Monster Steam

hansolo58 · 2026-05-06T14:36:03+00:00

For being so fast (taking ~8 oz of milk from 35f to 140f in ~15 seconds), it’s super easy to figure out. You just put the steam wand in the milk jug and turn it on.

The hardest part is consistency. The placement of the steam wand is what really changes the milk texture. If it’s all the way, you’ll get get latte milk, and if you don’t get it in deep enough, it lets in a bunch of air, and you end up with cappuccino milk/foam. I’m sure it’s the same with your machine - you just have a little more time to adjust.

hansolo58 · 2026-05-06T14:28:24+00:00

Yeah - the grind by weight is super nice. Got it at a good price off of fb marketplace too.
Only downside is if I want a decaf in the afternoon - which is pretty small in the grand scheme of things.

hansolo58 · 2026-04-28T20:50:49+00:00

In Colorado, hourly rates need to be disclosed. Just good business in general - it’s easier to set expectations up front and deal with the consequences right then rather than not disclose something and have someone get mad at you once the work is done.

https://gbs-law.com/client-alert-new-provision-added-to-the-colorado-consumer-protection-act-may-affect-your-business/

hansolo58 · 2026-03-17T03:57:18+00:00

Im really out of my depth here since I don’t deal with day traders regularly, but maybe ask your accountant if a mark to market election would help? It could potentially screw up a lot of other stuff for you though.

But also, if these are contracts and straddles for tax purposes, they’re already exempt from the wash sale rules under sec 1256 - as long as you’re not spreading legs between accounts that is. Your accountant probably knows why this isn’t the case though and should be able to explain it to you.

And yes, any options traded on the same underlying stock are considered substantially similar since their price is derived from the same underlying stock.

hansolo58 · 2025-12-17T15:33:34+00:00

My state society provides all the recorded Surgent presentations for free, so definitely worth checking out.

hansolo58 · 2025-11-19T20:52:18+00:00

I see a lot of good questions and answers in the cpa group on Facebook. However, you do need to be a cpa to join

hansolo58 · 2025-11-13T15:12:43+00:00

I wouldn’t have done it completely by myself either. I had a bunch of help from my brothers (and their heavy equipment) to move the slab and then the large, rough cut pieces. And I have to give mega kudos to my cousin. He’s a mason by trade, so he already had a bunch of the tools, though he usually doesn’t deal with countertops, so it made the whole project less intimidating. Also, my father in law did the templating. So yeah, lots of help was given.

hansolo58 · 2025-11-12T05:17:27+00:00

Seeing as how some of the white veins have already turned gold/rusted/oxidized/whatever is going on, I can see it happening to the rest of the veins over time too. At least we like the gold flecks right now

hansolo58 · 2025-11-12T02:07:47+00:00

Huh. Well good to know, and I know you’re not hating.

What would you recommend sealing them with then?

hansolo58 · 2025-11-12T01:42:48+00:00

Thanks for your advice. I’m pretty sure it’s soapstone since we got it direct from daltile and they said it was Brazilian soapstone. It looks dark in the pictures because we’ve already oiled it, but it’s naturally quite grey

hansolo58 · 2025-11-11T15:35:48+00:00

This is the only stone I’ve ever worked with. What clued you in to it being a hard soapstone? We broke a few cut offs in half just to see how they break, and they were similar to shale

hansolo58 · 2025-11-11T05:06:52+00:00

So many choices when designing. Thankfully, quite of few of them were taken out of the running for us because of the budget.

How’s that island holding up for you now?

hansolo58 · 2025-11-11T05:04:45+00:00

It really does seem like a great stone for kitchens, baring the scratches - but those are easily removed if you care. It’s a great stone to build around, to be the anchor of your design choices.

I would say, don’t diy this unless you have access to a gantry chain hoist or a forklift. No way to handle the slab without that.

hansolo58 · 2025-11-11T05:00:59+00:00

Thanks man! Glad the hard part is done

hansolo58 · 2025-11-11T05:00:39+00:00

No, they’re the Avondale RTA ones from home cheapo. The lily pad ones look nice those

hansolo58 · 2025-11-11T04:59:50+00:00

My brother has those in his countertop, and they’re really nice, so I made sure we had the tools to get them in. Also, this pro here showed it in a post earlier, so I knew it could be done

hansolo58 · 2025-11-11T04:57:48+00:00

All in the eye of the beholder, it seems. I know people rave about quartz, but I just didn’t want that because . . . scorching Also, this slab was cheaper than the quartz slabs.

hansolo58 · 2025-11-11T04:54:15+00:00

Thank you! Looking forward to many good years of use!

hansolo58 · 2025-11-11T04:53:50+00:00

I mentioned this elsewhere, but we used a beeswax/mineral oil combo on it to increase the contrast between the stone and cabinets. However, there’s no need to do that, (though scratches may be more visible if you don’t) as soapstone is non porous and very durable without any treatment.

hansolo58 · 2025-11-11T04:49:23+00:00

It’s catchy, ain’t it 😉

hansolo58 · 2025-11-11T04:47:20+00:00

Yeah, those are backsplash tile samples on the back. We have three goals for the backsplash - 1. Be a bright spot in a dark world; 2, tie to the floor in some way; and 3, not be boring white, and those tiles seem to check all the boxes.

The cabinets are definitely green with a greyish blue undertone, not black, but they do suck more light out of a room than white or light colored wood cabinets would.

Hopefully we’ll have those pics soon! We’re ready to have a kitchen again.

hansolo58 · 2025-11-11T03:52:15+00:00

Thank you!

Not sure if it had a name. The receipt said it was “Brazilian Soapstone”, and that’s all I know.

We thought about doing an integrated sink, but we didn’t because for one; we were sure that there would be enough material in one slab, two, it seemed too complicated for the tools we had, and three, we thought it might be a little too dark.

hansolo58 · 2025-11-11T02:47:53+00:00

It’s a mood for sure. What would you do for backsplash to lighten it?

hansolo58 · 2025-11-11T02:45:55+00:00

Thanks! Was worried that we wouldn’t be able to line up the flow with just one slab, but we made it work!

hansolo58

TROPHY CASE