logandsawman
Well-Known Member
Our gas went from 3.54 to 3.69 overnight. Not sure what to make of it.
Running Bear's October 2022 Coffee Shop
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logandsawman
Well-Known Member
forgot to comment on this yesterday, I have the Chopper III which just has a bigger base I think and you can adjust the location of the chopper.Hi gang,
I just ordered me one of those mini chopper things from Micro-Mark.....I looked around for some other brands but came back to this. I think it will do the job I have in mind for. Lots of project coming for the layout this fall.
Chop-It by Micro-Mark
DetailsChop-It Makes Accurate Miter Cuts Easy Quickly replicates miter cuts with 30, 45, 60, and 90 degree guidesUse with wood or plasticMake clean, accurate miter cuts easilyOne of the most widely used hobby tools in the shopFor model ship making, model railroads, dollhouses, molding, and many...www.micromark.com
I think the price was reasonable. Isaw another brand by Northwest but it was rather pricey....
The Chopper II
No sloppy, “fits all”, cuts any angle (whether it maintains the angle you want or not) complexity. Use the precision mitre guides to assure accurate angle and repeatability. Retains the high precision, extremely sharp, inexpensive single edge razor blade as the cutting tool to assure economy...nwsl.com
I used it for a while but it usually just sits on the shelf. I found I can get a better cut with holding the razor blade, and on thicker wood it didn't want to make a straight cut so I usually cleaned up the cut with the blade alone. However, I do find the 45° and 30/60° angle templates that came with it handy, used them some, however now not sure where they are so clearly have not used them lately.
I try to get my cuts so exact that I can see everything better just holding my blade or using the No. 11 exacto blade and holder.
The chopper looked like a better way but for some reason did not pan out for me.
JeffH
Well-Known Member
Yes, First Data is the largest merchant services company. It's part of FiServ now. But since they are "behind the scenes" I didn't equate them to a "bank" in the sense of the original post about the banks getting all the fees (banks actually get very little).
chadbag
Well-Known Member
Yes banks get little but First Data prcoesses the most and they split the fee between the CC parent (Visa, MC), themselves, and the bank, which gets very little as you said. The two who get the most are Visa or MC (Or AMEX or Discover) and the processor that actually makes it happen and facilitates the money transfers. Chase and all those others you mentioned as running their own are small fry compared to First Data (or they use First Data to run their system and they're just a front end).
santafewillie
Same Ol' Buzzard
Like Chad replied in his post, I use the AMEX card for almost everything. Since I pay it off in full every month, it essentially costs me nothing. And like he posted, if there's any fraud, it's their money. I get some of my money back in the form of cash back that they pay. Typically that amounts to $300-$400 annually.
logandsawman
Well-Known Member
Because of the psychological effect having a few thousand dollars in the bank has on my wife (Lets spend it) I try to encourage use of the debit card for everything.
She would prefer charging it on the credit card, however that usually gives her an inflated view of our overall situation and she is more likely to spend more, I found.
I have a wife that loves to spend, it is her hobby. She loves to hire people, too. However, I have to earn the money as she is a stay at home person and left the workforce at age 55 and I am the forlorn enabler.
Our debit is a small branch bank, they know us well, and have flagged and caught some fraud in the past where they issued us new cards. It is good to have a home town bank.
CambriaArea51
Well-Known Member
That wouldn't be about certain pipeline that was canceled that would've helped with oil independence.
Boris
Beach Bum
Willie: Yeah, the slippery slope of politic. Some politician questioned our alliance with Saudi Arabia, which has been in effect since WW2 ended. He made a good point, about these people using us, while at the same time doing everything in their power to enrich themselves at our expense. He makes a valid point. He isn't from where many would expect.
Stock market volatility is because of the international bankers, are not getting their way. They only care about themselves...No different than the Saudis...Time we all woke up.
NYC_George
Well-Known Member
My wife's just the opposite. She doesn't have a credit card. She hates me spending any money. I say to her we're not borrowing any money we're paying cash for everything. I'm with her on spending money we don't have. but she not really involved in our finances like shew use to be.
George
Texas Hobo
Well Known Hobo
Good evening, all! Just not a lot to report on.
We, like others here, pay off the card at the end of the month.
Gas - $2.79
From the archives
STAY SAFE
LATER
We, like others here, pay off the card at the end of the month.
Gas - $2.79
From the archives
STAY SAFE
LATER
Boris
Beach Bum
Good evening. Final rain total 6.30". My outdoor rain gauge was over flowing, above 6" so that total is about right.
Learned that one of the Conductors I worked with at Race Street on the Engine Change Crew passed away at age 82, yesterday. Brian Joyce was great to work with,and be around. He retired at 62, shortly after his wife Fran passed away. Now, they are reunited. RIP Brian. When you work on the railroad, your co-workers are as much your family as is your real family. You split your time about equally.
Spent most of the day, feeling the effects of yesterday's Enhanced Covid Booster, plus the Annual Senior Flu shot. Mostly, lethargic, but also a crabby digestive system.
Eastbound coming off the Wooden Shoe and heading for East Penn Jct and Allentown Yard with a Coal train off the B&O at Hagerstown, MD. Interesting locomotive consist.
Learned that one of the Conductors I worked with at Race Street on the Engine Change Crew passed away at age 82, yesterday. Brian Joyce was great to work with,and be around. He retired at 62, shortly after his wife Fran passed away. Now, they are reunited. RIP Brian. When you work on the railroad, your co-workers are as much your family as is your real family. You split your time about equally.
Spent most of the day, feeling the effects of yesterday's Enhanced Covid Booster, plus the Annual Senior Flu shot. Mostly, lethargic, but also a crabby digestive system.
Eastbound coming off the Wooden Shoe and heading for East Penn Jct and Allentown Yard with a Coal train off the B&O at Hagerstown, MD. Interesting locomotive consist.
TLOC
Well-Known Member
Well, I did not mean to start a run on the banks and the fees they earn. But definitely an interesting discussion.
CASH. I rarely carry it as I use my credit card to buy with. There are 3 exceptions to my credit card. At train shows is when I will carry cash. The occasional lottery ticket, those are only purchased with the debit card.
Anything I purchase online is via PayPal and the account is synced to my credit card, not the bank account. My PayPal balance is kind of flush since before Covid as I was basically selling everything I had to fund new focused purchases and thin the roster. The diesel locomotives went from over 100 to 6 now and brass from 11 to 1 and rolling stock over 300 to right now 76 pieces.
CASH. I rarely carry it as I use my credit card to buy with. There are 3 exceptions to my credit card. At train shows is when I will carry cash. The occasional lottery ticket, those are only purchased with the debit card.
Anything I purchase online is via PayPal and the account is synced to my credit card, not the bank account. My PayPal balance is kind of flush since before Covid as I was basically selling everything I had to fund new focused purchases and thin the roster. The diesel locomotives went from over 100 to 6 now and brass from 11 to 1 and rolling stock over 300 to right now 76 pieces.
D&J RailRoad
Professor of HO
I use CC for most purchases. I keep hearing stuff about the dollar going away and being replaced with a crypto type of currency. Not sure if I like that idea, but then, I doubt I'm going to sway anybody.
chadbag
Well-Known Member
Obligatory house photos coming. They've made good progress for their second full day of wood work. I was up with my son around 2:30-3pm working to take some of the last wood bracing where it will be in the way of their putting in floor joists etc. They had put up a bunch of the floor joists. Wife and I went back this evening and they had finished the floor joists on the south end. The joists are not bolted to the joist hangars in the walls with their complete and final complement of screws but are secured while they get it all up. One of the workers saw me taking a picture of a joist connection and I think got worried, and explained to me that the 2 screws on one side are not the final install. I was just taking a pic for posterity and to share here in case people were interested in how the joists are hung to the ICF wall...
I did spot one place in an internal wall at the back of the basement bedroom where there is supposed to be a closet door and there doesn't appear to be one... So I took a pic and a screenshot from the plan of that area and texted the boss-man... An easy oversight.
The first pic shows how the joists are attached to the wall. There are two plates inserted through the foam and into the cavity which is filled with concrete. So those plates are well supported in the concrete wall. A metal strap is wrapped around the bottom and up the side of the joist (and blocking). A couple nails secure the strap to the joist which is then wrapped around both sides. That assembly is put between the plates and some big screws put through on both sides. Right now they just put 2 in to secure it while they get everything up and then they will put the correct number (I think 5) of the screws in on each side.
I did spot one place in an internal wall at the back of the basement bedroom where there is supposed to be a closet door and there doesn't appear to be one... So I took a pic and a screenshot from the plan of that area and texted the boss-man... An easy oversight.
The first pic shows how the joists are attached to the wall. There are two plates inserted through the foam and into the cavity which is filled with concrete. So those plates are well supported in the concrete wall. A metal strap is wrapped around the bottom and up the side of the joist (and blocking). A couple nails secure the strap to the joist which is then wrapped around both sides. That assembly is put between the plates and some big screws put through on both sides. Right now they just put 2 in to secure it while they get everything up and then they will put the correct number (I think 5) of the screws in on each side.
NYC_George
Well-Known Member
I play golf with them all now that is the ones that are still alive. The 12 hours a day 6 days a week took their toll on a lot of them. I was just on the phone with one of them. He's a big model RR guy. He owns 65 thousand dollars' worth of HO engines alone with out all the cars, N & G scale stuff.
George
Snowman
Well-Known Member
I like the big radius of the curve on the lower curves on the right. I'm sure I'm not alone.
I also love the caboose <sniff>.
Snowman
Well-Known Member
I get the "I was up with my son" thing. Rebuilt a house in 2000, and after an eight hour day working with the contractor, he'd give me a list of the things that needed to be done by the next morning. Sixteen...eighteen...twenty hour days for a couple of months solid. The contractor and his crew were paid well for their eight hours. I wasn't paid a dime, but when your family needs you, they need you. (the letter "F" in family does have the occasional downside).
We did also have an electrician who put in extra hours of his own too, and unpaid. Good man. He could see we were stretched thin, and he stepped right up. Together we two pulled nearly a 1/4 mile of wire--I was usually under the house in the tight crawlspaces--I'm not a bit claustrophobic. It's the spiders that bother me, and there were plenty of those under that house. HE pulled it through 2" conduit jam packed with other wire. On the whole I would rather have had the job I did get than the one he had. I HATE pulling tightly packed wire. Drives me nuts.
We did also have an electrician who put in extra hours of his own too, and unpaid. Good man. He could see we were stretched thin, and he stepped right up. Together we two pulled nearly a 1/4 mile of wire--I was usually under the house in the tight crawlspaces--I'm not a bit claustrophobic. It's the spiders that bother me, and there were plenty of those under that house. HE pulled it through 2" conduit jam packed with other wire. On the whole I would rather have had the job I did get than the one he had. I HATE pulling tightly packed wire. Drives me nuts.
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Snowman
Well-Known Member
You don't need to sway me, as I completely agree with you. Currencies that are backed up by "thin air" don't build crypto-confidence in me either.
Apparently history recently repeatedly itself too:
There is a saying--advice--(and I'll guess you've already heard it) which goes something like: "Don't invest in markets you don't know, or in securities and holdings which you don't know. If you do, then you are the chump, and they are all making their money off you."
[Aka "learn as much as you can first before you jump in."]
Dunno about you, but I just can't keep up with the pace of crypto, so for me, all the promises of big profits are akin to rolling dice in Vegas. Not my thing.
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