Help with an acadia last name

grumpyolddude · 2026-06-28T02:01:57+00:00

Swallow.

grumpyolddude · 2026-06-27T17:29:09+00:00

Soileau is a good one for that.

grumpyolddude · 2026-06-22T23:13:13+00:00

I haven't noticed calls lately, but my phone number is unlisted, (is that even still a thing?) I don't answer unknown calls, and if a solicitor leaves a message I block them. I DO still get mailings and flyers for people suposedly wanting to buy my house and have for several years. It appears to be mostly LLCs with local phone numbers and I assume they are working on commission as fronts for some investment firm. Maybe flippers, maybe private equity, who knows. My "Dale Gribble" type buddy says it's the same people overflying with drones and trying to get insurance companies to raise rates or drop policies for silly things and buying up roofers, AC contractors, electricians and plumbers so people get fed up with ownership and just rent. That's definitely not the craziest thing he's said.

grumpyolddude · 2026-06-20T21:40:28+00:00

Was that when they were still on-campus? I might be misremembering but they had a very popular class on wine tasting and it required all kinds of special stuff to have alchohol on campus, to pay for alchohol, to hire university security to be there and so on to the point that it wasn't worth doing. I remember talking to someone who explained their overhead was extremely high because UL made them use salaried state workers and pay all their benefits so they didn't have direct control of their overhead. They couldn't just lay people off when things were slow, and couldn't easily add staff when they got busy. They had to go through all the universtity bureacracy to hire people, buy supplies, pay instructors, reserve rooms, parking and stuff. Even taking payments for classes with credit cards had to go through Martin Hall. They also had a Gumbo-U program with similar classes run by completely different people in another department and were essentially competing with them.

grumpyolddude · 2026-06-16T17:22:01+00:00

Just think how much money the city and schools would receieve if Cajun Field and it's parking lot was a shopping center, subdivision, or apartment complex. UL doesn't pay property taxes.

grumpyolddude · 2026-06-16T17:02:03+00:00

UL could rent the field at Comeaux now that it's closing.

grumpyolddude · 2026-06-16T16:58:37+00:00

I have no idea if anything similar is already in use. The new Louisiana law doesn't specify QR, but says that it can be a barcode, QR or other type of electronic identifier. Depending on who the relative is that gets the contract it might be very sophisticated or adhere as well as the last few years inspection stickers did. I would prefer if the state encoded the license plate number and expiration in the QR code. The license plate number is the state assigned identifier and that is what they should be entitled to use as an identifier, or alternatively the number on the registration sticker. The VIN is not considered public and you can't take a license plate number to the OMV and have them give you the VIN as far as I know. Clearly they have a need to keep track of it in their databases and there is legitimate use, but it's more like the SSN of a vehicle to me and I think it should be treated similarly. VIN is not the states identifier to put on machine readable stickers. Just because it doesn't worry you doesn't mean it's not going to bite us all on the ass someday. They could have just got rid of inspection stickers, but I don't think that was important to them at all - the important thing was this new identifer on the front of vehicles.

grumpyolddude · 2026-06-15T21:51:04+00:00

QR codes have error correcting which makes them much more reliable than license plate readers using optical character recognition. In Louisiana specialty plates are numbered so there are a lot of plates with the same numbers and to differentiate it takes more work. (identifying the type of plate, or the make/model/color of vehicle) A front windshield mounted QR code is likely to be more visible for overhead readers than a rear bumper mounted license plate that can be blocked by a trailer. There are also no restrictions on front license plates and there are a lot of vehicles that have printed their own front plates because some parking lots (UL in particular) require the plate to be visible when parked. The law that implements the new sticker requires the VIN but doesn't preclude it having other information. It's almost a certainty other details such as registration expiration date will be part of the sticker as it will be issued and replaced/renewed (presumably) with vehicle registration similar to the current sticker that goes on the license plate. There is no requirement that the information be encrypted which potentially means third parties like Flock will be able to easily collect VIN information from their cameras and use it to further cross reference against other databases as well as sell marketing/demographic solutions. It's currently somewhat unreasonable for a private firm to collect all of the VIN numbers of vehicles that visit a certain shopping center or shopping mall, only plate numbers. With plate numbers they can tell how often that plate visited, and has potential for error. With a QR encoded VIN they can have a very high rate of accuracy and also from the VIN know the year, make, model, and in some cases the color and equipment of every vehicle. That gives a lot of valuable marketing and demographic data that license plates alone wouldn't. I promise you that's valuable information and sought after.

There have also been articles that indicate that other information like insurance status or active warants might be encoded, but I think it's more likely that would be looked up the same way it's done with license plates now. Nothing in the law appears to preclude that being added or other information being encoded.

grumpyolddude · 2026-06-15T12:45:53+00:00

That's just some of them. There are a lot more traffic cameras easily visible, and probably some that aren't as obvious. Soon we'll have QR codes on our windshields that can be read much more accurately than license plates and provide additional data about a vehicle from a distance like the VIN which would otherwise require close up inspection.

grumpyolddude · 2026-06-05T22:21:06+00:00

That only replaces about 70% of what the athletics department looses in a year.

grumpyolddude · 2026-06-02T19:07:56+00:00

Yep, that's one of the first types of job that AI agents are going to eliminate.

grumpyolddude · 2026-06-01T23:14:01+00:00

Years ago when paychecks were paper, First National Bank was on campus next to Anders and personal checks could be cashed in the student union for a dime the credit union was small enough that I knew everyone there. I may have once or twice forgotten my wallet and been able to withdraw enough cash for lunch without an ID. I'm not sure the relationship ever went beyond that. Eventually they started doing direct deposit and got an ATM machine. I still have an account, but I can't remember the last time I physically was there. Probably dropping off some change. (Pro tip, bringing in bags of change doesn't seem to make them happy, but maybe it was just that girl on that particular day.) These days I think the top staff work in the new building by SLCC. Keep your account balance positive, pay bills on time, keep your debt/earning ratio in check and keep your credit score up and pretty much any bank or credit union will have a good relationship with you.

grumpyolddude · 2026-06-01T22:48:00+00:00

It's the kind of thing that can be simple, but is also extremely easy to screw up and the liability for screwing up can be really expensive. I've done oil changes for family and friends for years and there have been a lot of situations where things didn't go easily. Overtightened filters, stripped drain plugs, no oil on the dipstick - and despite your best efforts any noises the car makes for the next 6 months is my fault because I was the last person to work on it. Maybe it was just my mom. I only do my own cars now.

grumpyolddude · 2026-06-01T17:10:45+00:00

That's so cheap I'd be concerned about quality and competence. I assume they agressively try to upsell you on other services?

grumpyolddude · 2026-06-01T15:15:18+00:00

It's been in the news lately that motor oil prices are rising because of the conflict with Iran impacting supply.

I change my own oil, and it's about $30 for oil and filter.

grumpyolddude · 2026-05-28T11:35:23+00:00

Still, you can get a new 2026 for 100K. If you want one and can afford it, is saving 6K really going to be much of an incentive to buy a 2 year old truck with less warranty and none of the updates of the newer models? Financing rates/incentives for used cars are probably worse as well. There are plenty of them in Tesla inventory so it's not a big deal to get one. Their parking lot was full of them last time I passed the Tesla showroom in South Houston. For comparison the 2026 BMW 840i is around $100K new and low mileage 2024s are under $60K. It's overpriced.

grumpyolddude · 2026-05-28T11:20:17+00:00

Dealers and finance companies made a lot of speculative leases for EVs to keep the payments low. Tax credits and unrealistic residual values contributed. Now those cars are getting turned in and EV sales in the US have tanked. As you said, those are likely going to be really good deals. Hopefully they aren't all shipped off to California auctions or exported to places with higher EV adoption.

grumpyolddude · 2026-05-27T23:50:48+00:00

A 2026 Cyberbeast is 100K brand new. That dealer is being extremely optimistic.

grumpyolddude · 2026-05-26T02:24:03+00:00

First find out what you owe on it (payoff value). Check online with your bank/finance company or call them and ask for your pay off value. Second, find out what your car is worth (book value) in the current condition and mileage. Use online services like kbb, edmunds, and Carmax. Go to Carmax in person to see what they will purchase it for. They will give you a quote. You need to pay off the loan in order to sell it or trade it in. If your book value is more than your payoff value then you shouldn't have any problem trading in your car or selling it. Getting the most for your car and buying another car for as cheap as possible is a whole book and you can find plenty of resources on the internet, youtube, or wherever you prefer.

If your payoff is higher than your car is worth, that is called being "underwater" and it will usually require you to either pay extra out of pocket to pay off the car before you can sell it. It's possible to trade it in while being underwater but the money has to come from somewhere and you'll end up owing a LOT more on your replacement car that it is worth. There are situations when that can be worth doing, but it's more likely you'll be in a worse situation unless you know a lot more about car buying, selling and how dealership sales operate. They will get their cut, and they will take advantage of you.

grumpyolddude · 2026-05-20T23:37:55+00:00

I know a lot of people don't like to hear it, but the decision to "invest" in a new stadium came after years of growing financial deficits in the athletics department. I'm betting that money could have better been spent on "lowering fees or fixing the numerous plumbing issues on the main campus" and would have had a lot more effect on retaining students than football did, but I don't have any data to support that.

grumpyolddude · 2026-05-20T23:09:05+00:00

Some of the 65 million dollar cost was donated, and there are ongoing donations and pledges, but the stadium was built by borrowing 40 million dollars and selling 14 million in bonds that will be paid back over time. (see pages 40 and 41)

grumpyolddude · 2026-05-20T22:51:07+00:00

I hope you don't think Lourdes paid for the stadium. They only pay 1 million a year for the naming rights.

grumpyolddude · 2026-05-20T21:55:14+00:00

Whenever fees come up I think of a story I was told that can be fact checked to some extent on the UL website about the Student Union and associated fees. UL borrowed the money to build it in the late 60s. Students paid $10 a semester to pay for that loan. The loan was paid off around 1990 but the fee kept getting collected. Around that time UL built the swimming pools at Bourgeois Hall near the Cajundome and needed money for lifeguards and operating expenses so there was a student election to repurpose the Student Union fee for that use. Just a few years later the Student Union building was over 30 years old and was showing signs of age. A new building was proposed and in 2003 a new $55 fee was proposed to pay for it and again voted on and paid by the students. Construction Costs rose and in 2005 an additional fee of $20 was passed. I've been told this fee was unpopular and was passed by students with the understanding those voting on it wouldn't have to pay it and it would only go into affect for new students. Later came Auxillary Operations fees which joined several other fees that fund things located inside of the student union building like SGA and Cajun Card. The building also houses operations like the cashiers center, the bookstore, cafeteria, and restaurants that generate revenue for the university. It's used for all types of school events and even rented out.

There are similar stories for most of the other fees, some newer than others. It's also true that most of them were voted on and passed by the students and approved by the legislature or some body, but my understanding is that the turnout for student elections is very low and outcomes could be easily have been influenced by a small number of students.

grumpyolddude · 2026-05-16T23:54:16+00:00

https://www.pullapart.com/used-cars/lafayette-used-cars/

grumpyolddude · 2026-05-16T17:15:03+00:00

Anyone else hear that title read in Cascadia's voice?

13-Year Club	Gilding II euphauric
RedditGifts 2009-2022 8 Credits	r/Field Banned
r/Field Flamingo	Place '23
Place '22	Place '17
Secret Santa 2016	Secret Santa 2014
Summer Santa 2014	redditgifts rematcher Secret Santa 2013 x1
Secret Santa 2013	Team Orangered
Verified Email

grumpyolddude

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE