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Tonesky

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Everything posted by Tonesky

  1. Law office of four lawyers. Two with undergrad degrees from LSU. Both saved by South Texas College of Law (they could have been aggys).
  2. I'm not sure there is really an equivalent to horns down, and, if there is going to be a ban on taunting (which probably prevents a few brawls), horns down directed at a horn player surely qualifies. But, ultimately it is about winning. If we are pounding LSU or aggy on their home field, I laugh at their horns down.
  3. LSU office mate has advised me that (1) outsiders view UT and aggy alumni/fans as being pretty much the same, and (2) we had better come to the SEC humbly and without ridiculous demands like horns down being a taunting penalty..... I sure hope Sark rights this ship in a hurry and that our first spin around the SEC dance floor sets him and them straight.
  4. Which is why I will spend about as much time there as texags - bupkis.
  5. My visits over and the year or so prior to lockdown we’re disappointing. Too many other good options to return anytime soon.
  6. We had 2’ in Harvey. City of Houston requires all new construction or improvements greater than 50% within the 500 year floodplain, be elevated 2’ above the 500 year floodplain.
  7. Post Harvey build - we will be elevated 6 feet in a rapidly transforming neighborhood. We put a shovel in the ground in late February and got dried in before the recent rains. We begin insulation and cover next week. With luck, we hand out Halloween candy. Short of disaster, we are in before Thanksgiving.
  8. The ergonomics of microwave drawers are awful. Think about putting in or taking out a bowl of (hot) liquid. Think about cleaning it when the kids explode something inside. Put it at counter height.
  9. We are building now. 3. Appliances: Almost every selection you will make is back ordered. You can move into a house without a dining room chandelier, but you need a stove.... Make your appliance selections NOW. Look at Thermador gas cooktops, even if you are going with another brand for other items. 4. Low Voltage: Wire is relatively cheap and now is the time to pull it. At a minimum, pull CAT to access points, TVs, desk/work locations (including for network printer), door bell, and camera locations. I would also pull CAT to things like garage door opener and sprinkler controller. Just because you can go wireless doesn't mean it is your best option. And. you will be pissed if you find after you move in that you want wire somewhere you didn't pull it during the build for under $100. Also, if there is any chance you will want power shades, pull LV power (basically 14-16 gauge speaker wire) to an upper corner of each window frame. 5. Plumbing: One of the very first things the builder will need from you is tub and shower valves. Select your tub and shower trim (the part you will see) ASAP, so that builder can identify the required valves that get framed in early on during construction. Also, look at Toto Drake II toilets. 6. Flooring. LVP has come a long way in both performance and acceptability, but you can absolutely tell the difference between it and wood, and your posts suggest you are building a house where LVP may be "beneath" the overall level of the home. But, I'm a poor, so we are going with LVP, except for stairs, which we will stain to match the LVP selection. The search has been a bit frustrating, because we want a floor that looks and feels like the sanded and stained in place oak floors historically installed in our area, which has proved hard to find. The trend is wide planks, exotic wood that you wouldn't ordinarily see in a Houston house, lots of gray, and textured surfaces that try to mimic scraped, reclaimed, etc. After a lot of looking, we stumbled onto a relatively new in the USA product (Swiss joint venture with USA manufacturer), that is both relatively good quality and relatively cheap - LIco Hydro Fix.
  10. When 2020 was cancelled, they gave the option of getting a refund or rolling forward for 2021 at 2020 pricing.
  11. Was the Civil War about slavery or states rights? There will never be agreement regarding the facts of the origin of The Eyes. But, a substantial and material number of our Longhorn brothers and sisters are equally offended by the states rights narrative, statues of Robert E. Lee, and The Eyes. That will never change. Things may simmer down for a time, with athletes and band members showing up and participating in UT tradition without expressing their offense, but the issue is guaranteed to resurface. My personal view is that The Eyes is tainted with racism and needs to go. I LOVE The Eyes. I have sung it at weddings, etc. Being part of it in a packed stadium following a big win is about as uplifting and stirring of an experience as any can be. I will miss it. But, it needs to go. More to the point, it will go. The only question is when. Midland Lee High School, The Washington Redskins, etc. resisted repeated calls for change, and eventually gave in to the inevitable. The same will eventually happen with The Eyes. And, the sooner change comes, the sooner healing begins. Go Stanford Tree!
  12. This is a month old, but I don't see it posted anywhere. Hard to find any holes in this well researched proof of racist origins and intent of The Eyes. The author is Alberto A. Martinez, PhD, a UT history professor. He concludes:
  13. Tonesky

    Wine

    Three UT buds and our wives have been zooming every Saturday night for the past year until tomorrow! I don’t have any idea what I’m drinking in between, but I am bringing the beginning and end of the evening:
  14. This! I was never a fan of heavily salted and fried at Sartin’s. The other pro tip is to clean crabs before cooking. Even if just boiling, you get twice as many in the pot, and they’re a lot more pleasant to eat. Blend S/P, cayenne, garlic, etc in oil, toss with the cleaned bodies, and grill on moderately high heat. I know for many this is sacrilege, but it’s better than anything I ever ate at the original Sartin’s in Sabine Pass.
  15. 2510 - IPS, no stops 2590 - IPS, with stops 2520 - CC, no stops 2570 - CC, with stops There are also pex models.
  16. I've done some additional googling and reading, and found some helpful information from Delta. It sounds like diverter valves intended for selection between various shower components restrict water flow to less than optimal for filling a tub - hence the "pressure" issue. Better to go with a true tub/shower valve, with a push/pull tub diverter. Surly comes though again!
  17. We have selected several sets of pressure balance single lever valves, with a separate diverter valve. For the master, the diverter is between shower head and shower wand. For the teen kids, the diverter is between tub and shower, with the goal of avoiding a tub spout diverter for kids that are pushing 6' tall and who may take a bath a year, if that. Now, the builder has said that this will not work - that we must either have a single valve/trim with incorporated diverter, or move from pressure balance to thermostatic valves, or we will have "pressure" problems. We don't really want the additional expense of thermostatic, which we could do in the master, but which is not offered in the kids' selections. If the warning is accurate and we should avoid the combo of pressure balance valve and a separate diverter valve, we will need to start over on at least one kids' bathroom selection, where the current selection "collection" has no valve/integrated diverter option. It does not make sense to me that a pressure balance valve with an integrated diverter would be OK, but a pressure balance valve and a separate diverter valve would cause "pressure" problems. Anyone know the answer to this dilemma?
  18. That is where we ended up. One kid with Kohler and the other with Grohe.
  19. I know someone with a moen faucet that does this every 12-24 months. I’m not going to put $$$$ of plumbing in the kids’ bathrooms, but I’m building a custom house and want better than that.
  20. And, don't cost a fortune. So, we are finally building on our lot post-Harvey. We are about to complete framing and the builder will need tub/shower valves soon. Hoping to stay at a lower price point for kids' bathrooms, we made a Moen selection. When getting some quotes, I got push-back on the Moen from a different vendor that "you will (or will pay a plumber to) change the cartridges every two years or so." Google agrees. And, when I called a buddy who always seems to be changing the cartridge in his kitchen faucet to ask the brand, he said Moen. So, what the fuck to do? The salesperson who warned of Moen also somewhat snootily said "we don't sell Moen, Kohler, or Price Pfister." She all but said "Get out your wallet." It is not the end of the world if we need/decide to swap out a faucet down the road, but I'd like to avoid framing and tiling in a shitty shower valve. Anyone here have a Moen or Kohler valve for 5+ years without leaks or other failure? Any suggested brands that have reliable valves/cartridges that don't cost as much as a handshake with a 5 star recruit?
  21. This is inaccurate, at least in Harris County, for anyone (most everyone) using a private process server. The citation is delivered by the clerk digitally. You also get your file stamped copy of the petition digitally. All you need to do is email/upload them to your process server and they print all the copies they need.
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