Vancouver has a good number of speed and red light cameras (I believe with signage), hope you don't get a surprise in the mail.
Indeed BC drivers are faster on the highway than those in WA (doesn't take much), driving in the city itself or in certain suburbs (Richmond and Burnaby in particular) can be exciting for other reasons. Maybe nobody LLCs more than people in western WA, especially in the areas just south of Seattle. 167 is a LLC hotbed, 405 can be fun too.
OH, the other thing I noticed, lots of nice luxury sports cars. I may very well get one of those surprises in the mail, I'm afraid they'll have to collect the next time I go through customs I guess. I don't think I'll be extradited for a traffic violation.
I'm not sure I ever noticed so many MB's, BMW M cars, and Audi S's so close together and packed tightly.
In between the large tall glass and concrete buildings, a good sounding exhaust can really raise the city noise level.
'18 Porsche Macan Turbo, '16 Audi TTS, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
Vancouver is a money laundering/capital hiding/residency purchasing hotspot of this continent. Amazing cars to be seen there with endless sums of money flitting about, and fun to spot different models not seen south of the border as well.
OH, the other thing I noticed, lots of nice luxury sports cars. I may very well get one of those surprises in the mail, I'm afraid they'll have to collect the next time I go through customs I guess. I don't think I'll be extradited for a traffic violation.
I'm not sure I ever noticed so many MB's, BMW M cars, and Audi S's so close together and packed tightly.
In between the large tall glass and concrete buildings, a good sounding exhaust can really raise the city noise level.
No, other side of the country this time - my wife's uncle passed away. She's heading out tonight; the rest of us join her in a week.
Oh, yes. Sorry. I thought I mentioned PA, but clearly did not! We are flying to the area and will rent a car. Two actually. Wife is flying directly to Erie, and she will rent a car there, but flights to Erie are substantially more expensive (typically) than flying to Columbus, OH, so next week the kids and I will fly in there. We'll get a separate rental there, turn in the Erie rental when we get up to Erie, then drive back to Columbus and fly out of there in early November.
The car swap out is a little annoying, but saves about $300 versus just renting one in Erie then dropping it off in Columbus. LOL Those rental companies..... /sigh
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
My sister just did something similar to this. Her middle son had his parents weekend at his prep school in CT, so my sister, her husband, their other two sons, the prep school son's GF, and my sister's best friend all flew from CA to the east coast.
I believe my sister and her friend flew separately to Newark, and picked up a Mopar van - I was never able to ascertain if it was a Grand Caravan or a Pacifica. The rest of the gang flew into Albany the next day, where my BIL had reserved a compact, as it was meant to serve as the overflow car. Since everyone was flying home from Boston, the rental agency decided that a bigger car was warranted, since it would be returned at a larger airport. He got a Charger.
It's funny how moves like that can save a bit. I recently helped a co-worker book a short trip to VA. Flying into a larger airport about an hour from her destination vs the smaller airport saved about $300 in flight and rental car costs as well, worth the drive. Hope it's a smooth trip, if anything, you won't be one who panics if it snows.
Oh, yes. Sorry. I thought I mentioned PA, but clearly did not! We are flying to the area and will rent a car. Two actually. Wife is flying directly to Erie, and she will rent a car there, but flights to Erie are substantially more expensive (typically) than flying to Columbus, OH, so next week the kids and I will fly in there. We'll get a separate rental there, turn in the Erie rental when we get up to Erie, then drive back to Columbus and fly out of there in early November.
The car swap out is a little annoying, but saves about $300 versus just renting one in Erie then dropping it off in Columbus. LOL Those rental companies..... /sigh
It's funny how moves like that can save a bit. I recently helped a co-worker book a short trip to VA. Flying into a larger airport about an hour from her destination vs the smaller airport saved about $300 in flight and rental car costs as well, worth the drive. Hope it's a smooth trip, if anything, you won't be one who panics if it snows.
Yeah, true enough! I'll definitely be watching for crappy tires this time, though. Our adventure last February was quite enough for me.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
No, other side of the country this time - my wife's uncle passed away. She's heading out tonight; the rest of us join her in a week.
Oh, yes. Sorry. I thought I mentioned PA, but clearly did not! We are flying to the area and will rent a car. Two actually. Wife is flying directly to Erie, and she will rent a car there, but flights to Erie are substantially more expensive (typically) than flying to Columbus, OH, so next week the kids and I will fly in there. We'll get a separate rental there, turn in the Erie rental when we get up to Erie, then drive back to Columbus and fly out of there in early November.
The car swap out is a little annoying, but saves about $300 versus just renting one in Erie then dropping it off in Columbus. LOL Those rental companies..... /sigh
Erie, I was born in Erie. Your wife know any Rickrode's? Also the Wood family on my mother's side are from Erie.
Out on the road this morning - cool temps around freezing, but insanely low humidity, dewpoints below zero, no condensation on cars parked outside. What does my fair city do? Slathers my street in de-icer. I swear, someone's brother owns the company that sells the city chemicals. This gunk makes a mess when it rains, and can be even more slick than ice if applied wrong. I am in the wrong line of work, must be nice being able to make batty decisions and be virtually untouchable. They've been overreacting like this since Seattle botched its snow removal in 2008 - now any hint that it might get to 32F or lower, time to go crazy.
Last time I tried posting I could not access my account. Now it works like nothing changed. Getting tired of the craziness on FB. Good to meet up with old friends. Rocky is in FB jail again, I see he came over to say hi.
I don't find any posts by rockylee. Did he change username? There had been some problems with signing in at times and a few people had to change their username.
Gary, my wife is not familiar with that family name. She spent most of her childhood in Crawford County, south of Erie, in areas such as Meadville, Cambridge Springs, and Edinboro. We are in Edinboro now, where she is dealing with property, etc., related to the death of her uncle. He was the last of her family on her dad's side, so much falls to her to sort out.
So far, it is warm and rainy here. We spent much of the last couple days combing over the property, looking for papers, etc. He was a hoarder of all things mechanical/electrical, so there are some neat things, but my goodness.... there is so much junk. Just literal hundreds of tons of junk, scrap metal, etc. Insanity.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
1943 my dad was in the Army. My uncles went to California to set up war factories. They were both Millwrights. They came back and hauled me, my mom and grandma to Los Angeles. I have only been back to visit one time.
Most of the time people call the junk man to haul all the stuff away. Unless you have the time to sort through and find the gold. I am getting rid of stuff on Craigslist so it will not be a burden on my kids.
Yeah, we'll see how it goes. Looking through old paperwork on the property a couple days ago, it looks like her father was stationed in southern California for a spell. I guess he bucked the trend and decided to come home when his time was up! Wife and BiL are talking much about the approach to take to the property. They both agree that stuff has to go, but they're also looking at the "is there value here" proposition as well as just bulk disposal. Her brother will look into a deal with a scrapyard to see if they will provide bins that they can fill with metal and just call to haul away. If they don't have to pay to remove it, that's a big win by itself.
There is also some trash on the property, but it is a vast minority compared to all the scrap metal and electronics. It is amazing how much can accumulate over a half century (or, perhaps, even longer).
We held the service for her uncle yesterday; my wife gave an excellent eulogy. We went to lunch with her family (the ones who attended the service, anyway) at a little restaurant in the local town there. It was a good time with closure.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
Heading out on a little trip again tomorrow (I'll have a bit of free time in the near future, life changes, for the better I suspect) - not as unique or varied scenery as last month. SW/Coastal WA is mostly trees trees trees with a forest or two mixed in. But once one leaves I5, traffic decreases by 95%, very few LLCs (they were out in force on 405/167 yesterday), and generally a more relaxed driving world.
Caught the imediate aftermath of a little dust-up on Friday, the rear of the CX5 was fairly bashed in and the window broken. Also noticed I need to adjust the dashcam to daylight savings time, apparently the automatic adjustment was de-selected, d'oh:
Are you guys colder than usual? It's been warmer than normal here, and a bit drier too. Left early today headed for the coast: holiday-light traffic, no issues, plenty of bugs on the car as it was 60F in places on the way, pretty warm for effectively mid-November,
And yeah, time for a change, I was made an offer I couldn't refuse, and now have a big weight off my back. I kind of burnt out over the past year, doubled workload with no compensation or recognition, and some amusingly toxic tenured supposed leadership who are probably pretty lucky frustrated workers in this area don't lose control - not that I am wishing harm on anyone as that is bad mojo, but if things happened, I'd just shrug my shoulders. I'll have some weeks off and get going again in the new year.
Yep. Away from home now for the week, feels good to be away and not having a gongshow waiting for me when I return. Another trip coming up at Christmas, then I'll start getting on track again, refreshed and renewed. If you know anyone filling roles in the fraud realm, commercial underwriting, or compliance auditing, let me know
Are you guys colder than usual? It's been warmer than normal here, and a bit drier too. Left early today headed for the coast: holiday-light traffic, no issues, plenty of bugs on the car as it was 60F in places on the way, pretty warm for effectively mid-November,
I don't know that I would say it is colder than normal. I cannot really pinpoint what "normal" means anymore, as, historically, the temperatures this time of year tend to be at or below zero by now, getting steadily colder through the end of January, before crawling back out to positive temperatures by mid-to-late March. Of course, there were typical spikes one way or the other in there, but that's what I would consider "normal," at least historically.
NOW, though. There's just no telling. We can get cold spikes down to -50F or under, but they are incredibly rare now. Some winters it will be flirting with above-freezing temperatures all the way toward December, with sub-zero days rarely encountered. I just cannot say what to expect now. We had snow periodically in October, and every single time it would snow and I would think that this is the fall to stick through to spring, within days it was melting. Just so odd. Now it is reasonably cool (between zero and +20F), everything is well-frozen, and we have a good layer of snow on the ground (about 10"). So, comfortable for now. Good skiing weather.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
Yep. Away from home now for the week, feels good to be away and not having a gongshow waiting for me when I return. Another trip coming up at Christmas, then I'll start getting on track again, refreshed and renewed. If you know anyone filling roles in the fraud realm, commercial underwriting, or compliance auditing, let me know
Ah, man, that sounds great. I've been seriously considering quitting my job for a few months now, and the more I try to hang in, the less motivated I feel to do so. I'm not sure I would even want to look for another job for at least six months if I did that though. I'm just really frustrated with the total lack of leadership here.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
I am lucky in that I am single, with at least a minor rainy day fund. I know hiring doesn't really pick up until the new year, so I might not pound the pavement too hard for the rest of the year - but at the same time, I predict some cabin fever within a couple weeks, so I might look harder than originally planned. Fortunately, the economy is alive and this is a good area of the country for employment, so I am optimistic I'll be on board somewhere else without huge issue. It might not be in the Seattle area either, I am open to relocation - tired of that expensive rat race.
It's funny that for months I'd joke when leaving on Friday "I can't promise I'll be back on Monday", and then was effectively given that option. No more pointless emails at 1am from people who aren't in a good state upstairs. Life is too short. Good luck to those still in the office, but I think many are looking too, just haven't been given an offer yet.
Ah, man, that sounds great. I've been seriously considering quitting my job for a few months now, and the more I try to hang in, the less motivated I feel to do so. I'm not sure I would even want to look for another job for at least six months if I did that though. I'm just really frustrated with the total lack of leadership here.
The past several winters here have felt warmer than normal, but we did have the crazy snow event in February. Maybe they are just coming later now. Weather models for the next 10 days or so don't show anything cooler than average, and I saw 60F yesterday. Good driving weather anyway.
NOW, though. There's just no telling. We can get cold spikes down to -50F or under, but they are incredibly rare now. Some winters it will be flirting with above-freezing temperatures all the way toward December, with sub-zero days rarely encountered. I just cannot say what to expect now. We had snow periodically in October, and every single time it would snow and I would think that this is the fall to stick through to spring, within days it was melting. Just so odd. Now it is reasonably cool (between zero and +20F), everything is well-frozen, and we have a good layer of snow on the ground (about 10"). So, comfortable for now. Good skiing weather.
Thanks. No huge trips planned yet, but this is the first real hiatus I've taken since I graduated from school. Even after around 10 days, I feel refreshed.
After I transitioned from long-haul independent trucking to Corporate America (1980 - yeah, I'm one of those entitled miserable baby boomers) I used to take one week of my yearly vacation allotment to do a 9-day "sanity break" when I drove back up to Canada or somewhere else on my own. Travel was, and is, to a more limited extent, my life. Motels and hotels are as much at home for me as being where I live the rest of the time, and the views out the windshield never get old..
That's maybe the real drawback here, as I was somewhat tenured, I had a ton of PTO (relative to the idiotic threadbare modern American standard). My remainder is cashed out, but I probably won't start at 7 weeks where I land next. Oh well.
There is something different about a road trip vs flying somewhere, especially when alone.
Fin, it sounds like you have some pretty uncommon skills and experience, so hopefully you will find a position that suits those in short order. Some of those things like vacation can be negotiated during the hiring process of course, especially for jobs with rare skills. I did that in my last position, to my delight. .
One thing I can say which may not apply in all cases - every job I left, even if it was stressful doing so, led to me landing in a better spot subsequently. Sometimes the first few months had me wondering if I made a mistake but they all worked out in the end. Best of luck.
I love to travel so much. I always go to for a trip with my Dad but now we don't have a car because our car is now in a bad condition and so we decide to buy a new car but don't have any idea. Anyone here kindly give me some suggestion so that I can make a beautiful trip with my family soon.
Thanks. I'm just about a week out, and although the uncertainty is irksome, the relief makes up for it. When work = dread, it is time to do something. No more 1am emails from a loathsome boor. That alone is worth something. I like to think I am not a completely illiterate stooge, so there should be something out there for me.
I was wanting to be out of the country on Election Day 2020 just for the hell of it. I'd like to keep to those plans, even if it means just being north of the border on a road trip.
I love to travel so much. I always go to for a trip with my Dad but now we don't have a car because our car is now in a bad condition and so we decide to buy a new car but don't have any idea. Anyone here kindly give me some suggestion so that I can make a beautiful trip with my family soon.
That gives us nothing to go on! Give us some parameters for a vehicle that suits your needs....
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
You should drive 405 and 167/512 between the eastside Seattle suburbs and roughly Tacoma - you'll be in heaven if you like LLCs. I like to call them "pylons".
Heading out on a little trip again tomorrow (I'll have a bit of free time in the near future, life changes, for the better I suspect) - not as unique or varied scenery as last month. SW/Coastal WA is mostly trees trees trees with a forest or two mixed in. But once one leaves I5, traffic decreases by 95%, very few LLCs (they were out in force on 405/167 yesterday), and generally a more relaxed driving world.
Caught the imediate aftermath of a little dust-up on Friday, the rear of the CX5 was fairly bashed in and the window broken. Also noticed I need to adjust the dashcam to daylight savings time, apparently the automatic adjustment was de-selected, d'oh:
I think the car was in the accessory/run mode where lights are illuminated. I've never tried it with TC off, don't even know how to switch it - I figure AWD with that mass would only create a mess on public roads. The car is officially rated at just under 5 seconds 0-60, so potential is there.
Funny thing, the car has a few "driving modes", and I am almost always in "comfort" or "economy". I actually like economy most, with its smooth early upshifts and higher speed wafting, with more than enough torque to almost silently pull it along in what may seem like a high gear. This is the most mellow and comfortable car I've owned.
On the road just a little yesterday. Perfect clear cool weather, and traffic volumes were fine, busy but moving at the speed limit 90% of the time. Morning traffic had a few LLCs, including an older guy in a very clean early Aurora who actually moved right when he was passed on the right a couple times (but knowing this area, he was just getting over to exit, he dropped out of my line of sight pretty fast). The other fun one was a dork in a Camry who merged onto the highway, made a beeline for the left lane, and camped there. I passed him in the carpool lane, and I noticed numerous others passing him on the right. He too eventually vanished behind me - I don't get what possesses people to drive like that.
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I'll be taking a trip soon as well. Not intended, but people tend to die that way.
I'm not sure I ever noticed so many MB's, BMW M cars, and Audi S's so close together and packed tightly.
In between the large tall glass and concrete buildings, a good sounding exhaust can really raise the city noise level.
Going to OR? I was in Walla Walla and TC last week.
The car swap out is a little annoying, but saves about $300 versus just renting one in Erie then dropping it off in Columbus. LOL Those rental companies..... /sigh
I believe my sister and her friend flew separately to Newark, and picked up a Mopar van - I was never able to ascertain if it was a Grand Caravan or a Pacifica. The rest of the gang flew into Albany the next day, where my BIL had reserved a compact, as it was meant to serve as the overflow car. Since everyone was flying home from Boston, the rental agency decided that a bigger car was warranted, since it would be returned at a larger airport. He got a Charger.
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige
Columbus and Erie, I suppose you won't get anything exotic anyway.
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Nice to see you back @gagrice.
Good to see you posting here!.
I don't find any posts by rockylee. Did he change username? There had been some problems with signing in at times and a few people had to change their username.
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https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/comment/5796132/#Comment_5796132
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
So far, it is warm and rainy here. We spent much of the last couple days combing over the property, looking for papers, etc. He was a hoarder of all things mechanical/electrical, so there are some neat things, but my goodness.... there is so much junk. Just literal hundreds of tons of junk, scrap metal, etc. Insanity.
Most of the time people call the junk man to haul all the stuff away. Unless you have the time to sort through and find the gold. I am getting rid of stuff on Craigslist so it will not be a burden on my kids.
There is also some trash on the property, but it is a vast minority compared to all the scrap metal and electronics. It is amazing how much can accumulate over a half century (or, perhaps, even longer).
We held the service for her uncle yesterday; my wife gave an excellent eulogy. We went to lunch with her family (the ones who attended the service, anyway) at a little restaurant in the local town there. It was a good time with closure.
Caught the imediate aftermath of a little dust-up on Friday, the rear of the CX5 was fairly bashed in and the window broken. Also noticed I need to adjust the dashcam to daylight savings time, apparently the automatic adjustment was de-selected, d'oh:
And yeah, time for a change, I was made an offer I couldn't refuse, and now have a big weight off my back. I kind of burnt out over the past year, doubled workload with no compensation or recognition, and some amusingly toxic tenured supposed leadership who are probably pretty lucky frustrated workers in this area don't lose control - not that I am wishing harm on anyone as that is bad mojo, but if things happened, I'd just shrug my shoulders. I'll have some weeks off and get going again in the new year.
NOW, though. There's just no telling. We can get cold spikes down to -50F or under, but they are incredibly rare now. Some winters it will be flirting with above-freezing temperatures all the way toward December, with sub-zero days rarely encountered. I just cannot say what to expect now. We had snow periodically in October, and every single time it would snow and I would think that this is the fall to stick through to spring, within days it was melting. Just so odd. Now it is reasonably cool (between zero and +20F), everything is well-frozen, and we have a good layer of snow on the ground (about 10"). So, comfortable for now. Good skiing weather.
It's funny that for months I'd joke when leaving on Friday "I can't promise I'll be back on Monday", and then was effectively given that option. No more pointless emails at 1am from people who aren't in a good state upstairs. Life is too short. Good luck to those still in the office, but I think many are looking too, just haven't been given an offer yet.
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I'm hoping for the best for you in your new position.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
There is something different about a road trip vs flying somewhere, especially when alone.
One thing I can say which may not apply in all cases - every job I left, even if it was stressful doing so, led to me landing in a better spot subsequently. Sometimes the first few months had me wondering if I made a mistake but they all worked out in the end. Best of luck.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
I was wanting to be out of the country on Election Day 2020 just for the hell of it. I'd like to keep to those plans, even if it means just being north of the border on a road trip.
Lots of LLC's between Northern San Diego and Orange County. Epidemic levels. Becomes a bit of a slalom course for the faster drivers.
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige
Lucy gets better miles per gallon than Larry.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
Funny thing, the car has a few "driving modes", and I am almost always in "comfort" or "economy". I actually like economy most, with its smooth early upshifts and higher speed wafting, with more than enough torque to almost silently pull it along in what may seem like a high gear. This is the most mellow and comfortable car I've owned.