March Banter 2023

[WVclimo]

39 minutes ago, Bob Chill said:

…

I'm not telling a soul what to do other than be very aware that the "dream" has a very dark side that leaves an ocean sized pool of destroyed happiness in its wake. You can only understand pure satisfaction once you suffer greatly. Life is suffering by design. How much you balance suffering and internal happiness is 100% a choice. Friend, stay on the winning side of that. Whatever it takes. More money is an unlikely solution 

Great post Bob.  Happy for you that you’ve found that spread of dirt to develop a dream with. 

I started a business when I was 30.  Made and lost fortunes.  Had some great times, but never got too caught up in the successes.  Once ego gets involved, the downturns that will surely come can consume you.

Turning 60 in a few weeks.  Fortunate to be in good health and a part of my kids’ lives.  The rest of it is just rolling downstream as you said.  I’m content letting others run in that rat race.  Ain’t jealous of them at all.

 

[PrinceFrederickWx]

1 hour ago, mappy said:

life is too short to let that stuff get to you. 

Maybe but tbh this place is too toxic. I've been here 12 years and it just gets worse every time. I probably should've left for good when my oldest son's mental health issues were made fun of by several posters in OT, but even the Wx side subforums are trash now mostly.

[mappy]

10 minutes ago, PrinceFrederickWx said:

Maybe but tbh this place is too toxic. I've been here 12 years and it just gets worse every time. I probably should've left for good when my oldest son's mental health issues were made fun of by several posters in OT, but even the Wx side subforums are trash now mostly.

Sorry that happened.

But just remember people who are toxic speaks more about them than you and they have to compensate for other things in their life. It ain't you, friend. 

[Wxtrix]

9 minutes ago, PrinceFrederickWx said:

Maybe but tbh this place is too toxic. I've been here 12 years and it just gets worse every time. I probably should've left for good when my oldest son's mental health issues were made fun of by several posters in OT, but even the Wx side subforums are trash now mostly.

here’s the thing though:  wouldn’t you rather be a person who didn’t need to post the cost of an expensive vacation to validate themselves to people on the internet?  bless his heart though.

[NorthArlington101]

51 minutes ago, Bob Chill said:

I've always liked you as a poster. Even in the early pre-college days. As someone in their 50's who chased "the dream", I pulled it of in every way except true satisfaction. The most important  part of life... I'm far from alone. I'm in the majority i think. 

 I'm very self aware of why now. It clicked. Chasing "things and stuff and bank accounts and vacations and expensive dinners..." and whatever else can become a merry-go-round in living hell. If you are not feeling satisfaction from within, it's all a waste. The chase is insidious. You start off guns blazin. You know what you want and go for it. Over the coming decades it will beat on you. All of it. Traffic, stress, insane cost of living, surrounded by big ego jerks, etc. You start to ask yourself wtf you're doing. I realized I had no internal peace in my life. Always on alert and foot on the gas because it's the only way to play the money game 

Big money can often fuel a big ego and big ego's by default are very unhappy entities because it's typically house of cards inside.  I realize now how wrong I had it and I was never brash or flashy.  I've spent 2 months in (all of) my spare time building a 500' driveway bed by hand and a tractor. It was a real bitch. But I never wavered. I kept pushing, watching, thinking, adjusting. Gravel was delivered last week and it's all done. The happiest day of 2023 and it cost me $900 for 20 tons of gravel. This (for me) is true happiness with my life. I could have dropped 7-8k and had it done in a day but there is no way in hell I would feel such deep love and satisfaction for what I did. That one piece of work will make me smile inside until I leave the earth. Priceless really. 

I'm not telling a soul what to do other than be very aware that the "dream" has a very dark side that leaves an ocean sized pool of destroyed happiness in its wake. You can only understand pure satisfaction once you suffer greatly. Life is suffering by design. How much you balance suffering and internal happiness is 100% a choice. Friend, stay on the winning side of that. Whatever it takes. More money is an unlikely solution 

Great post - thanks for the advice. Happy to have summoned you here if even for a second, haha. 

It's obviously a tough issue and probably something that can only be gleaned in hindsight. I've always been a nose to the grindstone kind of guy -- well, except for the fact I'm posting here during work hours, whoops. What has tended to make me happy is achievement in some way -- professional, financial, academic, etc etc. In a non-egotistical way (if possible), what keeps me going a bit is the idea that I'm great at what I do and I expect that to be rewarded with more money, a new title, whatever. And the perks that come with that - a cool vacation every year, some nice meals out, ad infinitum. I'm young and want to stay hopeful that I'm awesome and can climb for as long as possible. That's the current #grindset. 

That said, do want to say that I 1000% agree with the heart of your message. Would love to make my money or my mark quickly -- and I'm lucky enough to have a good start -- and check out. Having and building a strong family is ultimately the #1 priority for me - I'd even check out of the rat race at that point if it seemed things were set. I won't care about how fast I got promoted from A to B to C in 30 years... probably won't even care in 5. 

[H2O]

26 minutes ago, PrinceFrederickWx said:

Maybe but tbh this place is too toxic. I've been here 12 years and it just gets worse every time. I probably should've left for good when my oldest son's mental health issues were made fun of by several posters in OT, but even the Wx side subforums are trash now mostly.

Def sucks when people ridicule someone for sharing a hardship they are dealing with. I’m sorry that happened as I know about that issue all too well. 
 

I hope things are better with your son

[H2O]

43 minutes ago, WVclimo said:

Great post Bob.  Happy for you that you’ve found that spread of dirt to develop a dream with. 

I started a business when I was 30.  Made and lost fortunes.  Had some great times, but never got too caught up in the successes.  Once ego gets involved, the downturns that will surely come can consume you.

Turning 60 in a few weeks.  Fortunate to be in good health and a part of my kids’ lives.  The rest of it is just rolling downstream as you said.  I’m content letting others run in that rat race.  Ain’t jealous of them at all.

 

The only thing I chased was turning 50. Not that I wanted to but that was the goal. Turning that finally meant all the hard work and sacrifice paid off. 
 

I knew I was never going to be rich. Didn’t take a path in life that would make $$$. All I wanted tho was to provide. Make enough to have a home, family and be able to do fun things occasionally. There were going to be tough times and that happened. But thru it all I kept going with the hope it would work out. 
 

my goal was to retire at 50. Thank whomever one can pray to that I was able to get thru 30 years of work to make it. All I wanted was to be able to get out at an age where I can do things with my kids. That’s what I’m trying to do now. The mileage I put on myself from work is taking a toll tho. Shit hurts now and I hope I didn’t wear things out too soon to be able to enjoy it all. 
 

But thankfully I can now do things and be there for my kids. I’m not money rich but spirit rich. I have wonderful friends that also help me see the joy in life. And while I still have my health I’m gonna try to make others happy and do the things that some never get to. One doesn’t need wealth to be wealthy. 

[Bob Chill]

26 minutes ago, NorthArlington101 said:

 

That said, do want to say that I 1000% agree with the heart of your message. Would love to make my money or my mark quickly -- and I'm lucky enough to have a good start -- and check out. Having and building a strong family is ultimately the #1 priority for me - I'd even check out of the rat race at that point if it seemed things were set. I won't care about how fast I got promoted from A to B to C in 30 years... probably won't even care in 5. 

It all sounds so logical at the starting line right? It's just math. Do good math and check out. Simple... but that's not how it works here. It's near impossible to win the math game early because everything in the DC metro is designed to make sure it costs too much to do it along the way. Lol. 

 

My father gave me advice right before we bought our house in 2002. He said this area has a way of robbing you blind right under your nose. He also said that I will almost certainly increase expenses as my income grows so most months will look the same no matter how much goes in. He was 100% right and I'm certainly not a lavish spender. He was speaking from experience and also was 100% supportive of all of our early marriage decisions.

He asked me in 2009 when he was sick if I had had enough yet. I didn't get the magnitude of question until 7 years after he passed. My answer to him was a resounding "nope i'm good" but that changed dramatically in the years following.

By 2016 I had had enough but our family life was deeply woven into the fabric of the DMV's pick pocket action that there was STILL no way out without causing hardship on the people I love the most. Ugh

See what I'm getting at? It's not really an equation or free will choice once your in and the grip has a hold. The emotional burden of packing up and leaving can be a titanium wall keeping you in too. Just be self aware and honest and make sure you put your heart and intuition first and not your wallet. That's a REAL blurry topic tho...

[WVclimo]

26 minutes ago, H2O said:

The only thing I chased was turning 50. Not that I wanted to but that was the goal. Turning that finally meant all the hard work and sacrifice paid off. 
 

I knew I was never going to be rich. Didn’t take a path in life that would make $$$. All I wanted tho was to provide. Make enough to have a home, family and be able to do fun things occasionally. There were going to be tough times and that happened. But thru it all I kept going with the hope it would work out. 
 

my goal was to retire at 50. Thank whomever one can pray to that I was able to get thru 30 years of work to make it. All I wanted was to be able to get out at an age where I can do things with my kids. That’s what I’m trying to do now. The mileage I put on myself from work is taking a toll tho. Shit hurts now and I hope I didn’t wear things out too soon to be able to enjoy it all. 
 

But thankfully I can now do things and be there for my kids. I’m not money rich but spirit rich. I have wonderful friends that also help me see the joy in life. And while I still have my health I’m gonna try to make others happy and do the things that some never get to. One doesn’t need wealth to be wealthy. 

Congratulations on retirement Andrew.  I’m happy for you, buddy.

[NorthArlington101]

15 minutes ago, Bob Chill said:

It all sounds so logical at the starting line right? It's just math. Do good math and check out. Simple... but that's not how it works here. It's near impossible to win the math game early because everything in the DC metro is designed to make sure it costs too much to do it along the way. Lol. 

 

My father gave me advice right before we bought our house in 2002. He said this area has a way of robbing you blind right under your nose. He also said that I will almost certainly increase expenses as my income grows so most months will look the same no matter how much goes in. He was 100% right and I'm certainly not a lavish spender. He was speaking from experience and also was 100% supportive of all of our early marriage decisions.

He asked me in 2009 when he was sick if I had had enough yet. I didn't get the magnitude of question until 7 years after he passed. My answer to him was a resounding "nope i'm good" but that changed dramatically in the years following.

By 2016 I had had enough but our family life was deeply woven into the fabric of the DMV's pick pocket action that there was STILL no way out without causing hardship on the people I love the most. Ugh

See what I'm getting at? It's not really an equation or free will choice once your in and the grip has a hold. The emotional burden of packing up and leaving can be a titanium wall keeping you in too. Just be self aware and honest and make sure you put your heart and intuition first and not your wallet. That's a REAL blurry topic tho...

Was sending you a PM but you can't receive them - appreciate the advice and know it is coming from the heart & experience, which is crazy (in a nice way) to do unsolicited for someone online. If you are ever in the D.C. area and bored, would love to grab a drink. Guess that goes for everyone here - one day there will be a meet up again.

[MacChump]

looks like something went down but can't figure out what

[MacChump]

3 hours ago, NorthArlington101 said:

Hey, it makes me a bit jealous, which is what the goal likely is. Jealous that he’s got a great thing going with his wife, haha. Thank god my girlfriend is going to law school. Maybe one day I can troll people online about snow while she bills an absurd rate, too. The American Dream

be careful amigo--law school and med school aren't exactly the same obvi but there are parallels:

“I'm sorry, Elaine. I always knew that after I became a doctor, I would dump whoever I was with and find someone better. That's the dream of becoming a doctor."

[H2O]

8 minutes ago, MacChump said:

looks like something went down but can't figure out what

Some Perry Mason you are.  

[H2O]

21 minutes ago, WVclimo said:

Congratulations on retirement Andrew.  I’m happy for you, buddy.

And same to you for being where you want to be and happy early 60th!!  May you have many more after!

[North Balti Zen]

8 minutes ago, MacChump said:

be careful amigo--law school and med school aren't exactly the same obvi but there are parallels:

“I'm sorry, Elaine. I always knew that after I became a doctor, I would dump whoever I was with and find someone better. That's the dream of becoming a doctor.

Saul Goodman!*

 

*(Bob Odenkirk)

 

[MacChump]

1 minute ago, H2O said:

Some Perry Mason you are.  

 i figure that the vc husband dude posted a picture of some snow-bound resort which got folks fired up but looking for confirmation

[mappy]

2 minutes ago, MacChump said:

 i figure that the vc husband dude posted a picture of some snow-bound resort which got folks fired up but looking for confirmation

that's it. he bragged about staying in 2k a night beach resort while we are chasing flurries

[MacChump]

1 minute ago, mappy said:

that's it. he bragged about staying in 2k a night beach resort while we are chasing flurries

ahhh, i was wrong on the locale...thanks, mappy

[Bob Chill]

26 minutes ago, NorthArlington101 said:

Was sending you a PM but you can't receive them - appreciate the advice and know it is coming from the heart & experience, which is crazy (in a nice way) to do unsolicited for someone online. If you are ever in the D.C. area and bored, would love to grab a drink. Guess that goes for everyone here - one day there will be a meet up 

I'll see what I can do about PMs lol. Been a problem for years now I think 

I can't explain it but my intuition tells me who I align with and who I don't. It's a feeling and not a thought. I feel aligned with you. Who how why and all that stuff? Beats me

 

[nw baltimore wx]

20 minutes ago, MacChump said:

be careful amigo--law school and med school aren't exactly the same obvi but there are parallels:

“I'm sorry, Elaine. I always knew that after I became a doctor, I would dump whoever I was with and find someone better. That's the dream of becoming a doctor.

[clueless]

I don’t begrudge anyone their success but this is a weather forum. Some  have have been here long enough to know that many have gone through some tough times (in addition to crappy winters). Including myself. Take joy in what you love. Hold your kids and furred ones close. As Bob says don’t buy into the hype of the DMV. I’m probably the oldest poster here and I’m so ready to retire and move from the HOA, big house, where you went on vacation, what school did little Johnny get into culture. I did not actively take part but there was no escape if you had a kid in school. Thankfully, my daughter has chosen a path in viticulture. She is working in the fields now, halfway around the world. She is thrilled. And I am too. 

If you want ‘stuff’, fine. But it ain’t gonna love you back. 

[Jebman]

I dont dream of more money. I dream of Palisades Tahoe. Check out this beautiful drift on the 8200' level platform! THAT is pure happiness! That wind is blowing that snow all over, and Palisades is very much in the blizzard game with another 2-6 FEET of heavy wet snow above 7000 feet in the next 3 days! Palisades webcams have reawakened the absolute love of deep roofalanche snow deep in my cold wintry soul once again!

https://www.palisadestahoe.com/mountain-information/webcams

Because of Palisades, I dont think I am going to grow up after all folks, its back to I love the Tahoe snows more than anything else and everyone else. I crave those big Tahoe drifts! Texas is okay, but I wub that deep deep snow so bad. I love that the snow is so deep that they had to dig out the chairlifts!!

I absolutely WORSHIP Atmospheric Rivers in California!

[SnowenOutThere]

4 hours ago, Bob Chill said:

Life Late stage capitalism is suffering by design.

FYP 

[Jebman]

The atmospheric river is smashing into Palisades at this time. Light snow is falling. It is also getting MUCHO warmer with time. Its been in the teens for days there. Now they are already pushing 30 degrees, even at elevation. This storm has the mild moisture laden might of the entire Pacific behind it! Some locations higher than 9000 feet could pile on EIGHT MORE FEET of heavy wet snow in a couple of days from this. Other places will get waterboarded by 8-10 inches of wind driven rain, right on top of feet of snowpack. This is no time to be living near a watercourse in California. Might be a good time to build an ark. Or, a massive ski resort at 9800 feet in the Sierran cordillera.

 

If Palisades manages to hold on to mostly heavy wet snow at 8200 feet, some chairlifts could get buried. There's gonna be a ton of heart attacks from Palisades employees tryin to dig massive amounts of Sierran cement from around the chairs. This is gonna be really fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[WxWatcher007]

Excellent stuff. Excellent, excellent stuff. 

Thank you, @Bob Chill & others.

[Jebman]

2 hours ago, WxWatcher007 said:

Excellent stuff. Excellent, excellent stuff. 

Thank you, @Bob Chill & others.

WxWatcher007, you got a Licence to Kill. We need you to REAP.

[Eskimo Joe]

On 3/7/2023 at 8:07 PM, ThePhotoGuy said:

Saw my first Osprey of the season today flying over the Patapsco River!

Nice! There are eagles that fly near Patapsco State Park McKeldin Area. You'll just randomly see them fly up the river over the water. It's so cool.

[mdhokie]

we need to get jeb to palisades stat. his shovel is rusting in that texas humidity. imagine how many people he could singlehandedly unbury.

[Jebman]

1 hour ago, mdhokie said:

we need to get jeb to palisades stat. his shovel is rusting in that texas humidity. imagine how many people he could singlehandedly unbury.

It would definitely be my pleasure, I'd get as many people as I can dug out so they can get food. All that rain from the atmospheric river is going to overload roofs that already have feet of snow still on them. Avalanche danger is gonna get very high as well. Looks like snow levels are going to breach the 8200' level as well, drenching my beloved snowdrift with heavy Pacific rains. Talk about raining on a parade, lol.

We have got to send as many people as possible into those western mountain communities and get them dug out stat. We need to bring about 20,000 tractor trailers full of food, beer, IPA's and soft drinks too. Some of those folks have been without power for TWO WEEKS!

[Jebman]

EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ THIS BLOG POST! If you love snow YOU OWE IT TO YOURSELF!

https://blog.palisadestahoe.com/operations/operations-update-atmospheric-river-to-impact-weekend/

The Northeast Bomb Cyclones PALE to insignificance beside Palisades' snows. Sorry Weathafella. Boston ONLY gets three feet of snow in a bomb cyclone. That's a dusting.

I absolutely Pledge Allegiance to the Sierran Cordillera, and to the frigid snowy havoc and beauty for which it stands, for All-Time.

I love those DRIFTS! I adore every severe roofalanche! I love avalanches with all my heart. This is how I talked in high school. I am now completely back to my old obsessed with snow OLD WAYS. I REFUSE to repent. I will probably end up dead at palisades if I ever get to go there. I love deep Sierran snow drifts, to the total, utter exclusion of everything, and everyone else, forever and ever. Tahoe is BURIED. The ski resort teams are actually complaining about being BURIED by snow. There were BUILDINGS the Ski Patrol uses that were entirely buried under excessive snows! Because of that, I know Tahoe is my kind of place. Those big Pacific storms can be deadly because of extreme snow rates and 120 mph gusts we can NEVER EVER have on the Eastern Seaboard. Severe, life-threatening avalanches only make this even more appealing! So do Maximum Interlodge orders!

I do not need Heaven. Palisades Tahoe with a cold Atmospheric River dumping meters upon meters of snow on the entire resort, IS HEAVEN.

Especially when Tahoe is already buried by snow and it is a devastating CRISIS for the Resort! MORE SNOW! BRING IT THE HELL ON!