Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)

[AerynLee]

I've been keeping an eye out for houses for sale. We're not in a hurry to move, but if we found the right place we'd consider buying it. We'll, I found what might be the right place but I'm having problems wrapping my head around the price. It's twice what our current place is worth, 3 times what we paid for the current place, and 4 times what we owe on it. But then I started running the numbers and laughed

Current house:
Paid $80k
Worth $115k
Mortgage $57k
PITI $775 (15 year loan)
PITI % Gross income 8%

New House
Asking $235k
PITI $1400 (30 year loan, 20% down)
PITI % Gross income 15%

So I'm freaking out about buying such and expensive house where the payments would be 15% of our gross income

And we'd have $12k of equity leftover from the current place after putting 20% down on the new one

Secondary MPP: I can't really discuss this with anyone IRL because they would not understand why it's a problem since we can obviously afford it

[StashingAway]

DW made $600 extra editing a newsletter last year (1099-MISC). Now the TaxAct software wants to charge us another $50 to file.

I'm looking for alternatives.

FreeTaxUSA

+1

[Alternatepriorities]

PITI % Gross income 15%

Secondary MPP: I can't really discuss this with anyone IRL because they would not understand why it's a problem since we can obviously afford it

You just made me realize I have similar MMP. I've been fretting for a while over the expense of our house which is larger than two people need but is really nice when we host friends & family who visit AK... Thinking about PITI as percentage though I realize it's only a little more than 20% of our spending which makes it less than 10% of our income last year... Once we finish the major PITA refi it will be even less.

Our most recent MMP with the ReFi? I paid off a CC in full the day I saw it (force of habit). The next day the bank wrote to say we no longer had enough traceable income to cover the ReFI closing cost. I wanted to tell them I paid my CC with the money they haven't tracked but instead I had to send them proof we had the money in another account. I probably should have just done that on day one. 

[dragoncar]

DW made $600 extra editing a newsletter last year (1099-MISC). Now the TaxAct software wants to charge us another $50 to file.

I'm looking for alternatives.

FreeTaxUSA

+1

Because it’s misc income?  I wonder if you can just report it somewhere else on tax act that will show up the same in the final form (a lot of 1040 numbers are just aggregated and the IRS might not care specifically which form it came from... YMMV here I haven’t looked at the 1040 yet).  Or finish up in tax act and edit the final form ... it would probably just be 2-3 entries to change?

That said I am no longer a fan of Taxact.  They play too many games with their pricing.  I guess they all do it to some extend but taxact has pissed me off too much.  Data import is not that helpful so I spread it around to other places or use free file depending on my situation each year (been very inconsistent the last few years).  I also signed up online for a ride sharing driver (not Lyft the other one) and never completed the process.  However, that company will still let me  file free under TurboTax business through a referral link in the dashboard, even without having driven a single mile.  The catch is you have to file by the end of FEB or the state isn’t free (and they jack up the price so much you might as well use another company at that point). 

[OtherJen]

I just bought a shiny new computer for work (remote home office), to replace my much beloved but aging MacBook. Got a great Costco deal (plus 2% cashback with the Costco visa) on an all-in-one PC with a large touchscreen, faster processor, larger RAM and hard drive, etc. But...

I cannot get used to the separate mouse. I'm an editor, and it is really jarring to have to keep moving my hand off the keyboard after using a laptop trackpad for the last 14 years. I think husband is getting sick of hearing me whine about it.

[dragoncar]

I just bought a shiny new computer for work (remote home office), to replace my much beloved but aging MacBook. Got a great Costco deal (plus 2% cashback with the Costco visa) on an all-in-one PC with a large touchscreen, faster processor, larger RAM and hard drive, etc. But...

I cannot get used to the separate mouse. I'm an editor, and it is really jarring to have to keep moving my hand off the keyboard after using a laptop trackpad for the last 14 years. I think husband is getting sick of hearing me whine about it.

But a usb keyboard with integrated touchpad?

[APowers]

I just bought a shiny new computer for work (remote home office), to replace my much beloved but aging MacBook. Got a great Costco deal (plus 2% cashback with the Costco visa) on an all-in-one PC with a large touchscreen, faster processor, larger RAM and hard drive, etc. But...

I cannot get used to the separate mouse. I'm an editor, and it is really jarring to have to keep moving my hand off the keyboard after using a laptop trackpad for the last 14 years. I think husband is getting sick of hearing me whine about it.

You could buy a keyboard with a built-in trackball. Problem solved.

[OtherJen]

I just bought a shiny new computer for work (remote home office), to replace my much beloved but aging MacBook. Got a great Costco deal (plus 2% cashback with the Costco visa) on an all-in-one PC with a large touchscreen, faster processor, larger RAM and hard drive, etc. But...

I cannot get used to the separate mouse. I'm an editor, and it is really jarring to have to keep moving my hand off the keyboard after using a laptop trackpad for the last 14 years. I think husband is getting sick of hearing me whine about it.

But a usb keyboard with integrated touchpad?

Yeah, I think that purchase will happen over the weekend. I only started using the computer on Wed. and swore that I would suck it up and get used to the already-paid-for mouse that came with the machine, but it's really slowing me down.

[LennStar]

I just bought a shiny new computer for work (remote home office), to replace my much beloved but aging MacBook. Got a great Costco deal (plus 2% cashback with the Costco visa) on an all-in-one PC with a large touchscreen, faster processor, larger RAM and hard drive, etc. But...

I cannot get used to the separate mouse. I'm an editor, and it is really jarring to have to keep moving my hand off the keyboard after using a laptop trackpad for the last 14 years. I think husband is getting sick of hearing me whine about it.

But a usb keyboard with integrated touchpad?

Yeah, I think that purchase will happen over the weekend. I only started using the computer on Wed. and swore that I would suck it up and get used to the already-paid-for mouse that came with the machine, but it's really slowing me down.

That is always the case for input devices. I personally can't stand trackpads. But if you do, and like them, then get one. The increase in productivity shoudl be easily worth it ;)

(I always have to shake my head about companies that buy $20 keyboards and if a worker says he wants a $100 because he can type better, the company says no, too expensive.
Just 1% increase in typing speed will pay for that difference in a matter of months. And with possible 30%-50% for always-typer it pays in days!)

[OtherJen]

I just bought a shiny new computer for work (remote home office), to replace my much beloved but aging MacBook. Got a great Costco deal (plus 2% cashback with the Costco visa) on an all-in-one PC with a large touchscreen, faster processor, larger RAM and hard drive, etc. But...

I cannot get used to the separate mouse. I'm an editor, and it is really jarring to have to keep moving my hand off the keyboard after using a laptop trackpad for the last 14 years. I think husband is getting sick of hearing me whine about it.

But a usb keyboard with integrated touchpad?

Yeah, I think that purchase will happen over the weekend. I only started using the computer on Wed. and swore that I would suck it up and get used to the already-paid-for mouse that came with the machine, but it's really slowing me down.

That is always the case for input devices. I personally can't stand trackpads. But if you do, and like them, then get one. The increase in productivity shoudl be easily worth it ;)

(I always have to shake my head about companies that buy $20 keyboards and if a worker says he wants a $100 because he can type better, the company says no, too expensive.
Just 1% increase in typing speed will pay for that difference in a matter of months. And with possible 30%-50% for always-typer it pays in days!)

Yep. If I were doing long blocks of typing, the separate mouse set-up would be fine. But I have to pick through manuscripts and jump all over. It seems to take at least 25% longer to do my job with this setup, so I'm definitely losing money.

[dragoncar]

I just bought a shiny new computer for work (remote home office), to replace my much beloved but aging MacBook. Got a great Costco deal (plus 2% cashback with the Costco visa) on an all-in-one PC with a large touchscreen, faster processor, larger RAM and hard drive, etc. But...

I cannot get used to the separate mouse. I'm an editor, and it is really jarring to have to keep moving my hand off the keyboard after using a laptop trackpad for the last 14 years. I think husband is getting sick of hearing me whine about it.

But a usb keyboard with integrated touchpad?

Yeah, I think that purchase will happen over the weekend. I only started using the computer on Wed. and swore that I would suck it up and get used to the already-paid-for mouse that came with the machine, but it's really slowing me down.

That is always the case for input devices. I personally can't stand trackpads. But if you do, and like them, then get one. The increase in productivity shoudl be easily worth it ;)

(I always have to shake my head about companies that buy $20 keyboards and if a worker says he wants a $100 because he can type better, the company says no, too expensive.
Just 1% increase in typing speed will pay for that difference in a matter of months. And with possible 30%-50% for always-typer it pays in days!)

I can’t stand trackpads either and will attach a usb mouse to my laptop especially doing anything graphics related.  It’s not a lack of experience though, use a trackpad every day. 

Absolute best was the IBM track point nubbin thing.  That way I didn’t have to take my fingers from the home keys

[Dollar Slice]

Absolute best was the IBM track point nubbin thing.  That way I didn’t have to take my fingers from the home keys

Lenovo Thinkpads still have those :-)  I swear by them.

[Hirondelle]

Today I made a pancake and wanted to use Nutella as a topping. Nice 'n creamy 'n chocolaty I thought.

Turns out, I'm so good at not using my heating that my nutella wasn't soft at all and I had to wait for it to 'melt' on the pancake instead of spreading it out immediately.

[markbike528CBX]

Absolute best was the IBM track point nubbin thing.  That way I didn’t have to take my fingers from the home keys

Lenovo Thinkpads still have those :-)  I swear by them.

+1 on the IBM/Lenovo trackpoint. ....and I'm a Mac guy :-)

[OtherJen]

I just bought a shiny new computer for work (remote home office), to replace my much beloved but aging MacBook. Got a great Costco deal (plus 2% cashback with the Costco visa) on an all-in-one PC with a large touchscreen, faster processor, larger RAM and hard drive, etc. But...

I cannot get used to the separate mouse. I'm an editor, and it is really jarring to have to keep moving my hand off the keyboard after using a laptop trackpad for the last 14 years. I think husband is getting sick of hearing me whine about it.

But a usb keyboard with integrated touchpad?

Yeah, I think that purchase will happen over the weekend. I only started using the computer on Wed. and swore that I would suck it up and get used to the already-paid-for mouse that came with the machine, but it's really slowing me down.

That is always the case for input devices. I personally can't stand trackpads. But if you do, and like them, then get one. The increase in productivity shoudl be easily worth it ;)

(I always have to shake my head about companies that buy $20 keyboards and if a worker says he wants a $100 because he can type better, the company says no, too expensive.
Just 1% increase in typing speed will pay for that difference in a matter of months. And with possible 30%-50% for always-typer it pays in days!)

I can’t stand trackpads either and will attach a usb mouse to my laptop especially doing anything graphics related.  It’s not a lack of experience though, use a trackpad every day. 

Absolute best was the IBM track point nubbin thing.  That way I didn’t have to take my fingers from the home keys

Trackpads definitely suck for graphics. Fortunately I don't deal with many of those.

[Sibley]

I am avoiding other stuff. So I'm starting my taxes. (Yes, I'm a geek) Using HR Block, not because I want to, but because I also do my parent's return and they're in HR Block and I am not dealing with the headache of moving them.

So, I'm using HR Block. They've dumbed down the inputs so much that they've actually made it very difficult to properly input from the tax forms if you have anything other than what they think you should have. This is very annoying. It's so very annoying actually that I may end up putting stuff into TaxAct or something because I'm really not sure I'm doing it right so I want a double check. And I'm a CPA. I used to do taxes for a living. When you're confusing me on how to input very basic forms, there's a problem there.

[ysette9]

Absolute best was the IBM track point nubbin thing.  That way I didn’t have to take my fingers from the home keys

Lenovo Thinkpads still have those :-)  I swear by them.

Seriously? This little bits of pencil eraser in the middle of the keys that Sssssllllooooowwwlllyyy inched the cursor across the screen and then didn’t have the fidelity to let me place it just so on THAT button so I could select what I wanted? I could never figure out how those designs got approved. I guess it was just my ineptness all along.
Tracked or forcepad all the way for me

[APowers]

Absolute best was the IBM track point nubbin thing.  That way I didn’t have to take my fingers from the home keys

Lenovo Thinkpads still have those :-)  I swear by them.

Seriously? This little bits of pencil eraser in the middle of the keys that Sssssllllooooowwwlllyyy inched the cursor across the screen and then didn’t have the fidelity to let me place it just so on THAT button so I could select what I wanted? I could never figure out how those designs got approved. I guess it was just my ineptness all along.
Tracked or forcepad all the way for me

The ones I remember were pressure-sensitive, so you could move them as slowly or quickly as needed, just by pushing softer or harder. I never got used to them, but I could see them being highly effective with some practice.

[Dollar Slice]

Yeah, they're adjustable (just like mice and trackpads) so you can make them as sensitive as you like them and adjust various settings. I'm sure any pointing device takes some getting used to, though. I'd personally hate to have to use a trackpad after 12+ years away from them.

For me it's about the ergonomics as I've had both carpal and cubital tunnel syndrome(s) as well as problems with my shoulder, before switching to the trackpoint.

[StashingAway]

Absolute best was the IBM track point nubbin thing.  That way I didn’t have to take my fingers from the home keys

Lenovo Thinkpads still have those :-)  I swear by them.

Seriously? This little bits of pencil eraser in the middle of the keys that Sssssllllooooowwwlllyyy inched the cursor across the screen and then didn’t have the fidelity to let me place it just so on THAT button so I could select what I wanted? I could never figure out how those designs got approved. I guess it was just my ineptness all along.
Tracked or forcepad all the way for me

The ones I remember were pressure-sensitive, so you could move them as slowly or quickly as needed, just by pushing softer or harder. I never got used to them, but I could see them being highly effective with some practice.

I do 3D modeling (Solidworks, etc), and the the track point is surprisingly effective for my work. Orders of magnitude above trying to use a track pad for whatever reason. Graphic design is the opposite; the track point is nearly worthless and the pad can be much more effective.

Neither replace a good mouse, but using a laptop on the go they do in a pinch.

[Alternatepriorities]

Absolute best was the IBM track point nubbin thing.  That way I didn’t have to take my fingers from the home keys

Lenovo Thinkpads still have those :-)  I swear by them.

Seriously? This little bits of pencil eraser in the middle of the keys that Sssssllllooooowwwlllyyy inched the cursor across the screen and then didn’t have the fidelity to let me place it just so on THAT button so I could select what I wanted? I could never figure out how those designs got approved. I guess it was just my ineptness all along.
Tracked or forcepad all the way for me

The ones I remember were pressure-sensitive, so you could move them as slowly or quickly as needed, just by pushing softer or harder. I never got used to them, but I could see them being highly effective with some practice.

I do 3D modeling (Solidworks, etc), and the the track point is surprisingly effective for my work. Orders of magnitude above trying to use a track pad for whatever reason. Graphic design is the opposite; the track point is nearly worthless and the pad can be much more effective.

Neither replace a good mouse, but using a laptop on the go they do in a pinch.

I’ve never tried a track point for CAD. I’ve been using a MacBook running window since I started my own business, but even apples track pad which I agree is better than a mouse when using the Mac is just not the same in windows and is barely functional for solid works. I finally had to upgrade my computer last year to a desktop and I found the key throws on the desktop keyboards drove me a little nuts. Finally bought an Apple keyboard on Craigslist for $30 and hacked it into my new PC.

[dragoncar]

Track point is not really great for CAD either, although I prefer it to the trackpad because it’s really easy to move the pointer all around while holding the click button and without constantly lifting your finger

[Alternatepriorities]

I also signed up online for a ride sharing driver (not Lyft the other one) and never completed the process.

That's a shame, who wouldn't want to get a lift from the airport in a dragoncar!

[dragoncar]

I also signed up online for a ride sharing driver (not Lyft the other one) and never completed the process.

That's a shame, who wouldn't want to get a lift from the airport in a dragoncar!

At least back then they only allowed certain types of vehicles to be used.  Dragoncars were categorically prohibited.  Mostly I was curious what kind of stuff they made you agree to and the “signup” was just entering my phone number which was already linked to my rider account

[Alternatepriorities]

I also signed up online for a ride sharing driver (not Lyft the other one) and never completed the process.

That's a shame, who wouldn't want to get a lift from the airport in a dragoncar!

At least back then they only allowed certain types of vehicles to be used.  Dragoncars were categorically prohibited.  Mostly I was curious what kind of stuff they made you agree to and the “signup” was just entering my phone number which was already linked to my rider account

That makes sense. All the other passengers would probably be jealous of anyone lucky enough to get a dragoncar. The review system would get all messed up too. If I gave the dragoncar five stars how could I give another driver more than three?

[ixtap]

I looked into ride-sharing once. My car is too old.

[Alternatepriorities]

I looked into ride-sharing once. My car is too old.

I ran into that when I looked into Turo a couple years ago. I suppose that is a MPP: tried to rent out my car on Turo but they said it was too old and has too many miles...

[secondcor521]

I looked into ride-sharing once. My car is too old.

I ran into that when I looked into Turo a couple years ago. I suppose that is a MPP: tried to rent out my car on Turo but they said it was too old and has too many miles...

My 1993 car is too old for kbb.com, so they can't tell me what it's worth.

[ixtap]

I looked into ride-sharing once. My car is too old.

I ran into that when I looked into Turo a couple years ago. I suppose that is a MPP: tried to rent out my car on Turo but they said it was too old and has too many miles...

My 1993 car is too old for kbb.com, so they can't tell me what it's worth.

Our cars aren't that old, but CarMax couldn't be bothered to look at them to determine a price.

[Dicey]

I looked into ride-sharing once. My car is too old.

I ran into that when I looked into Turo a couple years ago. I suppose that is a MPP: tried to rent out my car on Turo but they said it was too old and has too many miles...

My 1993 car is too old for kbb.com, so they can't tell me what it's worth.

Who cares? If it's reliable, it's priceless to you, right?

[Alternatepriorities]

I looked into ride-sharing once. My car is too old.

I ran into that when I looked into Turo a couple years ago. I suppose that is a MPP: tried to rent out my car on Turo but they said it was too old and has too many miles...

My 1993 car is too old for kbb.com, so they can't tell me what it's worth.

Who cares? If it's reliable, it's priceless to you, right?

Turns our the insurance company could put a price on our '08 Fit after someone did a hit and run on the parked car... But because there weren't any for sale in AK they also had to include the cost of shipping one up here. Better yet, the salvage value for a driving '08 Fit with 235k miles and serious cosmetic damage is only $700... So now we have a reliable but very ugly car and more cash in the bank than if we had sold the car the day before the accident... DW seems to care about the ugliness more than I do and she's the primary driver so I am going to look something I can salvage to fix it as soon as it warms up.

[Sugaree]

I finally managed to track down a retirement plan from an old job and get the name on to match my current name.  Now, I'm trying to roll it over into my current plan.  But my current plan is the TSP and it's so ass backwards wrt rollovers.  I have to fill out half a form and then email, mail, or fax it to the old company.  They fill out the bottom half of the form and mail it back to me with a check for what I'm rolling over.  Then I have to turn around and mail both of these items to the TSP administrators.  What a pain in the ass.  But the old company comes through and gets the check and the form in the mail the day after I request it.  Informed Delivery from the USPS says that form should have been in my mailbox when I got home from work yesterday.  It was not.  Old company says they have to wait 10 business days to re-issue check (and I'm sure there's a fee involved with that).  I'm hoping that it will arrive with today's mail, but this isn't the first time that mail has not arrived after being scanned for the email thing.  It's not even the first time that a check didn't arrive after making it past my local post office. 

[kewper]

I finally managed to track down a retirement plan from an old job and get the name on to match my current name.  Now, I'm trying to roll it over into my current plan.  But my current plan is the TSP and it's so ass backwards wrt rollovers.  I have to fill out half a form and then email, mail, or fax it to the old company.  They fill out the bottom half of the form and mail it back to me with a check for what I'm rolling over.  Then I have to turn around and mail both of these items to the TSP administrators.  What a pain in the ass.  But the old company comes through and gets the check and the form in the mail the day after I request it.  Informed Delivery from the USPS says that form should have been in my mailbox when I got home from work yesterday.  It was not.  Old company says they have to wait 10 business days to re-issue check (and I'm sure there's a fee involved with that).  I'm hoping that it will arrive with today's mail, but this isn't the first time that mail has not arrived after being scanned for the email thing.  It's not even the first time that a check didn't arrive after making it past my local post office.

I have about $120 in a 457(b) plan administered by Nationwide from the time I was a substitute teacher in my hometown for 1 month in 2004.  My husband and I spent like 10 hours faxing/e-mailing/filling out forms/sitting on hold on the telephone trying to get it rolled over or even distributed (taxably) but it was literally impossible.  At some point it just wasn't worth out time for such a little bit of money so it can just rot there until I'm 70.5.

[Sugaree]

I finally managed to track down a retirement plan from an old job and get the name on to match my current name.  Now, I'm trying to roll it over into my current plan.  But my current plan is the TSP and it's so ass backwards wrt rollovers.  I have to fill out half a form and then email, mail, or fax it to the old company.  They fill out the bottom half of the form and mail it back to me with a check for what I'm rolling over.  Then I have to turn around and mail both of these items to the TSP administrators.  What a pain in the ass.  But the old company comes through and gets the check and the form in the mail the day after I request it.  Informed Delivery from the USPS says that form should have been in my mailbox when I got home from work yesterday.  It was not.  Old company says they have to wait 10 business days to re-issue check (and I'm sure there's a fee involved with that).  I'm hoping that it will arrive with today's mail, but this isn't the first time that mail has not arrived after being scanned for the email thing.  It's not even the first time that a check didn't arrive after making it past my local post office.

I have about $120 in a 457(b) plan administered by Nationwide from the time I was a substitute teacher in my hometown for 1 month in 2004.  My husband and I spent like 10 hours faxing/e-mailing/filling out forms/sitting on hold on the telephone trying to get it rolled over or even distributed (taxably) but it was literally impossible.  At some point it just wasn't worth out time for such a little bit of money so it can just rot there until I'm 70.5.

The problem with doing that is that this seems to be a company that specializes in "abandoned" retirement accounts.  As such, they seem to make their money in fees.  Like the $35/year maintenance fees.  And to be fair, they seem to be on top of getting the funds transferred out.  The problem right now is with the USPS.  And likely my local carrier. 

[DadJokes]

I finally managed to track down a retirement plan from an old job and get the name on to match my current name.  Now, I'm trying to roll it over into my current plan.  But my current plan is the TSP and it's so ass backwards wrt rollovers.  I have to fill out half a form and then email, mail, or fax it to the old company.  They fill out the bottom half of the form and mail it back to me with a check for what I'm rolling over.  Then I have to turn around and mail both of these items to the TSP administrators.  What a pain in the ass.  But the old company comes through and gets the check and the form in the mail the day after I request it.  Informed Delivery from the USPS says that form should have been in my mailbox when I got home from work yesterday.  It was not.  Old company says they have to wait 10 business days to re-issue check (and I'm sure there's a fee involved with that).  I'm hoping that it will arrive with today's mail, but this isn't the first time that mail has not arrived after being scanned for the email thing.  It's not even the first time that a check didn't arrive after making it past my local post office.

I have about $120 in a 457(b) plan administered by Nationwide from the time I was a substitute teacher in my hometown for 1 month in 2004.  My husband and I spent like 10 hours faxing/e-mailing/filling out forms/sitting on hold on the telephone trying to get it rolled over or even distributed (taxably) but it was literally impossible.  At some point it just wasn't worth out time for such a little bit of money so it can just rot there until I'm 70.5.

You don’t have to be 70.5 to access a 457(b) without penalties. As long as you are separated from that employer, you can just withdraw it now and pay regular income taxes on it. It’s the ultimate early retirement account.

[imadandylion]

Good post.

... Yes, same here! When I started cycling I would always show up sweaty regardless of wearing the ideal and minimal cycling clothing. ...

Something not much acknowledged in these bike-to-work discussions is humidity.  Biking on the south rim of Grand Canyon in summer I couldn't really perceive I was sweating; it evaporated as soon as it met the air.  But I was once detailed to coastal Georgia, and after hard exercise at lunch, did not cease sweating for 2 - 3 hours.  In that kind of >90% humidity you're forcing it out against very high vapor pressure as your body is trying to restore normal temperature.  I learned to take as cold a shower as I could - the water supply was in an elevated tank and equilibrated to the average annual air temperature, so the C on the tap should have been a T for Tepid - for as long as I could after those sessions, an option unavailable for many at their work, and distasteful to some.

Cycling without a helmet is widely regarded as precarious, I didn't make that up. ...

They cannot very well design for linear or lateral violent deceleration, as there are infinite scenarios and the resulting helmet wouldhave to resemble a motorcyclist's, completely defeating the head's role in maintaining body temperature.   Bicycle helmets are designed to protect during a fall of about 6 feet, which is about a standard average bicyclist's head's distance to ground.  Add me to the list of someone who fell over at minimal speed - think of foot suddenly unseparable from pedal - and has carried a scar from it for decades. But the helmet worked.  I've also been present when a fellow kayaker rolled up with a crazed pattern of cracks in his helmet from collision with a sharp subsurface rock; that worked too.

Yes, definitely – I often forget about humidity since that is virtually non-existent in my climate, I never realized what it actually felt like for a long time. In humid areas, I could hardly walk around in normal clothing without probably looking like I just got done cycling.

Yikes. I'm glad the helmets worked. I did not realize kayakers wore helmets. Yes, helmets in general are certainly not an end-all-be-all magical equipment (not like when you get the that magic star in Super Mario and every enemy bounces off of you – darn) but still helpful nonetheless. Just as a hard had on a construction site doesn't help you if you have a giant steel beam dropped on you by a crane. But still relatively useful in the event something smaller and totally painful does drop on the head. Just the other day, I saw a 'meter maid' wearing a helmet in one of those small tiny car/golf cart doorless contraptions.

@LennStar Consider me simmered down. I do have a propensity to be passionate. :P

[TomTX]

Informed Delivery from the USPS says that form should have been in my mailbox when I got home from work yesterday.  It was not. 

That's when you scroll down toward the bottom of the Informed Delivery email and click the convenient link to report missing mail.

[Paul der Krake]

I've found informed delivery from USPS to be often off by 1 day, in either direction.

[mspym]

Or if you live outside the United States you are explicitly barred from using the USPS tracking service...

[DaMa]

Informed Delivery from the USPS says that form should have been in my mailbox when I got home from work yesterday.  It was not. 

That's when you scroll down toward the bottom of the Informed Delivery email and click the convenient link to report missing mail.

I did that, and was told to contact my local post office.  Then my local told me to contact the distribution office.  They called me back a week later.  Can you guess what they said?  Contact your local post office.

I have little faith in USPS.

[Reynold]

That's when you scroll down toward the bottom of the Informed Delivery email and click the convenient link to report missing mail.

I did that, and was told to contact my local post office.  Then my local told me to contact the distribution office.  They called me back a week later.  Can you guess what they said?  Contact your local post office.

I have little faith in USPS.

Ditto.  Had a ring being returned from a jeweler after a repair, and it was sent insured, signature required and trackable.  I get a sticky note on the door about how they couldn't deliver it without a signature, so I bring said note in to the branch PO it was from.  "Oh, we have no way of figuring out where that is.  Maybe the delivery guy put it on a shelf in back?"  10 minutes later, "Nope, I checked the shelves.  Maybe it is in his truck or something, check back in a couple of days."  I did eventually get it, but I was like, how worthwhile is paying for tracking if that is the best they can do?  Also had a trackable letter take 6 weeks to arrive from half way across the U.S., stalled at an intermediate office for about a month, and an item in an insured package get broken.  It was a gift mailed to a friend, and they wanted him to provide the original receipt.  We didn't even have that, it was bought at a craft show a decade ago.  We paid for an insurance value, right, why do they need a receipt for like $30? 

[GreenToTheCore]

Today I made a pancake and wanted to use Nutella as a topping. Nice 'n creamy 'n chocolaty I thought.

Turns out, I'm so good at not using my heating that my nutella wasn't soft at all and I had to wait for it to 'melt' on the pancake instead of spreading it out immediately.

I feel like @Hirondelle got buried among the trackpad outrage. I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the time lost to your solid Nutella. Been there, you have my sympathies ;)

[mspym]

My MPP is a friend gave me some bar shampoo which I really want to try but it will be ~6 months before I use up my current shampoo. On current tracking I will not need to buy any more shampoo or conditioner until I retire in 4 years time.

[Alternatepriorities]

Today I made a pancake and wanted to use Nutella as a topping. Nice 'n creamy 'n chocolaty I thought.

Turns out, I'm so good at not using my heating that my nutella wasn't soft at all and I had to wait for it to 'melt' on the pancake instead of spreading it out immediately.

I feel like @Hirondelle got buried among the trackpad outrage. I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the time lost to your solid Nutella. Been there, you have my sympathies ;)

I have the same problem with butter. In the summer it gets too soft and sometimes melts in the dish. In the winter sometimes it's hard as a rock.

[dragoncar]

Today I made a pancake and wanted to use Nutella as a topping. Nice 'n creamy 'n chocolaty I thought.

Turns out, I'm so good at not using my heating that my nutella wasn't soft at all and I had to wait for it to 'melt' on the pancake instead of spreading it out immediately.

I feel like @Hirondelle got buried among the trackpad outrage. I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the time lost to your solid Nutella. Been there, you have my sympathies ;)

I have the same problem with butter. In the summer it gets too soft and sometimes melts in the dish. In the winter sometimes it's hard as a rock.

Rock hard you say?

Whats wrong with melted butter?  Just keep it in a butter heater and give it three or four good pumps per slice of bread

[Alternatepriorities]

Today I made a pancake and wanted to use Nutella as a topping. Nice 'n creamy 'n chocolaty I thought.

Turns out, I'm so good at not using my heating that my nutella wasn't soft at all and I had to wait for it to 'melt' on the pancake instead of spreading it out immediately.

I feel like @Hirondelle got buried among the trackpad outrage. I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the time lost to your solid Nutella. Been there, you have my sympathies ;)

I have the same problem with butter. In the summer it gets too soft and sometimes melts in the dish. In the winter sometimes it's hard as a rock.

Rock hard you say?

Whats wrong with melted butter?  Just keep it in a butter heater and give it three or four good pumps per slice of bread

Wait seriously? Is that a thing? Melted butter is awesome. It’s the resolididified and or rancid that I find a bit weird. I’m not sure I would pay for heat to keep the butter melted plus something to stir it so it doesn’t separate...

[PhilB]

Today I made a pancake and wanted to use Nutella as a topping. Nice 'n creamy 'n chocolaty I thought.

Turns out, I'm so good at not using my heating that my nutella wasn't soft at all and I had to wait for it to 'melt' on the pancake instead of spreading it out immediately.

I feel like @Hirondelle got buried among the trackpad outrage. I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the time lost to your solid Nutella. Been there, you have my sympathies ;)

I have the same problem with butter. In the summer it gets too soft and sometimes melts in the dish. In the winter sometimes it's hard as a rock.

That brought back memories of the winter I spent living in a VW camper.  When I got home form work I had to melt the olive oil before I could start cooking.  Brrrr!

[TVRodriguez]

Today I made a pancake and wanted to use Nutella as a topping. Nice 'n creamy 'n chocolaty I thought.

Turns out, I'm so good at not using my heating that my nutella wasn't soft at all and I had to wait for it to 'melt' on the pancake instead of spreading it out immediately.

I feel like @Hirondelle got buried among the trackpad outrage. I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the time lost to your solid Nutella. Been there, you have my sympathies ;)

I have the same problem with butter. In the summer it gets too soft and sometimes melts in the dish. In the winter sometimes it's hard as a rock.

Rock hard you say?

Whats wrong with melted butter?  Just keep it in a butter heater and give it three or four good pumps per slice of bread

Wait seriously? Is that a thing? Melted butter is awesome. It’s the resolididified and or rancid that I find a bit weird. I’m not sure I would pay for heat to keep the butter melted plus something to stir it so it doesn’t separate...

Here in Miami, we have to keep the butter in the fridge bc it gets rancid and grows mold if left out on the counter for a few days. And of course we don't keep the ac cold enough to avoid that, so fridge butter it is. On the other hand, it's so warm here that the butter is spreadable after only a couple of minutes out of the fridge.

A cousin from Chicago visited and saw my jar of coconut oil in the spice cabinet and asked how I kept it liquid. I never knew that it solidifies. I'm now thinking the same thing about Nutella, which is always spreadable here!

[merula]

A cousin from Chicago visited and saw my jar of coconut oil in the spice cabinet and asked how I kept it liquid. I never knew that it solidifies. I'm now thinking the same thing about Nutella, which is always spreadable here!

Here from Minnesota to confirm that Nutella is spreadable even when the thermostat is set in the 60s.

[Alternatepriorities]

A cousin from Chicago visited and saw my jar of coconut oil in the spice cabinet and asked how I kept it liquid. I never knew that it solidifies. I'm now thinking the same thing about Nutella, which is always spreadable here!

Here from Minnesota to confirm that Nutella is spreadable even when the thermostat is set in the 60s.

Our coconut oil is stays solid most of the time but since I only use it for cooking that doesn’t matter much. I’ve had the house warmer for the last couple of days because my elderly father is visiting and staying downstairs (same thermostat), and out coconut oils is almost a liquid now.