Canuck

Usually around now in the spring Costco gets a few Maui Jim's in, but they don't last. Last year they had some really nice ones and I didn't grab them when they first had them and next week they were gone. Now if they would only bring in blue glass Costa's....

Larger boats need a survey for insurance. Not sure how big your boat is. My last two have needed surveys to get insurance.

Don't listen to anyone that tells stories of how easy it is to make money in the markets. Its been a bull market for the last 5 to 7 years. A monkey could pick stocks and make money (in fact there are a lot of monkeys doing that. They are called investment advisers.) If you truly know what you are doing, read (and understand) research, think about where sectors are in the cycle, understand which companies in a sector are better run or have better assets, buy value and buy and sell with discipline ----- then you are investing. If you are picking stocks based on what someone else says they bought or without reading and researching, ---- you are gambling, not investing. You might as well be "investing" in pro-line or go to Vegas. Back in the late 80's day trading got really popular because the markets had been on a long bull run. The monkeys were making a little money day trading, thinking they were "investors". I won't tell you how that ended. Do your own research.

Oh yeah, I forgot about my 1984 RX7. That was such a sweet car to drive. I loved that thing. Very sad day when the first kid arrived and I had to sell it to buy a Ford Explorer (couldn't do the min-van just then)

I like the way you think! Those old Fiat's will keep you busy in your retirement years for sure. They needed to be easy to work on, because they always had to be worked on!. I love tinkering with cars and in my pre-career years spent most of my spare time with grease and engine oil under my nails. Between my my brother, myself and my buddies we basically fixed every part on a long list of cars (we were gluttons for punishment). Here is my list. I will have the years wrong no doubt, but pretty close. In no particilar order: A series of VW beetles in the 70's, SAAB 900, VW Microbus, Jeep CJ5, Opel GT, Renault Fuego, Chevy Monza, Chrysler New Yorker, 1953 Chev, 1984 Olds Cutlass Ciera, Cadillac Cimarron. Needless to say, not going down that path when I retire! When I retire, I will probably look for a early 70s muscle car. Maybe a Chevelle. And do a resto-mod kind of thing. Probably buy someone else's partly finished project. A buddy of mine is doing that to an early 70's GTO. Its a pretty neat ride now.

That is the way that the German cars work now to keep you coming to the dealership. When the battery on my X5 died a premature death (because of an electrical fault- but that is another story), I looked into whether I could replace it myself. Well, the strange configuration/style of battery, and the programming needed to get things to work after replacement meant I had to get the dealer to do it.

I think you are right. By the way folks, thanks to this thread I am about to drop the hammer on a new 2017 MDX. With rebate and dealer discount its almost $11,000 off MSRP. That's hard to walk away from. 2018's have a few more gadgets, but not $11K worth. Anyone want to buy a well-loved 09 with 150,000kms?

When I got rid of the X5, my wife convinced me to drive her "old" 2009 Acura MDX and she bought a new Acura RDX. I decided to do that, and drive the MDX for a while till I decide what I want. Well, I am sorta getting used to not having a car break down, lights go on and things fall off. Acura's and Honda just seem to work. Normal maintenance items (at less than 1/2 the cost of BMW) only. We both like SUVs for bit more ride height. By the way, the BMW and Benz snobs at work will tell me that their cars are great, but they seem to be coming in late after dropping their cars off an awful lot. (typing this I remember another BMW story. I have hundreds. For about two years, the rear seat floors would be soaking wet in the winter. I mentioned it every time I went in (which was a lot). They told me I should kick the snow off my feet before getting in the car. I said, how does that explain the passenger rear seat? Anyway went on for at least 2 winters. So I googled wet carpets in rear of BMW X5. Turns out there was a known problem and the dealers would fix it if you complained. Get this.... the rear doors fill up with water and the design of the door is that they glue an inner liner of thin plastic over the inside of the door before installing the interior. Their glue failed and they new it. So when I went in the next time I told them I had googled the problem, and they needed to fix it. And they did. It took 2 years to get that fixed. I have many more. I have four inches of service invoices that I keep. Anyway, I just may go for another MDX this time around. The expression "runs like a Honda" is not an urban myth.

What is different now is the ability to buy very cheap high capacity assault rifles all over the place. Its about easy access and better manufacturing which has led to much lower relative prices. You can buy an AR-15 in the US for less than $500. And they are so common that no one blinks an eye down there if you buy one.

There will always be the violent mentally ill. But their ability to inflict massive damage is limited by gun control laws. It’s dead simple. The US politicians are hypocritical to grieve and not do something about it. But it will never go away. The US can’t have their cake and eat it too. They are just willing to make that trade off.

I had only one BMW. A 2007 X5 I bought new. Last BMW I will own. I should have sold it when the warranty ended since it had many many many repairs while under warranty. But I buy cars and try to keep them 10 years. I finally had to bail on the X5. It was costing more in repairs each year than I could afford. It was truly insane. The last trip in to the slealership was to replace a cracked coolant overflow container (how many times do you see something like that break???). I knew it would be expensive, so I braced my self when the estimate call came. $450. Yes to replace a piece of plastic. That's BMW. But wait there is more. The dealer "noticed" a few other things that should be done. Oil pan leaks, head gasket leaks, bushings, etc etc. The total estimate was........ wait for it...............$9,500. I sold it within 2 weeks. The buyer was a Lebanese buyer of overseas cars. It was shipped to Beirut to be sold there. Good riddance. I did however, rent a brand new BMW 430i convertible in San Francisco last April for my bucket list drive down Highway 1 in California. That was a fantastic car to drive. Perfect for that trip. When I got home I was tempted, but I dug out that X5 estimate (I am saving it, in case I ever think I should buy another one), shook my head and moved on. BMW's are FANTASTIC cars to drive. But HORRIBLE cars to own.

Google bot fly larvae removal if you want to see something really disgusting you can pick up in the tropics.

You must have a lot of money! (kidding). I think people should take financial advice from the most financially successful people you know. (just make sure you know if they have more debt than assets)

You are right to have a rule of not borrowing for toys. But if you have enough equity in your home, you don't outspend what you can afford, and get a decent rate, then go for it. Also, a home equity line of credit is good to have as a backup if you ever really need to come up with cash in an emergency. Most of them do not have a stand-by charge, so you should get a limit that is higher than you need (but don't use it all). No matter what, pay the boat loan off as quickly as you can. Stand by your rule of not paying for toys on credit by getting out of the credit ASAP. If you stay out of high interest debt, and are patient, the boat you will own when you are 40 will be a lot nicer than the one you will be able to afford at 40 if you rack up a lot of "toy" debt now. (unless you have a career that ensures you will be making a lot more money in 10 years) No disrespect to those that say "you only live once", but a balanced approach will serve you better in the long run IMO.

Definitely no boiling. Toughens them and takes out flavour. Smoker is best. But if you don't have one I have found my technique is the best alternative.

Best back rib recipe in the world. Trust me on this. Take the rack and strip off the membrane on the back. Take some liquid smoke and sprinkle a bit on the ribs and rub it all around. Then take a small amount of olive oil and rub it all over. Then put on garlic powder, pepper and salt on all sides. Maybe a bit of chilli powder if you like. Then bake in the oven at 275 for about 3 hrs. Then just before you are going to eat them, put them on the BBQ to warm/crisp them a bit. Put sauce on after (or dip in sauce as you eat them).

Still can't beat the LL Bean warranty. If you are ever not satisfied, you return for replacement or refund. My wife's father had LL Bean hunting boots that were over 20 years old and developed a leak. Brought them back (they live in N.B.) and walked out with a brand new pair. OUR GUARANTEE We make pieces that last, and if they don’t, we want to know about it. L.L. himself always said that he “didn’t consider a sale complete until goods are worn out and the customer still satisfied.” Our guarantee is a handshake – a promise that we’ll be fair to each other. So if something’s not working or fitting or standing up to its task or lasting as long as you think it should, we’ll take it back. Our products are guaranteed to give 100% satisfaction in every way. Return anything purchased from us at any time if it proves otherwise. We do not want you to have anything from L.L.Bean that is not completely satisfactory.

Looks like our medium golden doodle when he was a puppy. Great dogs. Althletic and really friendly companions. But you have to watch for bad habits. (relax folks, its a dog treat that I put some marker on the end to make it look like a lit cigarette)

We should be skeptical and make sure we stay on top of any changes. Keep in mind that a large proportion of the Liberal voter base are city-based and think northern ontario starts at the 401. (I know some of you are Liberals - but I am talking about the majority, not the few red in the vast sea of blue outside oi GTA) Many of them think fishing is a cruel barbaric sport , and hunting is murder. And their politicians view every past time as a tax source. Not a great combination.

I had heard that too. I think its because electric motors can generate a bit of ozone, and ozone attacks rubber.

Both for me. When trolling on the big lake I prefer company cause its a bit boring at times. Walking the creeks I like the solitude. Same for early morning fishing the shallows for pike or bass. Its nice to be alone and hear it all.

You may want to check if you are a star in some gay porn movie on the web. (Just kidding dude). Scary stuff.

I guess you would have to backtroll for walleye's with this rig? wink I am not sure they make a trolling drift bag big enough to slow it down.

Cold sliced canned corned beef and mustard sandwiches when I was kid. Definitely not a gourmet meal though. Camp ground corned beef hash was pretty good. Canned beef chopped up, onion and diced potatoes fried till browned nicely and a couple sunny side up eggs on top. A bit of ketchup.

You forgot the slice of Provolone!