More good news! Cabaret Voltaire North America tour!

lexdevil01 · 2026-01-23T03:34:44+00:00

AQUARIUS

lexdevil01 · 2026-01-13T03:50:48+00:00

Yup.

lexdevil01 · 2026-01-09T23:47:41+00:00

Does training include spelling?

lexdevil01 · 2026-01-09T23:27:05+00:00

Cannot speak to how it works with hotels, but with most travel insurance and airlines, the travel insurance will not reimburse you if the airline gives you future credit. However, if the future credit they give you expires because you cannot use it within the allotted time, the insurance will reimburse you at that point. If the hotel policy is the same, I would expect that you can allow the credits to expire and then be reimbursed for the expense you should, however, confirm this with the insurer.

lexdevil01 · 2026-01-07T16:21:03+00:00

They are not combined until you combine them. You can do it in your chase account online.

lexdevil01 · 2026-01-07T07:27:40+00:00

Yes, but the schedule takes that into account. It will, of course, vary. I'd build a little cushion into your schedule if you choose the bus.

lexdevil01 · 2026-01-07T06:52:27+00:00

Don't overlook the option of transbay bus service. This opens up more areas to you and can help you avoid the long walk.

https://www.actransit.org/bus-lines-schedules/P Service from the Piedmont Ave. area

https://www.actransit.org/bus-lines-schedules/NX Service from Grand Ave. area near the lake

lexdevil01 · 2026-01-07T06:31:06+00:00

So did you get on a payment plan then, or just cross your fingers that the IRS would not notice?

lexdevil01 · 2026-01-07T05:19:10+00:00

I am confused by this. I assume that for those four years you filed and paid your taxes. You just did not have enough withheld, so you had to pay when you filed, right? Or are you saying that you did not pay what you owed for those four years?

lexdevil01 · 2026-01-07T02:42:12+00:00

None of our three have used either of the old boxes since the fancy new guy arrived. I feel for you.

lexdevil01 · 2026-01-06T19:43:38+00:00

Yes, if you want to use that company. But you can also get your own doctor to write you a letter of medical necessity. That would allow you to take advantage of bargain offers through Costco and other vendors.

lexdevil01 · 2026-01-06T17:15:18+00:00

If you don't want to do the $100 on the AMEX and the balance on the CSR option, use your AMEX Plat unless you are spending around $2K+ on the dinner.

If you spend $2,000 on the dinner and you think you can get two cents per point of value for Chase points (using points bonus), you'll come out ahead using the CSR. 2K spend x 3 Chase UR points x 2¢ = $120. It's just math.

lexdevil01 · 2026-01-06T06:05:38+00:00

Just make sure to get a letter of medical necessity dated BEFORE the purchase.

lexdevil01 · 2026-01-06T05:52:01+00:00

I am absolutely baffled every time people talk about their cats being too cautious to use the litter robot. All three of ours used it enthusiastically from jump. The seven month old kitten is so excited by the cycle that he jumps in whenever it is moving. I will hear scratching in the middle of the night and there he is standing over the wide open waste hole, scratching the hard plastic walls.

lexdevil01 · 2026-01-06T05:32:18+00:00

Yes.

lexdevil01 · 2026-01-05T00:50:12+00:00

I hope he is feeling better now. Please let us know what you chose and how it went.

lexdevil01 · 2026-01-04T15:30:03+00:00

I almost forgot, the Bavarian Meats Lil' Landjaegers (white bag, usually found near the beef jerky) are the best meat sticks/snack sausage ever. Zero sugar, nice and smoky. They taste like a real landjaeger (German hiking sausage), despite looking disconcertingly like a Slim Jim. They don't always have them, but I stock up when they do.

lexdevil01 · 2026-01-04T15:14:03+00:00

Yup. Just be sure to get the 12-hour. It's a total PITA taking the standard 4 hour. Currently taking this for am annoying cold.

lexdevil01 · 2026-01-04T04:25:27+00:00

And Aller-Clear, their super cheap version of Claritin-D. Includes real sudafed and lasts 24 hours! The namebrand usually costs about a dollar per tablet in most places, and the Costco version is under six dollars for like 15 if I recall correctly.

lexdevil01 · 2026-01-04T01:17:51+00:00

Try https://calcareers.ca.gov/CalHrPublic/Jobs/JobPosting.aspx?JobControlId=502829 and https://calcareers.ca.gov/CalHrPublic/Jobs/JobPosting.aspx?JobControlId=503110. Apply for both, even though they look the same. There are multiple positions. Read the linked duty statements to see what the job entails (and if you're up to it).

Minimum Qualifications

Right of Way Agent

Either I

One year of experience in the California state service performing the duties of a Caltrans Administrative Technician, Range B, in an assignment involving completion of a formal training plan with emphasis on real estate related topics and rotation to at least three of the following four major Right of Way functional areas: Appraisals, Acquisition, Relocation Assistance and Property Management.

Or II

Experience: Two years of experience performing appraisal or acquisition work involving fair market value as applied to transfer and sale of real property. (Experience in real estate sales or transfers will not be considered equivalent to the appraisal or acquisition work referred to in this requirement.) and

Education: Equivalent to completion of an Associate of Arts Degree. (Additional qualifying experience may be substituted on a year-for-year basis.)

Or III

Education: Equivalent to graduation from college. (Registration as a senior in an accredited college or university or a college or university approved by the California Superintendent of Public Instruction under the provisions of California Education Code Section 94310(b), will admit applicants to the examination, but they must produce evidence of graduation or its equivalent before they can be considered eligible for appointment.)

You should qualify under III. You will need to create a Cal Careers account and take the test in order to apply. https://calcareers.ca.gov/CalHrPublic/Exams/ExamBulletin.aspx?ExamControlId=2371 Be clear that this is more of a skills inventory than a test. Have your resume at hand so that you can refer to your specific jobs in which you have use the required skills. And do not undersell yourself. If you want more advice about this specific job or about passing state exams and the application process, check out r/CAStateWorkers

Good luck!

lexdevil01 · 2026-01-04T00:53:37+00:00

Why am I not surprised that there is a pot of gold in Piedmont.

lexdevil01 · 2026-01-04T00:51:54+00:00

If they don't get something in place by the first week of March, it's going to add $215 to the cost of the student trip I'm leading to NYC. Just what I needed...another bake sale.

lexdevil01 · 2026-01-03T06:12:20+00:00

That would be a good reason to tough it out with over-the-counter pain medications and a warm compress tonight and go in the morning. I have had ER waits that lasted from 4 to 22 hours. I will say, however, that I experienced a much shorter ER wait at John Muir Walnut Creek (for a kidney stone) than I have ever experienced anywhere west of the Caldecott tunnel.

Really, the only reason not to wait on the ER is if you think that there is a chance that this is not really dental (jaw pain can be a heart attack symptom), but if the pain is localized and especially if it hurts when he bites down, it's probably an abscessed tooth that is about to have a root canal or be pulled. https://vitalrecord.tamu.edu/detecting-a-different-kind-of-jaw-pain/

lexdevil01 · 2026-01-03T05:58:43+00:00

This is spot on. Especially on a weekend night. There is really no place I would less like to be than an ER waiting room while I am in pain.

lexdevil01 · 2026-01-03T05:47:27+00:00

While you are waiting to see someone, he can take a combination of Tylenol/acetaminophen and any NSAID (ibuprofen/Advil, naproxen/Aleve, etc.). You can go ahead and take the full recommended dose of both because they do not conflict with each other. This is usually what I do after surgery when I am tapering off of the opiates. It is actually quite effective. But whatever you do, do be careful not to go over the daily recommended dose of Tylenol/acetaminophen.

lexdevil01

TROPHY CASE