
captain yesterday |
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Master Chief vs. General Grievous
I read that as Master Chef.
I have to admit I was a little disappointed when I clicked on it.

NobodysHome |
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So, some time between Saturday and last night someone stole the catalytic converter off our Prius while it was parked in front of the house. And it's not the $2k-$3k that it's going to cost us so much as the psychological damage:
(1) You spend your life trying to be a good person, help others, and donate thousands to help those affected by COVID. In return, someone wrecks your car. Kind of eliminates your faith in karma.
(2) Why fix it? We don't have comprehensive on the car so insurance won't cover it, so it's a HUGE out-of-pocket expense for a 16-year-old car that might just get vandalized again.
And it's just the sheer frustration that there's such a HUGE market for stolen goods that no matter what you steal, you'll find a buyer. I mean, seriously. "Wanna buy a used catalytic converter? Cheap?"
You KNOW it's stolen, but you buy it anyway...
Continues to erode one's faith in humanity as a whole.

Vanykrye |

So, some time between Saturday and last night someone stole the catalytic converter off our Prius while it was parked in front of the house. And it's not the $2k-$3k that it's going to cost us so much as the psychological damage:
(1) You spend your life trying to be a good person, help others, and donate thousands to help those affected by COVID. In return, someone wrecks your car. Kind of eliminates your faith in karma.
(2) Why fix it? We don't have comprehensive on the car so insurance won't cover it, so it's a HUGE out-of-pocket expense for a 16-year-old car that might just get vandalized again.
And it's just the sheer frustration that there's such a HUGE market for stolen goods that no matter what you steal, you'll find a buyer. I mean, seriously. "Wanna buy a used catalytic converter? Cheap?"
You KNOW it's stolen, but you buy it anyway...Continues to erode one's faith in humanity as a whole.
Metal theft has been a huge business for years - it's not the catalytic converter itself, but the high dollar metals that reside inside it. Big money on the recycled scrap metal market. When you're poor enough and desperate enough, stealing metal looks like a way to make some ends meet.
About 8-9 years ago someone stole the copper pipes out of our air conditioner. We were renting that place, so it didn't hit our pocketbook directly, but the landlord did tell us the rent was going to go up substantially (about +50%) at the end of the year due to "remodeling efforts" they wanted to do, and thus we were forced to move. We had been in that duplex for 7 years and had only gotten behind on rent one time due to our daughter getting hospitalized, but they figured they could get more money out of the unit from someone else.

Cap'n Yesterday, FaWtL Tourism |
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So, some time between Saturday and last night someone stole the catalytic converter off our Prius while it was parked in front of the house. And it's not the $2k-$3k that it's going to cost us so much as the psychological damage:
(1) You spend your life trying to be a good person, help others, and donate thousands to help those affected by COVID. In return, someone wrecks your car. Kind of eliminates your faith in karma.
(2) Why fix it? We don't have comprehensive on the car so insurance won't cover it, so it's a HUGE out-of-pocket expense for a 16-year-old car that might just get vandalized again.
And it's just the sheer frustration that there's such a HUGE market for stolen goods that no matter what you steal, you'll find a buyer. I mean, seriously. "Wanna buy a used catalytic converter? Cheap?"
You KNOW it's stolen, but you buy it anyway...Continues to erode one's faith in humanity as a whole.
Welcome to Chicago!

Freehold DM |

According to dealerships and cops, Prius catalytic converters actually resell for $200-$250, so they're a HUGE market around here, since they only take 5-10 minutes each to remove.
there's a swinging business in catalytic converters roundabouts. Forget the metals, it's a great way to hustle Prius owners in Queens and Long Island if you're careful.

NobodysHome |
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NobodysHome wrote:there's a swinging business in catalytic converters roundabouts. Forget the metals, it's a great way to hustle Prius owners in Queens and Long Island if you're careful.According to dealerships and cops, Prius catalytic converters actually resell for $200-$250, so they're a HUGE market around here, since they only take 5-10 minutes each to remove.
That sounds like *SUCH* a "New York Thing":
Prius Owner: Hey! My catalytic converter's been stolen! And it's over $2000 to fix it! What gives?!?!?!
Shady Dealer: Psst... buddy! I can do the repair job for only $1000!
Prius Owner: Sounds great! Get to it!
Shady Dealer: Well, wouldja lookit that? This used one I happened to have in stock fits your Prius perfectly, as if they were made for each other! Even the wear patterns are the same!
Prius Owner: Golly! What a coincidence! Here's your money, Fine Sir!

Cap'n Yesterday, FaWtL Tourism |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |

Freehold DM wrote:NobodysHome wrote:there's a swinging business in catalytic converters roundabouts. Forget the metals, it's a great way to hustle Prius owners in Queens and Long Island if you're careful.According to dealerships and cops, Prius catalytic converters actually resell for $200-$250, so they're a HUGE market around here, since they only take 5-10 minutes each to remove.
That sounds like *SUCH* a "New York Thing":
Prius Owner: Hey! My catalytic converter's been stolen! And it's over $2000 to fix it! What gives?!?!?!
Shady Dealer: Psst... buddy! I can do the repair job for only $1000!
Prius Owner: Sounds great! Get to it!
Shady Dealer: Well, wouldja lookit that? This used one I happened to have in stock fits your Prius perfectly, as if they were made for each other! Even the wear patterns are the same!
Prius Owner: Golly! What a coincidence! Here's your money, Fine Sir!
Hey man, if you don't like how things are done in Chicago you can call Vinny in the Better Business Bureau.
So, are you gonna pay me for your catalytic converter or not?

Vanykrye |
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Freehold DM wrote:NobodysHome wrote:there's a swinging business in catalytic converters roundabouts. Forget the metals, it's a great way to hustle Prius owners in Queens and Long Island if you're careful.According to dealerships and cops, Prius catalytic converters actually resell for $200-$250, so they're a HUGE market around here, since they only take 5-10 minutes each to remove.
That sounds like *SUCH* a "New York Thing":
Prius Owner: Hey! My catalytic converter's been stolen! And it's over $2000 to fix it! What gives?!?!?!
Shady Dealer: Psst... buddy! I can do the repair job for only $1000!
Prius Owner: Sounds great! Get to it!
Shady Dealer: Well, wouldja lookit that? This used one I happened to have in stock fits your Prius perfectly, as if they were made for each other! Even the wear patterns are the same!
Prius Owner: Golly! What a coincidence! Here's your money, Fine Sir!
SSSHHH!!! You're ruining my business model over here. It's the only way I stay employed. Certainly not because of my sparkling demeanor.

Vanykrye |
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Last few months have been busy again, haha. I graduated, been working, and playing tabletops with friends. I've actually tried out 2nd edition D&D since one of my roommates is a fan. It has some odd old school D&D quirks, but I've actually enjoyed it.
Well congrats on officially graduating, and more importantly right now, congrats on working.

NobodysHome |
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I did like Shiro's "raised in Detroit" answer: "Just go to the junkyard and get one and put it in yourself!"
Er... if they're selling on the street for $200-$250 apiece, what the h*** makes you think they'd be lying around in great abundance in junkyards?
Not to mention that most of the labor is doing the metalwork to repair the pipes the thieves cut to get the catalytic converter out in the first place. Somehow running around junkyards in the vain hopes of finding one, then learning enough metalwork to put it in, seems a bit more than I can manage. I'm not an unemployed teenager looking for a hobby...

captain yesterday |
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Should be a fun day, I get to put in steps and make a circular wall out of long straight rocks.
I'm going to need my biggest hammers and saw for this one.
Co-worker will either sit back and watch me build it, drive back and forth, or help me build it, but f%#& it up so I have to build it myself anyway.
I'm not trying to be a jerk, it's just not his year this year for whatever reason. He'll bounce back.

Punniculus |

Should be a fun day, I get to put in steps and make a circular wall out of long straight rocks.
I'm going to need my biggest hammers and saw for this one.
Co-worker will either sit back and watch me build it, drive back and forth, or help me build it, but f$%! it up so I have to build it myself anyway.
I'm not trying to be a jerk, it's just not his year this year for whatever reason. He'll bounce back.
*looks up*
I blame the lack of owlbear representation in the mainstream media.*goes back to petting the owlbear*
(No, Freehold, that's not a euphemism.)

Nylarthotep |

Work finally slow, although stuff needs to move off my desk today and tomorrow. Working on getting OBS set up for game. Lots of documentation, but hard to toggle back and forth between documentation and program to walk through. May have to do documentation on iPad or something while I noodle with ap.
But off to lunch now.

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Withdrew my portion of the 401k funds from my old job, since I won’t be able to start the new jobs 401k for six months. And then got my severance check this morning. So we’re looking pretty good for the moment. First three weeks have been great at PF Chang’s, looking forward to starting the swing shift in a week.

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Withdrew my portion of the 401k funds from my old job, since I won’t be able to start the new jobs 401k for six months. And then got my severance check this morning. So we’re looking pretty good for the moment. First three weeks have been great at PF Chang’s, looking forward to starting the swing shift in a week.
Are you rolling it over?

NobodysHome |
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(1) Got back from 2 weeks off to learn that my deadlines had been pulled in by a week. Having 1 week instead of 2 is "bad".
(2) My manager's piling more work on us based on meetings she's attending this week, so it's "worse".
(3) Prius had its catalytic converter stolen, costing us over $3k and forcing me to deal with getting it to the shop, etc.
(4) Gardener, house cleaner, and dishwasher repair guy are all coming this week so busy keeping house in order so they can actually work.
(5) Missing staircase is supposedly arriving today, but have to track that as well.
So yeah, I'm quiet this week...

captain yesterday |
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So, a few months ago I scraped off a bit of skin and ended up with a blood stained glove. Every time I'd get new gloves I'd lose them and I'd only have the pair with the blood stained glove. I finally wore them out and threw them away and got a new pair of gloves. Two hours later I scraped my finger and I now have a new blood stained glove.

Ambrosia Slaad |

Celestial Healer wrote:Nah. Covering credit cards and our bill fund. I really need to get to where I’m contributing to my Roth again.TriOmegaZero wrote:Withdrew my portion of the 401k funds from my old job, since I won’t be able to start the new jobs 401k for six months. And then got my severance check this morning. So we’re looking pretty good for the moment. First three weeks have been great at PF Chang’s, looking forward to starting the swing shift in a week.Are you rolling it over?
If you've already withdrawn the money, that's going to be a hefty penalty. Ouch. Although I think you can spread out the penalty over a couple years, and there's no penalty if you pay the 401K back.
If you haven't yet, I think you can usually take out a tax-free (as long as you pay it back within the time allotted) loan from your 401K to yourself. And the interest you pay on it is is contributed to your 401K.
It's been a while since I had to do it, so my memory may be off or the rules have changed. And, of course, you should never take investment or tax advice from a slaad.