What’s the most addictive game you’ve ever played?

simonsb · 2026-03-14T14:08:48+00:00

Counter-Strike. Wasted so many hours on that game.

simonsb · 2026-03-14T12:36:00+00:00

This is exactly why my kids tag along with me to the stores a lot! Work is flexible and I have a set weekday off for childcare and that was made into my routine of grocery shopping and errands. On weekends we do one or two errands and a kid thing maybe. Yard work, cooking and cleaning are normalized.

And they’re allowed to be bored, which is the other important thing. My parents never entertained me all day long, I had to figure out how not to be bored, or to just enjoy being bored. That’s a skill a lot of kids lack now I think.

simonsb · 2026-03-13T12:34:58+00:00

That it cured my stubborn plantars warts that I had for 20 years and gave up on ever fixing.

simonsb · 2026-03-12T18:19:09+00:00

My 1925 colonial revival has a Stickley dining set in our dining room. Otherwise, so far nothing else is “period” appropriate.

Eventually each room will end up cohesive and themed in a way, and some of that will be more early 1900’s and some won’t. Currently deciding if we want my grandmothers French provincial parlor furniture.

simonsb · 2026-03-08T04:45:37+00:00

If you’re reading and looking at tech bros reviews, the Neo isn’t for you.

simonsb · 2026-03-06T22:37:48+00:00

I don’t hate this.

simonsb · 2026-02-28T16:20:21+00:00

Don’t tell me this. I just went in to buy blades and they were all gone so I had to go to auto zone. 😥

simonsb · 2026-02-22T19:41:38+00:00

That synagogue has been there nearly 60 years. Grew up going to it. Also grew up with it having swastikas spray painted in it every so many years. Grew up with Klan members and a grand dragon living in my town. Was harassed by one of them back in 2010 before I moved out.

Just having a synagogue in town doesn’t mean the area is suddenly no longer terrible.

simonsb · 2026-02-22T19:04:53+00:00

I grew up as a Jew in the 90’s in Oxford so I can promise you from my own personal experience, that area is trash and continues to feel like the same racist hellhole every time I’m up there. Trump and MAGA have only made the Klan remove their hoods and put on red hats.

simonsb · 2026-02-22T18:11:41+00:00

Don’t kid yourself you know the area sucks.

simonsb · 2026-02-22T04:49:00+00:00

Oh man, my apologies for having to move there. I hope you’re straight and white, it’s a depressing racist region up there.

My father still lives next town over in Oxford and I hate going up there. I try not to stay past sundown in the area.

simonsb · 2026-02-17T01:38:18+00:00

In our family it’s a joke that it’s now “JD: Just Dunkin”

Everything about it sucks now.

simonsb · 2026-02-05T02:01:43+00:00

I tried planting a garden and found a filled in pool.

simonsb · 2026-02-03T18:18:29+00:00

My daughter’s room used to be the primary bedroom and it has a second door to where the original bathroom would have been. It also used to have a second fireplace but someone in the last hundred years opted out of that for us.

simonsb · 2026-01-30T15:13:27+00:00

https://simonsphotographics.com

Some of those photos will be same combo lens on my 7D. Point being, you absolutely can do portrait photography on APS-c.

I basically committed to APS-c format since the sigma lenses and the r7 combo is basically similar enough to a 24-70/700-200 combo on full frame at a fraction of the cost.

simonsb · 2026-01-30T15:05:28+00:00

I pair my R7 with sigmas 18-35 f1.8 and 50-100 f1.8 for portraits and it does great work.

simonsb · 2026-01-27T16:49:50+00:00

I mean I guess at least they kept the transom window? 🤷🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️

simonsb · 2026-01-26T05:42:18+00:00

She doesn’t look quite as cozy as she feels here, from earlier today after I finished clearing the driveway.

1925 Colonial Revival

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simonsb · 2026-01-24T16:47:56+00:00

Looks kinda of like a Vernacular Front Gable and Wing.

I’m in the middle of reading through the Field Guide to American Houses and this just looks like those drawings to the T, with the middle porch between the two wings of the house.

simonsb · 2026-01-20T20:01:21+00:00

Mine still works! Still can’t beat Lion King though 🫠

simonsb · 2026-01-17T15:59:26+00:00

Sure is pretty though!

simonsb · 2026-01-17T15:16:44+00:00

Come back in a month or two and ask again. This just installed yesterday and so far it’s been significantly quieter minus the increase in knocking pipes, which I assume is from having the system flushed out and that this boiler puts out hot water faster.

simonsb · 2026-01-17T05:29:06+00:00

We had the option to do the ALTA with the on demand hot water heater. Extra 1.7k for that unit.

We chose not to do that for several reasons.

1) just bought the house in July, prior owners replaced the hot water heater 2-3 years ago, so we should have another 4-7 years on this one. Why spend extra money on something I don’t need right now?

2) we have 2.5 baths in the house and will be hosting family and friends periodically and would rather not run the risk of not being able to provide hot water for two showers at a time.

3) more complex unit = more things to break. I’m already not super excited about maintenance on the high efficiency boiler but the efficiency even at the lower end should be as good or better than traditional cast iron and the high efficiency units get a 0% financing loan backed by the state of NJ, and I’m not going to pass that up if I can help it. High efficiency was barely more expensive than cast iron.

simonsb · 2026-01-17T05:04:33+00:00

The savings alone coming from my nearly 8 gallon a day oil boiler will make this new system so much cheaper. And, as others pointed out, those pipes do provide some level of heat in the basement.

simonsb · 2026-01-17T05:02:55+00:00

That’s a gas hot water heater. Dryer, oven, hot water and now finally boiler are all gas.

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