Posts by Nancy Howard4

Adam Doyle63 said:😬

I have a pretty decent-sized trunk, so I'm actually considering 😁

Jokes aside, the gloves and mask idea makes sense. Personally, I'll probably go a step further and cover the entire front interior with protective film, then take photos of everything just in case someone tries to claim I'm a biohazard—because after being stuck in isolation myself, I’m making sure if a quarantine hits, I'm the only one allowed out with my grocery list.

Supposedly the virus can linger on surfaces in the car for a few days, but I'll just have the vehicle professionally detailed and let it sit idle for a week once it's back.

Honestly, if you can actually isolate all of that, it’s a solid plan.
The best move is to drop that person off later, spray everything down, and then toss all your gear and yourself straight into the wash. The virus is contagious, but it needs a way into our bodies—like through the nose, eyes, or mouth; it won't get through your skin, but if that skin touches our "sensitive areas," then yeah, there's definitely a chance.
The virus is pretty hardy on surfaces like glass or plastic, but rubbing alcohol will absolutely wreck it.

The movie was alright, I guess
but man, you have to wonder how much they spent just to hire a bunch of Americans to fill out the cast.😁

Adam Doyle63 said:Around here, they do regular checks, though since we live in a smaller town and there aren't tons of people in isolation, it doesn't happen constantly, but they definitely show up at your door.

One question.

We’re facing a bit of a situation soon... Has anyone dealt with picking someone up from the airport who is arriving from abroad and driving them straight into quarantine? We called 911 and were told it's allowed, and everything else—wearing masks, staying quiet, having them sit in the back seat—is just a recommendation rather than a strict mandate.

My plan is to wrap half the car in plastic sheeting and wear both a mask and gloves, and I'll make sure the person I'm picking up does the same, just so I can minimize or basically neutralize any chance of catching something. After that, I'll disinfect the whole vehicle and leave it alone for a while; we actually have another family house ready as a backup if things go south. We've already secured an entire floor for the person to stay on, where they can head straight in without greeting anyone, and we'll just leave the key in the lock.

Right now, I'm the only one in the house who isn't considered high-risk, and I really want to protect everyone else while doing my best to protect myself too, because if we end up stuck in quarantine, I'll be the one responsible for heading out whenever we need supplies.

Are you kidding me? Just wrap the person up in cling wrap or grab a body bag from the local morgue.😂
Just kidding, but seriously, the most important thing is that the person touches as little as possible, so just hand them some gloves and a mask right away, put yours on too, spray down the whole car later, and call it a day. Honestly, the virus should die off in a few days anyway; it can't possibly survive on plastic or glass for weeks, right???

I honestly think the European Union needs to realize that giving people way too much "freedom" can actually backfire on us all
Our doctors are basically acting like skiers right now, and I bet if the hospital numbers start climbing over the next two weeks, we’re going to see the exact same mess happen here as they did in Italy. Seriously, WHO CAN ACTUALLY STOP ME from heading out to work the fields or just swinging by a local diner, or even hitting the coast for some fishing?
It’s honestly such a struggle to follow these guidelines when breaking them could end up costing someone—including you—their health or even their life
But hey, that's how my coworker puts it; until a few more folks end up in a cemetery, people just aren't going to take any of this seriously

Honestly, I thought the movie was pretty alright—nothing to write home about, really—but it’s definitely worth a watch. It feels like they didn't dump a massive budget into this one or even try to make the visuals look as mind-blowing as Interstellar
I couldn't stop thinking about whether that monster at the end is actually edible, just some huge chunk of meat, while billions of people down below are literally starving 😁

Morgan Peterson said:I actually enjoyed it.
It certainly had its merits, and honestly, even if it doesn't tie directly back into the Cloverfield lore, I don't mind the lack of connective tissue. In the original Cloverfield, they were essentially searching for answers by candlelight, so why should this be any different? As a standalone thriller, it wasn't anything groundbreaking, but it worked.
The narrative here actually possesses a sense of progression—a clear beginning, middle, and end. It isn't trying to reinvent the wheel, yet it avoids that tired "been there, done that" feeling; it’s far from boring and manages to throw a few surprises your way. It reminded me most strongly of Event Horizon and Sunshine.
The cast is excellent, even if most of them were relatively unknown to me.
My one grievance—Spoiler:
If I had one complaint, it’s that it could have wrapped up just a few seconds earlier; that jittery, jumping CGI monster was a bit much.

7/10

I'm looking forward to seeing what the future holds—perhaps some Nazis in Cloverfield space? 😁

Zhang Ziyi: Memoirs of a Geisha

Daniel Brühl: The Bourne Ultimatum, The Little Things, Captain America

Elizabeth Debicki: The Great Gatsby, Everest, The man from UNCIT

And the rest are mostly TV actors or voices in video games and cartoons😁

Does the book just dive straight into the chaos like that, or did they actually bother explaining where this whole plague came from? Because honestly, the movie felt like it had a ton of plot holes when it came to the origin story.

redtiger10 said:Is this just another zombie flick??

Yeah, totally
But honestly, it feels way more like 28 Days Later or 28 Weeks Later than those old-school classic zombie movies we're used to seeing.

Samuel Sanders6 said:Defining success is pretty subjective. For me, it’s about hitting those tangible milestones: steady financial growth, owning a decent home, upgrading to a reliable mid-range car every few years, and maybe catching a summer breeze on the Gulf Coast.

Lately, I see everyone trying to measure their own progress by comparing themselves to other countries or entire continents.

Personally, I think that’s a losing game. It’s especially useless for young people to constantly draw comparisons between life here in the States, Western Europe, or—heaven forbid—some idealized version of America.

In this part of the world, success isn't just about what you know; it's about who you know. You need that specific connection, someone in your inner circle, just to get a little nudge when you're trying to make a move.

If you look at the 99% of people who actually launched a small business or landed a high-level career, they almost always had someone pulling strings behind the scenes.

Is it just my skewed perspective, or am I onto something?😁

Don't get me wrong, things might be fantastic elsewhere, but even then, I still feel like the playing field is tilted differently depending on where you stand.

There is absolutely no way we're ever going to see a real shift in mindset, especially regarding that whole boss-versus-employee dynamic we always claim to want from the West.
Based on what you said about how an owner practically has to walk around with a gym bag full of cash just to grease the palms of all those parasites who hand out contracts, it's a mess.

Even in the West, commissions exist, but they’re usually legitimate, documented on an invoice, and sit around 3-10%, where the government takes its tax cut too. Lately, it feels like things are sliding because of bad influences, so people end up dealing in envelopes, but then the heavy hitters in law enforcement step in and directors end up in prison. The difference is that over here, you somehow end up looking like a hero for dodging taxes, while in a functional country, you'd be rotting in a cell for 15 to 30 years.

So, if you actually join some entrepreneurial circle and play by the rules—paying your workers fairly, giving them vacation time, and filing your taxes—you just end up looking like a sucker, because everyone else ignores the rules, faces zero consequences, drives flashy cars, and competes over who can exploit their staff the most.

To wrap it up based on your point, I know very few people who are actually "crushing it" in business without having crossed a line, but compared to the "successful" ones, at least they sleep soundly at night.

Michael Fisher2 said:basically a 'deal with the devil'

Honestly, what kind of absolute circus is American society 🤦

It’s not even about being shady, it’s just basic protection, kind of like how if you're getting sponsored, you sign a prenuptial agreement to make sure the money I earned, my houses, and my cars from before the wedding don't get lumped into the marital assets if things go south and she tries to claim what she thinks is "jointly owned" stuff😉
And look, we’re all going to grow old eventually, and since our Social Security is looking pretty bleak, having something to sell in our golden years is the only way we aren't digging through trash cans for food

Real chaos happens when you've got ten different heirs fighting over a tiny plot of land because someone was too lazy to settle their estate or transfer the title to a single owner while they were still around
I remember trying to buy some property down by the coast and ran into this nightmare where the deed hadn't been updated since 1939, so I had to basically prove that most of the potential heirs were already deceased just to show that the guy I was signing the contract with was actually the sole successor, and I finally talked this 68-year-old man into just fixing everything and putting it under one name

That’s why it’s such a headache, dragging people through various courts and county clerk offices and hunting down old ladies in small towns to act as witnesses just to verify an inheritance, because American society honestly doesn't have enough common sense to leave things organized so that the next generation isn't stuck dealing with a massive legal mess because you didn't get your paperwork sorted while you were alive

silverhawk9 said:Honestly, there is nothing more distasteful to me than people who just sit around waiting for their parents to pass away so they can move into the family estate with their spouse and kids.😵 Look, if you’re single, fine—maybe it makes sense. But once you’ve started a family and gotten married, then just hovering around waiting for your folks to kick the bucket so you can take over the house?🙄 It’s completely baffling to me, and frankly, it feels incredibly irresponsible. After all, parents have every right to sell everything and leave nothing behind; they aren't obligated to pass the torch to you. And don't even get me started on the absolute gutter behavior of dragging families through the courts, contesting wills, and fighting over assets. If I ever found myself in a position where I was suing my own kin over an inheritance, I’d be too embarrassed to show my face in public. If they wanted to leave you something, they would have. Personally, I’m an only child, but I don't spend my time dwelling on it or expecting a windfall. I’m focused on building my own life and acquiring my own things from scratch.

Well, look, since you're an only child, once your parents get older, the whole weight of caring for them falls squarely on your shoulders, and you'll likely inherit whatever they managed to hold onto (unless they were total jerks and left everything to the government, which does happen sometimes).
A buddy of mine actually managed to get both his parents moved into an assisted living facility while they were still relatively sharp. His dad had bone cancer, so things went south pretty fast, and he ended up passing away in the hospital wing of the facility.
His mother dealt with diabetes her entire life, and that was ultimately what got the best of her.
I'm not sure if you realize how much specialized care costs here in the States, but they were paying $3333 every single month for a private facility, and even then, it was actually considered pretty affordable.
Then, once the will was read, this brother of his shows up—a guy who got into a huge fight with his father and my friend like fifteen years ago. He’s basically a total loser, a thug, and a borderline junkie who drifted off somewhere and disappeared, and that's exactly when the drama starts.
The piece of work actually had legal rights to all the properties, but since he hadn't done a damn thing for them, my friend set up a formal support agreement with his parents back when they were alive. It turned into a three-year legal nightmare, and the lawyer actually managed to shut this jerk down by using some loophole regarding unpaid taxes and failure to provide care for his parents. Luckily, the judge had gone through the exact same hell with her own parents, so she ruled in favor of my friend and slapped that guy with all the legal fees, plus the lawyer hit him with a lien for his services.😁
Just imagine how you'd feel if you spent your whole life looking after your folks, only for some absolute parasite—even if they're your own brother or sister—to swoop in and demand a cut after doing absolutely nothing while the law protects them.
My advice? While your parents are still sound in their minds, get them to sign a support agreement that includes access to their assets; that way, you protect yourself in court from all those little leeches and parasites looking to grab a piece of your😉

Go ahead and be a sweetheart if you want, but when it comes to common sense and preventing someone from playing you for a fool, only a complete idiot would let those scammers win.

rowdyviper42 said:Got some inheritance from my grandmother—a mix of property and cash about 14 years ago. I ended up keeping most of the real estate, mostly the coastal ones, while selling off the inland stuff. I used what was left to invest in two different businesses. Looking back, I can say I'm doing pretty well for myself thanks to that. I’m glad I didn't listen to those people preaching about getting rich quick; I'd probably be out on the streets by now.

Look, this "little scheme" you're talking about is basically my old way of trying to strike it rich, unless your definition of getting wealthy involves playing in the same league as those massive corporate fraudsters or the big-time political crooks we see on the news. Honestly, we were sitting way too far away from the high-stakes table when they were dealing out the winning hands, so I guess we just have to make do with the tiny crumbs we've managed to scrape together ourselves.😉

feraljackal2 said:In my great-grandfather's case, it wasn't that he was a bad person—he was simply poor and lacked any land to work. It wasn't until the very end of his life that he managed to clear some rocky terrain and plant olive trees. For most of his life, though, he was a fisherman, so he built his house right on the water—literally designed so he could pull his boat inside to keep it protected. Today, the situation is entirely different; that house and the lot are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. It isn't for sale, though—family ties matter more than paperwork.

P.S. I think I get what the poll question is asking, but man, does it sound harsh? "I inherited this through great effort"—it makes it sound like you poisoned your own mother, father, or sister just to get the money.

I personally took that "through much effort" part to mean spending endless amounts on lawyers just to make sure the rest of your relatives don't screw you over, or maybe that you actually stepped up to take care of the person you inherited from
For example, my brother spent years looking after his mother-in-law, who had never worked a day in her life and was honestly about as pleasant as a demon—if such a thing exists. She got sick, and man, it was brutal; she was impossible to live with, and while she was still lucid, she refused to go into an assisted living facility. Between all the chaos with the kids, the mortgage, and everyone playing nurse because she ended up with bone cancer and couldn't move, it was a total nightmare
In the end, they had to take her to the hospital where she finally passed away
Now that he’s sold her condo and the old house where his wife grew up—which is basically a construction site now—it turns out that nasty woman left a will stating they can only inherit and sell everything after her death, so compared to two years of absolute mental torture, they basically got nothing for their trouble

velvetfalcon44 said:Look, on one hand, this whole inheritance thing is just plain stupid—once these heirs get their hands on a windfall, they lose all drive to actually do anything with their lives...
Honestly, the best move would be to kick them out once they hit 18 and let them figure things out on their own, while the older generation stays focused on liquidating everything until the very end.
The way we operate, we’ve basically raised a nation of slackers who have zero clue what to do with inherited real estate because they never worked for it—they never actually developed an entrepreneurial bone in their bodies.
The absolute peak of this nonsense is watching people try to flip property to some foreign investor who rolls in with a suitcase full of cash, begging for a deal, only for the owner to demand millions in return.
It keeps the whole country stuck in place because everyone is too tied down by these properties they didn't earn.
A lot of them end up single or just failing at life because they lack any real ambition—they were handed everything on a silver platter and they're just coasting, so why bother with marriage or building a future? They get way too picky.
That inheritance is a blessing and a curse all rolled into one.
That's why it's way better to start from nothing and build your own empire if you can—it tastes much sweeter, even if it's a massive uphill battle in this broken-down version of America we live in, though it actually works in more functional countries.
You can't exactly marry someone just for their money and expect to walk in with an equal split from day one. If parents aren't willing to help you out while they're still around, then you don't need it after they're gone—or right before they pass—because if they weren't thinking about helping you during their lifetime, they're really just passing the burden onto you later on.

I used to live and work in Germany, and man, that system works so smoothly because most people find a job right after high school or trade school and apply for public housing, since about 80% of Germans live in state-provided apartments.
And the tax system is pretty interesting too; the government taxes almost everything, like if you're single, they absolutely skin you alive, but the second you get married, those taxes drop, and if you have kids, they lower them even more and might even give you a bigger apartment or a little extra cash boost. My neighbor in Munich had twins and the local social services hooked her up with diapers, food, a nursery setup, and some extra money, and I've even heard about these tax holidays where you don't pay for three years or something like that.
Basically, they offer direct incentives instead of just empty campaign promises, which allows young people to move out of their parents' places early, unlike here where if you're still at home at 35, you're basically stuck because the comfort zone is just too damn big.😉

Drew Gonzalez12 said:Back home in the States, everything was settled for me once I hit my eighteenth birthday. I ended up inheriting two apartments within our family home, along with about 8,000 square feet of land, which I suppose is decent, though I can't say I'm exactly thrilled about it. I am just incredibly grateful that it’s located on the California coast, just a stone's throw from the ocean, rather than being tucked away somewhere deep in the Midwest.

Everything I have came down through my father's side. My mother didn't leave much behind, of course—she grew up in the Midwest with five siblings, and they all have to share a single house. To be honest, I don't lose much sleep over that house; at this point, my little patch of land near the coast feels far more valuable than any property out in the heartland.🤣

That is why I always tell people you should marry someone from the coast; those girls from the interior rarely come with any assets to speak of.🤣

It varies, but even if you spend two months working by the ocean and make a decent profit, I wouldn't bet on being able to survive the rest of the year on what you pull in during those two months.

Zachary Collins2 said:Nancy Howard4, an old colleague of mine used to have a way of putting things regarding this topic: you're considered wealthy if your ancestor was...

well, in your case it's an ancestor, but I suppose that's really all there is to it 😉

Back in the day when grandfathers and great-grandfathers were hauling gravel that they basically dug up by hand and hauled away with horses, hardly anyone around here could brag about having eight heavy-duty workhorses in the stable and farming maybe 25 acres of their own land while picking up extra cash plowing fields for neighbors—that was all before World War II.
Then the government stepped in and seized some of the land, but they didn't actually build anything useful on it, so we just kept working it since the local authorities around New York City didn't really bother with those kinds of small details.
And once the US was formed, we easily got all that land back, and honestly, during the 90s, none of it was worth a dime until the city started expanding and all that new construction kicked off.
The real heavy hitters were out in the outskirts near the industrial zones, and by the way, that massive arena downtown was built right on a plot owned by my wedding best man, and nothing would grow there except during floods, so people used to joke that they should just start growing rice instead.
Nowadays, people live off interest from those deals, and I actually know the guy who owned the land where the Mall of America stands; the mayor tried to play middleman during the sale to pocket a commission, but the guy totally shut him down and cut a deal directly with the buyers. It was the same situation with the city trying to bid on the site because the mayor wanted to take city funds, buy the land, flip it to investors, put the money back in the treasury, and pocket the difference for himself—that happened with pretty much every major plot in New York City.
But anyway, that's a whole different conversation.

I honestly feel like I owe my ancestor a massive thank you every single year because all he ever did was pour his earnings into buying up land that wasn't worth much at the time. Between 2000 and 2010, the value of that property just exploded from maybe $30 a square foot—since most of it eventually got rezoned for development—to an insane $350 per square foot. Of course, getting paid was always a huge headache since those construction companies would try to haggle you down constantly; they’d basically demand compensation because if you were selling, say, 10,000 square feet at $300 a pop, that's $3 million on the table, which is a massive sum they didn't actually have sitting in the bank. They figured they could just build some cheap apartment complex and try to sweeten the deal by throwing in some commercial space or a few condos, but you'd never actually see the actual cash
Once we finally subdivided the parcels, things got way smoother because the guy would just finish a building on the other side of town, grab his profit, and then circle back to pay me for the next phase of construction
Everything ran pretty smoothly until the whole "crash" hit

I’ve got an even better example from a coworker of mine who’s from out by the coast in Palm Springs; apparently, his old man was considered the "bad son" because he ended up with this worthless stretch of beachfront land where nothing would grow, while his uncle got the prime land 6.2 miles closer to the water that was perfect for farming, back when tourism wasn't even a real career path yet
So now, the "bad son" is living large off interest and rent from about 30 vacation rentals, while the "good son" is still out there breaking his back working in a vineyard
Sometimes, being the "bad" one really pays off😁

Grabbed the torrent yesterday and everything went super smooth

As for the movie itself, I thought it was pretty solid, though the subtitles haven't been uploaded yet, so trying to parse that thick African accent they're using is a bit of a struggle😁

I wonder what kind of jet they should actually feature in the movie—maybe swap out the F-14 Tomcat for an F-35??? Then again, they probably haven't even figured out why those engines keep stalling or why the flight computers keep glitching out everywhere😁

Honestly, I don't see the point in making another Top Gun when you could just make a hundred different movies about Apache helicopter pilots over Iraq or Afghanistan instead

It just goes to show that things don't have to be made right here in the States to be absolutely stellar

Les Chevaliers du Ciel


Personally, I think this is one of their better promo trailers🙏

First aid is everything🙏
When you realize they spent that much on the movie for such little money, it's just wild. If they had actually bothered to make it follow the book—which is easily a hundred times better than the film itself—maybe then they could have justified wasting all that cash