Search found 90 matches

by johan_s
Tue Aug 29, 2023 9:00 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Who is your favorite classical composer?
Replies: 156
Views: 13472

Re: Who is your favorite classical composer?

Valuethinker wrote: Tue Jan 03, 2012 4:14 am Philip Glass

Michael Nyman

(warning: extreme pretension alert!)
I’ve been enjoying listening to James McVinnie’s albums playing Glass. Counterpoint most recently and The Grid prior.
by johan_s
Mon Aug 14, 2023 4:37 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Portable travel hotel room, and travel, coffee making ideas?
Replies: 120
Views: 11064

Re: Portable travel hotel room coffee making ideas?

quantAndHold wrote: Thu Aug 10, 2023 9:27 am We bring an aeropress and a baggy full of coffee we ground at home. It’s a bit messy, but the coffee is good.
I travel about 8 weeks a year for work, and I have also found the Aeropress and ziploc of Deans Beans to be the best lightweight option for me.
by johan_s
Wed Oct 19, 2022 6:00 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Recommendations for Hearing Jazz in NYC
Replies: 17
Views: 1850

Re: Recommendations for Hearing Jazz in NYC

Second Village Vanguard.
by johan_s
Thu Jun 23, 2022 4:49 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Any reason to NOT get the Apple Card?
Replies: 80
Views: 12869

Re: Any reason to NOT get the Apple Card?

mmmodem wrote: Fri Jun 17, 2022 8:31 am
A coworker has it, I marveled at it for about 10 seconds. It is a well designed credit card a la America Psycho business card kind of thing. Then I proceeded to buy my lunch with Citi card through Apple Pay.
This cracked me up, well played. I knew the Apple Card was slick, but not quite Bone with Silian Rail.
by johan_s
Tue Jun 21, 2022 6:08 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Any Boglehead musicians out there?
Replies: 284
Views: 22076

Re: Any Boglehead musicians out there?

Amateur drummer. I started playing percussion in 7th grade concert band and quickly started taking private lessons rudimential snare, drum set, mallets. Our high school was the Highland Scots, so add pipe band to the mix and the marching band. And jazz. I was kind of obsessed. I played drum set through my early 20s in various bands, but slowly put in down in favor of backpacking, hiking, and other outdoor hobbies. About five years ago, my parents cleaned out their house and started informed me that my childhood Rogers drum set was gathering dust. I got it back at age 38 and did some restoration and repair. It was a pleasure to have it back and that old rhythm never leaves you, even if the chops do a bit. And those vintage Rogers kits, man, ...
by johan_s
Mon Jun 13, 2022 12:37 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Suggestions for 3-Player Board Games?
Replies: 89
Views: 6359

Re: Suggestions for 3-Player Board Games?

pointyhairedboss wrote: Mon Jun 13, 2022 12:21 pm Splendor
Azul
Hanabi (get the tiled version, not the card version... same game, but tiled version is a better 'board' to play on)
Ditto on Azul. Good choice!
by johan_s
Sun Jun 12, 2022 3:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: where to buy good quality bread and pastries i.e: similar to Europe?
Replies: 181
Views: 14443

Re: where to buy good quality bread and pastries i.e: similar to Europe?

My wife took the croissants class at King Arthur Flour and now makes them at home. They have online classes as well. As a gift, I bought her the Babka class. Lo and behold, now we get delicious babkas. To clarify, the class was a gift to myself, more than the wife. But seriously, she has taken numerous classes and has been cranking out some outstanding breads, pastries,etc. i was thinking about taking a croissant class, how did she like it? She has taken numerous classes from King Arthur; we used to live about thirty minutes away from Norwich, VT, so she took several in person pre-pandemic. Sourdoughs, croissant, and a few others. She enjoyed all of them and while she was already an excellent baker, it definitely kicked it up a couple of n...
by johan_s
Sun Jun 12, 2022 2:10 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: where to buy good quality bread and pastries i.e: similar to Europe?
Replies: 181
Views: 14443

Re: where to buy good quality bread and pastries i.e: similar to Europe?

My wife took the croissants class at King Arthur Flour and now makes them at home. They have online classes as well. As a gift, I bought her the Babka class. Lo and behold, now we get delicious babkas. To clarify, the class was a gift to myself, more than the wife. But seriously, she has taken numerous classes and has been cranking out some outstanding breads, pastries,etc.
by johan_s
Thu Jul 29, 2021 7:01 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: National Park Service Jobs
Replies: 16
Views: 2701

Re: National Park Service Jobs

Career NPS employee; 22 years in parks. Non-federal jobs with a non-profit cooperating association or concessionaire (Xanterra, etc.) much easier than any seasonal federal (NPS/BLM/USFS/ACE) or permanent federal position. If your goal is only adventure in a park, not a federal job, go this route. My advice (and it sounds like you are of this mindset already): if you are hoping for a certain job at a certain park (eg Roaming the backcountry trails of only Olympic National Park), you are in for a world of disappointment. But if you are willing to fling 40 applications out to a whole range of different parks, regions, and places, and take the most intriguing possibility, then my friend, you will likely be in for a grand adventure that only get...
by johan_s
Wed Jul 28, 2021 5:45 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What was your best quality of life improvement for $1000?
Replies: 193
Views: 30888

Re: What was your best quality of life improvement for $1000?

Pellet grill, Traeger Pro 575.

Fired up and chicken prepped on my lunch break. Smoked chicken ready for dinner with zero effort, aside from turning off the grill on my phone, after grill sent the notification, during my conference call.
by johan_s
Wed Mar 24, 2021 4:05 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Need a TV - What Brand
Replies: 37
Views: 2999

Re: Need a TV - What Brand

:idea:
livesoft wrote: Wed Mar 24, 2021 8:18 am If you get a Samsung, then you will minimize regret. This is not hard.
I second this; I’ve only had two TVs in my adult life, both Samsung. Just got a 65” for the basement and it looks amazing.
by johan_s
Sat Feb 20, 2021 6:17 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Retiring to Vermont/New Hampshire area
Replies: 91
Views: 10274

Re: Retiring to Vermont/New Hampshire area

We lived in Woodstock, VT for four years and just left this past summer. We really enjoyed our time there with our young son. Great hiking, nearby skiing, good schools. We rented the entire time as housing was out of our price range. Also enjoyed being close to Hanover; lots of great cultural events at Dartmouth. I enjoyed the Upper Valley area immensely; had my wife not been offered a great promotion and relocation, I would have been quite content to live in that area.
by johan_s
Fri Dec 25, 2020 8:47 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Does PenFed have hidden Fees?
Replies: 28
Views: 2426

Re: Does PenFed have hidden Fees?

Got a mortgage through PenFed in August at 2.625 with 1500 in lender credits. No origination or other fees. The underwriter was great and very responsive; the processor never responded to any of my emails or phone calls, and only emailed to ask for documents. We had about 45 days till close; on the morning of closing, my realtor called to tell me that the title company told her PenFed was not ready, so we had to push six hours for them to finish up. I was mildly annoyed, but it all worked out by late afternoon. Humorously, the processor emailed me for an additional document after we had closed. I was tempted to respond, or what, but I just sent the document. I got the sense they were crushed with business at the time. Great rate and fees, ...
by johan_s
Thu Dec 24, 2020 8:19 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Does PenFed have hidden Fees?
Replies: 28
Views: 2426

Re: Does PenFed have hidden Fees?

Got a mortgage through PenFed in August at 2.625 with 1500 in lender credits. No origination or other fees. The underwriter was great and very responsive; the processor never responded to any of my emails or phone calls, and only emailed to ask for documents. We had about 45 days till close; on the morning of closing, my realtor called to tell me that the title company told her PenFed was not ready, so we had to push six hours for them to finish up. I was mildly annoyed, but it all worked out by late afternoon. Humorously, the processor emailed me for an additional document after we had closed. I was tempted to respond, or what, but I just sent the document. I got the sense they were crushed with business at the time. Great rate and fees, ...
by johan_s
Thu Dec 24, 2020 4:37 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Does PenFed have hidden Fees?
Replies: 28
Views: 2426

Re: Does PenFed have hidden Fees?

Got a mortgage through PenFed in August at 2.625 with 1500 in lender credits. No origination or other fees. The underwriter was great and very responsive; the processor never responded to any of my emails or phone calls, and only emailed to ask for documents. We had about 45 days till close; on the morning of closing, my realtor called to tell me that the title company told her PenFed was not ready, so we had to push six hours for them to finish up. I was mildly annoyed, but it all worked out by late afternoon. Humorously, the processor emailed me for an additional document after we had closed. I was tempted to respond, or what, but I just sent the document. I got the sense they were crushed with business at the time. Great rate and fees, f...
by johan_s
Sun Dec 06, 2020 9:13 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What video games are you currently playing?
Replies: 529
Views: 88303

Re: What video games are you currently playing?

My seven year old found my little NES Classic when we were unpacking this fall, so we’ve been playing a lot of Super Mario Bros 1/2/3. It’s amazing how you remember where the 1ups and beanstalks are after 30 years! I’ve been enjoying Forza on the Xbox recently and even though it’s ridiculously old, I still love playing Battlefield 1943 on Xbox. And lots of Overcooked and Overcooked 2 with the whole family. Looking forward to starting Red Dead 2 once my new TV stand gets here.
by johan_s
Sun Nov 08, 2020 4:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Favorite Holiday Food/Fruit/Treat Delivery web sites
Replies: 11
Views: 1834

Re: Favorite Holiday Food/Fruit/Treat Delivery web sites

Zingerman’s. Coffee cakes, bacon, canned fish, passion fruit curd, hot sauce, too many delights to list.
by johan_s
Tue Oct 27, 2020 6:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Tour of New England- help me plan
Replies: 58
Views: 3933

Re: Tour of New England- help me plan

Really love the New England area. Fly into Boston for a day or two and enjoy the historic sites - as stated earlier Mike’s Pastries are near Italian District and Old North Church. Very good food at any of the Italian restaurants. Research some of the more famous lighthouses on the drive up the coast in Maine. We really liked Camden and especially the Hartstone Inn B&B. Fantastic dinners and breakfasts. After that we drove up to Bar Harbor area and toured Acadia NP. Highly suggest a day of driving south along the coast and finding a tiny lobster restaurant along the coast. Really nice to get off the main roads and see how folks really live there. New Hampshire is really nice to explore and as noted earlier Conway area is nice. Drive up ...
by johan_s
Sat Oct 24, 2020 5:32 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Collected short stories by one author
Replies: 21
Views: 1600

Re: Collected short stories by one author

Welcome to the Monkey House - Kurt Vonnegut
The Stories of a Breece D’J Pancake - Breece D’J Pancake

The Pancake stories are outstanding and tragic considering he took his own life at 26. In her review, Joyce Carol Oates likened his literary debut to that of Hemingway.
by johan_s
Fri Oct 23, 2020 6:57 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Where do you buy coffee beans?
Replies: 200
Views: 22426

Re: Where do you buy coffee beans?

I used to live down the street from PT Coffee in Topeka, KS. During the pandemic, I began reordering From them online. The beans arrive two days after they are roasted. Similar price point with Stumptown, which is also excellent.
by johan_s
Sun Sep 06, 2020 7:29 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: National Parks in Winter
Replies: 33
Views: 3219

Re: National Parks in Winter

I second Death Valley, though the desert parks can still get chilly at night. The daytime temps will be great. You could also check out the southern Arizona parks: Saguaro, Organ Pipe.
by johan_s
Wed Aug 26, 2020 4:04 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Thoughts on Tennessee
Replies: 116
Views: 16191

Re: Thoughts on Tennessee

Wife & I retired to Tn - We Like it... If you've ever lived outside the city limits and liked it, you'll probably like Tennessee. It's easy livin with a built in exercise plan! - a Beautiful Scenic part of the country. We live East Tn, bout 20 miles south a Knoxville, very close to Vonore mentioned by a previous poster, and on the Little Tennessee river, runnin outa the mountains into the Tennessee Valley and joining with the main Tennessee river, which runs on down to Chattanooga - and all the way out to either the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf! And all part of the the Navigable InterCoastal Waterway! We actually have a Lock & Dam bout 4 miles down the lake - And all part of the TVA system. It's a interesting area. We vacationed in T...
by johan_s
Tue Aug 25, 2020 3:26 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Thoughts on Tennessee
Replies: 116
Views: 16191

Re: Thoughts on Tennessee

My family just relocated to Maryville, TN about two months ago from central Vermont. It was a work related move, so we were limited to looking within an hour radius of Gatlinburg. (We nixed Gatlinburg area pretty quick as an option, due to how touristy it is and the traffic congestion due to being the gateway to the most visited National Park in the country.) We settled on Maryville, largely due to the excellent school district. However, many of our new neighbors are retirees who settled in Maryville, due to its proximity to West Knoxville retail and medical services, and 30-60 minutes to most of the main areas of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. And as others have mentioned: day trip options to Asheville/Atlanta, etc. We opted for an o...
by johan_s
Sat Aug 15, 2020 6:58 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Terrible experience with Ally bank- buyer beware
Replies: 146
Views: 18182

Re: Terrible experience with Ally bank- buyer beware

That is too bad. I have wired money from Ally multiple times (including large amounts for down payments). I have never had an issue getting to wire complete by at least the next business day (it does not always happen the same business day). That being said, a few times to avoid potential issues, I have transfered funds ahead of time from Ally to my local brick and mortar bank and physically gone in to get a certified check issue (I did this when I bought my car in cash from the dealer). Except they stipulate that the wire will occur the same day if you submit the order. This did not happen to me and to others on the thread. Very poor service from Ally. Deja Vu. I also closed on my house on August 7. I transferred funds from two banks for ...
by johan_s
Fri Jul 10, 2020 6:29 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?
Replies: 284
Views: 30518

Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

hicabob wrote: Fri Jul 10, 2020 5:53 pm Kurt Vonnegut. Hard to pick a favorite since I have devoured them all but perhaps Slaughterhouse-Five.
Mother Night seems appropriate these days.
by johan_s
Fri Jul 10, 2020 4:50 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?
Replies: 284
Views: 30518

Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

The Collected Stories of Breece DJ Pancake - short stories and his only publication - or for a repeat writer -
Killing Commendatore - Haruki Murakami
by johan_s
Tue Jul 07, 2020 5:53 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 30 year mortgage under 3%
Replies: 301
Views: 54427

Re: 30 year mortgage under 3%

I just locked a 30 year with 20% down at 2.875% with a ~$3000 lender credit. (PenFed) My wife got that job offer and relocation orders at just the right time it seems.
by johan_s
Sun May 17, 2020 6:59 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Mountain cabin?
Replies: 24
Views: 4395

Re: Mountain cabin?

I thought I'd answer some of the questions that have come up, to provide more info. A big thank you to those who have weighed in. I currently have 1.6 mm in retirement and taxable, and when I retire in 3 years (or more) will have choice of a pension, at 5.6K/month, no COLA, or about 800K to 1mm as lump sum. (I think I'll do the lump sum.) I'm not sure about SS, but I think I'll get about 2.5 k/month and will delay until its mandatory. My retirement would come with a strong health insurance benefit and I'm healthy now. My expenses will be roughly 4.5 k/month. I would like to not use capital, but live on interest, dividends, if possible. Why are the two houses - main house and cabin - a mess? My dad lived there until several years ago, and w...
by johan_s
Thu Apr 02, 2020 4:02 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: So what are you cooking
Replies: 972
Views: 111110

Re: So what are you cooking

whaaat? recipe please Pressure cooker pork shoulder. Rub the meat with honey, garlic, calabrian peppers, paprika and red pepper flakes. Put in a pressure cooker with a cup of broth plus a generous amount of chopped onions and sliced oranges. Cook under pressure for however long is necessary. Once done, shred with forks. Pan-fry until crispy before serving. I just made a very similar stovetop version. Large chunks of pork shoulder, onion, orange, garlic, bay leaf, oregano, and a dollop of sweetened condensed milk. Simmer in water for about 90 minutes in a Dutch oven till water cooks off, remove bay leaf, and put into a screaming hot oven to fry in the remaining fat. Turns out amazing every time. More importantly, both my mother and father i...
by johan_s
Tue Mar 24, 2020 4:53 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What is the point of stocks?
Replies: 101
Views: 8140

Re: What is the point of stocks?

Base of most soup recipes. More flavorful substitute for water?
by johan_s
Sun Mar 22, 2020 11:04 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: So what are you cooking
Replies: 972
Views: 111110

Re: So what are you cooking

Marcella Hazan’s Bolognese Sauce
by johan_s
Sat Mar 21, 2020 2:52 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: So what are you cooking
Replies: 972
Views: 111110

Re: So what are you cooking

HawkeyePierce wrote: Sat Mar 21, 2020 2:46 pm Pressure cooker pork shoulder. Rub the meat with honey, garlic, calabrian peppers, paprika and red pepper flakes. Put in a pressure cooker with a cup of broth plus a generous amount of chopped onions and sliced oranges. Cook under pressure for however long is necessary. Once done, shred with forks. Pan-fry until crispy before serving.
I just made a very similar stovetop version. Large chunks of pork shoulder, onion, orange, garlic, bay leaf, oregano, and a dollop of sweetened condensed milk. Simmer in water for about 90 minutes in a Dutch oven till water cooks off, remove bay leaf, and put into a screaming hot oven to fry in the remaining fat. Turns out amazing every time.
by johan_s
Mon Mar 02, 2020 2:48 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 45, ~15 years left, wondering about best TSP allocation
Replies: 8
Views: 2268

Re: 45, ~15 years left, wondering about best TSP allocation

My wife and I are both FERS feds (41 and 38). Our ISP states between 80/20 and 85/15 across the board. We approximate Total US with C and S in TSP. Hold G as our sole bond fund. And approximate Total Intl. in Vanguard Roth IRAs, with Intl being about 15% of total stock holding. (At least until the new I fund appears, then we’ll shift to holding US and Intl stock in both TSP and the Roth IRAs. Ignored 2008 (when we were almost 100% stock) and the current downturn. With Two pensions/SS/and having saved regularly since our early 20s, we both sleep well being around 85/15.

I’d agree to either stick in one Lifecycle fund, or just choose your own allocation across the regular TSP funds.
by johan_s
Sun Feb 09, 2020 7:40 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What is the best concert you ever witnessed?
Replies: 434
Views: 39795

Re: What is the best concert you ever witnessed?

I am enjoying this thread. A few of my favorites.


Phish - 12/29/96 Philly, PA (Champagne Supernova, really?)
Moe. 7/11/98 - Pontiac, Michigan
Joshua Bell with Indianapolis Symphony ~2005 (American premiere of Ranjbaran concerto)
Roger Waters 2017 (Us and Them)
David Byrne 2018 (American Utopia)
Radiohead 2018 (A Moon Shaped Pool)
Christian McBride and Carl Allen at the Village Vanguard (date eludes me)
Saw Joel Ross (vibes player) last week in DC at Blues Alley; that dude is going places.
by johan_s
Sat Feb 08, 2020 6:09 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Maintain Credit Rating: Upcoming Auto/Home Loans
Replies: 9
Views: 936

Re: Maintain Credit Rating: Upcoming Auto/Home Loans

I don't think you need to worry. If you have no debt now, your car loan probably won't make much of a dent at all since the hit from the car loan will likely be slightly offset from the benefit of having more different types of credit than you currently have. If your score is 780, that's a very good score and you could afford whatever decrease would result from your car loan. If you really want to tweak things to the max... Even though you pay credit cards in full monthly, the balance on your statement is what will be reported for purposes of your credit utilization. So when mortgage time approaches, just use a single credit card and keep that balance down around 2-3% of your available credit. You can make a payment before the statement da...
by johan_s
Sat Feb 08, 2020 9:17 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Maintain Credit Rating: Upcoming Auto/Home Loans
Replies: 9
Views: 936

Maintain Credit Rating: Upcoming Auto/Home Loans

Hello Bogleheads, I have a question about maintaining high credit rating for a home purchase. My family will very likely be moving out of state and buying a new home in ~1 year. It will be a PCS (permanent change of station, paid move). Therefore, we will not be able to significantly move up or delay the time frame. At our continued savings rate and timeline, we will have a 20% down payment. We take in around 150K per year and would be looking at a 250-300K home. We are very cognizant of not buying too much house. Our credit scores are around the 780-800 range. No debt. Always pay bills and do not carry any monthly balances on credit cards. Credit utilization is fairly low as we have high limits on multiple cards, but fairly low spending ea...
by johan_s
Sat Jan 11, 2020 7:10 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What are you listening to now
Replies: 5832
Views: 590790

Re: What are you listening to now

As a drummer, I did bust out the Rush albums last night.

Lots of Miles Davis responses; I’ve really been into Ambrose Akinmusire recently. He’s an outstanding trumpet player. I have tickets to see him with Jack DeJohnette in March down in NYC.
by johan_s
Tue Dec 24, 2019 6:03 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: New Mexico Camping in June with Kids
Replies: 12
Views: 1325

Re: New Mexico Camping in June with Kids

biscuits wrote: Tue Dec 24, 2019 12:34 am Bandelier National Monument is a spectacular park, with Native American cliff dwellings that your kids would probably love to visit. I haven't camped there myself, but I have seen their campgrounds and they look very nice. The park is close to Los Alamos, with the Bradbury Museum, and about an hour's drive from Santa Fe. In Santa Fe, Meow Wolf and the Museum of International Folk are popular with the younger set, but I'm not sure if 4 and 6 would appreciate them.

https://www.nps.gov/band/index.htm

I second this recommendation. I camped about five nights in Bandelier. Outstanding night skies, good campground sites for tent camping, variety of hikes.
by johan_s
Mon Nov 18, 2019 5:15 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Federal Blue Cross Standard versus Basic
Replies: 66
Views: 41371

Re: Federal Blue Cross Standard versus Basic

I’ve had BCBS Basic for the last 15 years: 7 years single, and eight years with a wife and child. (I’m 41.) We’ve never had any issues with coverage/doctors, having lived in Downeast Maine; Lawrence, Kansas; and now central Vermont. I have a chronic condition requiring regular visits and have six prescriptions or so. After crunching the numbers, it was and continues to be cheaper to stick with Basic. We’ve never had to go out of network (knock on wood).
by johan_s
Sun Oct 13, 2019 3:03 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Deleted
Replies: 14
Views: 1812

Re: Deleted

Teague wrote: Sun Oct 13, 2019 2:59 pm
BackpackB wrote: Sun Oct 13, 2019 11:05 am No one actually answered the questions I posted, so deleting the body of the post.
It looks like your question was only up for 3 hours and 10 minutes. It may often take longer than that to get an answer you find useful. Especially on a Sunday morning, many of us may not have even had our morning caviar and civet coffee, or the servants may be slow bringing breakfast to the master cabin of our yacht. In any event, we shall endeavor to do better. Please accept this coupon toward posting a free question of your choice in the future.

Sincerely,
Teague Boglehead
Customer Experience Specialist
Exactly, I was just trying to finish this cigar before replying.
by johan_s
Fri Sep 13, 2019 6:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Subaru and the oil consumption problem
Replies: 6
Views: 1214

Re: Subaru and the oil consumption problem

My ‘13 Forester had the excessive oil consumption issues also and had the short block replaced. It took numerous oil consumption tests and some elevation beyond the dealer to corporate, but it finally happened. The dealer kept telling me it passed and I showed time stamp dated photos that it failed every single time it wasn’t a dealer test. SofA did nothing, then gave me $150 service credit. It failed on my watch again. I finally told SofA that I had no recourse but to contact a lawyer. They offered to pay for ‘one more’ dealer oil consumption test. And magically, it failed dramatically on the next dealer test. (3 times the amount dictated by the settlement, just like my own documentation.) Short block replaced: the oil consumption has decr...
by johan_s
Thu Aug 15, 2019 3:25 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Ponder this, BH's... is Ben & Jerry's worth it?
Replies: 142
Views: 14844

Re: Ponder this, BH's... is Ben & Jerry's worth it?

Yes, it is. Especially when it’s on sale for $2.99 a pint. Freezer gets much more tightly packed.
by johan_s
Tue Jun 11, 2019 7:19 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 2015 subaru forester 96k, replace or run into the ground?
Replies: 24
Views: 3013

Re: 2015 subaru forester 96k, replace or run into the ground?

Hi, I have a 2015 subaru forester with 98k miles that I purchased in 2014, edmunds calls trade in value $10k, paid $24k. Typically we try for at least seven years for our cars but we didn't have a lot of luck with our last subaru and consumer reports gives it a 3 out of 5 for reliability. sell and purchase or new one or try to get another 2-3 years? best, We have a ‘13 Forester with 115K on it. We did have the short block replaced, at Subaru’s expense, due to excess oil consumption around 85K. Oil consumption is much better. Aside from brakes and other regular maintenance, we haven’t had any big maintenance surprises only just had to replace the rear struts. Given the beating they take on unpaved mountain roads here in Vermont, I’m surpris...
by johan_s
Sat Jun 01, 2019 6:03 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Resources for Federal Employees
Replies: 16
Views: 2079

Re: Resources for Federal Employees

Check with your agency’s HR department or training/learning and development branch. My agency offers regular benefit/retirement seminars for employees. There are usually two versions: one for mid-career employees and one for employees looking to retire in the next couple years. Some are webinars, others are in-person. I have attended one in-person and one virtual. I thought they provided excellent overviews. The mid-career session would still be valuable for new employees, as it’s primarily an overview. The presenters were contractors who ran financial planning firms, but the information provided was pretty objective in my opinion. I recall one presenter was a retired federal HR manager with 30+ years of experience. There was no push for ou...
by johan_s
Sun May 26, 2019 2:50 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Three days In Montreal
Replies: 21
Views: 2094

Re: Three days In Montreal

Contemporary Art Museum
Au Pied de Cochon (for foie gras everything)
Les Enfant Terribles (rooftop brunch/bar great views)
Jean Talon market (go hungry)
by johan_s
Wed May 08, 2019 2:52 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Backpacking/study abroad for young folks
Replies: 31
Views: 2929

Re: Backpacking/study abroad for young folks

I spent my senior year on exchange at a university in England, roughly 11.5 months total. I didn’t want to study with a cohort of American students embedded in a foreign university, and unfortunately I didn’t have the foreign language capability to study in a non-English speaking university. So, I opted to study in England where I was just another student. Being just another international student (not part of a study abroad group or cohort), I interacted, socialized and traveled with many other foreign students from Europe and Africa, which for me was incredibly eye-opening, as we shared our experience of living and studying abroad. (With the comfort of me being able to speak English.) Thankfully, it was a straight exchange program, so I pa...
by johan_s
Wed Jan 09, 2019 6:53 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Weekend in “west” ... recommendations
Replies: 17
Views: 1543

Re: Weekend in “west” ... recommendations

Rupert wrote: Wed Jan 09, 2019 6:52 am A resort in Santa Fe
+1