[Toshi]

No - it's all fuckin' stupid. But people want to "camp" without any of the actual stuff that comes along with "camping"...

I give my sister shit all the time, 'cause she's an RV "camper."

given that they drove from VT to UT for this trip one could certainly argue it'd make more sense to fly to SLC, rent a minivan, stay at hotels.

 

[Toshi]

ran the AC for 252 hours in August of this year

ran it for 400 hours in August of last year, 221 in 2021.

 

[SkaredShtles]

ran the AC for 252 hours in August of this year

ran it for 400 hours in August of last year, 221 in 2021.

0, 0, 0. Just for the record.

 

[Toshi]

0, 0, 0. Just for the record.

why do you hate America and modern conveniences

 

[SkaredShtles]

why do you hate America and modern conveniences

Eh - it just ain't all that hot out here in the arid west.

 

[Toshi]

moving forward with Ion. will be a deal structured as short term same as cash, 0 interest so that Ion gets paid up front, then MPEI will pay me. how much is apparently up to 90%: "Our program will finance up to 90% of the total project cost".

waiting on design review committee input from HOA before signing things.

HOA design review committee approved it without niggling

MPEI will finance $23,716.61 of the total project cost (PV + heat pump) of $26,455.23 at a cool 1% APR x 10 years, one time $100 administration fee.

:notbadobama:

Will sign paperwork and get the ball rolling on this tonight.


update: all signed. double checking numbers because that sounds low on total project cost. but what they'll finance is what they'll finance—part of it is based off of what the projected energy savings will be. ok, numbers checked out. electrician not included in that but I'm ok with that.

will also get some nice credits and rebates from this, in exchange for floating the full costhalf of the cost of the heat pump until MPEI pays me, and for signing up for a bridge loan basically for the solar until the same:

- my responsibility will be about $4,200 between the difference between project costs and MPEI's financed amount, and the amount for the electrician, but:
- Fed cumulative credits between PV, heat pump, associated electrical work: $7,762
- CO credit for 10% of the heat pump equipment cost: $675
- Ion + MPEI one time credits: $2,700

 

[Toshi]

Expeditions ebike trailer lowers the floor instead of raising the roof

If you've gone and bought yourself a high-end ebike, you won't want to tow just any ol' bicycle-camping trailer behind it. With its lowerable floor, sharp lines and composite construction, the Expeditions Trailer may be just what you're looking for.

newatlas.com

most of the US would be shit to bike tour—thinking about the poor saps on the shoulder of highway 101 in Oregon. but in some other land that’d be a cool experience to spend a few weeks touring about self supported via a little bike trailer.

 

[Toshi]

Cool. I wonder if it is torque or cadence sensing

E-Bike Technology Is Going to Revolutionize Kayaking

Old Town's new ePDL+ technology doesn't just make a better kayak, it creates a better fishing boat for most anglers

www.outsideonline.com

 

[Toshi]

Both of these are actually moving forward! maybe.

A contractor is coming by tomorrow (with me not there clearly--I'll be in the hospital in Aurora) to check out the deck for the reinforcement project. If he agrees to do it and has a reasonable price I have the hurdle of the Grand County building permit to deal with--me making up architectural drawings? Sure, why not...

got a few contractors/builders to finally head out and eyeball the deck with the engineering firm's recommendations in mind.

first quote back from the guy referenced in the above-quoted post, from Lifestyle Construction... $34k.



I'll go through with this for $10k. but $34k (+ the hot tub) ain't happening.

 

[SkaredShtles]

got a few contractors/builders to finally head out and eyeball the deck with the engineering firm's recommendations in mind.

first quote back from the guy referenced in the above-quoted post, from Lifestyle Construction... $34k.



I'll go through with this for $10k. but $34k (+ the hot tub) ain't happening.

"Buy a house in the mountains," they said...

 

[6thElement]

"Buy a house in the mountains," they said...

Buy a house with a layout and finish that you hate!

 

[Toshi]

any locals looking for fitness gear?

Rage Fitness and Gibson Athletics Overstock and Factory Return Auction

CPG Fitness the owners of Rage and Gibson brands has too much factory overstock / returned merchandise of training equipment, weights and more. The overstock and returns will be sold at public online auction.

www.rollerauction.com

 

[Toshi]

Buy a house with a layout and finish that you hate!

location and size were and are good, though.

just a bit rough around the edges, as it were

 

[Toshi]

DIY-save-for-granite-drilling combo

I may be drilling a 1" hole in the granite countertop by myself:

Granite Doctor: $214 for the hole, $328 for a clean and seal optionally
Stone Restoration Works: $175 for the hole only if with a $475 clean/polish/seal job, $295 for the hole alone

How to Drill Through Granite: 8 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow

Granite counters and flooring are popular among homebuilders and homeowners because of the material's attractiveness and durability. Granite comes in a wide variety of colors and finishes and, despite being somewhat more expensive than...

www.wikihow.com

Can a non-professional drill holes in a granite countertop?

I recently bought an under-counter kegerator and need to have some holes drilled in the granite countertop for the tap. The template and mount has 1.75" hole in the center (to run the beer lines) ...

diy.stackexchange.com

https://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Porcelain-Concrete-Grinders-Electric/dp/B0BHWJZ397/ref=sr_1_12

or I could swap out the hot only faucet for a hot/cold one and plumb that up. the hole is 1.5" per my 2015 design center paperwork when getting this house built

this actually seems like it'd solve my problems. reverse osmosis undersink, hot, cold all in one unit. just need to reduce the hole to 1", which might not even be an issue if the flange is a bit oversized as it likely is.

also went with the Rheem-via-Home Depot water softener with their flat rate installation option.

will this be as good as the $7-10k professional setups? probably not, at least on the water softener side. but this is about $2,200 all in. much better in that regard.

 

[Toshi]

first one that started at 1.3 is now pending sale, so we all will get to see what it ended up at in this climate!

View attachment 199086

92 GCR 5141 Circle, Tabernash, CO 80478 | Zillow

92 Gcr 5141 Circle, Tabernash CO, is a Single Family home that contains 2267 sq ft and was built in 2008.It contains 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.This home last sold for $1,025,000 in September 2023. The Zestimate for this Single Family is $1,030,500, which has increased by $6,890 in the last 30...

www.zillow.com

second dropped from 949 to 899. still unsold.

501 Paintbrush Terrace, Tabernash, CO 80478 | Zillow

501 Paintbrush Terrace, Tabernash CO, is a Townhouse home that contains 2336 sq ft and was built in 2007.It contains 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.This home last sold for $825,000 in November 2023. The Zestimate for this Townhouse is $819,000, which has decreased by $6,533 in the last 30 days.The...

www.zillow.com

that first house is literally across the street from ours. it's the near one on the right. ours is the salmon colored box on the left, of course

View attachment 199091View attachment 199092

92 GCR 5141 Circle, Tabernash, CO 80478 | Zillow

92 Gcr 5141 Circle, Tabernash CO, is a Single Family home that contains 2267 sq ft and was built in 2008.It contains 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.This home last sold for $1,025,000 in September 2023. The Zestimate for this Single Family is $1,030,500, which has increased by $6,890 in the last 30...

www.zillow.com

sold for $1.025mm for its 2,267 sq ft ultimately, after starting asking 1.3. other recent comps on my very street:

shall cite these when I get my salmon box-house reappraised.

 

[Toshi]

I'm going to be in Japan in a few weeks, recall, for the conference in Sendai. Anyway, I'm traveling with my parents and my mom has laid out quite the packed schedule seeing relatives here and there.

I do have a 24 hour free period while in Tokyo, though, and I have a JR Pass.

I therefore am going to head to Kanazawa via the Hokuriku shinkansen line. ~2 hour train ride at 160 mph, and every day there are these trains from Tokyo to Kanazawa:

• 6:16 (express)
• 6:28
• 7:20 (express)
• 7:52
• 8:36 (express)
• 8:44
• 9:20 (express)
• 9:32
• 10:24 (express)
• 10:32
• 11:24 (express)
• 12:24 (express)
• 13:04
• 14:24 (express)
• 15:24 (express)
• 16:24 (express)
• 16:32
• 18:04 (partial express)
• 18:24 (express)
• 19:04
• 19:24 (express)
• 20:12
• 21:04 (express)

Mindblowing coming from a non-civilized country.

Anyway, while in Kanazawa I have an inexpensive but nice hotel booked near the train station, and from the same station there are various buses (one of which is run by JR thus is free given my pass) that I can take to get to Kenrokuen Garden. So I'll go there in the afternoon, walk about the city a bit and find dinner, hole up in my hotel, take the bus to the garden in the morning and back afterwards, then take a mid day shinkansen back to Tokyo to rejoin my family.

I should really move somewhere civilized.

 

[Toshi]

I should really move somewhere civilized.

Looked into it and working as a rad in Japan is 100% infeasible. Would need to be fluent in medical level Japanese and pass their exams. And the pay is undoubtedly low (as the flip side of education being free).

If emigration is ever happening it’ll be to NZ.

Some photos from things as of late

needed a new 16 notch tool to mount up a new Ultegra bottom bracket on my acoustic belt drive drop bar bike. Old one with bigger external cup diameter was creaking, probably just because it was a touch loose. New one on for good measure and everything with a nice layer of poly grease: silent for the moment.

Blood donation trip via e-bike as promised. Returned a bathrobe and a USB-C MicroSD reader on way back

my Baby Aya tried an adorable 1/16 scale cello at Luther Strings

green mountain with Yuna

part of Mule Deer with Mariko. I think I posted these already, come to think of it

 

[Toshi]

Around town bike for eldest kid. Could potentially last her forever! Shimano STEPS mid drive, integrated battery, rack and fenders. No integrated lights, unfortunately.

popped on some Specialized open/hard shell panniers that’ll be the ticket to get her sparring gear to taekwondo. “Permanently” mounted them to deter casual theft

 

[Toshi]

I'm going to be in Japan in a few weeks, recall, for the conference in Sendai. Anyway, I'm traveling with my parents and my mom has laid out quite the packed schedule seeing relatives here and there.

I do have a 24 hour free period while in Tokyo, though, and I have a JR Pass.

I therefore am going to head to Kanazawa via the Hokuriku shinkansen line. ~2 hour train ride at 160 mph, and every day there are these trains from Tokyo to Kanazawa:

Tokyo - Kanazawa and Kanazawa - Ueno (and then via commuter rail to Ofuna down past Yokohama to meet yet another relative for dinner!) shinkansen tickets are now reserved.

 

[Toshi]

any locals looking for fitness gear?

Rage Fitness and Gibson Athletics Overstock and Factory Return Auction

CPG Fitness the owners of Rage and Gibson brands has too much factory overstock / returned merchandise of training equipment, weights and more. The overstock and returns will be sold at public online auction.

www.rollerauction.com

I bid on some things, and won a few for what seems like decent deals



10/20/30 x 1 and 40 x 2 lb slam balls

a curl bar with those W shaped grips

one nice regulation weight 20 kg barbell with needle bearings

two kids-weight/"training" 7.3 kg barbells

going to drive in to work tomorrow then pop up north during the day to pick up the goods.

 

[Toshi]

I bid on some things, and won a few for what seems like decent deals



10/20/30 x 1 and 40 x 2 lb slam balls

a curl bar with those W shaped grips

one nice regulation weight 20 kg barbell with needle bearings

two kids-weight/"training" 7.3 kg barbells

going to drive in to work tomorrow then pop up north during the day to pick up the goods.

said items were duly picked up. slam balls turned out to be very small! but dense.

I do not have a bench, stand/power rack/cage, or plates, though. with good timing, Roller Auctions has picked up a sale from a fitness place up in Fort Lupton:

Colorado Cardio Overstock Equipment Sale

Since 2003 Colorado Cardio has been a leader in Gym Equipment Outlet Online Retailers. They are bursting at the seams with quality refurbished gym equipment and are liquidating excess assets at public online auction.

www.rollerauction.com

pick up Oct 5 or 6, in Fort Lupton. I'd need to rent a box truck with a liftgate for some of this stuff... but it seems a way to potentially get some cheap, quality gear that I'm in the market for. and some that I might bid on on a lark if I'm renting the truck anyway.

(Oct 6 works for my schedule... might move the planned water softener installation date from then for less time pressure, but that's not a big deal.)

 

[SkaredShtles]

said items were duly picked up. slam balls turned out to be very small! but dense.

View attachment 201130

I do not have a bench, stand/power rack/cage, or plates, though. with good timing, Roller Auctions has picked up a sale from a fitness place up in Fort Lupton:

Colorado Cardio Overstock Equipment Sale

Since 2003 Colorado Cardio has been a leader in Gym Equipment Outlet Online Retailers. They are bursting at the seams with quality refurbished gym equipment and are liquidating excess assets at public online auction.

www.rollerauction.com

pick up Oct 5 or 6, in Fort Lupton. I'd need to rent a box truck with a liftgate for some of this stuff... but it seems a way to potentially get some cheap, quality gear that I'm in the market for. and some that I might bid on on a lark if I'm renting the truck anyway.

(Oct 6 works for my schedule... might move the planned water softener installation date from then for less time pressure, but that's not a big deal.)

You know you could just have the kids do pushups, right?

 

[Toshi]

Chevrolet Silverado EV 4WT Range Test: Tows 6,500-Pound Trailer For 200+ Miles

The Chevrolet Silverado EV has a colossal 200+ kWh battery that it shares with the GMC Hummer EV, and the truck can chug miles thanks to it.

insideevs.com

 

[Toshi]

kid independence milestone: we let them ride to and from their swim team practice tonight. 1 mile away on neighborhood multiuse paths (crossing a street at a light), lights on their bikes.

it went fine. recall that Mariko-kun has been riding to taekwondo at the mall for a few weeks now, which is more like 2 miles and change via the neighborhood paths the opposite direction.

Toshi Clark (@toshi.clark) on Threads

As my wife had a dress rehearsal we let the elder kids ride (within the neighborhood—1 mi away) to their swim team practice. I set them up with lights, they rode together, of course, and they made it back safely without incident. They quite enjoyed their bit of controlled freedom.

www.threads.net

 

[Toshi]

thoughts for this long down the road (7 years maybe? depends on the pace of my debt-payment project) Land Cruiser replacement:

- our PacHy is really the benchmark for interior volume for comfortably-garage-sized vehicles. it has 32.3 cu ft behind the 3rd row, 87.5 cu ft behind the second row with the 3rd row stowed into the floor as it so cleverly does, and 140.5 (!) cu ft with the second row pulled and the third row stowed. (2nd row must be pulled in the hybrid as the battery lives where the gas one's seats fold into the floor a la the 3rd row).

- I don't want anything smaller inside than my Land Cruiser, which would rule out newer Land Cruisers actually! anyway, my 100 has 20.8 cu ft behind the third row, 59.7 cu ft behind the second row (unclear if third row seats folded up or removed for this), and 90.8 cu ft behind the front seats with the second row either tumbled or just folded.

Kia says flagship EV9 electric SUV starts at $54,900 as an industry "Wake-up call"

Kia finally announced the starting price for its flagship EV9, its first three-row electric SUV. At $54,900, Kia says the...

electrek.co

Kia EV9 Makes Strong Case for 3-Row Battery-Electric SUV

More 3-row BEV SUVs will follow the Kia EV9. But will North American buyers go for them in significant numbers?

www.wardsauto.com

given the above as context, the Kia EV9 has 20.2 cu ft behind the third row, 43.5 cu ft behind the second (finding this was tough! everyone parroted just the figures flanking this; only the Wards Auto article above had it afaik), and 81.7 cu ft behind the first row.

so it's significantly smaller than my Land Cruiser despite having 7" of length on it, and worlds smaller than the minivan (noting that the minivan has more cargo volume behind the 2nd row than the EV9 does behind the first with all back seats folded in!)

 

[Toshi]

Mountain Lion was ridden. Took some photos. Colors from Crawford Gulch Rd—park colors underwhelming.

 

[SkaredShtles]

Mountain Lion was ridden. Took some photos. Colors from Crawford Gulch are—park colors underwhelming.

View attachment 201191View attachment 201192View attachment 201193View attachment 201194View attachment 201195View attachment 201196View attachment 201197View attachment 201198

Mmm... rawks.

 

[Toshi]

Mmm... rawks.

it's always been gnarly. but this super rainy first half of the year has eroded things more yet.

'tis fun. we should ride it as a group sometime eh

 

[Toshi]

last month I did a mere 24 hours of moonlighting

this month I'm at 120 hours. probably can hit 132 hours by the end of the calendar month with a good effort.

/me answers the call when needed. and gets paid well for it.

 

[Toshi]

SRAM’s Eagle Powertrain ebike system makes shifting history

Brose-manufactured motor combines with Transmission gears for Auto Shift and Coast Shift tech

www.bikeradar.com

I don't get why auto shifting is a goal. but Coast Shift is an interesting tech piece in and of itself.

 

[Toshi]

Filled up 23.0 gallons from a theoretical 25.4. Then grabbed the trailer. Still had some room left with efficient packing.

Haven’t sized out younger kids for the year from the rack o’ boots so only bringing up a few skis

 

[Toshi]

Wife and kids seeing the redone main floor for the first time (at link)

Toshi Clark (@toshi.clark) on Threads

Wife and kids seeing the redone main floor for the first time New (small) master bath. Need a mirror or mirrors. New drop ins and hardware for exiting baths Built a TV console and popped tho 77” LG A2 on it on main floor Wife and kids built 5 of 6 counter stools Screwed legs on dining...

www.threads.net

New (small) master bath. Need a mirror or mirrors.

Built a TV console and popped the 77” LG A2 on it on main floor

Wife and kids built 5 of 6 counter stools

Screwed legs on dining table

Built another console in basement for existing 80” old ass Vizio, which cracked somewhere along the way, most likely when I trailered it up here some months ago.

replaced seatpost with post-recall one on Bike-

 

[6thElement]

@Toshi you're at risk of imminent death from one of your toys.

After first refusing, OneWheel recalls all of its self-balancing electric skateboards

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, electric skateboard-maker Future Motion has agreed to recall all of its OneWheels, a...

electrek.co

 

[Toshi]

More weekend furniture progress and the recycle/trash we brought back. I should go drop off the trailer soon—they’re not open today anyway so exact time doesn’t matter.

55" OLED for foot of bed in the new master suite.

got one triple bunk assembled. another still yet to build.

sturdy IKEA dresser. have two more to build. hopefully my wife can do more of it next weekend we're up.

new Amazon bedside tables. between the outlet itself, the lamp, and the table there are 7 free USB ports, in addition to the USB-C cable, Qi phone, and Watch induction chargers. gotta have chargin'

I shall go return the trailer now and then go sort through all of this detritus, which ended up in my bay in the garage.

 

[Toshi]

here's how much single day kids group lessons cost at WP this season, for the record

oof (had to book 2 of these in addition to two multi-week blocks, as the first multi-week one is oddly Thanksgiving to Dec 16, and we're skipping Devo Dec 16 as we have two concerts to play in, and I don't think Thanksgiving will be worth it yet)

 

[Toshi]

oh, I forgot the most important house update:

NOT A SWALLOW BUG TO BE SEEN

praise teh baby jeebus for that

 

[SkaredShtles]

oh, I forgot the most important house update:

NOT A SWALLOW BUG TO BE SEEN

Yet.

 

[Toshi]

Reseeded lawn update

the stuff that looks like disseminated fungus is the GrowTrax that I mowed over. Figured that being mulch, fertilizer, and seed getting it spread out this way would help things

given that this was all bare dirt a few weeks ago I'm ok with this progress



on Wednesday Mile Hi Services is coming by. they shall mechanically aerate, chemically aerate, fertilize, and power overseed the lawns, which should aid in their health come springtime.

I've rolled back to twice weekly watering at this point and will move to once weekly for a week or two yet after this aeration to get the roots good and healthy. then when we start to get overnight freezes I'll shut it down for the season.

 

[6thElement]

Yet.

They're probably already wintering in Mexico.

 

[Toshi]

So on monthly statements there's a "pay over time" option for large line items at Chase. I'd looked once before and found that it had ~3%? or so in fees so never did it. And indeed per their verbiage the fee is entirely up to their own discretion, which kinda makes the "but no interest!" aspect of it irrelevant.

View attachment 200061

Anyway, I went through a few months of statements and sorted through the largest charges, noting that all of them were showing 0 monthly fee and 0 interest. I had an inkling that once I did this "My Chase Plan" business for one of these charges then the deal would change, so I put them in my handy budget spreadsheet and sorted them in descending order by amount.

The largest amount in the months I surveyed was this. (Looking back at this I probably should have gone back to the $36.1k x 2 charges from May or so, whoops.) I elected for this plan, because 0 interest is good.

View attachment 200060

And, as anticipated, suddenly the other charges didn't have 0 fee/0 interest options any more. So I didn't do these.

View attachment 200059



Cliffs Notes: Chase extended me some 0 fee/0 interest money, and I took it because math.

'tis a month later. and Chase has extended me some more 0 fee/0 interest money. largest eligible charges, in descending order of amount:

$5,326.53: that same Guerilla Gravity on 7/20 as in the above quoted post, later refunded ex 5% when I changed my mind after the DH bike didn't sell
$4,623.62: Elite Heat on 9/20, the 50% down on the master suite mini split heat pump setup
$4,428.00: Winter Park bookings on 8/17, for the elder kids' Devo + pass fees + small donation
$3,950.00: Koala Insulation on 8/22, for the blown in insulation

as before, I'm going to assume this 0 cost deal is no longer good after one is chosen, so I'm going straight up by the dollar amount to maximize the amount of 0-interest money.

yup. after putting this through then the Elite Heat charge all of a sudden didn't have a 0 fee/0 interest option. still not looking a gift horse in the mouth: this is great.

although it also effectively raises my credit utilization ratio more, which will keep my credit score depressed for longer. overall a decent trade, as the only thing the depressed credit score affects really is the timing of applying to refinance/increase the credit line on the mountain house HELOC, which I don't need to do.

I wonder if I'll get a new 0 fee/0 interest option presented to me each month. hmm.