Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)

[TimCFJ40]

End of month (first of month?) paycheck hit the account on time. I stared at the amount, scrolled back to Oct 15th, hmmm this math is hurting my brain early in the morning. I knew I would hit the 401k max this pay period and thought I was only about $25 short. So should have had a few hundred more than showing.

Finally remembered a bit ago to get into the system and see my paystub. Ah-ha! Forgot the 401k limit went up $500 for 2024. So when I was looking at my 401k account and seeing $29,976 YTD contributions, I was still living in 2023. When did my life get so difficult?

My company switches to after tax 401k contributions when you hit the  yearly max.  This isn't ideal so I try to avoid it, but I usually have a few hundred each year end up there.  It is nice near the end of the year when I hit the Social Security Max and those extra dollars come home. 

[fuzzy math]

Its that time of year where I'm trying to project 401k contributions to max out at the last paycheck. My issues are that my next paycheck is less than normal, my annual inflation adjustment raise hit, and I need to contribute at least 6% every paycheck or I'll miss out on my matching. I cant currently tell with high confidence if I'll have 6% left of room for that last paycheck, but changing it too soon messes things up further. So the assessment is to get the partial paycheck Nov 15, then adjust from there. I've been wrong in the past and missed out on room! I think it would be worse though to miss out on matching. There's nothing in the plan description about an end of the year true up.

[Taran Wanderer]

Its that time of year where I'm trying to project 401k contributions to max out at the last paycheck. My issues are that my next paycheck is less than normal, my annual inflation adjustment raise hit, and I need to contribute at least 6% every paycheck or I'll miss out on my matching. I cant currently tell with high confidence if I'll have 6% left of room for that last paycheck, but changing it too soon messes things up further. So the assessment is to get the partial paycheck Nov 15, then adjust from there. I've been wrong in the past and missed out on room! I think it would be worse though to miss out on matching. There's nothing in the plan description about an end of the year true up.

Do you have to set your contributions up as a percentage, or can you have equal dollar amounts taken out of each paycheck?

[fuzzy math]

Its that time of year where I'm trying to project 401k contributions to max out at the last paycheck. My issues are that my next paycheck is less than normal, my annual inflation adjustment raise hit, and I need to contribute at least 6% every paycheck or I'll miss out on my matching. I cant currently tell with high confidence if I'll have 6% left of room for that last paycheck, but changing it too soon messes things up further. So the assessment is to get the partial paycheck Nov 15, then adjust from there. I've been wrong in the past and missed out on room! I think it would be worse though to miss out on matching. There's nothing in the plan description about an end of the year true up.

Do you have to set your contributions up as a percentage, or can you have equal dollar amounts taken out of each paycheck?

Percentages only. I've never seen dollar amounts listed, boy would that simplify things!

[ChpBstrd]

My 13 year old Toyota has finally fallen apart! Utterly dead.

The heat shield over the exhaust has come loose and rattles around when driving. At the same time, my driver's side window has popped out of its track.

Serious work! I'll probably use self-tapping screws to reattach the heat shield and have to pop the door panel off to adjust the window tracks.

What a piece of junk! To all those people whose engines blow at 5 years old, I'm with you.

[GuitarStv]

My 13 year old Toyota has finally fallen apart! Utterly dead.

The heat shield over the exhaust has come loose and rattles around when driving. At the same time, my driver's side window has popped out of its track.

Serious work! I'll probably use self-tapping screws to reattach the heat shield and have to pop the door panel off to adjust the window tracks.

What a piece of junk! To all those people whose engines blow at 5 years old, I'm with you.

Yeah, they're total crap.

My 10 year old son yanked one of the rear door levers on my 19 year old Corolla right off and broke it.  Took about three hours and a lot of rewatching a youtube video to take the door apart and replace the 40$ part.

[Tasse]

My Toyota is 23 years old and the driver's side window doesn't work, but I haven't bothered to fix it. (Luckily it got stuck in the up position.) Good reminder not to use the drive-thru.

[Metalcat]

I think I'm the only person in the world who had had a Corolla lemon. Mine was only around 5 years old when I gave up on trying to fix it.

Such bullshit.

[zolotiyeruki]

My 13 year old Toyota has finally fallen apart! Utterly dead.

The heat shield over the exhaust has come loose and rattles around when driving. At the same time, my driver's side window has popped out of its track.

Serious work! I'll probably use self-tapping screws to reattach the heat shield and have to pop the door panel off to adjust the window tracks.

What a piece of junk! To all those people whose engines blow at 5 years old, I'm with you.

Yeah, they're total crap.

My 10 year old son yanked one of the rear door levers on my 19 year old Corolla right off and broke it.  Took about three hours and a lot of rewatching a youtube video to take the door apart and replace the 40$ part.

The mid-90's Corollas had interior door handles that broke so often that Autozone carried replacements in-store.  Seriously.

The weakness boiled down to a plastic pivot on the handle.  I drilled a hole in mine, heated up a nail, and melted it through the axis of that pivot, and the handle never broke :D

[techwiz]

The weakness boiled down to a plastic pivot on the handle.  I drilled a hole in mine, heated up a nail, and melted it through the axis of that pivot, and the handle never broke :D

[fuzzy math]

Shhhh guys! My 11 yr old Camry can hear you.

My elderly mom's 7 yr old Ford engine blew up and it cost her $11k to fix. There's a class action lawsuit that has yet to be approved over it.

[ChpBstrd]

My 13 year old Toyota has finally fallen apart! Utterly dead.

The heat shield over the exhaust has come loose and rattles around when driving. At the same time, my driver's side window has popped out of its track.

Serious work! I'll probably use self-tapping screws to reattach the heat shield and have to pop the door panel off to adjust the window tracks.

What a piece of junk! To all those people whose engines blow at 5 years old, I'm with you.

Yeah, they're total crap.

My 10 year old son yanked one of the rear door levers on my 19 year old Corolla right off and broke it.  Took about three hours and a lot of rewatching a youtube video to take the door apart and replace the 40$ part.

The mid-90's Corollas had interior door handles that broke so often that Autozone carried replacements in-store.  Seriously.

The weakness boiled down to a plastic pivot on the handle.  I drilled a hole in mine, heated up a nail, and melted it through the axis of that pivot, and the handle never broke :D

Ughhh... the quality problems!

This is at least as bad as the coal-rolling turbo diesel trucks whose engines often explode at 100k miles, and cost fifteen grand to fix. I just need to get an Audi and be done with it all. /s

[crocheted_stache]

Today I needed something modified, so I dropped it off at a shop. The object is smaller and lighter than the pretty ordinary-sized hardcover library book beside me and fit comfortably in my bike bag.

The person I handed it off to was absolutely appalled that I'd bicycled there. "I'm so sorry you had to bike here. If I'd known, I'd have come by to pick it up."

It did not matter how many times I assured him that I biked because I wanted to. I chose to bike. I love biking. I prefer biking. It's a beautiful day. I bike more than I drive. I bike thousands of miles every year, and this trip was maybe four miles if I round up. I said I would drop it off, and I did. What difference does it make how I got it there, and why is it remotely his problem? He just kept apologizing for "making" me bike all that way.

In a proper case of staircase wit, it occurred to me on the ride back that I should have replied, "I'm so sorry you have to drive so much, when biking is so much more fun." Maybe I'll try telling him that if he lets me go pick it up when it's done.

(https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/staircase_wit)

[BussoV6]

My elderly mom's 7 yr old Ford engine blew up and it cost her $11k to fix. There's a class action lawsuit that has yet to be approved over it.

Which Ford engine is that?  We've seen a lot of failures on the Ford eco boost engines here. They have a "wet" belt running in oil. Hard to believe experienced engineers signed off on this design.

[hdatontodo]

My elderly mom's 7 yr old Ford engine blew up and it cost her $11k to fix. There's a class action lawsuit that has yet to be approved over it.

Which Ford engine is that?  We've seen a lot of failures on the Ford eco boost engines here. They have a "wet" belt running in oil. Hard to believe experienced engineers signed off on this design.

I heard the 1.5 and 2.0 Ecoboost engines in Ford Escapes built around 2017 have a design flaw, which ends up dumping coolant into cyl #3 and trashing the engine.

A family member sent me this:
 https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2022/MC-10214126-0001.pdf

Sent from my SM-G991U1 using Tapatalk

[sonofsven]

I do bank account churning, and I made over $1300 in '23 with moomoo (stock and crypto app).
One of the bonuses was free stocks, one of the free stocks was Palantir (I think I had four or five shares).
I held the stocks for the term required for the bonus then quickly sold them.
The stock price was around $6 then, approaching $60 now!

[fuzzy math]

My elderly mom's 7 yr old Ford engine blew up and it cost her $11k to fix. There's a class action lawsuit that has yet to be approved over it.

Which Ford engine is that?  We've seen a lot of failures on the Ford eco boost engines here. They have a "wet" belt running in oil. Hard to believe experienced engineers signed off on this design.

I heard the 1.5 and 2.0 Ecoboost engines in Ford Escapes built around 2017 have a design flaw, which ends up dumping coolant into cyl #3 and trashing the engine.

A family member sent me this:
 https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2022/MC-10214126-0001.pdf

Sent from my SM-G991U1 using Tapatalk

Yes this was her vehicle and her 3rd cylinder spark plug blew off

[Alternatepriorities]

I've been adding onto our house and doing much of the work myself. I put all the materials onto a CC to maximize a bonus, more money than I'd normally spend in a year on said card in a single month. Aside from the miles, I also received another MVP status on Alaska Airlines which I would not have made otherwise thanks to the toddler (the irony is the free upgrades are even nicer when you have a toddler). Of course I paid the card off well within the grace period, but not before the posting date because I was waiting for a credit on materials returned...

Two MPPs:
1) My credit score dropped more than 50 points! It's still "excellent", but that was a surprise even if it has no impact on my life.
2) I've been inundated with debt relief ads.

[sonofsven]

I've been adding onto our house and doing much of the work myself. I put all the materials onto a CC to maximize a bonus, more money than I'd normally spend in a year on said card in a single month. Aside from the miles, I also received another MVP status on Alaska Airlines which I would not have made otherwise thanks to the toddler (the irony is the free upgrades are even nicer when you have a toddler). Of course I paid the card off well within the grace period, but not before the posting date because I was waiting for a credit on materials returned...

Two MPPs:
1) My credit score dropped more than 50 points! It's still "excellent", but that was a surprise even if it has no impact on my life.
2) I've been inundated with debt relief ads.

Good job! What's the card/bonus?

[markbike528CBX]

Two MPPs:
1) My credit score dropped more than 50 points! It's still "excellent", but that was a surprise even if it has no impact on my life.
2) I've been inundated with debt relief ads.

Un-MPP
Young friend has 550 score.  For him, yep 50 points would be bad (sort of, how to go lower). 
For me, a fifty point drop would be a drop from WTF to Well OK then.
I would have to deign to peruse my accounts if I had such a thing happen.
my MPP. How to communicate this without a braggy tone?

[jeroly]

I've been adding onto our house and doing much of the work myself. I put all the materials onto a CC to maximize a bonus, more money than I'd normally spend in a year on said card in a single month. Aside from the miles, I also received another MVP status on Alaska Airlines which I would not have made otherwise thanks to the toddler (the irony is the free upgrades are even nicer when you have a toddler). Of course I paid the card off well within the grace period, but not before the posting date because I was waiting for a credit on materials returned...

Two MPPs:
1) My credit score dropped more than 50 points! It's still "excellent", but that was a surprise even if it has no impact on my life.
2) I've been inundated with debt relief ads.

It’ll probably go back up by 55 points in a couple of months.

[LennStar]

Two MPPs:
1) My credit score dropped more than 50 points! It's still "excellent", but that was a surprise even if it has no impact on my life.
2) I've been inundated with debt relief ads.

Un-MPP
Young friend has 550 score.  For him, yep 50 points would be bad (sort of, how to go lower). 
For me, a fifty point drop would be a drop from WTF to Well OK then.
I would have to deign to peruse my accounts if I had such a thing happen.
my MPP. How to communicate this without a braggy tone?

I can't resist here... even though it's half a year ago. My MPP is that my bank - because some rule changed - wanted the OK to get a credit score. I used that opportunity to look myself.
Turns out I am down to F - which is pretty bad, I think it was 89-91% repayment probability.
The reason for this is I have taken a loan at the Covid drop and a smaller loan at the Ukraine invasion drop and bought ETFs.
So I have more "money" in the bank that gave me the loans and wanted that credit score then the loans are. I don't know if they realized that or not, but I still got a swath of paper for continuing my stock loan credit line.
Which I didn't use anymore, only for half a year, also during covid.

My MPP out of all this that I nearly laughed my ass off because of that rating (I could bay pack the loans today if I wanted) and that I was too cheap to sign the paper and put a post stamp on it so I lost my stock loan agreement.
And probably that I am not interested in anything where that credit score might matter.

[ChpBstrd]

Two MPPs:
1) My credit score dropped more than 50 points! It's still "excellent", but that was a surprise even if it has no impact on my life.
2) I've been inundated with debt relief ads.

Un-MPP
Young friend has 550 score.  For him, yep 50 points would be bad (sort of, how to go lower). 
For me, a fifty point drop would be a drop from WTF to Well OK then.
I would have to deign to peruse my accounts if I had such a thing happen.
my MPP. How to communicate this without a braggy tone?

I can't resist here... even though it's half a year ago. My MPP is that my bank - because some rule changed - wanted the OK to get a credit score. I used that opportunity to look myself.
Turns out I am down to F - which is pretty bad, I think it was 89-91% repayment probability.
The reason for this is I have taken a loan at the Covid drop and a smaller loan at the Ukraine invasion drop and bought ETFs.
So I have more "money" in the bank that gave me the loans and wanted that credit score then the loans are. I don't know if they realized that or not, but I still got a swath of paper for continuing my stock loan credit line.
Which I didn't use anymore, only for half a year, also during covid.

My MPP out of all this that I nearly laughed my ass off because of that rating (I could bay pack the loans today if I wanted) and that I was too cheap to sign the paper and put a post stamp on it so I lost my stock loan agreement.
And probably that I am not interested in anything where that credit score might matter.

That's hilarious! What was the source of your loans? Regular banks?
I don't think brokerages report margin to US credit agencies, but I also wouldn't know.

[Alternatepriorities]

I've been adding onto our house and doing much of the work myself. I put all the materials onto a CC to maximize a bonus, more money than I'd normally spend in a year on said card in a single month. Aside from the miles, I also received another MVP status on Alaska Airlines which I would not have made otherwise thanks to the toddler (the irony is the free upgrades are even nicer when you have a toddler). Of course I paid the card off well within the grace period, but not before the posting date because I was waiting for a credit on materials returned...

Two MPPs:
1) My credit score dropped more than 50 points! It's still "excellent", but that was a surprise even if it has no impact on my life.
2) I've been inundated with debt relief ads.

It’ll probably go back up by 55 points in a couple of months.

That'd nice. I've wanted to see an 850 for years!...

[Alternatepriorities]

Two MPPs:
1) My credit score dropped more than 50 points! It's still "excellent", but that was a surprise even if it has no impact on my life.
2) I've been inundated with debt relief ads.

Un-MPP
Young friend has 550 score.  For him, yep 50 points would be bad (sort of, how to go lower). 
For me, a fifty point drop would be a drop from WTF to Well OK then.
I would have to deign to peruse my accounts if I had such a thing happen.
my MPP. How to communicate this without a braggy tone?

If your friend is interested I've had good success sitting down with friends and just walking through how the score is calculated and why it matters. A lot of the time people think it's impossibly complicated and just haven't tried to understand it. Maybe the exact calculations are, but the basics to improve his can be understood by most.

[Catbert]

I've been adding onto our house and doing much of the work myself. I put all the materials onto a CC to maximize a bonus, more money than I'd normally spend in a year on said card in a single month. Aside from the miles, I also received another MVP status on Alaska Airlines which I would not have made otherwise thanks to the toddler (the irony is the free upgrades are even nicer when you have a toddler). Of course I paid the card off well within the grace period, but not before the posting date because I was waiting for a credit on materials returned...

Two MPPs:
1) My credit score dropped more than 50 points! It's still "excellent", but that was a surprise even if it has no impact on my life.
2) I've been inundated with debt relief ads.

It’ll probably go back up by 55 points in a couple of months.

It will jump back up as soon as the high balance is paid (next cycle).  I got a Fidelity card with 18 months of 0% interest.  I promptly charged a new expensive roof to it which I'll pay off around month 17.  FICO dropped 20 points and not-FICO dropped 50.

[LennStar]

Two MPPs:
1) My credit score dropped more than 50 points! It's still "excellent", but that was a surprise even if it has no impact on my life.
2) I've been inundated with debt relief ads.

Un-MPP
Young friend has 550 score.  For him, yep 50 points would be bad (sort of, how to go lower). 
For me, a fifty point drop would be a drop from WTF to Well OK then.
I would have to deign to peruse my accounts if I had such a thing happen.
my MPP. How to communicate this without a braggy tone?

I can't resist here... even though it's half a year ago. My MPP is that my bank - because some rule changed - wanted the OK to get a credit score. I used that opportunity to look myself.
Turns out I am down to F - which is pretty bad, I think it was 89-91% repayment probability.
The reason for this is I have taken a loan at the Covid drop and a smaller loan at the Ukraine invasion drop and bought ETFs.
So I have more "money" in the bank that gave me the loans and wanted that credit score then the loans are. I don't know if they realized that or not, but I still got a swath of paper for continuing my stock loan credit line.
Which I didn't use anymore, only for half a year, also during covid.

My MPP out of all this that I nearly laughed my ass off because of that rating (I could bay pack the loans today if I wanted) and that I was too cheap to sign the paper and put a post stamp on it so I lost my stock loan agreement.
And probably that I am not interested in anything where that credit score might matter.

That's hilarious! What was the source of your loans? Regular banks?
I don't think brokerages report margin to US credit agencies, but I also wouldn't know.

Just the bank which also has my giro account, where the salary comes in every month. Good conditions on the loans. (And don't forget I am German, not US.)

[crocheted_stache]

DH just got a pretty nice bonus and a stock grant amounting to about an extra year's salary, vesting over three years. We're FI and then some already, and not RE mainly because it's tough to leave with the fire hose still gushing, and his employer just cranked it up. Time to top up the DAF, I guess.

I posted more details on this one somewhere else here (FU money stories, maybe) and I don't feel like hunting for them, so here's a recap. DH's company declared at the end of February/beginning of March that they all needed to take off a week before the end of March to get some of those pesky liabilities off the books before the next quarterly report. Astute observers will note that this approach is the fiscal equivalent of cleaning your room by cramming the mess in the closet before company comes.

DH did the math, found this edict left him short for our planned vacation in May/June, and, knowing we don't need more money, pushed back on the policy to be able to either save a day or borrow it later.

Employer correctly interpreted DH's objections as restlessness and figured out how to give him an the day the wanted in June, and also followed on with this raise and bonus in an (unnecessary and ineffective) effort to retain him. Astute observers will note that promising to pay people more is a poor strategy for reducing liabilities. (We're FI but not yet RE.)

Cut to the present day. Employer is closing the local office entirely in a few months. DH could apply for a job at headquarters, out of state, but we have no plans to move. No part of the stock grant will have vested by the time he departs. It's an awfully nice thing not to need the money. He's already on my insurance, so nothing to do there, either.

At this point, the MPPs will be pretending to be disappointed when commiserating with co-workers and fending off the recruiters who would love for him to start Monday. (One recruiter contacted him just now, as I was writing this. I guess it's good to be in demand.) He's a little disappointed that all the time and trouble he's put in there will mostly be discarded, so the first part won't be tough.

Mainly, he'd like a little more time off between this job and the next one. I've suggested, for opportunities that are relevant, "Sure, this sounds great. I'll be available next June." Better suggestions are welcome.

My MPP will be deciding whether to hang on a little longer or try to take some extended time off with him.

FIRE drill time, I guess.

Update on this one, too. DH's employer has decreed that there is to be absolutely no more working from home, without special dispensation from headquarters and HR. He was only working from home occasionally for particular appointments and stuff anyway, because his job is often hands-on, but what exactly are they going to do about it if he doesn't comply? Fire him two months sooner?

Some of this should probably go in FU money stories instead, but the backstory is already here. DH's outpost has collectively decided not to bother with HQ's edict to return to office full time. He's there most days, anyway, with the occasional exceptions being logistical (appointments, etc.) and focus time.

He'll also be declining a recruiter who just contacted him. The commute would put him a bit outside a comfortable bike ride, and the job description declares that the Chief Engineer has designed the whole thing and "lacks the bandwidth to document it." The Chief Engineer has "committed to" answering questions, but we suspect that this makes it the underling's job to hold the Chief Engineer still for long enough to answer these questions, and/or not make him* feel as though someone is horning in on his territory or calling him out the first time there's a discrepancy between what in his head and how things might in practice go together and actually work. That's before someone in management makes a guess that it's going to take so much less time to do something that's already designed.

DH plans to stay well away from this one. At least beyond biking distance.

*Between the title and the apparent politics, I'm giving this a 90% chance of being a man.

[crocheted_stache]

Oh no! My next library hold request (which I'd already forgotten I'd placed) is ready for pickup, and I haven't finished reading the last book yet.

I guess I have something to do indoors this rainy weekend.

[Raenia]

I just got a call from my library that the book I placed an inter-library loan request for is not available anywhere in the system. The librarian helpfully mentioned that it was available on Amazon for about $17. I reluctantly went on Amazon to check, and found that it is not available at all - the one she was looking at has a very similar title, but different author.

This is the final book in a series, and I can't find it anywhere! The first two were available on Open Library, the third by ILL, but the fourth appears to have been self-published after the author got dropped from their publisher (or something like that?) and must have had a very limited print run.

[NorthernIkigai]

Oh no! My next library hold request (which I'd already forgotten I'd placed) is ready for pickup, and I haven't finished reading the last book yet.

I guess I have something to do indoors this rainy weekend.

Just one at a time?! In addition to placing library books I want to read on a “save for later” list, I constantly request books and then pick them up when I can. I can renew loans up to five times before I have to return it (and even then, depending on the branch, I can just borrow it again and start another round of five). Of course someone else requesting it would mean I wouldn’t be able to renew the loan, but I read obscure books, so…

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

Oh no! My next library hold request (which I'd already forgotten I'd placed) is ready for pickup, and I haven't finished reading the last book yet.

I guess I have something to do indoors this rainy weekend.

Just one at a time?! In addition to placing library books I want to read on a “save for later” list, I constantly request books and then pick them up when I can. I can renew loans up to five times before I have to return it (and even then, depending on the branch, I can just borrow it again and start another round of five). Of course someone else requesting it would mean I wouldn’t be able to renew the loan, but I read obscure books, so…

My favorite thing about Libby is that it asks if you are ready for the book now.

I will put several books on my Kindle and then put it in airplane mode until I have finished them. Then I turn the wi fi back on and begin another 21 day book loading period, repeat cycle.

[Sandi_k]

I just got a call from my library that the book I placed an inter-library loan request for is not available anywhere in the system.

This is the final book in a series, and I can't find it anywhere!

Have you looked at Abe.com?

[Raenia]

I just got a call from my library that the book I placed an inter-library loan request for is not available anywhere in the system.

This is the final book in a series, and I can't find it anywhere!

Have you looked at Abe.com?

Yes, and a few other online secondhand booksellers as well with no luck. The first three of the series are readily available, but the fourth was both recent (2023) and very limited availability.

The book is Shadows of Hyperion by Ryk E Spoor, if anyone has a lead.

[jeroly]

I just got a call from my library that the book I placed an inter-library loan request for is not available anywhere in the system.

This is the final book in a series, and I can't find it anywhere!

Have you looked at Abe.com?

Yes, and a few other online secondhand booksellers as well with no luck. The first three of the series are readily available, but the fourth was both recent (2023) and very limited availability.

The book is Shadows of Hyperion by Ryk E Spoor, if anyone has a lead.

If you're willing to get an epub of the text, you can apparently do so by emailing the author, who listed their contact email as seawasp@sgeinc.com. in an online forum.

[crocheted_stache]

Just one at a time?!

I tend to read thicker books and nonfiction, but suffice to say the two I currently have checked out (before picking up the hold that just arrived) are not the only ones I'm partway through. I also have a couple of 100+ page documents I'm working through as part of my volunteering, which are taking up reading time also.

I'll make the progress I can on the ones I have checked out and maybe pick up the hold in a few days. Library is closed over the long weekend, so I have a couple extra days to pick up the latest thing. At least one of the books I have out already may be popular enough to get another hold on it, so I should try to polish that off first. Then I may further abuse the auto-renews on the older, less popular book.

[Dave1442397]

I'm usually very careful to make sure my card is charged in euros when in Ireland, not US dollars.

However, I was buying 100 euro gift certificates from two different restaurants, and when checking out at the first one, they said "Charge it in dollars, yeah?", and I just said yes without thinking.

At the second restaurant (a few minutes later), I made sure they charged in euros.

The difference? An extra $5.09 conversion charge for the US dollar mistake (see pic).

Nothing to worry about, but that's why I always tell people to make sure they don't allow charges in US dollars. They make it sound like they're doing you a favor, but in reality they're charging a hefty exchange tax. Of course, you should always use a card that doesn't charge foreign conversion fees.

[Raenia]

I just got a call from my library that the book I placed an inter-library loan request for is not available anywhere in the system.

This is the final book in a series, and I can't find it anywhere!

Have you looked at Abe.com?

Yes, and a few other online secondhand booksellers as well with no luck. The first three of the series are readily available, but the fourth was both recent (2023) and very limited availability.

The book is Shadows of Hyperion by Ryk E Spoor, if anyone has a lead.

If you're willing to get an epub of the text, you can apparently do so by emailing the author, who listed their contact email as seawasp@sgeinc.com. in an online forum.

Thanks! I don't usually like ebooks, but if it's the only way to read it, that'll do. Appreciate you tracking it down!

[jeroly]

I just got a call from my library that the book I placed an inter-library loan request for is not available anywhere in the system.

This is the final book in a series, and I can't find it anywhere!

Have you looked at Abe.com?

Yes, and a few other online secondhand booksellers as well with no luck. The first three of the series are readily available, but the fourth was both recent (2023) and very limited availability.

The book is Shadows of Hyperion by Ryk E Spoor, if anyone has a lead.

If you're willing to get an epub of the text, you can apparently do so by emailing the author, who listed their contact email as seawasp@sgeinc.com. in an online forum.

Thanks! I don't usually like ebooks, but if it's the only way to read it, that'll do. Appreciate you tracking it down!

You're welcome.  By the way, earlier in the thread, the alleged author said that epub copies are $5.

[Alfred J Quack]

Thanks! I don't usually like ebooks, but if it's the only way to read it, that'll do. Appreciate you tracking it down!

I would recommend you take a look at an e-reader. I've been using them since the first generation came out and it's a really nice way to read digital content. The color versions are a bit washed out but perfectly useable for comics and manga.

I also use Calibre with a de-DRM plugin to save the digital epubs long term. I had the unfortunate issue that content I bought previously disappeared from my account, appearently because the retailer had some kind of term/agreement that they had to remove it when they couldn't re-license the books. De-DRM may not be legal in your area, check before you use it!

[Raenia]

Thanks! I don't usually like ebooks, but if it's the only way to read it, that'll do. Appreciate you tracking it down!

I would recommend you take a look at an e-reader. I've been using them since the first generation came out and it's a really nice way to read digital content. The color versions are a bit washed out but perfectly useable for comics and manga.

I also use Calibre with a de-DRM plugin to save the digital epubs long term. I had the unfortunate issue that content I bought previously disappeared from my account, appearently because the retailer had some kind of term/agreement that they had to remove it when they couldn't re-license the books. De-DRM may not be legal in your area, check before you use it!

Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm not willing to buy a new gadget just to read the 1-2 books a year that I get digitally. I prefer the feel of a real book in my hands, and there's hardly anything that I can't get from the library in hard copy, so I just don't see the need of another electronic to buy and manage.

[crocheted_stache]

@Raenia and @jeroly , I'm glad my post inspired some Mustache magic and got you connected with the book you wanted.

@Alfred J Quack are there e-readers you can recommend? And do you do anything with yours besides read? I've been borrowing one that my brother probably wants back eventually, and it seems old (probably because it is) and a little clunky to me. I still read on paper, but for the increasing numbers of books that are electronic and for some of the documents I go through in my volunteer stuff, it would be pretty nice to have something that's easier on the eyes than paper. Personally, I think I'd like something that could start to take the place of many scraps of paper that I tend to accumulate, too.

[jeroly]

@Raenia and @jeroly , I'm glad my post inspired some Mustache magic and got you connected with the book you wanted.

@Alfred J Quack are there e-readers you can recommend? And do you do anything with yours besides read? I've been borrowing one that my brother probably wants back eventually, and it seems old (probably because it is) and a little clunky to me. I still read on paper, but for the increasing numbers of books that are electronic and for some of the documents I go through in my volunteer stuff, it would be pretty nice to have something that's easier on the eyes than paper. Personally, I think I'd like something that could start to take the place of many scraps of paper that I tend to accumulate, too.

You don't need a dedicated device- if you have a tablet there are lots of free apps to read epub or mobi files. The downside is they don't work well in direct sunlight like at the beach, but indoors they're good.

[crocheted_stache]

@Raenia and @jeroly , I'm glad my post inspired some Mustache magic and got you connected with the book you wanted.

@Alfred J Quack are there e-readers you can recommend? And do you do anything with yours besides read? I've been borrowing one that my brother probably wants back eventually, and it seems old (probably because it is) and a little clunky to me. I still read on paper, but for the increasing numbers of books that are electronic and for some of the documents I go through in my volunteer stuff, it would be pretty nice to have something that's easier on the eyes than paper. Personally, I think I'd like something that could start to take the place of many scraps of paper that I tend to accumulate, too.

You don't need a dedicated device- if you have a tablet there are lots of free apps to read epub or mobi files. The downside is they don't work well in direct sunlight like at the beach, but indoors they're good.

Yeah, I've plodded through a number of ebooks just on my phone. I don't have a tablet. One of the library apps likes to full justify the text, so occasionally I'll get to a line with only two or three longer words on it, but spread across the line like they're trying to save a seat for a friend who's not there yet. It's also tough on the eyes for longer stretches.

The device I've borrowed and am considering getting a newer one of when I give it back is basically a tablet but with self-lit e-ink. The reading I've done on it is pretty nice both for screen size and eye ease. The note taking is so-so, and I think it would improve if I actually logged in as myself, which I'm reluctant to do on a borrowed device, for other than a couple specific apps.

[Alfred J Quack]

@Raenia and @jeroly , I'm glad my post inspired some Mustache magic and got you connected with the book you wanted.

@Alfred J Quack are there e-readers you can recommend? And do you do anything with yours besides read? I've been borrowing one that my brother probably wants back eventually, and it seems old (probably because it is) and a little clunky to me. I still read on paper, but for the increasing numbers of books that are electronic and for some of the documents I go through in my volunteer stuff, it would be pretty nice to have something that's easier on the eyes than paper. Personally, I think I'd like something that could start to take the place of many scraps of paper that I tend to accumulate, too.

If you only want to read on it, I'd go with something like a Kobo 7.5 inch model. If you also want to run other apps on it, I'd go for an Onyx Boox app because they can use Google Play Services/store after you enable it (and you can install Kobo, Kindle or other book stores if you have books on their service).

At home I'm using the Kobo Note Air 3C with a color display. I read a lot, comics and books but also read on Reddit and the like. Videos are not very good on it though.

[deborah]

I live in easy walking distance of two shopping centres - one of which has all sorts of medical places (dentists, doctors, chemist, imaging, pathology lab…). So I generally walk to the shops. Almost everything I need is available in walking distance. If I need something heavy, I take the car.

As a result, since retirement I rarely need to use the bus. Earlier this year, I wanted to use the bus, and SO suggested that my bus pass may have expired. Which it had, because I hadn’t used the bus since COVID. So I had to go through the process of getting a new bus pass.

[NorthernIkigai]

Increasingly, the cities I travel to both in my country and abroad have changed their public transport systems so that you can just tap your bank card on the machine and pay that way. Some cities even have complex systems whereby you get a refund if your trip that day exceed the maximum you should pay for one day. (Sounds like a nightmare in terms of administration and banking fees for them, but hey, I’ll take it.) Some also have apps you can download and buy your ticket from.

It al really makes using public transport smoother.

[LennStar]

I am pretty sure they only ask the bank for money once. And even if not, if there is no transaction, there should be no fees.

[NorthernIkigai]

I am pretty sure they only ask the bank for money once. And even if not, if there is no transaction, there should be no fees.

The banking fees for the transport company. Usually, even if private customers have their banking fees either waived or built into whatever fees you pay for having the account, this is not the case for company accounts. So a company will pay a fee for every single payment it receives (used to be between 8 and 50c a couple of years ago, it may have changed now that there is more competition in banking), and also pays a fee for every single payment it makes.

So when I tap in and out of the London tube several times a day with my bank card, money is taken out of my account. When I wake up in the morning, there’s an actual payment of money having come back which is the difference between what I paid the day before and the maximum possible daily fee. Other places may of course organise this differently.

But the money really does move, and tbe banks of course do not do this for free.

[Dollar Slice]

MPP: it's that time of year again. Mom wants gift ideas and I don't want any more stuff in my small apartment that isn't food or a necessity. But it has to be "fun"! Time to start wringing ideas out of my brain...