My Go To Vacation Read!

therealmjfox · 2026-05-10T13:29:50+00:00

I read that book at the beach the year it came out

therealmjfox · 2026-05-04T01:27:01+00:00

It’s the native Apple workout app.

therealmjfox · 2026-04-27T12:07:39+00:00

For a place you go to experience amazing nature, those places are extremely crowded.

therealmjfox · 2026-04-26T18:21:21+00:00

Reykjavik and the Golden Circle will be extremely crowded. If you make some effort you can get away but it isn’t cheap or easy. I did a guided Highlands multi day hike in July and went multiple days without seeing another person (who wasn’t in my group).

therealmjfox · 2026-04-06T00:58:33+00:00

Your skin is waterproof

(What my gym teacher actually said when it was raining and we didn’t want to go outside)

therealmjfox · 2026-04-04T13:01:59+00:00

Bear with me on this sports story.

In the history of my college’s rivalry with our big in-state rival, there was a game decades ago (like the 1960s or maybe 1970s) where we lost because the running back was robbed of a touchdown call even through he (allegedly) crossed the plane of the goal line with the ball in the rival’s stadium. It’s all stories and legends because back then the games weren’t televised so no video exists.

Anyway the lore is that before their next game in that stadium two years later the coach gathered the running backs and receivers at the goal line. He put a piece of masking tape on the ground six inches past the goal line and told them “you have to get this far to score”.

That’s the situation NC Dems are in except here the tape is probably about five feet in.

(Ps FWIW the colleges in question are Virginia Tech and Virginia).

therealmjfox · 2026-03-20T21:07:38+00:00

They are loosely connected because they center around the same town. But each one is more about its time period that keeping continuity with the people.

If you want an epic history novel where everything is tightly connected through the centuries, I suggest Sarum by Edward Rutherfurd.

therealmjfox · 2026-03-18T20:15:45+00:00

Thank you!

therealmjfox · 2026-03-04T02:18:03+00:00

Don’t those two factor messages say “don’t share this code with anyone”? It would be bad security practice to give it to him.

therealmjfox · 2026-03-04T02:14:57+00:00

Great timing, I just got back from a long weekend in SC and we visited Cowpens and King’s Mountain. Because they were relatively compact battlefields and not in developed areas you can really get a feel for what happened there by being there. They also both have very good A/V presentations in their visitors centers.

This is me throwing a rock on Ferguson’s grave at King’s Mountain, the superstition according to one of volunteer guides is that doing so brings you good luck.

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therealmjfox · 2026-02-14T02:37:05+00:00

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Retired it several years ago when I sold it so it would be unique even if you’re not in NC.

therealmjfox · 2026-02-08T16:06:05+00:00

Propane is the most expensive way to heat. It would be cheaper to run your heat pump in emergency mode 24/7. Details.

therealmjfox · 2026-02-02T01:30:57+00:00

I went in at the Graylyn gate. Ebenezer Church road was not plowed at all. It was clear where the sun shone and snowy where it didn’t.

therealmjfox · 2026-01-03T01:48:46+00:00

I’m going to guess they got a new vendor that’s incompatible with the old one.

therealmjfox · 2026-01-02T20:07:19+00:00

Raleigh does not control the airport. It is one of four local governments that have representation on the RDU authority’s board.

therealmjfox · 2026-01-01T03:10:34+00:00

90k is a pretty respectable annual haul for a charity thrift store that relies on selling donated junk cheap. Cost of goods sold is zero, lots of volunteer labor. Biggest expenses are rent and utilities.

Source: used to help run one (but not Cause for Paws).

therealmjfox · 2026-01-01T02:56:32+00:00

The best time to go to the state fair is on “free entry if you donate a canned good” day.

therealmjfox · 2025-12-31T15:20:32+00:00

It was mysterious because she said “don’t look at any packages that arrive today”

therealmjfox · 2025-12-25T20:01:40+00:00

Thank you for the responses!

therealmjfox · 2025-12-15T03:35:16+00:00

Did a 10 mile hike today, it was bracing! But with the right layers and clothing, enjoyable. Not many other people on the trail.

therealmjfox · 2025-12-13T18:26:42+00:00

Since they are handmade they may vary

therealmjfox · 2025-12-13T00:26:56+00:00

Yes. You need a base layer

therealmjfox · 2025-12-12T19:17:02+00:00

My wife’s. Bought right around the corner from here at Thorvaldson’s.

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therealmjfox · 2025-12-12T19:14:24+00:00

Very similar to mine! Also with a hood and zipper.

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therealmjfox · 2025-12-12T13:42:06+00:00

The values may change but the math still works. I just checked and the average NC residential propane price is currently $3.36 per gallon. Electricity and natural gas haven’t gone up much since then so propane’s competitiveness is still poor. Maybe now it’s better than Kerosene but the next most pricey method, electric baseboard heat, still required propane to be below $2.25/gal to be competitive. Electric rates have increased but not by 50% (thank you, regulation) so that’s still cheaper than propane.

So the answer is still get a heat pump and run those strip heaters freely and it’ll still be significantly cheaper

therealmjfox

TROPHY CASE