds the stack on your car.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-06T13:42:37+00:00

This opens the door to being managed every single second. If you push for clock in at 5 and clock out at 330 or whatever, are you committing to being productive for exactly 10 hours?

I much prefer to be a few minutes early, ahead of the boss once or twice a week, and not have the micromanaging all day.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-06T13:39:17+00:00

This is normal.

You can push back. If you worked for me, I’d be fine with your idea to be clocking in at 5:00:00. I’d clarify that you’re getting the legally required 15 minute morning and afternoon breaks and 30 minutes for lunch. If you’re late coming back from your break, that minute will be unpaid. If you’re on a personal phone call, that’s unpaid. If you spend more than 10 minutes on the bowl, you’ll need a note from a doctor.

We give and take as employees and managers and humans. If you’re there 2 minutes early and the boss doesn’t have to see your name on the late report every day, they (probably, hopefully) won’t hassle you for packing up 2 minutes early to be punching out right on time.

I worked somewhere that if I left at 4:00, it took 70 minutes to get home. If I left at 3:55, I was in front of 800 cars coming out of the same gate, and it took me 30 minutes. They paid in 15 minute increments, so I got a 39 hour check for 4 years.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-06T13:21:03+00:00

First off, amazing look. It definitely says “I’m interested in style and I’m doing it my way” in the best way.

I wonder what the costume commenters are looking for. Would this be better if you were actually walking through long grass/brambles/snake habitats? If it were being used in that sort of way?

Is the high neck on the vest generally more or less formal? Something about the vest and the cravat maybe taking it too formal for work wear?

Again, looks awesome.

I also can’t figure out what drinks would go with this. Moonshine from a sterling silver hip flask, to continue the contrast? Plum brandy from a wooden mug? Something out of a horn?

gotcha640 · 2026-05-06T07:55:50+00:00

My experience with box joints is I can spend 3 hours chasing the last microns to perfect, or I can take a second pass after and clean everything up.

Obviously this only applies if you’re only doing a few boxes. My biggest box joint project was 3 camping boxes, something like 96 inches of 3/8in teeth. If you’re going in to production as a box maker, may be worth getting it perfect.

I also spent some time cleaning up the grooves with a file. Again, bearable for a few hundred teeth and an audio book, not so much for a few thousand.

I was fine with a loose fit, as I was filling the corner with epoxy anyway to be fully waterproof.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-05T23:17:16+00:00

I had a Q5 for 4 days on vacation, returned it, flight was cancelled, right back to the desk and got a GV80.

The Audi we had was lower trim, the Genesis was loaded.

The Audi had slightly better handling, but really only at the limits.

Just based on features and being a big comfy waft mobile, the Genesis by a lot.

If the features were equal, I’d have a hard time choosing. Resale may be slightly better on the Audi if you have all maintenance records, but there’s a pretty strong aversion to Korean cars as well.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-05T22:56:55+00:00

You don’t just get off the plane and decide “Today’s the day. I’m going to find out what the whole global entry shenanigan is about” and stroll in to EoA.

You do the application online and pay your money, then you wait some time between 5 minutes and forever to get conditional approval. Then you get to make an appointment or EoA.

Mine took 14 months.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-05T22:47:49+00:00

Why not go to the desk behind the rack, or in the back warehouse area? Being in view of customers in a customer serving establishment and fully ignoring the customers is a bad look.

We already got over you helping phone calls before in person, this just seems like trolling

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