@theanimal: It's cool to imagine creeks and rivers frozen over. I've never seen that with my own eyes. With the garden beds free of snow, does this mark the start of the grow season for you? Do you already have plants growing inside or are you getting prepared to plant the beds? I try my best to appreciate all 4 seasons where I live (still working on December and January in the PNW), I like the fact that every month is your favorite. Statistics: Posted by Bicycle7 — Sat May 04, 2024 3:42 am ..read more

Bikepacking and staying at Quail Haven I've felt a sense of freedom the last few days, biking along with AH on the start of our bike trip. It's amazing how far one can pedal in a day and then pull off somewhere to find a beautiful wild camp spot for free. It's nice not having to fuss with a car, or campsites and watch as the miles tick by. Big tubeless tires ran at low pressures make it possible to explore a lot more than just asphalt roads, we've ridden through some sand, jeep roads that resemble single track and on top of the smooth concrete LA aqueduct. I appreciate Axel Heyst being a w ..read more

Berrytwo and Bicycle7 stayed at QH for almost a week before b7 and I pedaled off into the desert. It was a treat to get to spend time with them as I barely was able to connect with them during fest23. As it was I was all over the place wrapping up w*rk projects and getting my own kit prepped. As is to be expected with ERE guests they were gracious and self sufficient even when I was squirreled away on the computer all day. My bikepacking setup this year is almost exactly the strategy Tristan Ridley runs - a full frame bag (myog, rolltop), a 35L backpack on the rear rack, handlebar bag. I also ..read more

No rubbing (I just fold the roll top over the top tube). Very happy with the frame bag and love that it’s roll top not zipped - able to ‘over’stuff it with no problems. The bike handles *so* much better with weight concentrated forward and down vs. panniers, it’s night and day to last year’s setup. Statistics: Posted by AxelHeyst — Fri May 03, 2024 11:22 pm ..read more

+1 to @thef0x's advice. Immersion, practice, and feedback are the quickest ways to learning. In addition to the above suggestions, a basic tactic is changing the settings on your phone and computer. I'd really recommend finding someone to converse with AND a tutor. The former, I believe, can be found for free on various sites -- haven't done any vetting here but I've seen other mention of it on the forum.. vaguely recall @theanimal mentioning a site. A tutor will help with pronunciation, identify your weak points and next steps, and provide a curriculum outside of self-directed learning. They ..read more

Interesting, I'd be curious to learn more about your theory here, research, empirical findings, etc. \\ I definitely agree about our culture hurting us re food although I think our culture / food companies are optimizing product palatability to the human body (junk food is engineered / optimized to produce insane neurochemical feedback based on our body physiology; it is our bodies that is the thing processed food companies are measuring addictiveness against). Same argument for negative click bait as intellectual junk food: it sells more; it's cause is born from nothing more nefarious than ..read more

Is there a point where you de-risk the portfolio and declare victory? 2 million looks like enough money. imo its not all that risky it's just high vol. I'm not leveraged at all. I believe government bonds are quite risky and the geopolitical situation is a tinderbox so I don't even really know what I would de-risk into. Statistics: Posted by giskard — Fri May 03, 2024 9:42 pm ..read more

Congrats on the job promotion! You sound like a beast at the gym and modest about it (a great combo). Spanish is awesome! Immersion will fast-track your learning so to that end, reproduction at home is where I'd aim. Pimsleur language courses are pretty amazing. My local library has the audiobooks available so I'd check yours. I'd really recommend finding someone to converse with AND a tutor. The former, I believe, can be found for free on various sites -- haven't done any vetting here but I've seen other mention of it on the forum.. vaguely recall @theanimal mentioning a site. A tutor will ..read more

(Maybe 7wb5 can make a table for sex? Not kidding. I think that the recurring sex/poly-debates could benefit from a table of their own!) She kinda did already! Another example: Level 1= Pre-Sexual Level 2= Pre-Orgasmic Level 3= Masturbation Level 4= Dependent Sex Optimization= Fucking Yields and Flows = Strong Sex with Mutuality Systems/Networks= Self-Aware Sexuality Level 8 = Transcendent Sex NOTE: I'm not entirely satisfied with my description of these levels, especially the first 2. One thing I was trying to make obvious was that going up one level also requires referring back one le ..read more

yes, just kettle and thermos. I'm quite sure red lentils would work. I tried with rice and pasta. Statistics: Posted by Jean — Fri May 03, 2024 8:57 pm ..read more