Harry P.

Very nice!

Yeah. At least you don't have to feed model cars. And they don't shed.

Yeesh...

Bill, love the new avatar. Very subtle...

http://flaxart.com/mtn-water-based-spray-paint/

"Cat hoarders?" Is that a thing?

Damn straight.

Another hobby I would love to participate in... woodworking. In college I majored in Product Design, and we had to build prototypes of the stuff we designed, so to that end we had a fully-equipped woodworking shop on campus. I spent a lot of time in that shop, not only building full-scale prototypes of things I had designed for class, but stuff I built just for myself. I loved the smell of sawdust! Case in point... like I posted previously, I was huge into super high-end audio gear back then. I read "Stereo Review" religiously. I bought the best of the best... amps, pre-amps, tuners, turntables, cartridges, etc. Spent a fortune on that stuff. Sooo... after I had assembled my "dream team" of audio components, I needed a way to put everything together. So I built my own custom audio tower/rack. On top, the amp, preamp, and tuner... in the middle the turntable, and below that, record storage behind black plex doors. The case was walnut, the whole thing stands about six feet tall. When I finished building it, I realized I had no way to get the darn thing home! Luckily, the guy who was in charge of the shop offered to lend me his truck so that I could bring that monster home. Yes, I still have that system. And that's when I fell in love with woodworking. But to equip a functional woodworking shop with all the needed tools would cost a fortune. Never mind the fact that I have no space to create a woodworking shop. So I can only remember the "good old days" when I had access to a well-equipped woodworking shop. Sure wish I could do that now, but there's no way.

When a teacher puts maybe 200 grand into their pension fund over the course of their career, then gets to retire in their 50s and live another 20-30-40 years, ultimately collecting millions of dollars of pension benefits, yeah, there's something wrong with that system! (the average retired teacher in Illinois will collect $2,000,000 in pensions). 200 grand in... millions out! The numbers just don't add up. No wonder Illinois is so messed up financially. And who is paying for those cushy pensions? Why, I am... and all the other working stiffs who don't have a pension. I'm self-employed. I will never have a pension. Yet the money the state confiscates from me via state income tax goes into the pot to pay the pensions of the lucky few. I have to work my tail off to make a living, then the state takes away part of the money I earned to pay the pensions of others. How is that fair to me?

Stamp collecting (US only). I know, kinda nerdy... but it's the only hobby I've actually stuck with through my whole life without gaps (I took many years off from model building while I was busy getting married and having kids). I used to be big into home rehab/remodeling. "This Old House" sort of stuff.. tearing out walls, building decks, remodeling kitchens, etc. I was a real DIY guy. Moved walls in my house, finished the basement, totally gutted and redid my brother's kitchen, built decks, replaced toilets and tubs, tiled walls and floors, ran wiring, etc., etc. But now that sort of hard labor-type thing doesn't appeal to me anymore like it used to 20 years ago, so I've "retired" from that hobby. But it was fun while I was doing it. In college I was totally into high-end stereo equipment. I still have the system I put together then. Man, I used to spend a lot of money on stereo components.

Mid-'90s Pocher Porsche 911.

Nice post.

Yessir. Way better!

Sox just beat the Rays in Tampa, 1-0... scored their run in the 9th. 8-2, baby!

Now that's how the game is played! Well done.

Can't really blame the coyote. It's us who are taking away their land as urban sprawl gobbles up former "wilderness." I live in NW suburban Chicago... pretty densely populated. One day there was a deer walking down the street!

Don't know how it works in the rest of the country, but around here, a union teacher puts a couple hundred grand max towards their pensions over the course of their career. Then they retire in their 50s, live another 20-30-40 years, and make millions in pension payments. No wonder Illinois is broke.

I say either we are either all held to the same standard, or none of us are. Having different laws depending on where you live is inherently unfair.

Doesn't make sense to me. Metro Chicago and metro St. Louis need to be tested, but the rest of the state gets a free pass? That's like saying in metro Chicago and metro St. Louis, there are standards that must be met regarding levels of toxins and carcinogens in the drinking water... but for everyone else, no standards! Huh?

Not this version.

When a site works fine for some but not for others, it's not the site that's the problem... it's the user. Old, outdated web browsers are problem #1.

How "politically incorrect" of you. I couldn't agree with you more.

Oops, typo. Don't they have an app for that yet?

When AJ was the Twins catcher, we hated him. When he came to the Sox, we loved him!