Running Bear's July 2023 Coffee Shop

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TLOC said:
I had the cave’s TV on last night because Terry said it was having issues. She was watching some cooking shows while she was walking on the machine that goes nowhere. The TV was freezing but the audio would keep going. I had the TV on to try to duplicate that so that’s why Jim Cramer was on. After 30 minutes or so, it finally happened, audio but the screen was frozen. Checked all the inputs, texted the son who offered this advice
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Tom, I may have the same TV! 65" TCL Roku TV, I love it! That's a great deal, I paid $749 for mine. I'm not sure what class mine is. I bought mine a few years ago. The one your son recommends is probably better than mine. I haven't liked a TV this much since my 25" floor model Zenith.
 
santafewillie said:
Today is National Junk Food Day. I guess that as junky as I actually get is Fritos; thankfully. We just didn't have it at home growing up, I couldn't afford it in college, so I never developed the habit.
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I did develop the habit. I love potato chips! They had been a staple of my diet for most of my life. I justified the habit because I tend to have low sodium. My A1C has not been good so I had to go cold turkey on the chips. Now I put lots of salt on my vegetables and that usually keeps my sodium at an acceptable level.

I still eat a few dipping chips with my salsa. Ten or twelve of those dipping chips is better than a third of a family size bag of potato chips. "You can't eat just one"

Thanks to your inspiration I found the perfect (for me) recipe for salsa!
 


The World's Largest Rubber Duck, known for showing up at harbors and brightening moods worldwide, plans to come to Maryland for the first time.
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Shipping: US Post office has the lowest rates for shipping items weighing under two pounds...but also the highest loss rate for same. I do believe you can add tracking for a fee too, but have no idea how that would then compare with the next best/cheapest alternative.

Recent experience tells me FedEx ground might be that next best alternative, and I think tracking is included by default, but I would not count on the "Ex" part where their ground shipping is concerned. It's otherwise good for FedEx air.

UPS was almost double the price the last time. Marginally better service than FedEx, including tracking, but not expedited unless you are willing to pay a LOT more.

==========

The last time FedEx ground sent me anything from CA, it originated in "City of Industry," was loaded onto a UP freight eastbound...

...I knew this because tracking updates often reflect the names of railroad sidings...

...and arrived in Cheyenne WY about 40 hours after it left CA. There it lingered for FIVE days, awaiting a truck to Denver. Like I said, don't count on the Ex part where FedEx ground is concerned.

This little saga may repeat itself, as my new 3D printer just left City of Industry...probably headed to Cheyenne via UP. If it's anything like last time, I'll be able to report another success.

In about a week. :D
 
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NYC_George said:
Boris for the last 25 years I've done my own taxes but 26 years ago I needed some help when we sold about 10 stocks and had to p[ay capital gains on the sale. They already took out the taxes on last week's sale. To be safe I think I'm going to hire a CPA this year. I was going to sell all the stock but when they told me what the taxes would be I decided to sell only half. If my wife has to be admitted to a nursing home and they take the remaining stock so be it. There's a lot to think about if she has to be admitted.
Swal
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George: I have been doing my taxes for as long as I remember. Every year, I deal with dividends, interest and Capital gains, from my trades during the course of the year. My Portfolio is self directed, and the brokerage makes it easy, selling FIFO, unless I specify otherwise, so most of my trades are long term. I also learned the hard way, about Nursing Homes, and how sleazy that industry is.

That's why I advise using an attorney familiar with Elder Law, and a CPA that works with the attorney, to protect your and your wife's interests as much as practicable. You are the best judge as to what sort of care your wife needs, but after dealing with Nursing Homes, and Assisted Living facilities both with my parents and the Mother in Law, I would avoid those places and their policies like they were the plague. Of course, there are times when you have no other choice. and only you can make that judgment. How is she doing, by the way?
 
Fedex vs UPS etc. Some people will say one is better than the other. My experience is they are all about the same. My side business, which used to be my full time business, ships with Fedex -- almost always Ground.

I believe both Fedex and UPS run delivery guarantees (refund of shipping costs if not delivered on time) except during the holiday crunch and in times of "disaster" (bad weather etc).

UPS runs an integrated system and their air express and ground businesses are one integrated business with integrated hubs, trucks, etc. Your driver delivering a UPS ground already did his express this morning.

Fedex Ground and Fedex "Express" are fundamentally two different businesses. The Express part has their own drivers, hubs and distribution, and the Ground (both Ground and Home Delivery) have their own drivers and distribution and hubs (and Home delivery even has its own separate hubs from Ground in some areas though it is part of Ground). Because of this you really can't just talk about Fedex. You need to specify which side as they are really separate operations both owned by the FDX parent. Express drivers are employees (non union). Ground drivers are private contractors who own their vehicles and their routes. This two separate operations organization is based on the history. Originally Fedex only did the air express. There was a company called RPS which only did ground deliveries inside the US and only to commercial addresses. Fedex bought RPS some 23-25 years ago or there abouts and after a couple years re-labeled it Fedex Ground (and integrated it on the back side to cut costs etc). RPS did the hauling between cities and contracted out the final mile delivery to private contractors who owned the routes and vehicles etc. Fedex Ground continues this pattern.

UPS drivers are all (unionized) employees.

In my business I used to send a lot of small packages through USPS -- a lot per day some weeks. Never lost one though sometimes they would seem lost for a week or three then show up at the customer.

I did have one UPS package I sent go missing. Their insurance paid it. It was an inside job by all accounts but I never heard back what happened. I got an order for an expensive rifle upper, Aimpoint optic, etc. and the guy insisted I send it UPS instead of Fedex. Claimed Fedex sucked in his area. I sent it. Tracked it to the final station. Then it disappeared. Up until that point the customer was responsive to emails etc. After it disappeared and he charged back the cost due to non-delivery he disappeared and never replied to any of my emails or calls. UPS paid the insurance. The guy obviously worked for UPS and was watching for the package to come through and then walked off with it. Not sure how but he had a way (my son works at UPS as a handler and they have to go through a metal detector and bag check security point when they leave every day).
 
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santafewillie said:
Louis - Ain't you working today???;););)
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The benefit of being on the road at 2:30am is I have a full day's work done before noon. Today was even better, I finished at 10:15am. Sometimes I get greedy and work as late as 3pm.

We had a severe thunderstorm over the Elkridge Amazon station about 3:45am, just as I was going to check in. Amazon closed the station, and everybody got paid to show up. Needing exercise and knowing Amazon would be behind the "8 ball" I went back at 7:30am and got a "gravy" route. I was back home at 10:30am.
 
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Good Afternoon All. Mother Nature is having a hard time attaining the NWS forecast high of 102° today, but she is always right anyway. Wind shifted from the north around 0900 and some clouds moved in and the best that I have seen was 96°; it's dropped a degree since then.
The pool temperature dropped to 86° overnight and has not gone up today due to the clouds. Not too cool or too warm. A degree lower would be perfect, but that's what a couple of cold beers are for. And yes! I allow glass bottles around the pool.:cool:
Meanwhile I am headed out to the train shed for about 90 minutes to implant a leg on a Longhorn. Should have time for much more today.
 


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