Rant: wife is driving through almost 40 degree weather and called me saying the AC isn't working. Told her to check the radiator to see if anything is plugged, she said nope. Told her to have a fun 2 day drive.
Rant: A neighbor a few doors down oldest kid just got a car...a red Ford with a lawnmower exhaust that he likes to rev at all hours when he drives through the neighborhood. Wife is adamant I say nothing to the neighbor or file a noise complaint. https://video.nest.com/clip/b70a93562c5744b4914cba922df146bd.mp4
Rave: The younger of our two sons did a semester at college before deciding it wasn't for him and came home. He talked about looking into the electricians union, but I don't think his heart was in it. And in fact, they kind of pushed him away. So he's been working at the local movie theater while figuring out what he wants to do. Last night he went to an informational session at the local carpenter's union out of curiosity. He came home really interested in it, even going so far as signing up for an interview to start the process towards an apprenticeship. I reminded him it's manual labor, often in shitty weather, etc. and he was adamant that it looks like something he's interested in and can see himself doing for the rest of his life. While I can barely build a wooden box, I've always supported and admired the trades. The mere thought of him becoming a carpenter and making a good living while doing something he enjoys makes me happy beyond words.
Rant: house took some damage from a tornado that went through our neighborhood a couple of weeks ago. Big ash tree fell (thankfully didnt hit anything, but was our only shade in the back), ripped up part of the deck, thrashed the irrigation system, hail damage to roof, gutters, garage door. Rave: got a new chainsaw! Insurance adjuster came out today and we'll be getting a new deck, new roof (which we've needed for a few years now anyways), new paint (on 3 sides of the house... wha???), and some other work. Mini-Rant: deductible payment... however, not as bad as some of our neighbors. (one had a $15K deductible, holy shit!!)
Rave: Day 13 of the strike, and we were told to go back to work by the union president, which means he likes the contract. So next day or 2 we will start work again.
Rant: Good friend passed away last night from Stage 4 lung cancer at 36. Never smoked a day in his life. He has a 3 month old son that will never know him. Life is shit sometimes.
RAVE: Just got a call from my cardiologist after they reviewed my latest electrocardiogram from last week, and my heart is now back to fully normal function since I spent that week in the cardiac ward last November. She doesn't need to speak to me any more. Yay!
Rant: dropped my phone in the street, then a truck drove over it. Edit: rave! Apparently I had a screen protector! Phone is fine. Watch me crack the screen before I get a new protector.
Rant: My wife's brother drank himself to death at 51. I know that alcoholism is a disease, but I can't help but feel a bit of anger about all the time and care and tens of thousands of dollars (maybe over 100k) spent to try and help him get better only for all efforts to fail and leave a devastated family/kids.
RANT: JJ made some shrimp that didn't smell quite right (to me) last night, and today I've been pissing YooHoo out of my ass, burping, and feeling bloated. I finally puked about an hour ago. She wants me to call in sick tomorrow, but I don't want to. JJ and Li'l Bandit ate the same shrimp, and are fine. Oh well. It's the first time I've puked since we got together, so that's a pretty good streak.
Rant: WTF. My homeowner's insurance premium is increasing by 62% this year. And, that's if I take the best premium quote. What is going on?
Anecdotal, but I've seen a growing number of posts lately about this happening, especially in hurricane and fire prone regions. Some describe getting their primary residence homeowners suddenly dropped. These often state they have never even filed a claim. Something is definitely going on in the insurance industry.
It isn't only based on you individually, but your entire zip code. If there were losses anywhere near you, for anyone, you are destined to see an increase. Sorry pal.
ETA: due to rep and other comments. No, I am not in Florida. I'm in Georgia, not near the coast, and not lots of unusual claims in my region / zip code. It's very odd.
COVID, supply chain issues and everything else that has driven up prices will all be causes of increased insurance premiums. If our costs to live go up, their costs to cover you go up and of course, they want to make a nice profit.
Rant: Had another tough time playing a gig on Saturday. I had a rough go a couple weeks ago and while I got through them, it took a lot of effort. I've been doing this nearly 20 years, but stuff I should be able to play in my sleep feels difficult and I screw up, I have a tough time holding my pick, etc. Like, really weird. some of the newer material, I'd be the one who you could say knows it best, and all the sudden I'm fucking up. I'm also getting irritable bowel before a show, chugging Pepto when I used to chug whiskey. Audiences don't seem to notice, or if they do, they smile and laugh along with me ( you have to play it cool after all ) but inside I'm like, "WTF, Walt?" Saturday I tried to amp myself up, was actually excited to go on stage and had a good sound check. First couple songs of the set, okay, it'll be alright. Then suddenly I lost it, try as I might, I couldn't get the energy back. Our lead guy, who is also my best friend remarked that I just didn't seem present all the sudden. Could be that I just drove 2 1/2 hours to get there, but I don't know, it's not like I was rushed right on to stage. And hell, they had a very good sound crew so I didn't have to do anything but be in tune. But still... I have to nights back to back this weekend, and I need to get out of my own head before then. After that, we'll have a little break.
My insurance guy told me it has a lot to do with inflated material and labor costs for repairs, too. He was very excited to tell me mine was only going up by 14% this year, which didn't feel like a rave until right now I guess?
Rant: At my last job I had "great" insurance. One of the better employer offered plans, PPO for provider freedom, etc. I submitted $2400 worth of expenses to them and they I got a whopping $48 back. Awesome. So glad our national healthcare system is set up this way. Surely only a socialist would ever object to this stupid fucking system.
Rave: I thought we had major plumbing issues, none of the toilets were draining. The alarm on our aerobic septic system wasn't going off, naturally I thought we had a blockage. But, I married a genius that makes me listen to her. At her urging, I checked over the alarm panel and, finally, the breaker box on the side of the house and it was a breaker.
RAVE: Just booked 10 days, end of October, in Cabo to go deep sea fishing during the hottest fishing time of year for some of the best fishing in the world. Marlin, tuna, all the big stuff. It’s the first hot weather relaxing vacation I’ll have had in over 20 years. RoTN can go run his marathon on his vacation… my charter has a private chef and open bar. Much more to my taste.