birb_cromble
No bio...
User ID: 3236
birb_cromble
10d ago
Where did you find 9.1%? Looking at Fred, I didn't see it as reported above seven.
birb_cromble
10d ago
I bought a condo in a cheaper city this year for $500k. It is a 2 bed 2 bath with about 800sq feet of space
As an non Canadian, what the fuck?
birb_cromble
10d ago
Reading the article, I can't help but feel that Scott is doing that thing he does where he's very credulous of the official stats when it suits the article he wants to write.
Back in 2020 - 2023ish, when prices on everything were taking off like bottle rockets, the official inflation rate was fairly flat. Hell, various outlets even changed the definition of "recession" so we didn't have to admit to being in one. I'm not sure if those political moves ever got cleaned up in the data.
He gives lip service to that idea when discussing Noah Smith, but goes right back to it when talking about the CPI again.
Personally, my grocery bill has doubled in the last ten years. My house has more than doubled in value - I'm fairly well off, and I couldn't afford to live in my neighborhood now. A new model of the same car I'm driving (5 years old) would cost $20,000 more. My employment situation feels more precarious than ever, and the horror stories I hear from acquaintances who have been laid off recently make me wonder if I'd be better off eating a shotgun than going back on the job hunt if I end up unemployed. Even the clothes I buy are lower quality and fall apart in ways that they didn't less than a decade ago. Every retail center in my region has so many closed up shops that it looks like a mouth with missing teeth.
I'm sure Scott could disregard all this by saying that I'm making more money than I used to be, but if this is a healthy economy, maybe we should reevaluate what healthy looks like.
birb_cromble
11d ago
Are you getting anywhere close to enough sunlight? I frequently have the same problem at this time of year and it gets worse when it's overcast.
birb_cromble
13d ago
We're then told "mortgage debt has shrunk to just 27% of the value of American household property—a 65-year low". Uh, yes, but those of us who are paying attention realize that this isn't because mortgage debt has shrunk, it's because the value of American property has increased.
Anecdotally, I think it's more than just valuation changes.
I know an awful lot of people who would like to move, but are sitting on 2% mortgages and are unwilling to give them up. Just by virtue of paying the monthly payment over a few years, that number is going to drop.
On the other side of the coin, I know quite a few people who would desperately like to buy a house, but can't afford the monthly payments anywhere near their jobs. Historically, those people might have found a fixer upper somewhere and taken on a lot of new debt that bumped up the average. These days though, they're not taking on that debt at all.
birb_cromble
17d ago
Do you speak PA dutch well enough to know if the generated language is accurate? I know a little from my grandparents and great grandparents, but not enough to be fluent, or judge the skill of others.
birb_cromble
18d ago
Sure is
birb_cromble
18d ago
It's enormously helpful. Thank you.
birb_cromble
19d ago
I'm not exactly sure how to articulate it, but I've seen a lot of discussion between Christians and atheists here where the Christian stance has a strong theme of "you just don't get it". I don't know if it's because the other side of the conversation has a fundamental difference in viewpoint, but the "vibe" is frequently there. Much like the 2014 era meme of "it's not my job to educate you", it feels like it's meant to absolve the speaker of having to explain their stance in a way that allows someone to get it.
That is such a strange stance for me. If Christianity is real, and I could bring myself to believe, I don't think that I would morally be capable of saying something like that.
I don't remember who it was, but someone on this forum once wrote up a long response that could be compressed to "Jesus loves you. Yes, even you, even though you don't think he should." It was probably the single best case for Christianity that I have ever read. It actually made the faith make sense on a visceral level for the first time in my life. I wish we saw more of that here, rather than comments about religion social technology.
birb_cromble
19d ago
Something like 80-90% of republican congressional staffers are groypers or deep-cover groypers
That's a hell of a claim. Do you have anything to back that up? I'd be interested in seeing those numbers.
birb_cromble
19d ago
Why would you be miffed?
I'm not @celluloid_dream, and I am also not an atheist. I am not observant, and I am not even certain that I could say that I am a Christian, even though I desperately wish that I could say that I was.
There is something about that particular kind of thread that bothers me. It seems, for lack of better terms, both condescending and sinful.
It feels to me like many of those threads are rooted in a faith that is almost Calvinist, where anyone who is not already among the elect will not and cannot understand the ineffable nature of God's grace; it seems more a way to reaffirm the holiness of the speaker rather than to spread the Good News of universal salvation that is offered to anyone. I'm not sure if this is the intent, but it feels that way when you are on the "other side".
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Jesus himself said to be circumspect about discussions of faith. It is difficult for me to reconcile that with what I have written above.
birb_cromble
19d ago
Most Republicans didn't recognize her name in a poll
Now there's an interesting question. What percentage of sitting congressmen could beat 44%, do you think?
birb_cromble
20d ago
Has nobody brought up the Marjorie Taylor Greene thing? I guess I'll jump on that grenade.
After break with Trump, Marjorie Taylor Greene will resign
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Georgia Republican who rose to prominence as one of President Trump's biggest defenders and recently became one of his biggest critics, is leaving Congress.
In some respects, it seems like the current GOP coalition is beginning to fracture. Up until recently, MTG was a high profile face in the MAGA movement. The fact that she is bowing out seems to represent something of a sea change in DC politics.
Both parties seem to be having problems, and to me, at least, it's fascinating that the problems seem to have a lot of overlap. In no particular order, both the DNC and GOP seem to be having a lot of internal problems with the following:
In some respects, it almost feels like a realignment might be creeping up on us. Is anyone else getting a similar feeling? Are there any alternatives that fit current events better?
birb_cromble
20d ago
What is your own personal risk/cost tolerance for housing these days - particularly for purchasing a home? Looking around, I see advice that ranges from "15 year mortgage at most and no more that 25% of your post-deduction take home income" all the way up to "up to 28% of your gross income on a 30 year mortgage". That much of a spread seems crazy to me, and I'd like to hear some personal opinions. If you can explain how you reached that conclusion, that would be even better.
birb_cromble
21d ago
The evil gods are Lovecraftian monsters that may or may not be Angels who rebelled against future God.
Future God seems to be some kind of ultimate post-singularity intelligence that is impacting the past in order to guarantee its existence.
birb_cromble
21d ago
I'm currently reading the last book in the Sun Eater series by Christopher Ruocchio. The subtextual Catholic apologia is threatening to lose its "sub" status, but it's still quite enjoyable if you're looking for something that straddles the sci-fi fantasy line in the same way as Dune.
birb_cromble
25d ago
I had the stitches removed last Monday, and I'm starting to feel more like a human being again.
At the moment my biggest issue is that I'm apparently one of the small percentage of the population who can experience raging panic attacks after taking antibiotics.
As someone who has never really had anxiety disorders before, this is equally unpleasant and fascinating. I'll wake up at 5:30 am, feeling like a have a steel rod jammed down my torso, with the impression that the only reason that my jackhammering heart doesn't launch itself out of my body is because I have an enormous weight sitting on my chest.
My first thoughts on attaining consciousness are that I'm going to lose my job, and everyone is going to abandon me, and I'm going to die homeless and starving in a roadside drainage culvert. Rationally, I know this is insane. I have gotten glowing reviews at my employer every year for years now, and I have enough cash on hand to go two full years without a job without any lifestyle changes at all. Eventually I can talk myself out of those automatic thoughts, but the physical symptoms are incredibly persistent. Thankfulky, they do seem to be slowly diminishing over time.
At present, I've mostly been coping by going for a long early morning walk and then taking a nap over my lunch break to get through the rest of the day.
Has anybody else experienced anything like this? If you have, or you're a more chronic panic attack-haver, what can you recommend to help deal with the physical symptoms?
birb_cromble
28d ago
Why do you recommend VTI over VT or VOO, if you don't mind my asking?
birb_cromble
29d ago
Asked if you want to get married someday?
We have both talked about marriage. She's unable to have children, so it's not the highest priority for us, but neither of us are averse to the idea. We've both essentially backburnered discussion around it to "when we're together and it actually makes sense".
Do you visit her in CITY regularly? Does she visit you?
I try to get over there at least once a month. She tries to get down here at least once a month. It's never perfect and it's never perfectly 50/50, but we do our best.
birb_cromble
29d ago
I am an inveterate saver, and due to a dirt-poor upbringing I am probably more financially conservative than 90% of the people on this board.
That said, I am trying to change that, and I'd like to take a few grand of my savings and put them to better work.
If you had ~$3,000 right now that you could use to try and get a better than 3.8% return from, what would you do with it?
Right now I can get 4.10% from a 9 month CD. I could, in theory, invest it, but I have some concerns about the economic fundamentals of the market right now.
Any advice would be appreciated.
birb_cromble
1mo ago
I'm coming up on two weeks since I had that molar surgically extracted and the bone graft done. Here are a few notes for anyone who might have to deal with it in the future:
- You're going to sleep a lot the first day. Set alarms to stay hydrated and take ibuprofen.
- The "soft foods" restriction absolutely sucks. You're going to have a difficult time getting enough calories. Dairy is your friend here. Rich mashed potatoes have kept me from losing too much weight. A protein shake also isn't a terrible idea: in addition to the protein, they tend to be fortified with a ton of other micronutrients.
- Since you're calorie deficient and burning what energy you do consume to heal, you're going to be cold all the damned time. Layer up.
- Don't bend over for the first 48 hours unless you enjoy bleeding.
- You will be cold ALL THE DAMNED TIME. I write this from underneath a thermal base layer, long Johns, sweatpants, a waffle long sleeved shirt, a hooded sweatshirt, fingerless gloves, and a blanket and I am still cold.
- Don't take a hot bath for the first 48 hours. It makes the affected area more uncomfortable.
- Discomfort is going to peak around 48-72 hours. It will get better from there.
- The stitches are rough and have a pretty good chance of abrading your tongue. This will be especially bad on the first day before the anesthesia wears off. When you can, try to sleep on your side so that your tongue falls away from them rather than on to them.
- On the first night, try sleeping as close to sitting up as you can manage. It'll really help keep the swelling down.
I'm open to questions if anybody has something similar on the horizon or they're just morbidly curious.
birb_cromble
1mo ago
Are there borderline state schools unable to fill classes?
The most high profile example of this that I'm aware of is up in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania State University is not exactly a state school, but it is one of the "big three" schools that are affiliated.
Three years ago they announced a hiring freeze. It's nominally still active at the end of 2025. I know some people who work there who say that their teams have been reduced by more than half simply through attrition.
Earlier this year, they announced that they will be closing seven of their branch campuses. Students who are still attending them will be given financial assistance and priority admission to attend other schools.
The enrollment cliff is real, and it scares the hell out of higher ed administrators.
birb_cromble
1mo ago
Im wondering what your friends' takes are on this. It's hard to see these things from the inside.
It broadly breaks down into friends who know her well, and friends who don't. The friends who do not know her well almost universally land on "dump her ass".
Those who know her well seem to gravitate somewhere near "it's not perfect, but if you're both willing to accept things as they are, don't push it". She's stubborn about things sometimes. One of the more interesting viewpoints I've seen was her brother's. He thinks that she'd move up here if she thought it was her idea.
birb_cromble
1mo ago
She's doing this not to protect you, but so that she won't feel as guilty breaking up with you when you move to $(CITY
This was actually my idea, not hers. I'm extremely financially conservative and she is too. It's specifically because we were comfortably able to discuss finances that we had the conversation in the first place.
How often do you even see each other, given your limitations?
Usually, I drive to her about once a month and she hops a train to me about once a month. We get a couple days together when that happens. Holidays are longer, and when her employer shuts down for several days in the summer we get more then as well.
Thanks. On revisiting this, I realize that I am retarded and was looking at the wrong graph.
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