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Orale

Certifiably Surly
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Everything posted by Orale

  1. Ha! I've been watching lots of YouTube videos on the food there. Soup dumplings sound amazing. I'm looking forward to trying all the food offerings.
  2. Thanks. I was actually debating whether to stay a night there. I'm going to add Tainan.
  3. Bump. Headed there in a week for 10 days. Hopefully China doesn't invade while I'm there. Any new stuff to see/do since the last post in 2018?
  4. I just did my third trip to Portugal in January. Lisbon and Porto are both amazing. It's a 3 hour train ride in each direction, so I'd recommend staying one night in Porto. On my recent trip I stopped in Coimbra on the way to Porto for a day. It's an incredible town/small city and really worth visiting if only for a half day stop on the train ride to/from Porto. The NYT has it on their 52 places to visit list for 2025 which is how I learned of it. https://blog.winetourismportugal.com/coimbra-the-destination-to-visit-in-2025-according-to-the-new-york-times#:~:text=Coimbra%2C a historic city in,blend of tradition and modernity.
  5. Definitely capital protection for the time being. But I would like my nest egg to keep up with inflation while I become comfortable with the basics of investing and wait for this volatility to hopefully subside.
  6. Novice investor question. Are money market accounts and short term CDs the best option for low/no risk investing in crazy times like this?
  7. I got the Zero yesterday and IMO it's pretty good. Not mind blowing, but pretty tasty. Not quite grape medicine good.
  8. I think it was the mobile site via an app. It's no big deal, I can just look at it on Chrome.
  9. I got a new phone and it didn't transfer whichever non-Tapa app I learned about on Surly that has the browser type feed. Anyone know what it is/was?
  10. Google docs/sheets ftw. I'll never voluntarily use Microsoft again.
  11. I'm selling a commercial property soon and may be investing in something other than property for the first time in my life. Is there a realistic investing approach that is low to medium risk that can achieve say 7 to 10% annual returns accounting for the current turmoil? Is it worth getting a financial adviser or whatever to manage funds or do they just eat up a couple percent doing what a savvy individual can do on their own at relatively low risk?
  12. I did it twice back in my drinking days years ago. Back then at least you could wander into any tent and find a bit of empty space at the hundreds of picnic tables. The crowd was very international. We spent most of our time in a Paulaner tent and shared a table with some wild Japanese dudes who didn't speak English and had a lot of fun standing on the tables singing gibberish Bavarian drinking songs with our new friends. A server would come to the table periodically with liter steins of beer and we paid as we went, maybe with tickets but I don't recall. The restrooms are massive with super efficient ladies commanding you to each pisser or stall. Lines move fast. I made it through about 2.5 one-liter steins and then woke up at my rental with no recollection of how I got there. I stayed in a cheap Airbnb at the Olympic village where the athletes stayed during whatever Olympics which was cool. They have a great metro system that makes it easy to get around Munich, so you should have a pretty good variety of options depending on your budget. I would suggest booking a place sooner than later because it's a super popular event.
  13. Loading an SUV with a large group of kids to go skiing. I get out to allow the kids in to the back and figure it's a good time to let out a bit of gas. Wearing very light colored sweat pants. My breakfast of three cups of coffee, a couple apples, and a fiber breakfast bar had different plans.
  14. We took away mom's credit/debit cards and checks for this reason. People are evil and take advantage of stupid/cognitively diminished people (no offense). Has always been and will always be. All one can do is try to mitigate the risk of a family member's ability to be taken advantage of. Sometimes you can't which really sucks.
  15. 80% of elder care workers are immigrants. That's wild. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/09/business/economy/immigrant-workers-deportation-fears.html?unlocked_article_code=1.2k4.IxDx.DGGL-sPilALh&smid=url-share A Chill Sets In for Undocumented Workers, and Those Who Hire Them Fearing roundups, many immigrants are staying home. Construction, agriculture, senior care and hospitality employers say labor shortages will worsen.
  16. Why odd? If it's true, wouldn't an attorney want to get that context out before speculation (see the last two pages of this thread) gets entirely out of hand?
  17. I did this for a house in San Antonio years ago. I ultimately did sell it for a reasonable price. But it was a lot of hassle handling all the showings, paperwork, etc... I don't know if a realtor would have gotten me a better price, but if I had to do it over again I would have used a realtor. You might look at Redfin if they're in your market for a reduced rate.
  18. Same. I knew aggy was replete with Cletus types, but I never knew there was an actual living Cletus. Surreal.
  19. Orale

    LBGTQ

    Alpha male snowflakes triggered by men in dresses. https://www.sacurrent.com/news/texas-aandm-system-bans-drag-shows-from-its-universities-36879550 Texas A&M System bans drag shows from its universities The move potentially sets up a new First Amendment fight between students and university administrators. The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents on Friday passed a resolution banning all drag performances from taking place on its 11 university campuses. This means that Draggieland, a beloved annual event scheduled for March 27 at the Rudder Theatre on the College Station campus, will have to find a new venue. Students have also held drag shows at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi and East Texas A&M University. The move potentially sets up another First Amendment fight between students and university administrators. The resolution says the board recognizes the need for universities to foster a sense of community and belonging among students but adds that drag shows are “inconsistent with [the system’s] mission and core values, including the value of respect for others.” The resolution also says drag shows are “likely to create or contribute to a hostile environment for women,” contrary to university and federal anti discrimination policies.
  20. Orale

    LBGTQ

    Doubtful. On the gay dating app I occasionally use where guys can note their political views, I'd estimate 1 in 10 identify as conservative. Though a fairly high and disappointing number identify as non-political or moderate.
  21. Orale

    LBGTQ

    https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/20/upshot/lgbtq-survey-results.html?unlocked_article_code=1.yU4.50fR.Yy50F8HAVLrX&smid=url-share Nearly One in 10 U.S. Adults Identifies as L.G.B.T.Q., Survey Finds New data shows a rapid increase in recent years, driven by the young. The Trump administration has recently been rolling back L.G.B.T.Q. initiatives. Nearly one in 10 adults in the United States identifies as L.G.B.T.Q., according to a large analysis from Gallup released Thursday — almost triple the share since Gallup began counting in 2012, and up by two-thirds since 2020.
  22. I did a road trip through there in early May last year and crowds were low to moderate. I never had trouble parking at view points. I'd imagine crowds would be less so in mid-March, though maybe not with spring break depending on when NC/Tenn schools are out.
  23. I recently let my Microsoft subscription expire and now use Google docs, sheets, etc... for my basic needs and they more than suffice so far.
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