Running Bear's February 2024 Coffee Shop

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A few weeks ago the wife was getting these calls from some company telling her she needed to vote in a virtual shareholder meeting of some funds she has in her DIY 401K account (that I manage). They emailed her constantly, US Mailed her, and then started incessantly calling her. She had no idea what it was about since I manage the account. I finally figured out what she was talking about and went and logged in to vote to stop the pestering. (The vote was to approve a takeover/merger with a new management fund company_. Usually I just ignore these sorts of things as we get them for a lot of the ETFs we own in the 401k.

I hate it when they pester you and won't stop.
 
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Good morning!
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Indiana railroad map, 1880
 


Well, howdy there internet peeps and those still with landline phones

It's Troy again.

IF you have an iPhone, you can silence unknown callers. They still go to your voicemail, but it doesn't ring.

Any number in your contacts folder on the phone still rings through.

Tap the Settings icon
About half way down is the PHONE options, tap that
On the new list of options, select Silence Unknown Callers

If you get tired of the kid begging for money with each call, remove their number from the contacts. Simples ;)

At pizza last night, the nose started to run. Got bad enough once I got home, that I took a Sudafed PE. I'm lucky that the not-really-sudafed actually works for me.

That knocked it out. But I slept in the recliner in the basement in case I'm coming down with something.

As I type this, the nose is starting up again. But the furnace just kicked on for it's morning run-up the temp a few degrees.

Hmmm... I may check the AprilAir filter in the humidifer. I wonder if that's past it's prime and growing mold?

Or, I might be developing a cold. Somedays I suspect the AI has one. The prompt was "A Penguin with a cold"

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Good morning. It's cloudy and 56.
I'm going to give the new place a call at lunch time today, if they haven't called or emailed me. They told me they would contact me before today with my job assignment and who and where to report for work Monday. They haven't yet... There's nothing like giving your notice based on an offer, and then get ghosted by the new company.
 
Good morning gang!

33° and breezy, looking for a high of 45° before a clipper runs through the area tonight. maybe 2-3 inches of white crap before it stops tomorrow morning. Already though they have put brine down on the roads, so there starts the rust on the cars. Not a fan here. I'd rather drive on clean snow and keep my cars for longer, rather then have them rot out from under me.

No trains last night, watched the dual qualifiers from Daytona last night. Trying to find someone to root for now that Kevin Harvick has retired. Lots of young guns out there, and a few cagy old veterans but no real stand outs. Sunday's race may be different.

BBL
 
Good morning from Wisconsin. Winter has definitely returned. Along with the snow yesterday the temperatures are back to being Winter like. Today’s high should hit the seasonal 30f degrees. It’s 24 now but feels like 12. It’s the wind chill that has the Winter feel and bite to it.

Yesterday was a good day on the layout. Ran a few trains. 11 to 3 yesterday for trains, pizza and conversation. A good time and then I napped from 4 to 7!!!

I have an op session about 15 miles north of me tonight at 7. Most of the Crew coming to operate I do not personally know. They are from Northeast Wisconsin who have an operating layout this weekend at the big Mad City model train show in Madison this weekend. These are FB friends and a couple weathering clients and I’m excited to see the new layout and meet them. I am unsure about attending the show. I don’t have any, “I must have that” needs. Other than weathering supplies that I buy online, my list is almost nothing. I was told 2 of my weathering clients are combining the cars and locomotives of models I weathered for them into one train. I do usually get some good commissions from this show. I should go and hand out the business card!

My pre-order of the ScaleTrain reefers has been shipped. I am really looking foward to these. A first for me. Every one of my weathering commissions for these cars paid for the car in the last 5 days, no back outs! When the weathering is completed I will bill that out. These are big cars at 82’ and except for graffiti are fairly clean big white moving billboards. I will apply a matte clear coat to kill the shine and a light grime coat with a touch of kick up spray. Then add the graffiti…

My cost for shipping cartons has gone up 47% since my last buy in July 2023. The shipping cushioning white peanuts I buy 2 bags of 20 cubic feet. They are now $33 per bag and in July 2022 they were $15.50 per bag. Along with the price increases from the USPS the shipping costs feel like extortion to me. I did not place my “normal” shipping carton order last night. I am researching other vendors.

Terry arrives at 11am and I am the chauffeur

enjoy the day
 
TLOC said:
Good morning from Wisconsin. Winter has definitely returned. Along with the snow yesterday the temperatures are back to being Winter like. Today’s high should hit the seasonal 30f degrees. It’s 24 now but feels like 12. It’s the wind chill that has the Winter feel and bite to it.

Yesterday was a good day on the layout. Ran a few trains. 11 to 3 yesterday for trains, pizza and conversation. A good time and then I napped from 4 to 7!!!

I have an op session about 15 miles north of me tonight at 7. Most of the Crew coming to operate I do not personally know. They are from Northeast Wisconsin who have an operating layout this weekend at the big Mad City model train show in Madison this weekend. These are FB friends and a couple weathering clients and I’m excited to see the new layout and meet them. I am unsure about attending the show. I don’t have any, “I must have that” needs. Other than weathering supplies that I buy online, my list is almost nothing. I was told 2 of my weathering clients are combining the cars and locomotives of models I weathered for them into one train. I do usually get some good commissions from this show. I should go and hand out the business card!

My pre-order of the ScaleTrain reefers has been shipped. I am really looking foward to these. A first for me. Every one of my weathering commissions for these cars paid for the car in the last 5 days, no back outs! When the weathering is completed I will bill that out. These are big cars at 82’ and except for graffiti are fairly clean big white moving billboards. I will apply a matte clear coat to kill the shine and a light grime coat with a touch of kick up spray. Then add the graffiti…

My cost for shipping cartons has gone up 47% since my last buy in July 2023. The shipping cushioning white peanuts I buy 2 bags of 20 cubic feet. They are now $33 per bag and in July 2022 they were $15.50 per bag. Along with the price increases from the USPS the shipping costs feel like extortion to me. I did not place my “normal” shipping carton order last night. I am researching other vendors.

Terry arrives at 11am and I am the chauffeur

enjoy the day
Click to expand...
Shipping is big money and has been for a while. When I had my airbrush business, I really had to watch the shipping charges, especially for heavy things like compressors. I also used to ship brass models back to clients after painting and it was substantial. I really had to make sure the quality was spot on, because my deal was that if there were issues, I picked up all return shipping charges.
 


Good Morning!
Only 5F out there this fine morning.

The wife is pissed! She don't get the hockey games she wants to watch on our satellite TV, and wants me to cancel the service today. I even paid to hook-up a 16 channel set of dedicated NHL channels for her viewing pleasure, but, she don't seem to get the Oilers games. It's not the satellite company's fault. The NHL controls what games are televised on what channels. And the Oilers always seem to be on the other set of NHL channels.
So, we are going to wind up with no TV, or at least it's back to rabbit ears. - I don't care less either way. The loss of TV will propel me into more modelling to keep busy.

I ended the robocalls by putting the call block feature on my cell phone. It's a free service offered by my cell provider, and it works.

Some of you might remember I started this scratch-build 3rd class depot awhile back. I pulled it out again, and suppose I'll get back to working on it.
3rdClass_02-16-2023 (1).JPG

3rdClass_02-16-2024 (2).JPG

Now that there won't be a TV, I guess I'll have lots of time to build it!
I have a sneaky plan in my head on how this building will be finished, yet untested in modelling history. Might be success, or catastrophic failure.

I gotta go! See ya'll later!
 
Morning all,

A bit late for me. Had a new hire to get setup when I walked in the door and 3 people who needed assistance resetting their passwords and 2fa accounts after the Valentine's day hack. We got a bit lucky it was only 1 user and 39 others where attempts were made.

Currently 33° and cloudy. Breezy and 39° later. Then we go back to warming up some...
 
Good Morning All. Partly cloudy and 56° out on the porch this morning. The NWS has backed off it's high prediction for today to just 64°, with the severe wind shift out of the north coming soon after noon. Cold tonight through noon Sunday, then a return to somewhat normal conditions. High Wednesday is forecast to be 81°. No rain in the next ten days if the weather geeks are to be trusted.

Yesterday's weekly grocery trek went well, with added stops for gas, over to the Vitamin Shop, Home Depot, Schlotzy's, Sam's Club and the pharmacy. A full trip. Gasoline is continuing to go up, the cheap places last week have caught up to the expensive ones. No place has dared to breach the $3/gallon level yet, but all are right there. Sam's Club - the eyeglass person fixed my reading glasses without a hitch in under 10 minutes and she brought them over to me as I was having my hearing aids serviced. That was an ordeal. He put new speakers and retainers in easily, but was unsuccessful in loading the updated app on my phone. So now I have no phone control over volume or filters. I can still use buttons on the hearing aids themselves, but it isn't as easy. I now have to schedule another appointment while giving him time to research the issue.
I am now officially back to the living with Prudential Retirement, they don't know who or why I was considered deceased, but the gentleman fixed it.

I've only had one MRI, but I was told what to expect ahead of time, so I brought my own CD of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" with me to listen to. I tend to be claustrophobic, but I just closed my eyes before going in and didn't open them until I was back out. I did wonder (and still do), how they got those large football players into that machine, as I barely fit!

I did get out to the train shed yesterday for a bit after hoeing my onion plants in the garden. Slow progress in the cemetery as I continued with ground cover and started with the parking area out front.
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I should finish the parking area next and start positioning the headstones.

Bill - It looks like a lot of that interlocking in Griffith Indiana is still in existence. I can't tell how much is still in use, but most all of what's still there looks to be well maintained.
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It does seem that the SE to NW Erie track has been removed, but it does continue out of the picture in the bottom center.

Everyone have a fantastic Friday, and a great three day weekend in the US.
 
Good Morning All!

18F @64% and overcast. Inch+ of new white. Might get to 36F later. Above 45F first of next week.

Welp, my winnings went for house stuff, not train stuff ... crap! Oh well, needed to get done.

VD was great, took Maria to her fav Mexican Spot here in town. She had a huge burrito and I did 2 Enchiladas; 1 beef the other chicken. Went down and did a SaD at the Legion with a couple of beers. Went back home and immediately took naps.

We both went to our primary for our yearly check. I came out great, she has some sort of bacterial infection of which she thought was a UTI. Nope, got drugs for that.

Will see what today brings!

Later
 
Good afternoon all. A sunny? day here in the land of the former North British Railway. A coffee on the go, Flo, please.
No grandchildren today, so I am looking after Dawn and she is looking after me!!!

I managed to look in the train room and changed the rolling stock from diesels to steam locomotive running.

Trains at Crown Point Yard

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Tram on its way to the tram depot at Swinegate, which is next to Sovereign Street

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Morning Everyone -- 49 degrees and very foggy - can barely see across the street, but looking for 71 and mostly sunny later on.
Yesterday's infusion was a breeze, but I felt not VERY WELL AFTERWARDS. (I am having problem hitting the keys I want - forgive me!)

TROY - I have been plagued with a severe runny nose for over a year now -- it's terrible to be talking to someone and have dribble coming out of nostrils without warning -- good luck - I have not found the solution?

FLO - Time for one of Mel's Garbage Omelet with extra bacon on the side. He really knows how to make one up! Sourdough Toast and a Diet DP with it, please! You are looking all spiffy this morning ... Have a date later on? Some lucky bloke I am sure?

Whittling down on some of the medical appointments .. meet with surgeon today for pre-opt on the port placement - then Monday comes the MRI - then Tuesday the Oncologist - then Wednesday the port placement -- WOW - the phone will not stop it seems? Going to have to get a score card ... "Who is on first" .. What's on second?

ALAN - WOW! Thank you for the info on yourself! I'll go sit in the corner this morning and stop my sniveling! Your experiences have given me great hope.

I found everyones MRI experiences interesting. I spent 3 years off this earth in a metal tube that made lots of noise - so never thought about it. The Spousal Unit, even though she was a flight attendant does not like an MRI either?

OK - here comes my plate .. BBL
 
McLeod said:
Good Morning!
Only 5F out there this fine morning.

The wife is pissed! She don't get the hockey games she wants to watch on our satellite TV, and wants me to cancel the service today. I even paid to hook-up a 16 channel set of dedicated NHL channels for her viewing pleasure, but, she don't seem to get the Oilers games. It's not the satellite company's fault. The NHL controls what games are televised on what channels. And the Oilers always seem to be on the other set of NHL channels.
So, we are going to wind up with no TV, or at least it's back to rabbit ears. - I don't care less either way. The loss of TV will propel me into more modelling to keep busy.

I ended the robocalls by putting the call block feature on my cell phone. It's a free service offered by my cell provider, and it works.

Some of you might remember I started this scratch-build 3rd class depot awhile back. I pulled it out again, and suppose I'll get back to working on it.
View attachment 181407
View attachment 181408
Now that there won't be a TV, I guess I'll have lots of time to build it!
I have a sneaky plan in my head on how this building will be finished, yet untested in modelling history. Might be success, or catastrophic failure.

I gotta go! See ya'll later!
Click to expand...
You're right, the NHL controls what games are televised. And which games are blacked out. Blackouts are there to protect regional broadcast networks on cable, and the cable operators...So in your case Rogers which has the rights to Oilers Games exclusively...except for national games on TSN (Bell, another cable and RSN provider). We have the same problem here.
 
Espeefan said:
Shipping is big money and has been for a while. When I had my airbrush business, I really had to watch the shipping charges, especially for heavy things like compressors. I also used to ship brass models back to clients after painting and it was substantial. I really had to make sure the quality was spot on, because my deal was that if there were issues, I picked up all return shipping charges.
Click to expand...
I can see how shipping a compressor is costly.

I operate the same way, if there are issues I caused I will eat the return fees.

There was a time the USPS fixed rate boxes were a good deal and the boxes were/still are free. When USPS eliminated the shoebox flat rate around Covid that’s when I really had to be careful about shipping. Then they eliminated the regional fee rates. A 16x6x6 corrugated long box today is $1.04 each in orders of 50. It was $.58 each in lots of 25 last July. Tape is up and I am working on that now.

Looks like I am heading back to using I uline.com. I dropped them a few years ago for a couple reasons. They discontinued my discounts and my sister in law is a general manager there and she has given Terry lots of personal grief the last few years. But, business is business…
 
Sirfoldalot said:
spent 3 years off this earth in a metal tube that made lots of noise - so never thought about it. The Spousal Unit, even though she was a flight attendant does not like an MRI either?
Click to expand...
No different than the metal tubes I spent time in...still no comparison with the damn MRI machine and the ungodly noise it makes while making those images.

Speaking of images, my Echo -C results are available on the Portal. In a bit I will read them and try and compare with the last one.

Take care my friend, and don't let all the BS get to you...
 


Back from a target run.

this runny nose definitely feels like a cold coming on. I started taking zinc and vit c last night. So, a few more nights sleeping in the recliner.

The only unknown is taking Mom to the Eye Doc on Monday. IF I can get this wiped out (sometimes I can get a cold over in about 3-4 days), I can drive her to the doc. If not, then I call Monday morning and get her rescheduled.

In other news: Chili in the CrockPot

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