OT: General OT Thread [NO POLITICS, RACE OR RELIGION]

[Finn]

Has anybody on here had LASIK?

My vision sucks and I've worn glasses basically my whole life. I've thought about getting it for years but I always chicken out in the end. Just wondering if anyone was in the same boat and actually went through with it or really if anyone has any experiences in general with the process.

Not LASIK, but cataract surgery with lens implants to correct my distance vision (still wear cheap readers as needed). Like someone else said, weird sensation (no pain) but quick & easy. I had one eye done at a time & the difference between the 2 eyes after the first surgery was mind-boggling. I wouldn't hesitate if I needed the surgery again. Good luck.

[WRau1]

Anyone here familiar with the e Austin, TX area? Got a pretty good deal on a nice BNB for when I'll be there later this week and want to know what I should be expecting from the neighborhood I'm in. Google Street view makes it look pretty nice and there's a $1 taco place a block away so that's already a big W in my book.

[jschligs]

Well I convinced my wife not to go to Palm Springs....tried to plug Savannah, Charleston, NOLA and guess where we ended up choosing. Miami! **** my life. The last place I wanted was Miami...

[crkone]

Well I convinced my wife not to go to Palm Springs....tried to plug Savannah, Charleston, NOLA and guess where we ended up choosing. Miami! **** my life. The last place I wanted was Miami...

Watch on YouTube

[stellation]

Finally was able to get our 3rd shot/booster (Pfizer) with my son yesterday, each of them has messed me around but boy howdy this one really did. I got it around lunchtime yesterday, felt fine through the afternoon then middle of the night it hit me and I ended up not sleeping a wink, horrible headache, body all cramped up, felt like I was on fire. It's now morning and I'm in a weird blissful state of "I think I'm going to pass out for a few hours at some point and then wake up with just a sore arm".

Even with feeling like crap- I'm so **** grateful to science for this and would not hesitate to do it again.

[crkone]

My buddy is renting an airbnb for a month in St. Petersburg (FL) since he had two months free from mortgage after refinancing. I'm heading down in a couple weeks for a few days of R and R.

[Finn]

Finally was able to get our 3rd shot/booster (Pfizer) with my son yesterday, each of them has messed me around but boy howdy this one really did. I got it around lunchtime yesterday, felt fine through the afternoon then middle of the night it hit me and I ended up not sleeping a wink, horrible headache, body all cramped up, felt like I was on fire. It's now morning and I'm in a weird blissful state of "I think I'm going to pass out for a few hours at some point and then wake up with just a sore arm".

Even with feeling like crap- I'm so **** grateful to science for this and would not hesitate to do it again.

I'm going for my 2nd booster (Pfizer) next month (I'm immunocompromised). Had basically no reaction to any of the prior shots. Hope you're not jinxing me!

[stellation]

Finally was able to get our 3rd shot/booster (Pfizer) with my son yesterday, each of them has messed me around but boy howdy this one really did. I got it around lunchtime yesterday, felt fine through the afternoon then middle of the night it hit me and I ended up not sleeping a wink, horrible headache, body all cramped up, felt like I was on fire. It's now morning and I'm in a weird blissful state of "I think I'm going to pass out for a few hours at some point and then wake up with just a sore arm".

Even with feeling like crap- I'm so **** grateful to science for this and would not hesitate to do it again.

I'm going for my 2nd booster (Pfizer) next month (I'm immunocompromised). Had basically no reaction to any of the prior shots. Hope you're not jinxing me!

Hopefully you'll be okay- I felt like poop with the first one, hopefully if you had zero effects you'll be fine with the next ones.

[bobsacamano]

Anyone here familiar with the e Austin, TX area? Got a pretty good deal on a nice BNB for when I'll be there later this week and want to know what I should be expecting from the neighborhood I'm in. Google Street view makes it look pretty nice and there's a $1 taco place a block away so that's already a big W in my book.

Been lurking forever and rarely post but I love that neighborhood so this is a good excuse to come out of the shadows . Moved from WI to East Austin about 3.5 years ago. It's a good area, tons of stuff within walking distance. Easy to hop on a bike/scooter if you venture a little further. If you want some recs:
- Veracruz - migas tacos
- Grannys - migas and chilaquiles tacos
- Tamale house - the migas and queso is my favorite food that i've had in austin so far
- Mickelthwait - bbq without the wait. Franklin is great but the line is nonsense
- Brew & Brew - good spot to work while drinking coffee and/or beer
- Nickel City - Buffalo bar that feels more like a midwest bar than most places around here, food is solid and drinks are good
- Kitty Cohen - great for cocktails when it's nice and sunny
- Kinda Tropical - solid food and drinks and good outdoor vibes
- Zilker and Lazarus are decent breweries. Zilker usually has a fried chicken truck that's decent.
- Scoot Inn and Hotel Vegas are fun music venues. The White Horse has live country music and two stepping.
- The river is nearby and has a nice little walk/bike trail. You can also rent a paddleboard/kayak, though that's more fun down by zilker park/barton springs

There's tons of other good spots in the area and tons to do, hope this helps and hope ya have a good time visiting!

[Kerb Hohl]

My buddy is renting an airbnb for a month in St. Petersburg (FL) since he had two months free from mortgage after refinancing. I'm heading down in a couple weeks for a few days of R and R.

Just make sure you are flying into that St. Petersburg.

[crkone]

My buddy is renting an airbnb for a month in St. Petersburg (FL) since he had two months free from mortgage after refinancing. I'm heading down in a couple weeks for a few days of R and R.

Just make sure you are flying into that St. Petersburg.

I got a great deal on the flight. They actually had to pay me to fly with them.

[MickeyDavis]

I love the Tampa/St. Pete/Clearwater area.

[Kerb Hohl]

Florida is one I don't get. My dad has been looking at places down there and the housing prices are rising there higher than anywhere else in the country, and the state is a hole. You literally couldn't pay me to live in Florida.

Huh. Everyone I know that lives there loves it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yea it’s actually nice here, and I’ve lived in a lot of different states (WI, OR, HI, VA, AK, FL). I might actually retire here in Florida. Lots of newer neighborhoods here.

I realize there are plenty of locations that offer nicer weather and that summer can be a humid furnace, but ****...I curse my parents and my wife's all of the time for not having us in a warmer climate.

I've been in the upper midwest all along and we are kinda anchored here to be around grandparents/family with our kids (it's a winning tradeoff) but these 5 months out of the year suck ass.

I'd take FL along with a bunch of other southern/western states as long as I could find the right area.

As I get a little bit older, I love CA but I don't need the bells and whistles one would pay for. I know RS said prices are the highest in the country in FL but I think (?) you can more affordably find a decent house in FL as opposed to CA, but it's probably because I'm just thinking Bay Area or LA in that comparison.

It's probably just having young kids and not being a huge winter hobbyist (and the young kids make it hard) but being locked up in the cold in winters of <10 degrees for 2/3 of the days for 4-5 months has nearly broken me.

I'm pretty simple these days. If I'm just outside in sunlight doing something...anything I am happy. Again, maybe it's the kids thing just making it hard to bundle them up and do stuff, I can layer up and be outside...but given air conditioning, the better climates are so much more appealing...but I'm probably at least a decade away from it.

[bobsacamano]

There were five or six 'should we fly-in for this house?' moments, but we didn't pull the trigger because only one of us would be on board. Then "the one" - heavy air quotes - came to us before it hit market, we flew in the next day, made sure the online listing wasn't fools gold, and put in our offer same day. It was utter madness.

The craziest part of the whole process to me was that we would be given 30 minutes (sometimes 15!) to tour a house and then have to make a decision same day (with hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line) to have any hope of a chance. I can spend months making sure I pick the right sound bar for my bedroom TV, so this was not a normal thing for me.

Yeah I live in Austin and bought a house last summer and the search drove me crazy. Tour a house for 30 mins on a Saturday, think it over and put in an offer the next day for more than asking price, and then find out the next week I was outbid by 100k .

I eventually found something but it took ~9 months and also I'm still grappling with the fact that I spent my life savings on what is a tiny technically-two-bedroom-but-functionally-one bedroom house. On the bright side it has amazing outdoor space and I love the neighborhood. Also on the bright side, the market is even crazier now than when I bought so it seems like it'll be a good investment. Hopefully

[MickeyDavis]

Prices are going up in FL, like everywhere else, but it's a hell of a lot more affordable there than CA. Obviously you have to look around, prices vary quite a bit depending where in the state you want to live.

[bobsacamano]

I realize there are plenty of locations that offer nicer weather and that summer can be a humid furnace, but ****...I curse my parents and my wife's all of the time for not having us in a warmer climate.

I've been in the upper midwest all along and we are kinda anchored here to be around grandparents/family with our kids (it's a winning tradeoff) but these 5 months out of the year suck ass.

I'd take FL along with a bunch of other southern/western states as long as I could find the right area.

As I get a little bit older, I love CA but I don't need the bells and whistles one would pay for. I know RS said prices are the highest in the country in FL but I think (?) you can more affordably find a decent house in FL as opposed to CA, but it's probably because I'm just thinking Bay Area or LA in that comparison.

It's probably just having young kids and not being a huge winter hobbyist (and the young kids make it hard) but being locked up in the cold in winters of <10 degrees for 2/3 of the days for 4-5 months has nearly broken me.

I'm pretty simple these days. If I'm just outside in sunlight doing something...anything I am happy. Again, maybe it's the kids thing just making it hard to bundle them up and do stuff, I can layer up and be outside...but given air conditioning, the better climates are so much more appealing...but I'm probably at least a decade away from it.

Yeah i spent 30 years in WI and couldn't handle winter anymore so headed to Austin and haven't looked back. The summers suck in TX but it's nothing compared to winter in the midwest. I spent 10 days up there for Christmas and that was more than enough winter for me

[Kerb Hohl]

I realize there are plenty of locations that offer nicer weather and that summer can be a humid furnace, but ****...I curse my parents and my wife's all of the time for not having us in a warmer climate.

I've been in the upper midwest all along and we are kinda anchored here to be around grandparents/family with our kids (it's a winning tradeoff) but these 5 months out of the year suck ass.

I'd take FL along with a bunch of other southern/western states as long as I could find the right area.

As I get a little bit older, I love CA but I don't need the bells and whistles one would pay for. I know RS said prices are the highest in the country in FL but I think (?) you can more affordably find a decent house in FL as opposed to CA, but it's probably because I'm just thinking Bay Area or LA in that comparison.

It's probably just having young kids and not being a huge winter hobbyist (and the young kids make it hard) but being locked up in the cold in winters of <10 degrees for 2/3 of the days for 4-5 months has nearly broken me.

I'm pretty simple these days. If I'm just outside in sunlight doing something...anything I am happy. Again, maybe it's the kids thing just making it hard to bundle them up and do stuff, I can layer up and be outside...but given air conditioning, the better climates are so much more appealing...but I'm probably at least a decade away from it.

Yeah i spent 30 years in WI and couldn't handle winter anymore so headed to Austin and haven't looked back. The summers suck in TX but it's nothing compared to winter in the midwest. I spent 10 days up there for Christmas and that was more than enough winter for me

Right...the ship has somewhat sailed for me given we've built a house/anchored ourselves somewhat in the upper midwest...but the older my kids get and the more WFH flexibility I get, the less I'll be here.

In warmer climates, summers suck but you still can get out in the morning/dusk/night-time.

The 5 degree days...yeah, I do enjoy a crisp/bundled up cold-ass day where I have a beer or am out for a walk but it's not easily accessible or that tolerable/fun for me.

[M-C-G]

I realize there are plenty of locations that offer nicer weather and that summer can be a humid furnace, but ****...I curse my parents and my wife's all of the time for not having us in a warmer climate.

I've been in the upper midwest all along and we are kinda anchored here to be around grandparents/family with our kids (it's a winning tradeoff) but these 5 months out of the year suck ass.

I'd take FL along with a bunch of other southern/western states as long as I could find the right area.

As I get a little bit older, I love CA but I don't need the bells and whistles one would pay for. I know RS said prices are the highest in the country in FL but I think (?) you can more affordably find a decent house in FL as opposed to CA, but it's probably because I'm just thinking Bay Area or LA in that comparison.

It's probably just having young kids and not being a huge winter hobbyist (and the young kids make it hard) but being locked up in the cold in winters of <10 degrees for 2/3 of the days for 4-5 months has nearly broken me.

I'm pretty simple these days. If I'm just outside in sunlight doing something...anything I am happy. Again, maybe it's the kids thing just making it hard to bundle them up and do stuff, I can layer up and be outside...but given air conditioning, the better climates are so much more appealing...but I'm probably at least a decade away from it.

Yeah i spent 30 years in WI and couldn't handle winter anymore so headed to Austin and haven't looked back. The summers suck in TX but it's nothing compared to winter in the midwest. I spent 10 days up there for Christmas and that was more than enough winter for me

Right...the ship has somewhat sailed for me given we've built a house/anchored ourselves somewhat in the upper midwest...but the older my kids get and the more WFH flexibility I get, the less I'll be here.

In warmer climates, summers suck but you still can get out in the morning/dusk/night-time.

The 5 degree days...yeah, I do enjoy a crisp/bundled up cold-ass day where I have a beer or am out for a walk but it's not easily accessible or that tolerable/fun for me.

I hope to someday in a position to spend like 4 weeks a winter somewhere warm. Just tough especially with having young kids and my wife needs to be on site for her job. But someday, maybe.

[MickeyDavis]

The San Diego area is beautiful and perfect weather. But can't retire there when I've funded my retirement with Wisconsin wages.

My goal is to be a snowbird. I like it around here April-November. Maybe I'd stay around here through the holidays, then take off until May.

[buckboy]

Huh. Everyone I know that lives there loves it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yea it’s actually nice here, and I’ve lived in a lot of different states (WI, OR, HI, VA, AK, FL). I might actually retire here in Florida. Lots of newer neighborhoods here.

I realize there are plenty of locations that offer nicer weather and that summer can be a humid furnace, but ****...I curse my parents and my wife's all of the time for not having us in a warmer climate.

I've been in the upper midwest all along and we are kinda anchored here to be around grandparents/family with our kids (it's a winning tradeoff) but these 5 months out of the year suck ass.

I'd take FL along with a bunch of other southern/western states as long as I could find the right area.

As I get a little bit older, I love CA but I don't need the bells and whistles one would pay for. I know RS said prices are the highest in the country in FL but I think (?) you can more affordably find a decent house in FL as opposed to CA, but it's probably because I'm just thinking Bay Area or LA in that comparison.

It's probably just having young kids and not being a huge winter hobbyist (and the young kids make it hard) but being locked up in the cold in winters of <10 degrees for 2/3 of the days for 4-5 months has nearly broken me.

I'm pretty simple these days. If I'm just outside in sunlight doing something...anything I am happy. Again, maybe it's the kids thing just making it hard to bundle them up and do stuff, I can layer up and be outside...but given air conditioning, the better climates are so much more appealing...but I'm probably at least a decade away from it.

I hear ya. We are currently scouting Arizona to buy a condo. We won't actually buy until the market settles down, but I am flying to Phoenix every December 26th and staying until April 1st every year staring in 8 yearsish. This has been an incredibly easy winter in Milwaukee and I still **** hated it.

Edit: I see there are some like-minded folks here.