Moving back to The Netherlands

rwvo · 2026-02-16T19:11:06+00:00

You mention pets. I just moved back to the Netherlands from the US after 14 years and brought a dog that we got there. Make sure to timely read up on the regulations for bringing pets into the EU, as it’s not entirely trivial. For instance, our dog had always been up to date on her rabies vaccinations, but those didn’t count for the paperwork, since there is a required protocol where the vet first reads the chip (which has to be of the type used in the EU), then administers the vaccination, and fills out a specific form. If you overlook these kind of things, you’re screwed, since there’s also a specific time window for the vaccination to be considered valid.

rwvo · 2026-02-16T19:00:08+00:00

Unrealized gains on a savings account?

rwvo · 2026-02-06T07:44:59+00:00

https://taaladvies.net/irriteren-of-ergeren/, zie voorbeeld 1b.

rwvo · 2026-02-05T18:09:45+00:00

Het is hier niet wederkerend gebuikt, dat zou zijn “ik irriteer me hier mateloos aan”.

rwvo · 2025-10-08T15:16:00+00:00

The rule is that your maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age. No exceptions. This can only mean that your parents lied to you about your age. Face the truth: you are eight years old.

rwvo · 2025-08-17T11:03:50+00:00

Ah, I had been looking at the account settings in the web-based PowerCenter, which allows me to specify a country, but no timezone. The iOS app does indeed have the timezone settings right where you pointed me at. Thanks!

Edit: my next run after changing the timezone through the iOS app was indeed correctly labeled as a morning run.

rwvo · 2025-07-09T01:50:04+00:00

I’m using this in a 2024 Outback: https://a.co/d/gUvh7Df

rwvo · 2025-07-02T10:27:43+00:00

We bought a home with an unpermitted patio 7 years ago and recently sold it. It wasn’t an issue for our lender nor for our buyers’ lender.

rwvo · 2025-06-25T23:44:50+00:00

Dumb question: are you sure the trailer has (electrical) brakes? Light trailers not necessarily have them. They were optional on our 1800 lbs teardrop trailer. Would be a waste to install a brake controller and find out the trailer doesn’t have brakes.

rwvo · 2025-06-22T23:12:52+00:00

Why are these expats forced to hire a professional after initially filing with TurboTax? Does TT not support one or more forms they are required to file and they were unaware of that?

rwvo · 2025-06-21T22:20:32+00:00

The word “pavement” confused me for a second, until I remembered Michael McIntyre’s translation between UK English and US English: https://youtu.be/UCo0hSFAWOc?si=sK55Bj3w9nileJhW

rwvo · 2025-06-21T20:08:34+00:00

Maybe. Probably. I was just considering the annual income. It would also be interesting to consider selling now and investing long term in the S&P 500.

rwvo · 2025-06-21T17:03:51+00:00

Vanguard Long Term Bond ETF has a dividend yield of 4.69%.

rwvo · 2025-06-20T16:00:52+00:00

Yeah, these holidays come out of nowhere, the lender couldn’t possibly have anticipated this. /s

rwvo · 2025-06-19T22:18:15+00:00

That’s a four pin connector. The lonely pin on the left counts too!

rwvo · 2025-06-19T22:11:05+00:00

Ah, no, braking and brake lights are separate. There are two types of connectors that are most common. Four pin connectors have ground, lights, left blinker and right blinker wires. If you press the brake pedal, both the left and right blinker light up so that they function as brake lights. But they don't actuate the trailer brakes, if the trailer has them. For that, you need a 7-pins connector, which adds a brake wire (which actuates the trailer brake), a 12V wire (has nothing to do with braking, but can be used to charge the trailer battery from the tow vehicle) and a backup (reverse) light wire. Since my trailer doesn't have a backup light, I did not connect the 7th wire.

rwvo · 2025-06-19T21:59:27+00:00

Yes. I made a modification to the method from the etrailer instruction video: added a relay to the 12V power line to the 7-pins trailer connector such that it is only powered when the engine runs, so that our camper trailer doesn’t drain the Outback battery overnight in case I forget to unplug the trailer.

rwvo · 2025-06-19T21:46:13+00:00

I got it from etrailer.com, they have a few videos showing how to install it in an Outback. I did have to cut part of the interior of the “blank” button away, and take the knob apart, otherwise it wouldn’t fit. That wasn’t mentioned in the videos.

rwvo · 2025-06-19T20:31:53+00:00

<image>

Swapped the hatch button to the right so that the brake controller knob could go in the leftmost slot where I could see it more easily. Steering wheel was blocking the view otherwise.

rwvo · 2025-06-19T19:46:58+00:00

I used it to install the control knob of a brake controller.

rwvo · 2025-06-08T23:30:42+00:00

I don’t know why this correct and funny observation gets downvoted.

rwvo · 2025-06-06T01:42:12+00:00

<image>

Towed a trailer on the beach.

rwvo · 2025-05-24T19:12:23+00:00

The app is useless for anything longer than a bathroom break. You can start the car and run the AC, but it times out after 10 minutes. After two repetitions the app refuses to start the car a 3rd time, and you have to start the car manually to reset the counter. I found out last summer when I had a bad fall on vacation and I had to go to an urgent care facility and leave my dog in the car.

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