Category: Reviews, Tips and Tricks
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(Eventual) Well Tank Replacement: How I May Have Ignored an Obvious Problem for Years
January 9, 2026 The Signs I Missed Looking back, I think the well tank bladder had been broken since at least summer 2024. It might have been failing for a year or two before that. What I was noticing: the water pressure would drop a little, then go back up when the pump kicked in.…
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When GPS Dog Fencing Becomes Psychological Warfare: A $600 Lesson in Canine Trauma
PetSafe Guardian GPS Connected Customizable Fence Review – Or: How I Accidentally Taught My Dog to Fear the Outdoors Rating: 2/5 StarsPurchased: September 18, 2023Price: $600Duration of Use: 2-3 months before abandoning in defeat Let me tell you about the time I spent $600 to give my dog an anxiety disorder. Hobbes is our bernedoodle…
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Pella Architect Series Windows: The Review I Should Have Posted 14 Years Ago
Why I Will Never Buy Pella Windows Again Product: Pella Architect Series Double-Hung Windows Specification: Double pane, E-glass coating, wood interior, primed Installation: 2009-2010 Review Date: January 2026 (15+ years of use) Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ (1/5 stars – and that’s generous) Note: I should have written this review 14 years ago. Maybe I could have saved…
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450′ Gravel Driveway: A 15-Year Journey of Expensive Mistakes
Plus an Ariens Sno-Thro 926053 Hydro Pro 28 Review The last few days of snow and clearing the driveway stirred up this memory… We built our new old house back in 2009 and, in what seemed like a great idea at the time, set it at the back edge of a small hay field. This…
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This New Old House Part 1: The Impossible House Hunt
Or: How We Learned That “Fully Renovated” Means “We Painted Over the Problems” Late 2007 – Early 2008 My wife Jennifer and I had been living in NYC apartments for years—the kind where you develop an intimate relationship with your neighbors’ arguments and learn to sleep through sirens like they’re lullabies. We were ready for…
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Big Tech Is Making Everything Harder on Purpose
(And Why I’m Too Stupid to Figure It Out) It has always amazed me how complex Big Tech has become and how poor their UI and UX are, given how much money they make. A simple task can take hours to slog through if you aren’t an IT person and only update certain things occasionally.…
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The Gable Epidemic: A Plea to Modern Home Designers
What is going on with all the gables being added to homes over the last 10 years? Seriously, are there tax breaks for the more gables you have that I don’t know about? Or have architects and builders just gotten too lazy to figure out a coherent design plan? The logic seems to be: Design…
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Tub Resurfacing: Many Mistakes Were Made.
Mistakes were made. Back in 2009, when we were building our house, we decided we were going to do The Right Thing™: reclaimed bathroom fixtures for two of our three bathrooms. Reuse. Character. History. Surely the planet would send us a handwritten thank-you note. Except for the toilets. Those had to be modern low-flush versions, because…
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The Quest for the Perfect Work/Chore/Casual Pants (Or: Why Can’t Someone Just Make What I Want?)
So here’s what I’m looking for: 100% cotton blue/grey chinos that can handle actual work. Not asking for much, right? Wrong. What I like to wear and find the most practical are 100% cotton chinos in blue/grey. Banana Republic and Gap have a good grey color that’s close to what I want. The BR pants…
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The Quest for the Perfect Hoodie (Spoiler: It’s Harder Than You Think)
Look, I know what you’re thinking. “It’s just a hoodie. How complicated can this be?” Well, friend, let me tell you about my very specific requirements and the surprisingly difficult journey they’ve taken me on. Here’s what I need: heavy weight and 100% cotton. That’s it. Two things. But apparently, in the year 2025, finding…
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The Versatile Waterproof Sneaker Every Sports Parent Needs
If you’re like me, you have very reasonable requirements for footwear: keep my feet dry when it’s below 60°F, survive the muddy gauntlet of youth sports sidelines, and maybe—just maybe—let me do something vaguely athletic while my kids are warming up. Is that too much to ask? Apparently, yes. Yes it is. The Waterproof Sneaker…
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The “Finished” Drain Board: A Concrete Countertop Reality Check
Let me start with the truth: I finally “finished” my concrete countertop drain board refurbish, and it’s blotchy as hell. But here’s the thing—the shape is perfect. It looks exactly like a drain board should look. It’s just that after all the layers, all the different materials, and all my well-intentioned repair attempts, it’s ended…
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Tesla Finally Fixed the Auto Headlight Issue, Sort of…
Tesla Finally Fixed the Auto Headlight Issue, Sort of… In which I discover that even smart cars can have stupid issues – both with their drivers and their own dashboard. The Mysterious Case of the Missing Green Light Somewhere around March (I think), I noticed something odd with my Tesla’s high beam indicator. The blue…
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The Great Concrete Drain Board Debacle: A DIY Odyssey
When a simple countertop repair turns into a three-week saga involving four molds, toe-damaging weights, and enough failed attempts to question your life choices. The Origin Story: DIY Concrete Counters Circa 2010 Back in 2010, when YouTube had DIY videos but nothing like today’s endless stream of concrete countertop influencers, my wife and I decided…
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What’s the Future of EVs/ICE? Why Aren’t We Talking About Onboard Generators?
Is this just me, or does going entirely EV seem short-sighted? (coming from an EV owner) And I’m not talking about the usual ICE vs. EV debate here. I’d say “can’t we all just get along,” but with the complexity of internal combustion engines and everything that comes with that complexity, ICE just feels very…
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My C and D Pillar Design Rules: Why Car Pillars Can Drive Me Crazy
This post started with my long, odd obsession (for an American, anyway) with station wagons. Why they got such a bad rap in the US, I’m not really sure. I don’t think they were ever considered cool, even before National Lampoon’s Family Vacation sealed their fate as the ultimate uncool family hauler. The Europeans figured…
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Does the Perfect Raincoat Exist?
Welcome to another installment of “things most people probably don’t overthink but I absolutely do.” Today’s obsession: staying dry when it’s raining out. Some of my most miserable times have been when I’ve gotten soaked and been extremely cold. The two combined are the worst for me—part of why I really dislike cold water swimming.…
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Red Wing Boots: My Go-To Brand (With Some Constructive Criticism)
Let me be clear upfront: I’m a Red Wing fan. But like any long relationship with a brand, it’s complicated. I’ve been through multiple pairs of Red Wings over the years, and while they’ve never let me down completely, they haven’t quite given me everything I need either. Consider this my honest assessment with a…
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Tesla Confusion: An Honest Review
I’m a little confused by the over-exuberant Tesla love and all the raves about the technology. I. just. don’t. get. it. Don’t get me wrong—I’ve had my 2023 7-seat Long Range Model Y for about seven months now, and there are definitely some good things about it. Some are even great! But my list of…
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The Great Chore Boot Hunt: Finding Footwear That Actually Works
Let’s talk about chore boots – those unsung heroes of real life. You know, the boots that get you through morning chicken feeding, midnight dog emergencies, and that delightful moment when you realize the basement is flooding. Again. If you live somewhere that actually has winter (sorry, Florida), regular rubber boots just won’t cut it.…
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The Perfect Chore Coat: A Personal Journey
The search for the perfect chore coat has taken me far and wide, all stemming from my love affair with my first Carhartt C01 Chore Coat purchased at Dave’s on 6th Avenue in NYC back in the mid-90s when I first moved to the city. Love at Second Sight I wasn’t immediately…
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Wildlife 1, Mobile Connector 0: Something decided my charging cable was a snack
Just discovered this lovely surprise today – something decided my mobile connector cable looked like a tasty treat. Woke up to find it chewed through with the wires exposed. Not sure if it was a squirrel, rat, rabbit, or some other critter with a taste for expensive EV accessories. Anyone else had wildlife go after…
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2023 Tesla Model Y: What I’ve Added So Far (a.k.a. The Tesla Tax)
After bringing home my Tesla Model Y 7-seater, I quickly realized something every Tesla owner discovers: this is just the beginning of your spending journey. Unlike traditional vehicles that come fully equipped, Teslas seem to require a slew of aftermarket accessories to reach their full potential. Here’s my experience with the “Tesla tax” –…
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The Dryer Saga: My Electrolux Gas Dryer vs. Physics, Common Sense, and My Old LG
When You’re Forced Into A Matching Set Let’s talk about being backed into an appliance corner. With limited laundry room space, we needed to stack our washer and dryer. And because stacking kits apparently cannot be universal (heaven forbid!), we were forced to get an Electrolux dryer to match our new washer. Enter the Electrolux…
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Follow Me Tandem: The Ultimate Family Cycling Solution
Beyond great Woom kids’ bikes, the best thing I purchased for riding with young children was the Follow Me Tandem Bike trailer. This has to be the best bike accessory ever invented for family cycling! The genius of the @FollowMeTandem system is that your child can ride solo until they get tired, and then you…
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Woom Bikes: The Ultimate Kids Bike Brand
When I was looking to get our kids bikes to get them started riding, I did a lot of research. I found that training wheels were a bad idea and that a balance bike was the way to start them off. After a balance bike, the most important thing was weight and the ergonomics that…
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Did Tesla’s “Fixes” Break My Lights?
Tesla’s latest update supposedly fixed the automatic light adjustment… except now mine seems completely broken? The release notes claimed this was fixed? It wouldn’t be so frustrating if they put actual physical controls in the vehicle for when something breaks, but everything is engineered with the assumption things will “just work” – which happens few…
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Tesla Model Y LR 7-Seat: The Four-Month Reality Check
Tesla Model Y LR 7-Seat: The Four-Month Reality Check After four months and about 6,000 miles with my first EV—a used 2023 7-seat Model Y Long Range with acceleration boost—I’m ready to share my unfiltered thoughts. Surprisingly, despite the cons I’m about to list, I’d probably still make the same decision today—though not without some…
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How We Came To Purchase A Tesla Model Y LR 7-Seater
The Search Begins I had a 2019 Honda Ridgeline which I really liked, but we decided we needed something with a 3rd row so we could transport occasional extra kids or take one vehicle when going out with the grandparents. With two boys (12 and 11), we started looking at hybrid models as our first…
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Protect Your Tesla with Elongplant Stickers: A Humorous Defense Strategy
In recent months, Tesla owners across the country have reported an unfortunate trend: vehicles being vandalized seemingly based on opinions about the company’s controversial CEO. These incidents have left many Tesla drivers looking for ways to protect their investments while maintaining their sense of humor. The Tesla Owner’s Dilemma Let’s be honest—most Tesla owners didn’t…
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The Great Tween Phone Battle: A Parent’s Journey Through Screen Time Hell
Or: How I Became a Digital Detective in the War Against YouTube. Let’s be honest—peer pressure around getting phones for kids, tweens, and teens is absolutely intense. If your child already struggles to fit in, not having a device can make them feel even worse. But here’s the cruel irony: giving them a device might…
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The Great Washer Swap: Electrolux vs. Our Old LG
The Hunt for a Second-Floor-Friendly Washer Look, I’ll be honest—I had Electrolux earmarked as our next washer practically since we bought our LG back in 2010. Why? Because our LG, while generally reliable, shook our entire house like we were experiencing a minor earthquake whenever it hit the spin cycle. When you’ve got laundry on…
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A Family Learning to Snowboard. What Could Go Wrong?
I spent a good part of my teenage and college winters going skiing and had always wanted to share that with our kids. But here’s the thing: skiing (or snowboarding) is now REALLY expensive. Rentals, helmets, tickets, clothing—it adds up to more than $1,000 for a family of four. All for an outing that our…
Even that's Odd 