soeaster

Both my kids will graduate in April with Fire Protection Associate degrees and zero debt. They will both also have their EMT certificates. My son is working on getting into a wild land fire gig in Montana. My daughter wants to find a department closer to home and maybe go on for her paramedic. They're both on the local volunteer department also. They won't make the $$ a plumber or electrician can make, but they'll have time for a second career if they want one. I've taken out student loans twice, first for my associates and then my bachelors. Both are paid back in full. The wife and I wanted them to be debt free to start so we paid for their tech degrees. They're good kids and I like to think they're doing things right.

Heading there tonight myself... Be safe!

DFL controls all now. They are going to ram through whatever they please and we cows and rocks can't do anything about it. No rationality left in the state government, just a liberal wet dream.

Black Rifle Coffee in our house with a Nespresso for an added kick if needed.

Forgot about that, yes. I'd love to go to Gettysburg. It's on my bucket list but who knows. Jocko Podcast just did a short series on the civil war and they ended at Gettysburg. Really interesting and a different way of telling the story than I've heard in the past. There are more to come but not sure when. Plus, Ken Burns' Civil War is fantastic.

Happy for you! Just my experience...

This is one of the people that stuck with me. https://www.nps.gov/libi/learn/historyculture/capt-myles-keogh.htm Saw where he fell and learned about his horse Comanche. https://www.globetrotting.com.au/comanche-the-horse-that-survived-custers-last-stand/ Plus the fact that Tom Custer, the younger brother of George A. Custer, also died at Little Bighorn. Sorry, like I said, I like history!

It's worth it in my opinion. I was pretty young when I was there but it definitely made an impression. I've been working on a plan to get my kids out there just to have them learn and experience the place. It's one thing to read about it or watch it on TV. It's another to walk around the places that these things happened after learning about them. See where the people in the books actually fell. It's a powerful thing but then again, I enjoy learning about history.

Visit the battlefield. It's very interesting. You can walk around and see the markers and get perspective.

Put on a hard 250 miles last weekend, 2020 800 ZR. Never saw a temp past 115, mostly 104. Snow was powdery with some icy spots. Temp was mostly single digits to negative single digits. Never used scratchers once.

Totally agree, we only venture into Hayward when necessary. Can be a big pain in the ass. My buddy has a place on Grindstone and we've always stayed just outside of Stone Lake in the past. His wife skis the Birkie every year so we do go in for the finish. We used to walk up and down the street having drinks and food waiting for her to come in, but now, my wife is in a wheelchair so she can't do it anymore. Plus we used to work our way back from Cable stopping at places like the Sawmill and Wayside after dropping his wife off. In our experience, the places outside of Hayward much prefer sledders because we spend $$ on food and drinks whereas the skiers don't.

It's cool when they shut down the street (top pic) and fill it with snow for the Birkie finish, fun to watch. I'll be riding there in a few weeks.

Thanks for the link, good cause.

Looks like I'm directly in the path for once!

Lots of reasons nurses and CNAs are quitting. Burnout, constantly understaffed, abusive patients, crushing regulatory standards... The list goes on and on. Pay is a small part of it, just like any other job. You can give people pay raises but if the bullshit continues, the pay only makes it better for so long. Travel nursing contracts are drying up too, or at least the pay isn't as good as it was during the busier parts of the pandemic. It's a great gig if you aren't tied to a family, etc..., but lots of contracts have been canceled and there's even been investigations of agency $$ gouging. Nursing and healthcare in general is not the vocation to get into half-heartedly!

Follow the Rhein River valley. Lots of small towns, castle, and things to see.

We've tried many of them but keep coming back to the FF. We don't even bother with scoops anymore, we weigh the grounds instead for consistency! Just Black would be my second choice.

We do the ground Freedom Fuel subscription. Delicious way to wake up every morning!

Pretty clear evidence of someone's "character" when they treat elderly people like that. Put me on a fucking iceberg and push me out to sea.

Local meat market has it for $65/lb... We have it once a year, and it's tempting now just because we love it, but we'll stick with beef for the new year.

That's not the least disturbing or anything....

I've heard a few stories in the past few months that make me think I should consider a Tekvest. My condolences to those affected.

What happened to kids going to school to learn about math, science, CIVCS(!), and learning how to get along and relate to their peers?! The should be brought up on criminal charges and sued the fuck out of.

Hola' Riot

I'm curious too.