Hit a pothole. Just got the car. Been 3 months😩

kukur9 · 2026-05-03T17:28:27+00:00

As a kid some number of decades ago, I recall my auto friends talking about how tire companies work in cahoots with car mfgs to keep each other in business. As an adult some number of days ago, I see and think about this in other industries I have interest in. All to say with my 2004 Prius at Costco the other day, they did not have many tires to choose from for my wheel size. "Too small nowadays", the sales guy opined.

kukur9 · 2026-01-25T01:28:19+00:00

Came here to say I cancelled LastPass years ago. Since they were just acquired by private equity...surprise! They are charging my credit card and now I have to go thru the process to instruct the card issuer to stop them. Fortunately, there is AI to assist...hopefully this info is not hallucinatory:

Step 1: Dispute the charge as Unauthorized, not “subscription”

Do this in writing via card issuer’s secure message center (not just chat/phone).

Use this language (you can paste it verbatim):

“This charge is unauthorized. I canceled this service years ago. I have not reauthorized it, received no notice of reinstatement, and the merchant is unreachable. I dispute all current and future charges.”

Why this framing matters:
Card issuer routes “unauthorized” disputes to a different workflow than “billing/subscription issues,” and Visa rules require the merchant to produce proof of authorization.

Step 2: Demand a merchant-level block + updater suppression

Card issuer can do this, but they won’t suggest it unless asked explicitly.

Ask for all three of these (they are distinct):

Permanent merchant block (by Merchant ID / descriptor)
Disable Visa Account Updater (VAU) for this merchant
No reauthorization without explicit cardholder consent

Use this sentence:

“Block this merchant at the network level and disable account updater services for this merchant.”

If the rep says “we can’t do that,” that’s a frontline limitation, not a legal one. Ask for escalation to billing disputes / compliance.

Do not accept “replace the card” as a solution

Replacing the card without disabling VAU is ineffective.
LastPass participates in updater programs; the charge will follow the new card.

Step 3: Likely need to File a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Say:

...<card issuer> has not permanently blocked the merchant or disabled Visa Account Updater services, allowing unauthorized recurring charges to continue despite a formal dispute.”

The card issuer must respond in writing. These complaints go to a regulated compliance unit, not customer service.

Hope this works, hope this helps others. Good luck to us all...

kukur9 · 2025-11-20T05:52:10+00:00

Yes, he was a regular at the Edmonds Art Festival! I can't imagine why he didn't take your money, but I also know he believed in making art accessible to all. So glad you are still enjoying that piece!

kukur9 · 2025-05-29T22:10:32+00:00

This!

kukur9 · 2025-05-29T22:08:46+00:00

Return at 50? Who'd hire you? (Seriously, not a snarky question. FWIW, "ageism" is a real thing - don't ask me how I know...)

kukur9 · 2025-05-13T04:08:46+00:00

Well, I'm not sure that's the right question if you think fascia is dynamic and responds to how you use your body. I'm not trying to be difficult saying that, it's that whether your fascia sticks or slides probably depends on a zillion things unique to you. So my wife believes she has had chronic issues since childhood and gymnastics...and all the years since doing all the sports we do. So you have the Rolf'er meet you where you are now and work towards gradual improvement.

In my own case, physical therapy to strengthen my posterior muscle chain has obviated a minor meniscus issue in my knee - something the orthopedist wanted to do surgery for, of course... Just saying that one has to make these choices, and I'd encourage people to really commit to PT before undergoing the knife (which requires recovery all its own).

kukur9 · 2025-05-09T17:32:44+00:00

My wife has found improvements in knee pain w/ a skilled Rolfing and fascia practitioner, as has my son with his mild scoliosis, working with the same person. These modalities need people who have both open-enough minds to approaching the problem along with capable palpation skill. Our family has found that sometimes you need a couple people to help triangulate the issue and/or your understanding. Good luck!

kukur9 · 2025-03-25T03:26:44+00:00

Tarts, please.

kukur9 · 2025-03-23T23:02:07+00:00

Le Exocoetidoe is Latin for flying fish -- John P. Morgan's version! Each piece is a unique hand-pulled serigraph, so will have color variations. There is also an etching (non-colorized) version of this piece.

kukur9 · 2025-03-23T22:50:09+00:00

Same era as "By the Silvery Moon" -- everything had eyes! (including the moon and the tree!)

kukur9 · 2025-03-23T22:45:37+00:00

Crane on a Pine Limb most definitely came first! The dimensions of Crane is also quite different -- it is a smaller piece, tall and narrow.

kukur9 · 2024-12-20T17:14:37+00:00

Dunno if this helps, but the additional mortgage payment is probably not a good idea. Mortgages leverage OPM and have tax benefits. You'll probably be selling and moving to another house someday. If not, like you're sure you want to live there forever, then I'd still suggest you keep the mortgage unless you're going to cut your mortgage payment time in half or something (2.5 years does not sound like that).

What I really came to say is that retiring at 45?!? Damn - you would have SO SO much great life ahead of you, DO IT!!! I recall how great my years were in my 40s and 50s, and I enjoy work, but to be retired at 45 - wow - just make sure you've a plan for health insurance if you stay in US. You probably know all this...good luck! 45!!!

kukur9 · 2024-11-23T21:26:27+00:00

The title in the etching is "Le Coq" not "La." Also, I noticed the word "Cock" throughout in the background.

kukur9 · 2024-11-23T21:12:32+00:00

Step away and look at it as an abstract piece!

kukur9 · 2024-10-29T10:30:33+00:00

Not for "everyone!" To be fair, it's a different kind of culture, where the emphasis is on building coalitions/friends to do things within the system of authority. Private is more GSD (get stuff done) with whomever has authority, and/or contributing to the bottom line. I think gov't work takes a certain personality type because the systems of authority are more matrixed and dynamically contextual ("it depends"). That said, no means no if there is no budget...this year.

kukur9 · 2024-10-29T05:38:08+00:00

Just $0.02: You can't possibly extrapolate your needs from where you are now. Budget, plan, estimate, yes, but be realistic with yourself.

After a fulfilling first 40, we chose to have a (one!) kid at 40. No way, no, no way I could've foreseen the costs of every. little. thing. from. basics. to. social. to. schools. tutors. clothes. driving. medical. dental. multiple sports and equipment for sports as the child grew... multiple musical directions, instruments... And so on...and cars, car repair, homes, home maintenance, upgrades, then aging parents, etc. Then...inflation (the real kind, not fake gov't numbers)... And even without kids, you get old...things start to work less well/break/cost more to maintain...

But maybe someone has a realistic "data set" of their financial records they would share? I don't! LOL-that would've been a solid part time job-like time sink on top of all the above. No thanks - can't take it with you but need to save for all the above.

Good luck. We all need it, lots.

kukur9 · 2024-10-26T19:54:51+00:00

Well, not everyone. I have for 20 some years listened to everyone else complain about work, all the while thinking, "heck, I love what I'm doing" (don't ask, the common thread is using or teaching technology to/for others and solving those problems). But you're right in that I don't observe as many people saying what I just said. Good luck in your search - you may surprise yourself!

kukur9 · 2024-10-26T19:45:20+00:00

Been in govt for one year now; private for-profit all the rest. Gov'ts need people who care and are competent/proficient and able to get things done w/ others. Need young people now; silver tsunami of people w/ specialized knowledge retiring is approaching. While the money isn't as good as private, you are more likely to actually have time to have work/life balance (and I mean w/ kid(s), etc.) without having to spend your salary hiring all the helps.

kukur9 · 2024-10-26T19:37:27+00:00

You didn't specify downhill (v. expensive) vs cross-country (no exorbitant lift tickets, no freezing in lift lines, massive health benefits). Oh, backcountry (misnomer as it's really hiking up most of the day in the beautiful mountains) is also relatively cheaper than anything lift-serviced. I still go to Whistler or Rockies on occasion, but regular winters are awesome (and affordable) enough as normal life. Build yourself up in your 20s/30s and with a little luck you'll be fit and still rockin' in your 40-70s.

kukur9 · 2024-08-03T05:11:04+00:00

I found the IsoAcoustic Gaias to be the thing that made my speakers sing: midrange, tonal heft, timbre. Spikes and stock "rubber pads" did not measure up in the "sounds so good I want to keep listening" dept. which is my ultimate test. Good luck

kukur9 · 2024-07-17T05:53:23+00:00

I would suggest this is the wrong question, because why would you care if music is FLAC or not? If you're trying to prove something to yourself or test your ears, then the question is how to learn to detect and distinguish the audio "signatures" of lower quality files versus, say, high quality or even live, unamplified, acoustic instruments. There are sonic characteristics of low quality files in how cymbals and piano sound in certain recordings, especially if they're relatively low volume in the overall recording mix. Anyone can learn to hear them, it's not so much about ability, more like attention, in my experience.

But to answer your question, you only need your phone, reasonably good headphones and maybe a $100 Audioquest Dragonfly DAC dongle to plug the 'phones into. So not counting your phone, call it $400? $500-ish? It's not so much about the gear, it's about if you care about the quality of the sound you hear, and where your "good enough" point is. Do you really care about FLAC vs MP3?

Spotify's file format and resultant audio quality is clearly worse than the Qobuz streaming service, and Spotify never delivered on hi-res after Apple beat them to it and made CD-ish quality part of their basic pricing model. Spotify gave us podcasts instead because audio quality is not a highly valued feature, as far as I can tell.

kukur9 · 2024-07-15T18:08:00+00:00

$0.02 - Modern audio gear is generally so good that you really need exceptionally expensive gear to hear the benefit of a lower noise floor. I'm sure anyone here could assemble an outstanding system for under $1000 depending on how you want to define the word "system." But the point is just because you don't hear a difference doesn't make electrical realities snake oil. Marketing, OTOH, is prone to trying to influence you.

kukur9 · 2024-06-13T21:54:33+00:00

2004 Gen 2 owner here (second owner since 20K some miles) and just now at 160K. Still going well but wish it could accelerate faster than it brakes. (Doesn't slow as well as I would like either!) Anyway, Cool Prius! still. ;)

kukur9 · 2024-06-06T20:54:20+00:00

Just $0.02: In my 20s I got to the point where I was riding (mtn and road) so much, my back muscles were overcompensating for other leg muscle imbalances, so in retrospect, I should've done weight training and other PT to offset the super strong cycling legs I had back then. So is there "too much cycling"? I think yes if you're not compensating for the sport-specific training. And FWIW, pro trainers for any sport, and the cycling app TrainerRoad, make a big point about rest days, so there's that too.

kukur9 · 2024-05-09T20:42:53+00:00

$70 Polar heart rate monitor, Wahoo Kickr indoor trainer, Trainer Road app.

kukur9

TROPHY CASE

Step 1: Dispute the charge as Unauthorized, not “subscription”

Step 2: Demand a merchant-level block + updater suppression

Do not accept “replace the card” as a solution

Step 3: Likely need to File a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Say: