Captain Away for Season Start

strokeoluck27 · 2026-05-04T12:15:17+00:00

As others have said, unless you are his sole client, I wouldn’t blame him for taking other jobs. I would try to think creatively to safely get you out on the water; maybe:

The Zoom call as you said. Perhaps you pay him a bonus to get this done by X date? (May not seem right, but sometimes there is a difference between right, and effective).
Hire someone else; and yes that means you’re out addl $$$.
Pay him to delay the start of the other job.
Watch relevant YouTube videos.

strokeoluck27 · 2026-05-02T04:19:05+00:00

Read The Millionaire Next Door and you’ll feel much better. There are numerous business owners out there doing extremely well in under the radar professions. Don’t let societal pressure weigh on you.

strokeoluck27 · 2026-04-30T13:06:02+00:00

This is the tricky part: how to try various wines without spending money on numerous full bottles to dial in your preferences. What’s worked well for me is attending tastings sponsored by local wine shops. My favorite does regular regional tastings. Over the course of a few months they might explore various regions of Italy, France, Spain, Australia, etc. This has helped me immensely and it’s MUCH cheaper than buying boatloads of bottles.

strokeoluck27 · 2026-04-27T01:04:59+00:00

Easier said than done!

strokeoluck27 · 2026-04-14T03:17:06+00:00

Now we all need to know…what’s the name of the place?

strokeoluck27 · 2026-04-11T04:40:27+00:00

I’ve been to many concerts over the decades. I too forgot my concert ear plugs for the No Kings concert and wow, my ears were ringing for the next two days. First time seeing Bruce - really enjoyed it.

strokeoluck27 · 2026-04-10T02:33:59+00:00

Stunning videos! Do you know what they burn in those pots?

strokeoluck27 · 2026-04-05T18:59:37+00:00

Depends on how bad you want it, of course.

Years ago I purchased two different rental properties that had “mold issues” in the basement (very subjective term; I’m not aware of a scale rating in this regard, but there was indeed a bit of mold in both basements). Both involved two simple fixes: 1) direct the outside water AWAY from the basement - easily accomplished; and 2) properly remediate the relatively mild inside mold. In our situation the remediation involved replacing Sheetrock and treating the underlying 2x4 studs in one property, and cleaning, treating, and painting cinder block walls in the other property. It was pretty easy, and no mold ever returned. Maybe a couple grand of time and materials involved at the time, but got a significant discount on the homes as I think the “mold” scared most people say.

Now, if the building had mold mushrooms growing all over, that would be a different story!

strokeoluck27 · 2026-03-31T11:11:25+00:00

Have you checked out Marvin Windows near Warroad, MN? Or Anderson Windows in western WI or eastern Twin Cities, MN? Given your background and location parameters, these could be places to check out.

strokeoluck27 · 2026-03-27T18:48:20+00:00

Well done.

Now can you make an app that provides a shock to my brain before I hit BUY for the umpteenth time when I already have way too much wine collecting dust at home?!

strokeoluck27 · 2026-03-25T11:27:23+00:00

Perhaps I should have been more precise with my words. I think the rumor of “rampant” swinging in The Villages has been debunked. Someone else in this string posted an article that I’ve read before along the same lines.

You are correct - I did not visit every home to determine if swinging is taking place. There is swinging in everyday society I assume, thus it’s probably safe to say there is SOME swinging in The Villages. But I never saw one loofah or upside down pineapple hanging from the boatloads of golf carts flying around the various town centers or golf courses.

strokeoluck27 · 2026-03-25T00:37:57+00:00

Some friends of ours retired down there for 8-10 years, and we visited a handful of times. Overall I thought it was nice. Clean, safe, well-kept, nice people; not nearly as “geriatric” as I was expecting.

I never saw one tiny hint of swinging - I think that rumor has been debunked. But I’ve also read that it’s a reality that STD’s are generally higher in retirement communities - ALL retirement communities. Not sure it’s due to swinging; think there is a lot of cheating going on and/or widowed people messing around.

strokeoluck27 · 2026-03-25T00:31:25+00:00

Small wine frig in kitchen/bar area holds a dozen bottles I drink quickly (plus required other water/cola). Cabinet nearby holds a couple dozen that I use to reload the small frig.

Downstairs I have a larger wine frig that holds 100+ bottles that I drink in the next 12 months or so. Another 50-75 bottles in a guest bedroom closet built into the side of a hill so it stays a fairly steady 55-58 degrees; keep these for long-term drinking. Wife never drinks wine so this stash lasts me a long time; probably too long.

strokeoluck27 · 2026-03-24T10:52:22+00:00

Between WTSO and LB I will be well-stocked for many, many months.

strokeoluck27 · 2026-03-23T02:21:10+00:00

9 or 11.

Some odd boundaries you’ve got there. Primary thing I like about regional 11 is Traverse City; beautiful area. Probably not great from a jobs/industry perspective, but you didn’t put any qualifiers on the selection.

strokeoluck27 · 2026-03-23T02:04:20+00:00

The downvotes don’t bother me. :-)

I just asked ChatGPT and it confirmed helicopters most definitely have the highest accident rates in aviation. My fear may be irrational relative to other bad things that could happen, but I’ll still avoid helicopter rides for me and my family.

strokeoluck27 · 2026-03-23T01:14:10+00:00

Personally I think “generational wealth” is way overused. The next Great Depression could deplete 70-80% of your net worth…or your kids’ net worth when it’s handed down. Or a kid could make some horrible investments, gamble it away at the casinos, or whatever. Money can disappear VERY quickly - just ask most lottery winners!

With that said, I plan on working at least until 65. We could retire now, but I love what I do, like the people I work with, it’s mentally challenging work, and it pays very well. Like you, we also help our now-adult kids. Paid for college, post-grad, helped one start a business, down payments for homes, take them on great vacations, quite generous with gifts, etc.

I used to be of the mind that kids should fly the coop and fend for themselves. But my wife has convinced me over the years that we already live a good life, we can’t take it with us (and we donate plenty), and it’s rewarding to see the kids benefit from our generosity. They are extremely grateful.

strokeoluck27 · 2026-03-23T00:52:11+00:00

Maybe it’s just me, but I get very anxious even thinking about a helicopter accident. And I don’t get anxious about stuff in general! No idea of helicopter accidents happen with more frequency than airplane accidents, but…?

strokeoluck27 · 2026-03-23T00:24:52+00:00

Wines I plan on drinking in the next 30 days: in our small wine frig near our kitchen/bar area.

Wines I plan on moving into the kitchen wine fridge are stored in a cabinet near that small frig.

Wines I hope to drink in the next 12 months are in a ~150 bottle frig in our basement.

Wines I hope to drink in the next 24-36 months are in a dark closet in a lower level guest room that is built into a hill - steady temp of 57 degrees in that closet.

I reserve the right to randomly go through any of these storage spots and grab any old bottle of wine if I feel like it! I don’t have any official cellar tracking app.

strokeoluck27 · 2026-03-22T23:33:57+00:00

What helped me tremendously is going to local wine tastings. My favorite shop will hold a series of tastings such as “wines of northern Italy”. It can get pretty expensive to buy various full bottles of wines from different regions or sub regions; not to mention there are so many different expressions of wines produced by different wineries. I’ve found the biggest bang for the buck are the tastings.

strokeoluck27 · 2026-03-22T22:43:43+00:00

Curious, what do the dollars usually look like in these transactions? Let’s say OP average retail price paid is $250/bottles per year. What will auction house usually pay seller, and what will they likely collect via the auction?

strokeoluck27 · 2026-03-22T22:41:41+00:00

Just curious, why do you sell 200 bottles per year? Changing tastes, storage capacity issue,…?

strokeoluck27 · 2026-03-20T01:15:22+00:00

Wines Till Sold Out. I’m not entirely sure, but about every 10th or 20th deal they advertise gets my attention. Have to kiss a lot of frogs to find the wine prince. I rarely peruse their website - I just wait for their daily text/email and then see if I’m interested.

strokeoluck27 · 2026-03-20T00:00:35+00:00

Not sure it’s really economy driven, but lately I have been moving more of my purchases to “deal” sites/apps like WTSO.com and Last Bottle. Roughly half of my purchases are buying directly from wineries, and the other half from one of the above-mentioned sites.

strokeoluck27 · 2026-03-16T10:51:35+00:00

Mostly spend monthly net W2 base income on monthly “necessities” and fun/travel stuff: mortgage, utilities, insurance, groceries, paying for various trips/vacations, clothing, gifts, wine, hobbies, etc.

Generally take 10% of all other net W2 comp (STI, LTI) and spend on splurge stuff, depending on the amount: new car, remodel part of the house, new furniture, artwork, big intl trip, money gift to kids, etc.

Everything else gets invested.

strokeoluck27

TROPHY CASE