iamshack

QUOTE (bmags @ Jun 13, 2016 -> 01:18 PM) If you really felt that way, in the future best thing to do is let your best man know. I'm sure he really wanted you to have a good time, and knew you like sox so chose this. People can think that their friends can read their mind or are picking up hints, but it's so hard to plan for someone else. There's obviously over planning, but it's always better to overcommunicate in those situations. Hopefully he won't have another wedding in the future

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Jun 13, 2016 -> 08:49 AM) I expect a Warriors blowout tonight. They seem to rise to the occasion whenever they feel slighted. SQWERT!!

I've got a lot of balls in the air at the moment...we've been working with an architect to try and get our arms around what the general costs might be to renovate and add on to our property. Meanwhile, we've gone ahead and gotten prequalified for the new homes we've been looking at on the west side of the valley with the builder's preferred lender, to see how much they might be willing to negotiate in terms of upgrades and incentives. I've never really even looked at new homes before, let alone bought one, but I was playing around in their online system last night looking at the upgrades, and I was shocked to see how much they charge for some of these things. As we recently remodeled our kitchen, I've got a pretty good idea what things cost, and they were asking more than retail price to upgrade appliances. Finally, I am heading out to Henderson this morning to meet the sales manager of a new development that has been sculpted out of some canyons, to talk about potentially purchasing a lot and building there. Lots of options, and lots of fun...and lots of stress!

QUOTE (Tex @ Jun 8, 2016 -> 04:15 PM) I'm excited. The lumber company just dropped off a couple thousand dollars worth of cedar and metal roofing. My brother-in-law and I will be starting on my back patio roof and makeover. I'm seriously looking at a grillzebo next with the cost savings from the roof project. I'm going for a kind of Texas hill country feel for the back yard. Nice Tex! How long do you expect the project to take?

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jun 8, 2016 -> 06:15 AM) All Samsung all the time, I would never buy anything else. The panel that is in the TV is very important and i do not believe that many of the other brands are as consistent as Samsung. 4K isnt all that widely available and probably wont be for awhile so focus on something with a high refresh rate (natural) and check out the ins and out of reviews on the net so you can see if that particular model is having panel inconsistencies. Around 1K for 60in isnt going to be a high end model so maybe look for a year old model that higher end than something new. Hmm, I don't have an issue with Samsung, but there are certainly some other brands out there that make some outstanding televisions. I have a Sharp Aquos amd a Panasonic Viera (?) in addition to a Samsung and maybe I am not particularly astute, but they all reviewed very well and have all performed very well for me over the years.

Kyle, You are truly a saint, my friend.

QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ Jun 5, 2016 -> 06:32 AM) Money wise, where do you end up with both options? Because based on what little I know of your situation, the new home is the way to go with the immensly better schools, better location and probably already the existing space to house parents/brothers. That is still a bit of a wild card, but I am guessing we'd work off the same budget irregardless of which option we choose. However, I suspect we might be able to get a bit more for our money for the existing home than if we were to buy new. As much as we love our existing property (particularly myself, I think my wife likes it but could move on with not much afterthought), I think these new homes we walked through last week have finally impressed me enough to consider moving. I'd love to stay here and turn the property into the vision I had when we purchased it, but I'm not sure I have the balls to make that investment, both in money, time and effort. I suspect we could extract a very healthy profit if we sold it now without taking all the risk of a massive renovation/addition. That being said, I'm still waiting for comps from my realtor for our home. Additionally, we'd have to get into the nitty gritty of the cost of the new home. The model homes are great and all, but there are so many other costs we've got to get a handle on, including the lot premiums, the infamous "upgrades," as well as what it would cost to finish a backyard with a pool and landscaping and all that fun. I absolutely refuse to move to another home in this city without a pool.

We are weighing options to either purchase a home from a new home builder in a neighborhood on the west side of las vegas (outstanding location, school districts, etc) or undergo a massive renovation/addition project to our own home (good location, bad school districts, would require private or charter schools). We met with an architect on Thursday evening who was very interested in making our existing property work for our needs. Some of those needs include accommodating parents and potentially my wife's brother at some point. Very tough decision.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jun 1, 2016 -> 08:02 PM) So my buddy just told me a hilarious relationship story today. Guy really hasnt had much luck with the women since Ive known him. He just recently starting seeing this girl who is crazy as hell but its his first girlfriend. He finally told me where he met her. Casual encounters, craigslist, free BJ ad. No s*** Oh my...perhaps we will just assume she has a voracious libido and leave it there...

QUOTE (GreenSox @ May 29, 2016 -> 06:37 AM) As for the "good in the clubhouse" stuff, we'll find out today. A team shakes off a loss like that if they have a good clubhouse leader. Sale is pitching today....shouldn't be any problem. Being good in the clubhouse does not mean running a summer holiday camp where everyone is happy and lazy because there is no accountability. Shakes off a loss like that? They've had two straight weeks of losses like that and haven't shaken off s***.

QUOTE (raBBit @ May 28, 2016 -> 04:25 PM) There is a possible deal reported for James Shields. These are the pieces that are rumored to be involved. Thanks. It is more clear now.

What does this mean? "Pieces on the move for possible deal" is a contradiction in terms.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ May 22, 2016 -> 04:41 PM) I got my groomsmen custom made bobble heads of themselves That's pretty cool! Who made them?

Don, I like the idea of something useful. I have been in some weddings before and cannot even recall what I was given, so it must not have been very useful. For my wedding a few years ago, I got my guys an authentic Sox jersey, but that was mostly because they were coming all the way to Vegas to be in my wedding. I wanted them to understand how much I appreciated their efforts with a nice gesture. Think about what your guys do and use most, and get them that. And everyone can get different things - it does not have to be the same gift for each man. Perhaps one guy likes cigars, while another is an avid fisherman, etc. You get it? Hope this helps.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ May 21, 2016 -> 08:06 AM) That's quite a haul! I haven't been up there but lots of friends have gone and they all loved the Traverse City/Mackinac Island area. It's about 5 hours for my Chicago southwest suburbs guys...I'm coming from Vegas, so I figure they can suck it up a bit! My wife has some friends coming from Cleveland so it's a good spot between Chicago and Cleveland to meet.

QUOTE (Tony @ May 20, 2016 -> 07:48 PM) Did Kasper go down and check on him? Booooooo

Not necessarily in the summer, but I am planning a little weekend in mid -Sept in Boyne Falls, MI. Hoping to get a big cabin for about 20 people and do some drinking, barbecuing, golfing, firepitting, etc. Anyone ever been up that way?

QUOTE (soxfan49 @ May 19, 2016 -> 05:37 PM) Well, it's official. I'm going to Maui. Can't believe I never really researched it. I was too focused on Kauai. Thanks to Steve and Kevo We did Maui as well. Stayed in Wailea though, at the Hyatt Andaz. Enjoy!

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ May 18, 2016 -> 02:55 PM) Shack I'd call your local police department and confirm those were official police officers, seems way to shady. Yeah, I thought about that. One of them had a sleeve of tattoos as well...not that cops don't have tattoos these days, but still.

QUOTE (raBBit @ May 18, 2016 -> 10:25 AM) Yeah, my parents are the litigious type anyways so I am not sure why I am wasting my time explaining this other than the fact that it pisses me off. Well, I have dogs that are treated like family members, so I understand your frustration. Police are given fairly strong deference in regards to liability, particularly when they are responding to a report or a complaint (as opposed to them "happening" on your residence or something), so unless they did something incredibly negligent, it's really tough to get any kind of positive result. A few Friday's ago I came home from work not feeling particularly well and laid down to take a nap. I awoke to my Great Danes going berzerk and my doorbell being rung. I figured it was a very persistent FedEx guy or something. Low and behold when I answered the door, there were two police men there, who asked me if I had seen any vagrants mulling about. I said, "Do you hear these dogs? We don't get a whole lot of vagrants around here." They said someone had called 911 reporting some vagrants and the call came from my driveway. I was very confused. They asked if I wanted to come out and walk the property with them to check for vagrants. Still a bit confused, but not wanting to rub them the wrong way, I agreed. They then proceeded to walk behind my house, take one look, say "There is a lot of shady spots back here. Have you ever found anyone camping on your property?" I replied somewhat incredulously "Camping? Umm, no. Again, anyone that came on my property for any period of time would be sniffed out by the bloodhound gang over there," pointing towards to dogs looking at us through the window. They then said "Ok, well, you may want to lock your gate after everyone gets home for the evening." Then they proceeded to walk off my property. I didn't see any police vehicles, but I guess I assumed they were motorcycle cops who left their bikes back by the sidewalk or something. It was very strange. Anyways, if I was going to be annoyed at anyone, I think I would be more annoyed at your sister and neighbor than the police. They were most likely not particularly pleased to be there either.

Yeah, I don't think there is much you can do. The offensive behavior was to root through your home and leave it differently than how they found it - while that may be rude, I don't think it rises to the level of an offense that merits trying to sue them over it.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ May 18, 2016 -> 09:06 AM) I also said we traveled a lot - which others probably find to be an even bigger waste of money. It was an illustration of differences, not better than or worse than. Well, I think that is a perfect example! My wife enjoys to travel and I don't, so we've had the discussion in re: travel vs. cars/home improvements, etc. To me, it all comes back to whatever makes one happy.

QUOTE (Tex @ May 18, 2016 -> 08:49 AM) It's about choices. I was reminded of that when you mentioned urinating on oneself while sipping Ensurer through a straw. With the magic of compounded interest, dropping $10k in your 20s is a much bigger deal than in your 40s. I would like my grandchildren to know what your thoughts are on auto expenses when you are 60. I think it would be interesting. Advice from people in a different stage of their lives, especially ones I will be getting to can be very valuable. Well, you have your view, I have mine. After speaking with my grandparents, as well as other seniors, I hear a lot more stories reminiscing about the days when they were young and all the great times they had than complaining about not having another $50k to piss away in some senior care center that charges them $900 a day.

QUOTE (Tex @ May 18, 2016 -> 08:46 AM) And you have argued that side as fervently as some of the other point of views. In a sense telling people how and what to post about. And that is what makes this forum great. We do toss ideas back and forth without many taboo subjects. If this was more anonymous, with less long term relationships I would be more inclined to agree with your point of view. But after 10+ years reading some people's posts, financial advice on how to manage major purchases is something I like reading. Fair enough, Tex.

QUOTE (Tex @ May 18, 2016 -> 08:38 AM) I have friends who retired when they turned 50. She was a school teacher, he was a commercial diver. On a bad year they saved 50% of their net income. They lived very simply while they were working. Now they live aboard their sailboat. Yes, they sacrificed the first have of their adult life to have a long retirement while they are healthy enough to live an adventure. I didn't know anyone like that until I was in my 40s. I thought retiring at 50 was for the super wealthy with amazing jobs. At the minimum I wish someone had pointed out that option. I may not have followed their example, but I wish I had at least considered it. So when someone makes financial suggestions, here, there, or anywhere, I enjoy reading them. One example NSS talked about "sweeping" his end of month balances into a savings account. I've been doing that in additional to my regular savings and investments and it has made a noticeable difference in my savings. I also started micro investing my "round ups" on purchases at Acorn acorns.com/invite/CYA7DP basically you can open an account with a deposit if $5 or so. They track your purchases and "round up" each transaction and place it in a mutual account. You can get started for next to nothing. The danger is the $1 per month fee cuts into any profits on the investment. Tex, that's great. There is definitely something to be said for taking early retirement. That said, I love what I do. That isn't to say I want to work the rest of my life, but I am one of those people that enjoy being in a position to impact others for the better, being in a competitive environment, being in a stimulating environment, etc. Let's just say someone croaked and left me $20 million tomorrow. I don't know that I would stay in my current job, but I suspect I would definitely continue to work in some form or fashion.