CleverNickname

I have a Texas ERS pension. But workers starting since 2021 or 2023 are not eligible to be in the old Rule of 80 2.3% salary x years plan. It's defined contribution now. I have concerns about how that is impacting state recruiting, but for now the real impact is just the dact that Austin cost of living rapidly outstrippied salary since 2011 or so. Even old heads like me have to be aware the pension has no inflation adjustment, and folks who never saved outside the pension may have real problems down the road.

fwiw Nevadas pension entire investment investment team is one dude who picks ETFs. He beats the shit out of tons of huge pension teams routinely.

I had not thought about "just taken it early and save it.' But doesn't that stream of money go up a healthy 7-8% (+COLA) each year you wait? That's not nothing.

1. Final Depth: I would like to do 20-22ft. But I dunno, maybe I'll want to keep going. The book advices 2.5x the height of a side tunnel as overburden. So a 5' side tunnel would need 12.5'. Call it 18', plus another 4 or 5' of insurance. 2. I have an eye out for a hanging hoist with remote. They are not very expensive ($140 or so?) but I also don't want one that is too slow. I can run power over (just and extension cord for now, but I could run some conduit from the pole I guess). 2. ventilation - I have an elbow and 4" vent come in at about 18" in one short side. My plan is to eventually run 4" pvc down a corner on and do a little forced air.

I think you nailed it. The key is being a good guesser at your terminal age. That ain't really possible, but if you knew it there would be a "correct" answer. If you got a bad ticker, the do it early. If you keep in good shape and have lucky genetics, plan on exceeding the median. I will have an ERS pension and my wife a TRS pension. Neither have an inflation kicker, so I just try to think of our SS as making the pensions more or less indexed.

I will get a thermometer. I've been keeping just a screen on top (may build some kind frame with 1/4 hardware cloth over bug screen). With a big 3/4 plywood on top, it was trapping to much moisture. I would guess down at the bottom it's the mean of the past days temperature. So this morning it was high 80s or so. By the time I left it was 96 outside, but a little cooler inside, even with the fan. But still hot. I do think there is a earth insulating and lagging effect, but without a lid I think the ambiet air temp is the dominant factor.

Went up Saturday night, got things ready (ran the extension cord, put up work light, set up pully, let down jackhammer, set up a fan). Got an early start Sunday. Worked pretty hard, 630 to 1130. About my limit. Got out 32 buckets of dirt/rocks, and another 6 buckets of just rocks. Hand clenched up for a good 5 minutes after the 40th or so 12' haul of ~40 lb of stuff. So now one side is down to 13'. I still need to get the sides straight, and realistically that's a whole trip right there. I want to get a more portable rock hammer. I think it would make chiseling out the rocky layers easier. Once I clean up that side (space enough for the 4x6 and the 2x shoring - leaving 48x30" ID clear), I can turn the ladder around, and probably raise it a rung or two. Once I get the other side down to 13' it will be time for another set of shoring. I've got the big lumber, but I need 4x 5/8 60" threaded rod, and some angled slot (holds up the 2x lagging). I still have a little lagging I need to finish up and the second level. I like to buy the next set of 4x6 so I can drill the proper 3/4 holes so that they line up well. The rod is pretty forgiving honestly - thank goodness because even with a manual drill press my holes aren't perfectly straight down. People asked about what I do with the dirt. It is an issue! Sometimes I separate the rocks a bit, and use them for erosion control around the ranch. I have an old pile of dirt from when I started. The hole is in the background. A while ago I decided to make use of the dirt. So I stacked some concrete blocks and am making a ramp for the pickup. That way I can load a tiller or whatever a little easier.

fwiw... Taking my mom for a cognitive assessment this week. Probably end her driving. Looking at independent living and assisted living options. She loves one place (awesome, amd a huge milestone for her ro be willing to give up loving in her house), 1 bedroom with private balcony. But I worry they just want our initial fee and will push her to assisted living (studio). Doesn't need help with ADLs, but memory is shot. She didn't like the place here thay had all 3 of independent living, assisted living, and memory care. Her memory sucks, but she's not one to just take a runner or wander. We shall see.

Little ranch trip. sets every 48" middle to middle. Works better if it's 60" so I have room to tighten bolts.

How much would it suck to have this shirt if your closet? Awwwwwkward.

We saw a baby beaver in Sapphire. It was so damn cute I peed a little. I'd never really spent time in the Appalachia mountains aside from Maine, but one thing I noticed is that holy shit people are so fucking fat. In Colorado and Washington/Oregon, people look ready and able to hike. Up in the GSM, people look 'bout to die 100 yards from the trailhead. Some look like stepping out of the car was a struggle. Clingman Dome was paved in the bloated corpses of its victims, red faced and panting. So many people on the way down stopped us to give us a pep talk. Like dude, this is a paved nothing burger. We got this. (of course National parks skew to the olds, but still). Also, we saw a ton of black bears. And I think my kids could have taken one when they were three. Now the pitties being hauled up the hikes in the national forest... those are some fucking beasts.

Just did a few days at GSM. Weather: rain every day. In the park: get up early for for Falls / Abrams Falls / Grotto Falls. Parking limited. My fav thing after a sweaty summer hike was swimming in the Little River between the Sinks and the Wye (near Meigs Creek). We did rafting on the Upper Pigeon Rover one afternoon- prettt fun. Near Pisgah you must definitely do Sliding Rock. We also hiked in Dupont Forest. Excellent waterfall hikes, do Triple & High Falls, then over to Hooker Falls where you can swim.. So yeah... basically every day we swam in the afternoon... because it's summer and it gets hot (mayne Clingman Dome is still cool later morning). The rivers aren't Rockies snowmelt cold, they are refreshing.

did some ranch puttering. Only 88 today, brrrrr! looking down: looking up:

I am pretty sure in 2024 Chris is a chick name.

I know it's 2024... but is Beryl a chick or a dude?

• Inside is 30"x48" made of 4x6s and 2x walls • currently about 11.5' • it is a little bit cooler/warmer or at least the air isn't • it takes a little bit to carefully climb ladder. I haul up buckets with a pully • I used an electric jackhammer if it's. shelf of rock. Otherwise a 48" bully digger, rock hammer, and chisel. I have a metal dog food scoop that is good for loose stuff. A hand garden fork is good for scraping walls. A couple of padded gardening kneeleres are nice. I have a 36" crowbar which is good in tight space. Two small shivers, one a round and the other a transfer shovel. • jack hammer comes out. Usually I leave the other stuff. • Sometimes a big piece of 3/4 ply covers it (atop some extra 4x4 pieces. I roll screen mesh over to try and keep bugs and frogs out. It's about a quarter mile from the road, and it was a wet May, so O let it air out this past couple of months. • Any larger and I'd need to divide the compartment in half or use 6x6s as the main framing. • Mrs doesn't mind. I come back happier amd less stressed. • I want to do at least 4 sets if 4' sections, maybe 5. I figure go down to 20 or 22 and then think about going sideways. I'd like to get deep enough and from there frame up amd pour concrete in lifts, building from the bottom up. I could remove sections. The wood is pressure treated, but it wont last forever. Maybe I'll even source basalt rebar. You need 2.5x tunnel height in overburden. So a 4' tunnel would need 10' (14 total), 5' = 17.5, and 6' = 21'. Six ft is probably overkill, but might be nice to have the option. Amd of course when I go sideways... mine cart tracks! • I'd go out the 48" side away from the road. Pretty much the only way to go. But I could put another hole after a ways!

been a long while, but other ranch projects are finishing up. Except the 6 yards of of 3/4 I've been spreading in ruts. finally started to timber the walls on the 2nd level (4-8 ft). Got a piece of lumber in all the corners, and completed one side. Put the next set of emergency ladder. Got me new (to me) taller ladder in.

https://www.theonion.com/hurricane-bound-for-texas-slowed-by-large-land-mass-to-1819594726

are any civ or RTS or 4x games any good on console, or is the lack of keyboard and mouse always a fatal flaw?

it'll park over western Iowa for 4 days, because this year: Fuck Sioux City

I've lost about 10 lbs in the past month (228 to 218). Mainly through sheer willpower and embracing the hangry. It sucks, but the results feel great. I have always been a big breakfast eater, so controlling that is key. Sometimes I do a packet of sugar free oatmeal plus a cup of light cereal (~250 cal). Most days I try to do poor man bulletproof coffee (a little pat of butter and black coffee) and that seems to even out my cravings and hunger til noon. If I want a big brunch, I do 1.5 cups of fajiata veggie mix and eggs. I have been buying lots of celery sticks ams celery, and drinking lots of water. Smaller apples seem to help satisfy, too. Cut most carbs, not to be keto, but because they are such calorie sources. Probably why civilization is built of grains and rice! So far been able to avoid overeating days. I think my stomach has begun to shrink or at least I feel full faster. Maybe I'm dreaming that. For meals I am doing a lot of lentil soup + a can of French cut green beans, other soups, or else basically a texmex bowl. I am probably eating a 14 Oz container of pico de gallo every other day. A bagged Ceasar salad, using half the dressing, and add chicken goes hard. Sometimes I just break what used to be one meal for me (2 morning star chik patties on toasted bread) into two meals, hours apart. With kids spring sports over I have time to walk on treadmill or run pretty much every day. It's easy to walk 4-6 miles zoning out on Jim Baird canoe videos, or the Trek Planner. Or just podcasts. So much podcasts. I'm beginning to have opinions on NBA 2nd round draft picks. Among contenders, go for those 23 year olds who can play right away. Giannis ain't getting any younger. And free Jarret Allen. Downsides: sometimes eating different than the family meal. I can't be trusted with spaghetti or tortellini. This past week I think the calorie restriction has tanked my libido. Taking magnesium, B vitamin, etc to help. And generic vitamin V. Plus now I'm like Henry Rollins and am so sexy I can jerk off looking at myself in the mirror.

Keep us posted, OP. I have some ranch acreage, and in 20+ years my kids may have to deal with it. Back when the land had low value, it didn't seem like a big deal. If my son wanted it, he could take less of the rest of the estate. But prices jumped over Covid, and now it's worth something. Enough for me to plan better. I'm thinking about getting a new plat/survey done and recording it as 2 separate tracts of roughly similar value. That way the kids can decide (if they dont want to keep it whole) to sever into already logical "faolir" parts and go their separate ways.

And I'm a little worried I might get pregnant!

I think it raises some weird questions about free will and the brain.

my take: calories and how they are calculated are all based on very old studies supposedly burning stuff. Those old numbers are now just in reference books, and now things often calculated based on ingredients (Atwater system). It is not clear if all those reference numbers are actually accurate to how the human body utilizes food. It might be a lot of seemingly precise numbers based on a century of bullshit. Likewise, I'm not certain calorie meters for exercise is not 90% bullshit. And estimates of baseline metabolism are probably blshit, too. So yeah, I think a person could add up food calories and compare to supposed basemetabolism calorie load and exercise expenditure and the math simply not math. Because all those numbers are bullshit, and [Bullshit1] - [Bullshit2 + Bullshit3] is just bullshit with a huuuuge inaccuracy factor. Even if the math added up, the body is dynamic. A hungry person might extract more calories from food, baseline metabolism might slow, and... well, exercise machine calories estimates are still bullshit.