Ace-Garageguy

Start saving (taking advantage of compound interest) for your retirement when you're in your 20s, and even without a gubmint safety net, you'll be comfortable by the time you're a toothless useless old geezer.

"Clean" is a term I once angrily tried to explain to an entry-level employee as "a total absence of dirt, grease, and grit" after he repeatedly brought me filthy internal engine parts asking "is this clean enough?".

"Qualifies for food stamps" is something nobody will ever say about me...probably.

Generally true, but very recently I've been buying tons of vintage HO scale model train stuff for on average less than 1/3 of what any of it could be purchased online or in a hobby shop for, and in some cases, as little as 1/10. I've also picked up vintage car kits for around 1/2 of what they're going for online, and a few for much better deals than that. I personally wouldn't rule out any likely source for models, as you don't know what's out there until you try. You might find insanely overpriced gloobombs, and you might find a grail kit NIB for $10. You just never know.

Sleep includes brain activity, breathing, digestion, and in my case much tossing and turning, so why not?

Sleep is rapidly becoming my favorite activity.

As wisely stated above, a lot of it comes down to being in the right place at the right time, and having the cash to make a deal on the spot. I can't count the number of times I've gone back later to snag something, just to find it gone. The last time was a virgin MPC Astro-Vette, at the ACME show here in late October, for a fair bit under what they can be had for online in rough condition. Someday, I'll learn.

ATV use really ought to be done with a little respect for the fact that not everyone wants to hear them in neighborhoods where people are entitled to restful quiet.

"Issues" that crop up in our lives over and over and over from the same sources can lead to short-tempered reactions, after the same issues have been repeatedly addressed and settled.

Apparently all the little techie wizards working on this krappola have left out a big part of the equation, the one that deals with UNDERSTANDING. AI, as it appears to be functioning now, is happily content to regurgitate and scramble BS it pulls from various web sources, just like most people who rely solely on Google for their instant "knowledge". Without an actual KNOWLEDGE BASE, and without the ability to make ACCURATE logical progressions based on actual FACTS, it's useless.

Strange or unexpected chemical reactions between polymers can develop over time. Nobody expected the dreaded "tire melt" phenomenon that occurred between some vinyl kit tire compounds and some styrene kit compounds. Sorry, but that's all I've got on this one.

Vinegar etching goes back as far as the 1930s for die-cast and brass model train stuff, probably farther. It still works fine for diecast, brass, aluminum, and others. These days I prefer rattlecan self-etching primers made for automobile spot repairs, available in most chain auto-parts stores and many big-box emporiums. Far as I can tell, it enhances adhesion on every kind of metal you're likely to encounter as a modeler. I usually clean metal with lacquer thinner before priming. Automotive self-etching rattlecan primer is compatible with any topcoat...at least so far in my experience. If you need to correct surface imperfections on metal parts, automotive rattlecan "sanding" or "high build" primers work well over metal coated with self-etching primer, as that's what they're designed for.

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" simply means "treat everyone else the way you'd like to be treated", and if everyone lived by that simple Golden Rule, life would be much better. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Rule

George Orwell said there's be days like these.

'Bout dang time fer me to git offen the compooter.

I've found great deals, even fairly recently, buying gloobombs or builtups...and very rarely, a decent old kit comes up on feePay that's too good a deal to pass up. I've scored a few vintage kits, cheap, very recently at junk shops, "antique malls", etc., but a lot of sellers do online research now for pricing and then ask top dollar for mutilated trash too, so you need to beware, be informed. For the most part though, Steve Guthmiller is spot on. Some years back, prices on vintage plastic were much more reasonable, but like with everything else, lotsa prices are just stoopid now, with sellers apparently thinking they're going to retire on one sale because it's "old" or "rare" or "vintage" or "hard to find". If you have the skills and patience to restore gloobombs, or if you're wanting to build a heavily modified custom and can do the research to figure out what's the minimum you'll need far as completeness and condition go, you can still get in the game. But it's harder every day. EDIT: Don't rule out old kits getting repopped either. A lot of stuff many of us thought we'd never see again and maybe paid too much for has been re-released fairly recently. EDIT 2: Speaking of buying junk, you might be surprised what can be turned into a nice model.

Yippee-ki-yay something something said Bruce Willis.

Media celebs may find themselves looking for real jobs shortly, but they have no other marketable skills; good thing burger flipping pays so well now.

Now yer talkin'.

Another cherry pie in my face would be tasty right about now, with a big glass of milk poured on my head.

Life without orange juice is like Anita Bryant without mice.

"Safe" isn't what the mouse I've been hearing in the house last few days is, 'cause after cleverly avoiding the cats and the snap-traps, he met his maker in a glue trap last night.

Whimper when you can't avoid a confrontation, to demonstrate you're non-toxic.

On Dasher, on Dancer, on Prancer and Vixen...wait...that's over 'til next year.

Mine fer boogers in yer own nose, 'cause ya caint mine fer em in hers.