The Coffee House

[snowbear130 61]

...Also doing research to buy a new (probably used) car. Anyone have a CRV? I need something smaller and newer than my 2007 Pilot. I inquired about a car on one of the websites and have gotten no less than 30 emails from car dealerships. One is even offering to bring the car to my house for the test drive.

Don't own one, but I've wrenched on a couple. Seem to be well made, reliable vehicles on the higher end of the Honda/Toyota reliability spectrum. Any particular year/trim package?

I'm currently trying to find a 2017 or 2918 Ex-L in my are - one that has a dark leather interior (because dogs) with less than 15k miles/year on the odometer. You'd think it would be easy but no...

We've had our CR-V for a year now, and love it - 2019 EX. It's the right size for us, and the CCT (aka, the rubber band transmission) is peppy enough with the turbo-4.

 

[SquarePeg49 3]

...Also doing research to buy a new (probably used) car. Anyone have a CRV? I need something smaller and newer than my 2007 Pilot. I inquired about a car on one of the websites and have gotten no less than 30 emails from car dealerships. One is even offering to bring the car to my house for the test drive.

Don't own one, but I've wrenched on a couple. Seem to be well made, reliable vehicles on the higher end of the Honda/Toyota reliability spectrum. Any particular year/trim package?

I'm currently trying to find a 2017 or 2918 Ex-L in my are - one that has a dark leather interior (because dogs) with less than 15k miles/year on the odometer. You'd think it would be easy but no...

We've had our CR-V for a year now, and love it - 2019 EX. It's the right size for us, and the CCT (aka, the rubber band transmission) is peppy enough with the turbo-4.

That’s good to know. The “pep” is a concern since I’m used to the 6 cylinder Pilot which, despite being a big soccer mom box, is a beast when you hit the gas.

 

[waday]

I don't think you can really go wrong with either approach. I would be tempted to splurge since spending winnings on practical stuff is kind of lame . As long as you believe in the value of these otherwise out of reach items. I find that, if we're talking camera gear, there's a lot of really good cheap versions out there - especially if you're not a pro. If this is a general type of retailer like Target or Walmart then I would buy the practical items or put it on hold and use it when you have an unexpected expense. If it's a smaller store that could go out of business then I would spend it right away on the smaller things.

Given your what if.
I would see how long the card was valid and watch the used section and get the best value.
Prob something that I would not normally be able to afford.
Lens cloths , those I regard as consumable and replace ... maybe more often than some but my
thought is a lens cloth is cheaper than a lens to replace. So it’s not worth using a dirty lens cloth

If I won a $500 card I'd probably buy something I wouldn't buy otherwise, unless I had other expenses and would be better off to just use it for more practical necessities.

Thanks all! I think I'll splurge and be spoiled. Most of their stuff is on the more expensive side (it's not a camera store, BTW), so it probably won't go far. But, I'm excited nonetheless.

 

[waday]

Ugh - lots of issues that are sucking up my time today...

Princess got a report card on Friday and 2 of the grades were incorrect. For one class there was no Q2 grade posted at all on the report card or the online grading system. Then this morning a 50 gets posted which is wrong (should have been a 94 by my calculations) so she emails the teacher since she doesn't have his class today and he fixes it on the Q2 "grades" page (to a 98, so one of us can't do math) but it doesn't update on the online transcript or gpa calculation so we'll have to chase that down. Another class the teacher posted the grade as a 70 but it should have been 84.3 (which is how it is shown on the quarterly page so probably just a typo when she was inputting final grades). What a pita to chase all this down. I'm making Princess do most of the work but she would never have thought to check the transcript or the gpa pages so I can't stay totally out of it... I knew to check because this is not my first rodeo with this online system.

Also doing research to buy a new (probably used) car. Anyone have a CRV? I need something smaller and newer than my 2007 Pilot. I inquired about a car on one of the websites and have gotten no less than 30 emails from car dealerships. One is even offering to bring the car to my house for the test drive.

I feel your pain. Trying to convince the water company that they screwed up and that I did not actually use over 17,000 gallons of water last month. As much as I can look at the meter and tell them, they don't seem to understand that usage should be going in ascending order...

Speaking to the CRV, our previous neighbors bought a new one a few years ago, and they loved it. My father-in-law almost bought one, but he ended up going with a Subaru Outback.

 

[SquarePeg49 3]

Ugh - lots of issues that are sucking up my time today...

Princess got a report card on Friday and 2 of the grades were incorrect. For one class there was no Q2 grade posted at all on the report card or the online grading system. Then this morning a 50 gets posted which is wrong (should have been a 94 by my calculations) so she emails the teacher since she doesn't have his class today and he fixes it on the Q2 "grades" page (to a 98, so one of us can't do math) but it doesn't update on the online transcript or gpa calculation so we'll have to chase that down. Another class the teacher posted the grade as a 70 but it should have been 84.3 (which is how it is shown on the quarterly page so probably just a typo when she was inputting final grades). What a pita to chase all this down. I'm making Princess do most of the work but she would never have thought to check the transcript or the gpa pages so I can't stay totally out of it... I knew to check because this is not my first rodeo with this online system.

Also doing research to buy a new (probably used) car. Anyone have a CRV? I need something smaller and newer than my 2007 Pilot. I inquired about a car on one of the websites and have gotten no less than 30 emails from car dealerships. One is even offering to bring the car to my house for the test drive.

I feel your pain. Trying to convince the water company that they screwed up and that I did not actually use over 17,000 gallons of water last month. As much as I can look at the meter and tell them, they don't seem to understand that usage should be going in ascending order...

Speaking to the CRV, our previous neighbors bought a new one a few years ago, and they loved it. My father-in-law almost bought one, but he ended up going with a Subaru Outback.

Had many issues with our local water department when we moved here 20 years ago. I took photos of the meter and went down to city hall to explain my concerns. Turned out they had been using an "estimated" read for years because of a thorny bush blocking them from reading the actual meter. So easily solved if only the guy reading the meters had bothered to knock on our door and say hey now that someone new is living here can you trim back those bushes? Now it is all done by wireless readers and they just drive by and hit a button. For the record though - our water bills are super high in our town (we are MWRA and still paying for Boston Harbor clean up from many years ago). When we remodeled recently I replaced both existing toilets with ones that conserve water and we installed a 3rd bath with a water saver toilet as well. Our water bills dropped by almost $200 per quarter.

 

[vintagesnaps]

Guess things are cheaper in the country, my water bill is about $25 or so (for one person though). And I didn't know they still made 6 cylinder, those were the days (which I thought were long gone). Having worked in a hilly part of the city a poor lil' 4 cylinder often made me feel like I needed to get out and give it a push!

 

[waday]

Ugh - lots of issues that are sucking up my time today...

Princess got a report card on Friday and 2 of the grades were incorrect. For one class there was no Q2 grade posted at all on the report card or the online grading system. Then this morning a 50 gets posted which is wrong (should have been a 94 by my calculations) so she emails the teacher since she doesn't have his class today and he fixes it on the Q2 "grades" page (to a 98, so one of us can't do math) but it doesn't update on the online transcript or gpa calculation so we'll have to chase that down. Another class the teacher posted the grade as a 70 but it should have been 84.3 (which is how it is shown on the quarterly page so probably just a typo when she was inputting final grades). What a pita to chase all this down. I'm making Princess do most of the work but she would never have thought to check the transcript or the gpa pages so I can't stay totally out of it... I knew to check because this is not my first rodeo with this online system.

Also doing research to buy a new (probably used) car. Anyone have a CRV? I need something smaller and newer than my 2007 Pilot. I inquired about a car on one of the websites and have gotten no less than 30 emails from car dealerships. One is even offering to bring the car to my house for the test drive.

I feel your pain. Trying to convince the water company that they screwed up and that I did not actually use over 17,000 gallons of water last month. As much as I can look at the meter and tell them, they don't seem to understand that usage should be going in ascending order...

Speaking to the CRV, our previous neighbors bought a new one a few years ago, and they loved it. My father-in-law almost bought one, but he ended up going with a Subaru Outback.

Had many issues with our local water department when we moved here 20 years ago. I took photos of the meter and went down to city hall to explain my concerns. Turned out they had been using an "estimated" read for years because of a thorny bush blocking them from reading the actual meter. So easily solved if only the guy reading the meters had bothered to knock on our door and say hey now that someone new is living here can you trim back those bushes? Now it is all done by wireless readers and they just drive by and hit a button. For the record though - our water bills are super high in our town (we are MWRA and still paying for Boston Harbor clean up from many years ago). When we remodeled recently I replaced both existing toilets with ones that conserve water and we installed a 3rd bath with a water saver toilet as well. Our water bills dropped by almost $200 per quarter.

That’s so frustrating. $200 a quarter! Jeez. I’m afraid of what the bill looked before that! We pay $50-60 a month for 2 adults, kid, and dog. It’ll go up a bit in the summer for kid sprinkler and watering plants. But usually not over $70 a month.

How’s Boston doing with CSOs? Did they already address them? PA is dragging its feet, much to Maryland’s annoyance.

 

[SquarePeg49 3]

Ugh - lots of issues that are sucking up my time today...

Princess got a report card on Friday and 2 of the grades were incorrect. For one class there was no Q2 grade posted at all on the report card or the online grading system. Then this morning a 50 gets posted which is wrong (should have been a 94 by my calculations) so she emails the teacher since she doesn't have his class today and he fixes it on the Q2 "grades" page (to a 98, so one of us can't do math) but it doesn't update on the online transcript or gpa calculation so we'll have to chase that down. Another class the teacher posted the grade as a 70 but it should have been 84.3 (which is how it is shown on the quarterly page so probably just a typo when she was inputting final grades). What a pita to chase all this down. I'm making Princess do most of the work but she would never have thought to check the transcript or the gpa pages so I can't stay totally out of it... I knew to check because this is not my first rodeo with this online system.

Also doing research to buy a new (probably used) car. Anyone have a CRV? I need something smaller and newer than my 2007 Pilot. I inquired about a car on one of the websites and have gotten no less than 30 emails from car dealerships. One is even offering to bring the car to my house for the test drive.

I feel your pain. Trying to convince the water company that they screwed up and that I did not actually use over 17,000 gallons of water last month. As much as I can look at the meter and tell them, they don't seem to understand that usage should be going in ascending order...

Speaking to the CRV, our previous neighbors bought a new one a few years ago, and they loved it. My father-in-law almost bought one, but he ended up going with a Subaru Outback.

Had many issues with our local water department when we moved here 20 years ago. I took photos of the meter and went down to city hall to explain my concerns. Turned out they had been using an "estimated" read for years because of a thorny bush blocking them from reading the actual meter. So easily solved if only the guy reading the meters had bothered to knock on our door and say hey now that someone new is living here can you trim back those bushes? Now it is all done by wireless readers and they just drive by and hit a button. For the record though - our water bills are super high in our town (we are MWRA and still paying for Boston Harbor clean up from many years ago). When we remodeled recently I replaced both existing toilets with ones that conserve water and we installed a 3rd bath with a water saver toilet as well. Our water bills dropped by almost $200 per quarter.

That’s so frustrating. $200 a quarter! Jeez. I’m afraid of what the bill looked before that! We pay $50-60 a month for 2 adults, kid, and dog. It’ll go up a bit in the summer for kid sprinkler and watering plants. But usually not over $70 a month.

How’s Boston doing with CSOs? Did they already address them? PA is dragging its feet, much to Maryland’s annoyance.

Yes the bill was close to $600 per quarter - we must have had a leak or two with the older toilets and now is just below $400 the past 3 quarters so a big drop for a relatively small investment.

What is CSO - something with the sewer?

 

[waday]

Ugh - lots of issues that are sucking up my time today...

Princess got a report card on Friday and 2 of the grades were incorrect. For one class there was no Q2 grade posted at all on the report card or the online grading system. Then this morning a 50 gets posted which is wrong (should have been a 94 by my calculations) so she emails the teacher since she doesn't have his class today and he fixes it on the Q2 "grades" page (to a 98, so one of us can't do math) but it doesn't update on the online transcript or gpa calculation so we'll have to chase that down. Another class the teacher posted the grade as a 70 but it should have been 84.3 (which is how it is shown on the quarterly page so probably just a typo when she was inputting final grades). What a pita to chase all this down. I'm making Princess do most of the work but she would never have thought to check the transcript or the gpa pages so I can't stay totally out of it... I knew to check because this is not my first rodeo with this online system.

Also doing research to buy a new (probably used) car. Anyone have a CRV? I need something smaller and newer than my 2007 Pilot. I inquired about a car on one of the websites and have gotten no less than 30 emails from car dealerships. One is even offering to bring the car to my house for the test drive.

I feel your pain. Trying to convince the water company that they screwed up and that I did not actually use over 17,000 gallons of water last month. As much as I can look at the meter and tell them, they don't seem to understand that usage should be going in ascending order...

Speaking to the CRV, our previous neighbors bought a new one a few years ago, and they loved it. My father-in-law almost bought one, but he ended up going with a Subaru Outback.

Had many issues with our local water department when we moved here 20 years ago. I took photos of the meter and went down to city hall to explain my concerns. Turned out they had been using an "estimated" read for years because of a thorny bush blocking them from reading the actual meter. So easily solved if only the guy reading the meters had bothered to knock on our door and say hey now that someone new is living here can you trim back those bushes? Now it is all done by wireless readers and they just drive by and hit a button. For the record though - our water bills are super high in our town (we are MWRA and still paying for Boston Harbor clean up from many years ago). When we remodeled recently I replaced both existing toilets with ones that conserve water and we installed a 3rd bath with a water saver toilet as well. Our water bills dropped by almost $200 per quarter.

That’s so frustrating. $200 a quarter! Jeez. I’m afraid of what the bill looked before that! We pay $50-60 a month for 2 adults, kid, and dog. It’ll go up a bit in the summer for kid sprinkler and watering plants. But usually not over $70 a month.

How’s Boston doing with CSOs? Did they already address them? PA is dragging its feet, much to Maryland’s annoyance.

Yes the bill was close to $600 per quarter - we must have had a leak or two with the older toilets and now is just below $400 the past 3 quarters so a big drop for a relatively small investment.

What is CSO - something with the sewer?

Combined sewer overflow. Many older cities have their storm drains and sewers connected, so during heavy rainfall events, they discharge raw sewage to rivers/streams. Lovely. Haha.

Some cities have addressed this already, some are in the process of addressing it, and some haven’t done anything, yet. Problem is that it can cost major major bucks. Like hundreds of millions of dollars.

 

[SquarePeg49 3]

Ugh - lots of issues that are sucking up my time today...

Princess got a report card on Friday and 2 of the grades were incorrect. For one class there was no Q2 grade posted at all on the report card or the online grading system. Then this morning a 50 gets posted which is wrong (should have been a 94 by my calculations) so she emails the teacher since she doesn't have his class today and he fixes it on the Q2 "grades" page (to a 98, so one of us can't do math) but it doesn't update on the online transcript or gpa calculation so we'll have to chase that down. Another class the teacher posted the grade as a 70 but it should have been 84.3 (which is how it is shown on the quarterly page so probably just a typo when she was inputting final grades). What a pita to chase all this down. I'm making Princess do most of the work but she would never have thought to check the transcript or the gpa pages so I can't stay totally out of it... I knew to check because this is not my first rodeo with this online system.

Also doing research to buy a new (probably used) car. Anyone have a CRV? I need something smaller and newer than my 2007 Pilot. I inquired about a car on one of the websites and have gotten no less than 30 emails from car dealerships. One is even offering to bring the car to my house for the test drive.

I feel your pain. Trying to convince the water company that they screwed up and that I did not actually use over 17,000 gallons of water last month. As much as I can look at the meter and tell them, they don't seem to understand that usage should be going in ascending order...

Speaking to the CRV, our previous neighbors bought a new one a few years ago, and they loved it. My father-in-law almost bought one, but he ended up going with a Subaru Outback.

Had many issues with our local water department when we moved here 20 years ago. I took photos of the meter and went down to city hall to explain my concerns. Turned out they had been using an "estimated" read for years because of a thorny bush blocking them from reading the actual meter. So easily solved if only the guy reading the meters had bothered to knock on our door and say hey now that someone new is living here can you trim back those bushes? Now it is all done by wireless readers and they just drive by and hit a button. For the record though - our water bills are super high in our town (we are MWRA and still paying for Boston Harbor clean up from many years ago). When we remodeled recently I replaced both existing toilets with ones that conserve water and we installed a 3rd bath with a water saver toilet as well. Our water bills dropped by almost $200 per quarter.

That’s so frustrating. $200 a quarter! Jeez. I’m afraid of what the bill looked before that! We pay $50-60 a month for 2 adults, kid, and dog. It’ll go up a bit in the summer for kid sprinkler and watering plants. But usually not over $70 a month.

How’s Boston doing with CSOs? Did they already address them? PA is dragging its feet, much to Maryland’s annoyance.

Yes the bill was close to $600 per quarter - we must have had a leak or two with the older toilets and now is just below $400 the past 3 quarters so a big drop for a relatively small investment.

What is CSO - something with the sewer?

Combined sewer overflow. Many older cities have their storm drains and sewers connected, so during heavy rainfall events, they discharge raw sewage to rivers/streams. Lovely. Haha.

Some cities have addressed this already, some are in the process of addressing it, and some haven’t done anything, yet. Problem is that it can cost major major bucks. Like hundreds of millions of dollars.

I believe they’ve done a lot of sewer updates over the past decade.

 

[terri49]

Sometimes it's nice to live in a small town. We had unknowingly sprung a leak in the basement, and the city water department called to alert us to the unusual spike over a 3-4 day period. We discovered the location quickly and got a plumber out the next day.

Our typical bill is around $30 a month, higher in the summer with more outside watering.

 

[limr43 14]

It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out what water bill you all were talking about and why I don't have one: we've got a well instead.

 

[vintagesnaps]

The last I drank well water was at my aunt and uncle's farm before they went on 'city' water. It tasted odd when you weren't used to drinking it.

They also used to have a party line, it'd be funny when the phone would ring and nobody'd answer because it wasn't 'their' ring. Memory lane...

 

[Original katomi]

Party phone lines... what a blast from the past
CSO
Yea. London are developing a new system to cope with their problems. Seems the same everywhere pop growth is overtaking the infa structure. Here on Hayling we have one road on/off the island. That gets hectic to just about impossible to get on or off the island. There are days when the locals know it’s best just to stay at home

 

[SquarePeg49 3]

G’day Hosers!