Corn! Wait, no, still hate it.

Yeah most of my family are in the southeast portion of my state and I know most, if not all voted for Trump. While there’s a good degree of separation (its a 6-8 hour drive to visit with kiddos in tow) we were all much closer when I was young and its difficult to wrangle with that.

I know for Thanksgiving some of the family comes up to visit and thankfully we never have politics come up. So no crazy uncle ranting and raving or anything like that. But with my dad just having a transplant recently and a lot of them being anti-vaxx, my parent haven’t been able to go visit their siblings and cousins. Not sure if anyone will be able to come up thanks to their views.

Yeah, I’m not part of any of the demographics that are gonna get hit hard, except for the financial bits, that I’ll probably be screwed on since I’m not making 6+ figures, though I am over the median income in my area.

But just thinking and remembering how chaotic the first term was, and realizing that he’s gonna have sycophants and a freaking playbook, I had to take the day off.

I was one of those people that was thinking at how great all those states were in enshrining abortion access in their state constitutions, but then frickin voting for the people that will very likely enact a national ban. Then remembering that my wife and i are trying for a girl and that if the ban happens during that she could end up like the other stories of women (already mothers or looking forward to being one) dying from infections and/or sepsis because docs wouldn’t treat them. We’ve already gone through losing a pregnancy, she bled for a week and a half, but luckily nothing extra needed done. Who knows what could happen we go through that again.

Then these folks are also typically against renewables, the area i work in. My team is fighting for extra help and our company has benefited and expanded greatly thanks to the IRA. Red team thinks solar/wind = green new deal = IRA = BAD so Im anticipating that affecting many aspects of my workplace. Of course our CEO sent out a letter stating they are “looking forward” to working with Trump and team…….right.

When I got back to work my lead was asking me how i was doing, he pretty much pooh pooh’d my concerns away saying its not gonna be that bad and people were making mountains out of mole hills pretty much. This dude is ex-military. Trumps comments alone on folks that served should have been enough alone to discredit him. Guess what else is probably gonna get hit hard? The VA that my lead uses. He’s also on disability and pretty much gets what i make a month alone on top of his salary. Very much a Joe Rogan/Ticker Carlson “just asking questions” type.

All I can think is that bo matter the general subject, its gonna get very much worse for the next 4+ years. And hopefully I’ll still have my wife around if we continue trying.

I went from an 08’ VW Rabbit to a '21 VW id.4 a few months ago. Got the $4k tax rebate passed onto the dealer to bring my price down to $19k [~$21k after taxes/fees], it’s the AWD Pro S, and doesn’t have the Gradient Package [some silvery exterior bits and slightly larger wheels]. I love the car, my family loves the car. The only nitpick I reaaaaaally have and that most people have for the VW evs is the damn driver side window switches lol. You get 2 and have to tap a touch sensitive bit to switch it to the back. Makes no sense. The steering wheel touch inputs for cruise control and media are another controversial choice, but I’ve gotten used to it.

As far as an EV in general goes. Like most have said, check out the charging network you have where you are and where you plan to be. I’ve only done one road trip in my id.4 [from buying it in Chicagoland and bringing it home] and while the range was “OK” [about 150 highway miles per charge], since I was along a string of L3s along the turnpike, I wasn’t worried about making it to a charger. My immediate area had a couple of L3s, but now there’s probably about double/triple around me now that’s opened in the few months I’ve had my car.

That being said, my circumstance have the car as mostly a commuter, so I tend to last on a charge all week, and then L1 charge it Sun-Tues morning to start all over. Any around town stuff during charging time doesn’t really make a dent since it’s all within a few miles of my home. I also am able to charge at work for free, though sometimes spots get filled. Initially I was thinking about getting a L2 EVSE, but between home and work, I don’t really feel the need for one. I’d also need one with a good 50’ cord since I park in front of my house, otherwise wife and I would have to re-arrange the cars whenever I wanted to charge.

That being said, if stuff happens and we do go up to my sisters about 40 miles away or something happens to where I do need to charge at a L3, the price per “tank” has been about $15 and taken 20-ish minutes. Most of the time I’m watching a few youtube videos, or going in for a restroom break and by the time i get back the car’s about ready.

My car, and I think most EVs nowadays will have a setting limiting the charge to 80% to help with keeping the battery healthy. If I’m not using air conditioning at 80% my estimated range is about 190-200 miles, if it’s hot and I’m using AC, it’ll go down to 185ish. First upcoming winter, so I’ll get to see how much my car is impacted. I don’t usually worry about range. I did at first because I had a couple of close calls about charging stations not being available while doing some longish trips back and forth, but I think in general my immediate and surrounding areas that I might frequent have gotten more stations recently.

OH. Insurance for me wasn’t much more than what I was already paying, but registration in my state tacks on another $200 dollars a year, presumably since having an EV you’re not paying into the gas tax. Some states don’t have EV fees, some do. So might want to check that. My co-worker just found out about that and wasn’t happy lol.

Inb4 Patriot Glocks or AR14s….I wouldn’t be surprised if someone else already has tapped that market though.

Annnd saved lol. I think my car would pick it up as a media device….maybe?

Do they make USB C CD players? I’d unironically use that with the linkin park re-issue albums and the upcoming new one lol

I mean, freeing up money from the payments I could see having the effect if allowing states to bring in more from sales taxes for stuff that folks could then afford to buy, or property taxes maybe for better housing.

For Doma!

Most of the ads we see on our Roku Tv are political. I don’t know about Temu’s but I’d rather get non-political ads.

Its working as intended for me. Hence, I’m here.

While I can’t say I have a large yard. My 80v Greenworks system can do the job 90% of the time on 1 battery (I have 2). When it can’t from being lazy and not mowing as often as I should have or it was especially rainy, I can swap the batteries in moments and the battery charges within 20 or so minutes. By then I am done or using the battery from the mower in the leaf blower or weed whacker.

I would imagine if I had a larger yard I would go with a third in the event of having longer grass to cut and would have a battery charged, battery charging, and one in use.

I would not trade my yard system with a gas one for any amount of money. If i do anything it’d be to hire someone that uses electric (quieter!) to mow and edge and all that jazz. Or use a Fiskars reel mower.

Oh yea. I drive an ID.4. Suck it gas stations trolololol.

Reminds me of the toast character from Gumball lol.

Came to me crying saying “sir….”

God I hate I private insurance.

This isn’t the meme where mist of the guard have gone to fight “over there” and so left like two guards for the place is it? Be funny if it was.