Just Talking

[GreyGeek]

YT is filled with "your too stupid" videos. I once spent almost thirty minutes trying to get a fellow to simply enter his name and password in order to log in. Within a couple hours I had him download and run TeamViewer. Then, while watching his screen and mouse, I'd tell him to do something, like "move your mouse to the upper right corner of the screen. There you'll see a box with an "X" in it. Left click on that X". His mouse would move to the lower left corner. "no, no! Move the other way!". The mouse would move to the upper left corner, then rapidly move down to the lower right corner. I finally took control of his machine remotely and fixed his problem for him. My sister, his wife, told me later that he was entering the early stages of dementia. By the end of the year he stopped running his computer because he couldn't remember how. Within a few months he stopped using his iPhone. My sister died a few months ago and he's living all alone. His kids are all in other towns or out of state. I expect to get news at any time that he's died in a house fire, or via monoxide suffocation, or in a car crash, because he still drives.

Last spring, partly because of the covid isolation mandates, and the fact that people in my and my wife's age group are much more likely to die of covid than people under 65, I decided that I wouldn't renew my drivers license and do all my shopping remotely. I tried several delivery services, shopping for groceries by app, and getting medicine mailed. Regardless of how many groceries you buy, the drivers expect $10-20 tips. They can show up at odd times, and they won't do anything more than leave the bags at your door step. Shopping by app is rediculous. You can't call it shopping. You can't read labels, and shop-by-app prices are 5-10% higher than off the shelf prices. I was going to sell my car and cancel my auto insurance. The bus route stops at the corner near our apartment, but there is no sun or rain protection. Just a pole with a sign on it. The bus stops there once an hour. If I want to take the bus to Target, which is 0.9 miles due south of us, I have to walk .25 miles north to catch the bus at a stop that is going in the right direction. Thirty minutes later I'd be dropped off just east of Target. I'd have to walk 300 meters to Target, shop for 45 minutes and hope I can get checked out in time to meet the bus at that stop east of Target. If I miss it I've got another 1 hour wait. Hope my frozen packages stay frozen. When my drivers license renewal notice came I went down to get my driver's license renewed, hoping tha they wouldn't make me take the written test or take a test drive. Fortunately, apparently I looked lucid enough not to trigger any warning signs.

In Lincoln it is extremely inconvenient and too expensive to using the bus, taxies or businesses like Uber to do shopping, doctors visits or other every day reasons for shopping. Want to get a Jersy Mike's #17 Philly Steak and Cheese giant on wheat with all the fixings, chips and drinks for two? Expect to spend $24. Want it delivered? Add $10 plus tip. Take a bus? Expect the sub to be cold and the pop void of fizz by the time you get back. Take a cab or uber? Add another $20-30 to the bill, but at least the sub will be warm and the drink still cold and fizzy. I hope I can continue driving until I'm 90.

[DoYouKubuntu]

GG, that's sad about your BIL. Is there no one who can either move in with him or vice versa?

As for grocery shopping, I've been doing 99% of mine online for about 25 years. Your experience is VASTLY different from mine. I carefully read each label, I get what I want when I want, and--even though I'm in Los Angeles--no one expects $10-$20 tips! So I don't know which methods you've used or what else is available to you where you live, but your experience is not typical.

Just FYI, prior to the pandemic I did 99% of my shopping at Vons.com (Vons and its offspring, Pavilions, are California institutions--they've been around forever). I used their website (this pre-dates mobile phone apps), I easily viewed every label (I have to read everything to make sure it's 100% vegan), I wrote out specific substitution instructions on a per-item basis, scheduled delivery for a convenient time, then added/edited/modified my order as needed up until its cutoff point. The drivers arrived in temperature-controlled Vons vans, with all the refrigerated/frozen stuff properly stored, then followed my delivery instructions--"please come to side door, ring doorbell, then come on in!" I would have already prepared the house for their arrival--I didn't want my pets getting out, and I knew they'd leave the door open while bringing everything in--and once I heard the side doorbell I'd get up and greet them from behind the [closed] slatted door. I knew each driver by name, and vice versa, and developed a real relationship with some of them, like new grandchildren or babies on the way, going back to school, getting married (or divorced), etc. They'd carefully bring everything in, putting all the cold stuff at the end of the kitchen closest to the refrigerator. I was still ordering my cat litter from them at the time, and they'd lug the 40-pound boxes of Arm & Hammer to the appropriate room for me! They were AWESOME. And you know what? It wasn't legal to tip them. I mean Vons had a rule against tipping, and try though I might, none would ever accept a tip, so I eventually accepted that it was a no-no and I stopped offering it.

Right before the pandemic hit, a number of things happened around the same time, and they changed my shopping approach. Oh how I wish they hadn't! Suffice to say that my current method is very, very different; I have to shop multiple times each week just to get what I need; I have to shop from multiple stores because no one of them carries all the products I want; the deliveries are left on the front porch. I'm currently using a combination of Instacart and Amazon for groceries. I have an Instacart Express account, and I've had Amazon Prime since its inception. I also tried Walmart+ for over a year, but that was a disaster. With Instacart, you can choose from a lot of different stores in your area, and with each one it's just like shopping their own website, i.e., you can shop by aisle, or by searching for an item, you can read each product's label very clearly, etc. Their delivery windows have been fine for me, and they're almost always on time--once they came 30 minutes EARLY, and once they were a little late, but no big problems. I typically tip $2-$5 depending on the size of the order. With Amazon, I can shop at Whole Foods in a similar way. If you haven't tried any/all of these, you might want to look into them.

[GreyGeek]

My wife and I used to shop WholeFoods, even though they were a little pricey around here. After Amazon bought them their prices took a flying leap, so we stopped going there. Now, I've read, Amazon is going to charge $9.95 for each grocery delivery from WholeFoods. I also began to notice that Amazon's prices with "free shipping" were about the same as "other vendors" whose prices included a shipping charge. When Amazon started its book-burning spree that was enough to cause me to canceled my prime membership about two years ago. Other vendors, and sometimes Amazon, will offer two or more delivery dates. The quickest date always has a shipping charge. The next date, usualy 3-5 days later, is often free. That's what I choose. More and more I've been shopping locally for things I often bought through Amazon. My goal is to use Amazon as the absolute last choice when all other sources have been exhausted.

Our apt is on the South side of Lincoln.


The garage door to the right of the trash bins is ours. Our patio is above, and to the left are our two bedroom windows. We've lived here for 9+ years. The campus is called Pine Ridge Villas. It's fenced but not gated. The campus is beautiful. The rent is $1,075 for 946 sqft, furnished. We pay water, trash and electricity. The apt is all electric at 5 & 7 cents/KWh depending on how much you use. Our electric bill varies between $80 and $112/mo.
When something breaks I just leave a maintenance msg with the staff and someone comes by and fixes it, no charge. Every year they rinse & vac the carpets. Over the last 9 years we've had our ac/fur replaced, the water heater replaced, the microwave fixed, the refridgerator fixed, the washing machine fixed and several plumbing issues fixed. No charge. Being 80 and my wife being 78 and not able to walk without constant assistance, it is a joy to live here. You can see our front door, just to the right of our garage door. Behind it are 21 steps that lead to the second floor, where our apt is. In my opinion, it is the best apt in Lincoln. Better furnished apts are twice to 4 times as much.
Now you know why, when a delivery person stops out front, he/she expects $10-20 tips.

[GreyGeek]

Just a quicky observation. My previous msg contains the first image I have uploaded using the new forum. Different, but easy to do. No need to use the Advanced mode to upload and post a pic. Haven't tried a video yet.

[DoYouKubuntu]

Is that a 50+ (or something+) neighborhood you're living in, GG? It kind of sounds like it. It looks really nice! Since you're on the second floor, isn't climbing stairs a problem for your wife? Or you? I'm *cough* younger than you are, but they'd be impossible for me now. At one time--before sepsis stepped in and destroyed my life, physically--I had actually thought about adding a second floor to this house; now, in retrospect, I'm so glad I didn't do it.

I wish someone else would pay for all my plumbing, AC, washer/dryer, etc., repairs and replacements! In the past two years I've had to buy a new washer and dryer, and my refrigerator has been on its last legs for a long time now. It's definitely served its purpose--I mean, it's almost 20 years old. But I'm waiting for it to actually *die* before I spend the money on a new one. As Ricky Ricardo would say, "they're so darn 'spensive!"

About three years ago I had a major plumbing job done, replacing about 40% of the exterior pipes with new ones. The other 60% had been done a few years earlier. They're supposed to last forever; at first they were guaranteed for 50 years, but by the second job it was down to 20 (25?) years. Oh well. Last year I had a very sophisticated new sprinkler system put in; it includes a timer and a remote control. It's fun to be sitting on my bed and be able to turn the sprinklers on. They're all on timers, but sometimes an area may need a little more water and I can do that without having to go outside. The sprinklers were actually a necessity, as my property has really suffered since I got sick. I used to do all the watering myself--the existing in-ground sprinkler system didn't have timers or anything, plus it was in need of some repairs, so I had stopped using them and was using oscillating sprinklers and soaker hoses, which I'd turn on/off manually. (Can you imagine?!). When I was in the hospital, my neighbors kindly took care of the watering, but once I got out...things kind of fell apart. My live-in helper was supposed to stay on top of it, but didn't. I lost so many plants that I really cared about, like my mother's treasured tea-rose bush, I can't even tell you. The whole yard--which had been beautiful before--looked awful, mostly brown, just sad. I finally realized that spending the money on a new sprinkler system that could be "set and forget" was well worth it compared to how unhappy I felt.

[GreyGeek]

No, it's not a 50+ retirement community. It was built in 1995. If you use the history images on Google Earth you can see its development during that period. In the apartment to the right of us (in the photo) is a retired 72 year old banker. And, I've see a handful of other 60-70s around, but mostly it's either college students or working people in the 20-50 age group. Lots of kids 0-12 around here. On this campus there are 99 apts for rent: one, two and three bedroom. Several had to leave because they lost their jobs due to covid. But, on the average, I'd estimate that at any given time about 90 are occupied. It's just in too good of a geographical location. 0.9 miles south is Target, Runza, a bank, a Dollar Store, an awesome chinese food place, a gym, children's doctor, dentist, funeral home and other stuff. 1 mile west is SouthPointe, an open mall and the largest shopping center in Lincoln. Everyone and their brothers are selling their homes on the coast and moving here to the midwest and there are a LARGE number of apartment complexes being build around the city, but mostly south of Old Cheny Road, which is a mile north of here. Crime is very low in this area and after 9 years I've yet to see a gang sign anywhere. One reason we sold our home 20 miles north of here and moved 9 years ago was that blood and crip signs were being put on just about everyone's garages and walls, and a the police raided the house next to ours and took away the occupants for selling cocain, but only after we complained about the traffic at all hours, day and night, for months. Even our dogs figured it out.

[DoYouKubuntu]

Ugh. I can see why you moved, GG. I'm very lucky, really blessed, to own the property I have. There's no such thing as gang activity, crime means someone left their car parked on the street during street-sweeping hours, and there's a huge mix of old and young. I grew up here in Arcadia, and can't say I particularly liked it. Actually, I despised it. The uppity people, the kids driving Porsches and acting like the world should be thankful they're alive, hated it! I just didn't fit in with the snobs. But you know, after moving away, living in other states, visiting MANY other states, and ultimately returning home for good, I LOVE it now. I always loved LA/SoCal, but not Arcadia. I do now. Each water bill brings a flyer from the superintendent of schools, and they rattle off this achievement and that achievement that various schools/students in Arcadia accomplished, plus knowing that it's in the top 1% nationwide for public schools, I love it. I kind of wish I had never moved away, but if I hadn't I wouldn't know how vastly different things are elsewhere.

As for prices, if I sold my current (2-bedroom) house, which I own outright, I could buy the 4-bedroom house I owned in Dallas TEN TIMES OVER. I'm not kidding. Prices vary so much across the country it's unreal. Every week I receive mailers from local real estate companies showcasing houses they've just sold, and it's shocking how nearly every one says "sold in 3 days (or similar), sold for $700,000 above asking price (or similar)" and so on.There are buying wars--houses properties in this neighborhood are so desirable, if I chose to sell, even though my house is only valued at about $1.7M, I'd probably get upwards of $2.5M for it--and then it would be bulldozed, the entire property razed, and a giant, oversized, wildly out-of-proportion McMansion would go up in its place. Its price? $7-$20M.

[GreyGeek]

I worked for the State in the area of Homesteads, where people applied for exemption from property taxes after they retire. How much of an exemption they got depended on their total gross income. Wounded vets got 100%. Others less. Folks who made more than $75K/year got nothing.

While in that job I had access to IRS and State Income tax files and one of my reports was comparing what folks stated as their income on State Income tax forms versus IRS forms. Roughly 10% of all filers made "mistakes". Some by as much as $100K. The dept lawyers put a cut off at around $1000. Any differences less than that were ignored. Typically, around 2.5K state income tax filers got letters from our tax lawyers.

But, the most amazing thing I observed were people who sold their homes in California for, say, $1.5M-$3M dollars and bought a much better home here in Lincoln for $500K. They'd bank the rest.

Ignoring the gang stuff on the north side of town, MOST of Lincoln is nice. Most people are Left to far Left politically. The mayor is a hyphenated lady who was on the staff of the San Fran mayor's office. She majored in politics and public admin at Harvard. She hired a new Police Chief who was assistant chief at SanDiago. Our new police chief brought her wife with her. The mayor is tipically Leftist. She mandated the masks and social distancing, along with shutting down school athletic events. Then her daughter was discovered playing tennis with some "select" teammates. The mayor apologized. But, on the whole, she is doing a good job.

Lincoln is an eclectic community due to the presence of the University of Nebraska, which has a student body of around 25K and a grad school body of about 5K. We see people from all over the world here, and for a while they dress in their native garb before sucumbing to jeans and a shirt.

My wife and I moved to Linocln in August of 1987 and love it here.

[DoYouKubuntu]

Lincoln sounds quite nice, GG, although I don't know how you deal with the cold weather. The winters in Dallas were miserable--for me--and I'm sure your winters are more severe than there. I was there for its previous record low temperature of -1 degree; that was tied (or broken?) last year during that epic ice storm that shut most of Texas down. It always makes me laugh when people here think Dallas and/or all of Texas have a temperate climate, like SoCal. Ha! Nothing could be further from the truth.

My house was in the far north Dallas suburb of Carrollton, an upscale, very nice little city. I loved my house, jobs, friends, and neighbors but hated living there. The far-right politics just weren't my cup of tea coffee. But, yeah, say I sold this house for $2.5M, I could buy THE ENTIRE STREET my Carrollton house is on. Not that I'd want to! I'm home now and will never leave again, other than vacations.

Well, I'm getting my laptop ready to ship. I've received the labels from System76 (I can't print right now, so they had to snail mail them) and am spending today and tomorrow making sure everything is backed up [in multiple places, multiple physically distant places!] before I delete all my personal stuff off the hard drive. I'm so afraid I'll overlook/forget something, even though I know I'll go over the drive with a fine-tooth comb before putting the laptop in the box. It's just a scary idea, you know?

I'd still appreciate input on how to copy over my very customized settings for specific programs, like Dolphin. I'll have saved my entire $HOME so all configuration files will be there, but if there's anything else I should back up, I'm unaware of what they are.

[DoYouKubuntu]

GG, I can't help but worry about Texas, what with its EXTREMELY OPPRESSIVE laws recently passed. From racist, voter suppression laws to sexist anti-choice laws, they're as red as red gets. I hear what you're saying, and I know many people have moved there from other states, but right now, based on its current laws that have just been passed, they're deep, dark red....

[GreyGeek]

Texas's red journey won't last. Already enough voters have migrated across the Rio Grande to permenently move Tx (and several other states) into the Blue column and any legal moves to challange their votes will be brushed aside by the legal system, which is already blue as well. I suspect that with various gerrymandering schemes, mail-in ballots, no-voter-id voting, and such, all the states will be blue within five to 10 years. Maybe sooner. It's what most people want, or they wouldn't tollerate it. So that is what will happen. Covid has proven one thing: the Bill of Rights mean nothing when TPTB decide to protect us for our own "safety" and not even the Constitution and the BoR can stand in their way. For all practical purposes the 1st, 4th and 5th Amendments are dead, and most people are comfortable with those losses, or don't have the backbone to protest for fear of losing their job or being targeted by the FBI for "wrong think".

So, fear not.

[DoYouKubuntu]

I guess time will tell, GG. We'll see.

As for mail-in-voting, I've used that method exclusively since becoming disabled by that stupid brain tumor. I'm so thankful to have it as an option, else I would not have been able to vote for the last 10+ years--and I take voting very seriously. I was literally on my death bed in 2016 but still voted; I needed physical help to do it, but I insisted on marking the ballot myself for president (you can guess who I voted for), and I did. I was never worried about fraud involved with mail-in voting before and I'm not now. I'm grateful for it, not worried.