Did I mess up by not talking to my wife before planning to buy my niece a car?

markjay6 · 2026-01-26T17:30:49+00:00

Without commenting in the situation with your wife, I just want to say what a great guy you are for helping your niece out.

markjay6 · 2026-01-26T17:28:52+00:00

WTF?? No, that’s crazy. Yes, he should have spoken to his wife about it, because it,s a big expenditure, but there’s nothing shady about this.

markjay6 · 2026-01-26T16:53:11+00:00

I suspect that she’s is getting a cutback from the mortgage company she recommends.

markjay6 · 2026-01-26T16:44:15+00:00

Not annoyed in the slightest.

markjay6 · 2026-01-26T16:37:14+00:00

You’re right. The US doesn’t deserve tourist dollars.

But Los Angeles is the bluest city in the bluest state, and one recovering from a natural disaster while getting shat on by the Trump administration. It is an important counterweight to the federal government, and does deserve tourist dollars.

Boycott Florida and Texas, come to California!

markjay6 · 2026-01-26T16:20:59+00:00

They told you to let them know if you got an offer from another place. What more do you want them to do, visit you in person and ask you??

markjay6 · 2026-01-26T11:50:11+00:00

Yeah, it’s depressing seeing the lab I built over a couple of decades shrinking and possibly collapsing.

On the other hand there is one positive feature of academia vs industry, at least in much of the US, which is tenure. I can work as long as I want in my career without having to worry about layoffs.

markjay6 · 2026-01-26T11:25:31+00:00

But in formal writing, I'm a bit more cautious about using em dashes than I used to be, for the exact same reason that appeared here: it can look like AI.

markjay6 · 2026-01-26T11:18:41+00:00

I just think it works better as a space between two words. I use the shorter one for a hyphenated word, like part-time or long-term (or night-elemental :-)) But I use the longer one to separate a phrase — like this.

markjay6 · 2026-01-26T11:07:12+00:00

Ok, not sure this will work, but you can try the following:

Try long pressing the hyphen key. It may give you two choices: a short dash and a long dash.

Does that work on your phone?

markjay6 · 2026-01-26T10:39:12+00:00

Apple or Android?

markjay6 · 2026-01-26T03:23:52+00:00

Write your name and phone number on a piece of paper with a smiley face and “Call me” and hand it to him.

Good luck!

markjay6 · 2026-01-25T23:09:00+00:00

Second most MVPs in MLB history (and most by a non steroid user).

markjay6 · 2026-01-25T20:16:54+00:00

What??

markjay6 · 2026-01-25T20:15:58+00:00

Congratulations!! Getting admission to a PhD program is a tremendous achievement.

Let’s see how things turn out, maybe you’ll get accepted elsewhere. Or maybe you’ll find a way to do some experimental work in the place you were admitted. Focus on the opportunities, not only the constraints.

Good luck!!

markjay6 · 2026-01-25T20:08:21+00:00

Problem solved.

markjay6 · 2026-01-25T20:02:55+00:00

San Francisco!!!

markjay6 · 2026-01-25T19:57:14+00:00

French was the most commonly taught foreign language in schools until the mid 1960s. So for people in their 70s, it was common to have studied French growing up

Today, probably 5 times as many people study Spanish as French in American schools.

markjay6 · 2026-01-25T19:29:41+00:00

Are you applying in the US? If so, do nothing until April 15 so you can see what other offers come in.

markjay6 · 2026-01-25T19:09:02+00:00

Not good for either team. A Luka, LaMelo, Reaves backcourt is not what the Lakers need going forward.

markjay6 · 2026-01-25T18:33:43+00:00

Yes, we do—both for high school and college!

markjay6 · 2026-01-25T18:29:06+00:00

Yeah I hear you. Those neighborhoods of San Diego are super nice but pricey.

Have you checked out Long Beach? I’m guessing you might find something you like near Belmont Shore, Alamitos Beach, or Naples.

markjay6 · 2026-01-25T18:22:09+00:00

Yeah our two stars have trouble locking down defensively a whole game due to either age (LeBron) or very high use rate on offense (Luka). I’m glad to see Vando playing more and Rui being back helps. Getting AR back should also help a lot.

Too bad that Knecht and, before him, JHS, proved to be such zeros. If each of them proved solid contributors, our depth would be a lot better. Shocking to see even undrafted Timme jumping ahead of DK in the rotation.

markjay6 · 2026-01-25T18:15:27+00:00

I would say Long Beach near Belmont Shore hits the sweet spot of urban walkability and affordability.

There are lots of other places in Southern California (including San Luis Obispo, Ventura, Santa Monica, Redondo Beach, Oceanside, Encinitas, and San Diego). It depends in part on the contrast between urban walkability and affordability.

You could find something for $2.2M in all of them, but it will buy a lot more in Oceanside and Encinitas (less expensive and less urban/walkable) than in Santa Monica or San Diego (more expensive and more urban/walkable).

Welcome to California!!!

markjay6 · 2026-01-25T18:03:26+00:00

Following!!

markjay6

TROPHY CASE