AlDente67

So the boss went to the basement for some laundry and noticed the water heater was giving up the ghost. We have 5 people that need to shower, so being without hot water would be a nightmare. It wasn't yet spewing, but there was an obvious hole developing where one should not be. Only a matter of time... So I start to call around and get answers like "We can be there next Tuesday..." So much for emergency service, but anyway... Only one outfit was able to send a guy same day out of all the numbers i called. You probably know them by the initials in the name. Nice guy shows up and confirms what I already knew...time for a new unit. Nothing fancy, just a 40 or 50 gas lowboy. Should have one on the truck. Nope. And lucky for me too. We go over the numbers with the lowest warranty and all the relevant discounts...$2000!! I'm over a barrel pretty much, but he would show back first thing next day with the elusive Bradford they use, since everyone is too busy to pick one up at the shop at that moment, because...Covid. I call the boss at work with the news and she flips out, of course. Luckily her coworker happened to overhear the conversation, and since he rehabs houses on the side, he has done the job dozens of times over 30 years. It was just dumb luck that he happened to be around that moment. So off we go to HD and fetch a new one for $450 and he drops it in. Took us a while to get the old one out, but eventually we were done. The store brand was identical to the trade brand, and it had the same warranty included that the other guy was charging extra for. Maybe it will crap out in 8 years or not, but at 25% of the cost, I don't care. Interestingly, we wrestled the busted one to the curb, still heavy as an anvil with all the crud stuck inside, given that bulk pickup day happens to be this week anyway. Somebody came driving by randomly and snatched it up within 20 minutes of us leaving it out. I was guessing maybe to break it down for metals. No idea. Our friend said the only copper in it were the two small waterpipe couplings and that nothing inside was worth trying to sell. I don't know. I do know that we busted the electronics all to hell rolling it across the lawn, since it still had to be upwards of 200lbs even mostly drained. To end the saga, my son-in-law tells me that the company has a rep for ripping people off. And now I know.

Remember the 9600 baud modem, and then the 14.4 came out on the market? We were in awe at the speeds! Lol.

Fios is fun too. I pay for a 1gb/sec line. Speedtest confirms a data rate of close to that (close enough, I guess) to our router, but then it drops down to 100 at best from router to my device. They say I should be hard wired from the router (in the garage) to my laptop (not in the garage). Or I can buy a bunch of repeaters.

He cant afford a Weedie, lol. And he is now backing off the Cam in favor of a Civic hatchback. Which I think is better for costs as well as driveability in bad weather. He also liked my idea of a Harley with winter tires, lol. Mom was not keen on that idea for some reason.

He's always wanted an Audi, but I told him to get a good job first. Part time at Home Depot doesn't go very far. Then again, his price for the Camaro compared to market pricing might give him a nice profit, depending on the engine, should he decide to flip it. I wouldn't buy a GM either, but Jeeps are not renowned for build quality either, and I'm on my 3rd Grand Cherokee now with no issues.

I bought him a 1998 Mercedes E430 for his 17th. My buddy was relocating overseas and just wanted to liquidate as much as he could. I gave him a grand for it. Freaking tank, but it is getting a bit old. Book value is less than the extra set of wheels with Blizzaks (sp?) Kid is a saint, drives like grandma. Definitely not my kid.

So my son has been offered a 2017 red Camaro as a gift. The owner was a dear relative who died shortly after buying it, so it clocks in around 5,000 miles, mainly sitting in the garage as the Aunt has no use for it. Not sure of the specs yet, but I think he will be murdered on the insurance, even with good student discount, clean record, etc. Not sure if this gift is a bad idea. What would you do?

New show on Fridays nights on Discovery called The Legend of Blind Frog Ranch (I think). Guys buy a few hundred acres of scrub land that has a 2-mile long cavern beneath, about 20 miles from Skin Walker Ranch. The cavern is believed to contain millions worth of gold and other goodies, but the locals all say to stay far, far away. The lead guy tells his crew that all of their equipment vanished overnight when they first dug out a hole to get down to the cave, including a massive backhoe. Since they are in the middle of nowhere, odds are nobody snuck in and stole it all. Local woman tells them that Indians drowned their kids there because of famine, and the spirits of the kids are pretty nasty and will drown them all. Other strange things go on there. Skin walker ranch is named for the old Indian legends about skin walkers showing up, which are pretty nasty beings from the stories. Not something you'd want to run into at all. Looks like a good show.

Oh my god, I just spit up my coffee...and I wasn't drinking any coffee!

Still avail?