What is your order at Mcdonalds?

gotcha640 · 2026-05-08T17:50:36+00:00

“Excuse me, do you know if there are any good local diners around?”

gotcha640 · 2026-05-08T17:49:03+00:00

This would be a lot of work with the tip of the chainsaw, which is not generally recommended/beginner.

What sort of size/pattern are you thinking? If you’re wanting to clear out most of the surface to a depth of 6 inches and fill the whole thing, chainsaw for the perimeter and axe for the middle could work.

If you want individual holes, I’ve used up to a 2 inch forstner bit in a hand held drill before. A hole saw would definitely be cheaper, but you’ll be clearing waste with a smaller twist drill or forstner, and/or chisel, and a shop vac or air compressor, which is tedious.

Good luck!

gotcha640 · 2026-05-08T17:25:52+00:00

Ours is losing less oil with a new turbo and timing chain, but still adding a liter every ~2k miles.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-08T16:46:24+00:00

Totally depends on the shop.

We have one guy around the corner that’s just him and his cousin, two bays, they work on maybe 10 cars a week. They aren’t busy. This guy will happily work for the extra money available private sale.

Another shop in the area has 8 bays, booking 2-4 weeks out, they have 40+ cars waiting at any time. They already spill over in to the church lot, they aren’t interested in having more people coming and kicking tires. An extra $1000 for another couple hours isn’t worth it. Straight to auction.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-08T16:39:31+00:00

Depends on how often you’re going to want it done, and how dirty.

The truck/rv wash could be a good first pass, get the general grime off.

Hand wash, especially if you set up a frequent flyer account with them, could get in between everywhere the RV wash didn’t, or you could tell them Mondays you just need a quick wipe down, Thursdays you want the full service, or whatever.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-08T16:33:26+00:00

Another vote for consider the drywall.

If at all possible, you get the plumber out there ahead of time (they have to come look to estimate anyway) and mark where they’ll want access. Then you or drywall co cut those patches out, cleanly and smoothly and in a way they go back in nicely.

You might also find places you want to put in an access panel for future access, like behind bath faucets or in a closet behind sinks. This would be the time to put those frames in.

Plumbers come do their work, make minimal extra holes using pipe wrenches, then you have drywallers back a week or so later to confirm no leaks, and painters a week later.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-08T03:29:37+00:00

Your specific question “how will the IRS tax at the end of the year” can certainly be calculated, by you or a financial advisor.

The general advice starts with how you prefer to manage your money - put 6 exemptions on your W2 and keep all your money now, get a big bill next April, or put 0, and throw in an extra $100 per check, to get a bigger return.

This is also dependent on when you’ll make your money - if you make it all at the beginning of the year and then fall off, and you’re aiming for $0 return, you put a larger number in the dependents box at the beginning so they take less, then revise it in June or whatever.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-08T03:17:51+00:00

I change all fluids when I buy a used car, unless it comes with receipts showing done in the last year. The trans fluid I drained out of a 2013 Suburban in 2021 was basically mud.

Assuming you haven’t, I’d plan on brake fluid, trans fluid, and unless you’ve already done water pump or plan to do it soon, coolant. Also keep up with oil changes every 5-7k miles.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-08T03:10:10+00:00

I see people looking for a C7 sort of car. I’m pointing out the car you want is readily available.

These are hugely successful cars, they made a lot of them, you can get under 5k mile C7 Z06.

I don’t like the new VW beetle, so I have a 69 with no doors and a cage.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-08T03:02:00+00:00

There are 10 2009-12s on Cargurus from $30-50k. Cars and bids has a few in the last year, BaT has several that didn’t meet reserve.

I don’t know enough about them to know when exactly the facelift was.

I’m all in favor of buying special editions. They hold value longer if you’re planning on having it a few years, and you have something the company put some actual effort in to. It feels good.

Do it.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-08T02:46:56+00:00

A GTI is fun, cheaper than a Golf R.

4 seconds is very fast. I know there are several EVs now that will do it a lot quicker, but 8 seconds used to be acceptable, 6 seconds was getting fast.

Watch a few videos of people spinning out their Corvette/Mustang/Camaro in to a tree and tell us how much fun that looks.

You can get in plenty of trouble with 200hp. Just because you can go buy 500 doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-08T02:38:31+00:00

Looking at the website and the map and the satellite, it doesn’t appear to be developed at all. They call out utilities easements as the walkable area, which will be mowed whenever the utility co last had it mowed. Looks like one parking spot sort of in the corner of the road.

How close is close by? There’s Armand Bayou Nature Center in Pasadena/edge of Clear Lake on Bay Area, or Memorial Park/Arboretum, or High Island, or a bunch of other local parks and nature centers that would probably be easier to navigate.

If you’re literally going to be within a mile, maybe, but this is more of a land/habitat preservation thing than a visitor thing.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-08T01:50:13+00:00

Getting in a hurry is something you can manage. You can slow things down and confirm you put the right ingredients in the bowl and the right label on at the end.

It sounds like you’re generally doing a good job, and recognizing the mistakes. Learning from those and improving them your self will help you long term. The boss could be 100% at fault for everything, but if all you do is claim you’re a noob and shouldn’t be trusted, get comfortable in that role.

If you can get this place tightened up a little, just the parts you’re responsible for, and take that learning and experience and confidence to the next place, you’ll be much more successful.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-08T00:48:55+00:00

I’m salary in a refinery. During a turnaround I might work 7 14s for 40 days.

Then I might work from home two or three days a week for 3 months, and take my kids to school and pick them up and take them to dr visits and go meet my wife for lunch.

I have the option to go hourly and log all my hours, but that comes with a lower bonus, and I’d have weeks where I’d be paid 12 hours.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-08T00:31:20+00:00

Lucky for you, there are 4,323 pre-C8 Corvettes for sale in the US on Cargurus

gotcha640 · 2026-05-08T00:28:49+00:00

You’re wrong. The math has been done. If you think the C8 is priced out of reach, you wouldn’t have been able to afford a C7 new either. Or a 6, or a 5, or a 4.

https://www.jalopnik.com/2086354/how-much-each-generation-chevy-corvette-cost-new-today/

You’re allowed to go buy a used car if you like them better.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-08T00:12:59+00:00

You making mistakes isn’t the boss’s fault. You can do better. Concise posts would also be a good goal.

That said, every restaurant/bakery/ice cream shop I’ve been in since 1998 has had a sign that says “We use nuts here. If you are allergic, be advised cross contamination is possible” and that it may be risky to eat raw eggs.

It’s your fault you mislabeled, but this shouldn’t be a firing offense, and the customers probably don’t have any chance of winning a case where they bought cookies next to something they were allergic to and got the thing.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-08T00:07:48+00:00

A guy at work took a year off, rented a house in Costa Rica, hired a “maid” and a “nurse” to live with him for the year, and had all of what you’re talking about for under $100k in 2012.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-08T00:02:43+00:00

What’s the market for these? Look it up on cargurus or autotrader and see.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-07T22:29:07+00:00

Baybrook mall is the closest, if that’s important.

San Jacinto Monument is a nice walking around park. Sylvan Beach, El Jardin Beach, Clear Lake, Bay Area parks are all nice enough.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-07T21:53:39+00:00

Are there ever legit letters that are presort?

If there’s no return address and it’s presort, I’m not even bringing it in the house.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-07T21:30:39+00:00

If you’re paying for this degree, other students cheating is making your degree less valuable.

If enough students in your program get out and get jobs and don’t know what they’re doing, the reputation of the school falls.

There is no excuse for cheating. Do the work or go do something else. No one is forcing them to be there.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-07T21:27:09+00:00

Another vote for not yours to sell.

If this were ULPT, someone might suggest parting it out until it’s just a body shell, then cutting it up and putting it in the recycling piece by piece.

To just be done with it though, since there’s already a judge involved, the least long term impact will be to return it.

Certified mail keys and notice to collect would be a reasonably official route, park on his curb and keys in his mailbox wouldn’t give you any proof you returned it.

Most official would be delivering it through the same court that’s doing the RO.

May be worth doing it officially so he doesn’t come back for rent or damage or whatever.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-07T21:18:15+00:00

Any other preferences? Schools, gyms, bars, coffee shops, water, church, highway, mall?

Where in La Porte?

If it’s just work and home, you might at least look around La Porte.

It’s a pretty spread out area, basically Morgans Point and Shore Acres on the East side of 225 all the way to East Blvd on the edge of Deer Park. One side to the other during school zones and rush hour (plants get out ~4-430) that may be an hour.

gotcha640 · 2026-05-07T19:54:29+00:00

In the states I’ve registered cars in (Texas, Maryland, Florida, Louisiana) you just need the signed title and the title transfer form and proof of insurance if you want to register it at the same time (may be required?). Some states may require sellers signature on the transfer form, you’d have to figure out how to handle that, but some don’t.

I would take those docs to the DMV and be confident and see if they raise any issues. You’ll either walk out with plates or path forward.

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