How is everyone doing?

[LiveFromUkraine]

I see a lot of the gang is still posting.  That is awesome.  I just went through some posts and I have to admit I missed the conversations with dashes of craziness. 


I hope you all and your families are great. 


Me?  I ended up turning off all social media and most forums after I left here.  I needed to step away from everything and turn off the noise.


While I don't do much on forums or social media, I haven't been able to shake my love for travel stories and videos.  Speaking of which, I started getting caught up on Maxx's Georgia adventure and enjoyed the read.  Thanks for sharing Maxx.

[GQBlues]

I see a lot of the gang is still posting.  That is awesome.  I just went through some posts and I have to admit I missed the conversations with dashes of craziness. 

I hope you all and your families are great. 

Me?  I ended up turning off all social media and most forums after I left here.  I needed to step away from everything and turn off the noise.

While I don't do much on forums or social media, I haven't been able to shake my love for travel stories and videos.  Speaking of which, I started getting caught up on Maxx's Georgia adventure and enjoyed the read.  Thanks for sharing Maxx.

 

EVERYONE! HEAD FOR THE HILLS!

[fathertime]

Glad you are doing good old man.  Things here in California have been exceptionally good on all fronts, but I have gotten older, grayer, but not balder.  Aside from politics here, there isn't much time for social media in my activities.   

Fathertime! 

[LiveFromUkraine]

Glad you are doing good old man.  Things here in California have been exceptionally good on all fronts, but I have gotten older, grayer, but not balder.  Aside from politics here, there isn't much time for social media in my activities.   

Fathertime!

Fantastic FT.  I was hoping you were still around keeping these guys on their toes.  Still bald myself and the stubble is definitely more grey.  Any wrinkles and grey hair is a badge of honor at this point. 


Have you made any trips back to Colombia for visits?  I haven't checked out the other site on how things were going in that part of the world.

[fathertime]

Have you made any trips back to Colombia for visits?  I haven't checked out the other site on how things were going in that part of the world.

I'm making hay while the sun shines, and haven't been back to Colombia for a couple years, although I bought a house in Barranquilla, mainly as security for my wife/son.  Have you done any travelling?

Fathertime!   

[LiveFromUkraine]

I'm making hay while the sun shines, and haven't been back to Colombia for a couple years, although I bought a house in Barranquilla, mainly as security for my wife/son.  Have you done any travelling?

Fathertime!

Yeah, sounds like a good idea.  Who knows when the next recession hits.   


Nah, I haven't had the opportunity to travel.  I've been trying to help out family since many are getting towards the 70+ range.    That and working on software releases for my software company.  I am hoping things will slow down after this year but then the economy will probably tank.  haha 

[BillyB]

I hope you all and your families are great. 

Good to see you back LFU. My wife and I are doing great. I don't post anymore photos or talk about our life for a good reason. If I mention the reason, this post will get deleted.

[LiveFromUkraine]

Good to see you back LFU. My wife and I are doing great. I don't post anymore photos or talk about our life for a good reason. If I mention the reason, this post will get deleted.

Hey Billy...  I'm really glad to hear you and the missus are doing great.  It's too bad we can't post more about our lives without worrying about people doing nefarious things.   I like to watch travel vlogs, on Youtube, and many of them had to stop sharing as much as they did because people were calling up where they were staying or contacting people they were dating and trying to interfere. 


Anyway, it would have been interesting to hear more about how your wife had transitioned to the US over the years.  I totally understand not being able to share. 

[LiveFromUkraine]

EVERYONE! HEAD FOR THE HILLS!

haha   You're like a ninja.  Your posts appear out of nowhere. 

[GQBlues]

Glad you are doing good old man.  Things here in California have been exceptionally good on all fronts, but I have gotten older, grayer, but not balder.  Aside from politics here, there isn't much time for social media in my activities.   

Fathertime!

Holy Molly FT!?!? Which 'front'? Hell, which 'California'?

10 of the dirtiest beaches in California were recorded, recent 'Heal the Bay' study showed. They were graded from 'C' - 'F'. The water along the coastal stretch are filled with septic dump bacteria far below health standards as a result of out-of-control hundreds of thousands of homeless people that are growing in number everyday!!! They are defecating on surface streets that are washed directly unto storm drainage that in turn washes directly to our beach outlets.

You literally have small cities' septic system going straight into the ocean water. Hepatitis, typhoid, etc..are out there along our coastal beaches happily swimming along folks who actually believe that all fronts in California are just dandy! Hahah!

To make that even worse, Gavin declared the entire state sanctuary state, and added more financial burden when our state and local governments couldn't handle the homelessness problems as it is.

Oh yeah, my bad. Just remembered. You guys voted a ballot to allow the state to tax us even more whenever they feel like it. Forgot about that. Sorry.

[I/O]

I hope you all and your families are great.

Entering the 13th year stuck with this Russian woman and  4 kids - I should receive the Nobel peace prize and an award for staying out of various mental institutions...

[msmob]

Holy Molly FT!?!? Which 'front'? Hell, which 'California'?

10 of the dirtiest beaches in California were recorded, recent 'Heal the Bay' study showed. They were graded from 'C' - 'F'. The water along the coastal stretch are filled with septic dump bacteria far below health standards as a result of out-of-control hundreds of thousands of homeless people that are growing in number everyday!!! They are defecating on surface streets that are washed directly unto storm drainage that in turn washes directly to our beach outlets.

You literally have small cities' septic system going straight into the ocean water. Hepatitis, typhoid, etc..are out there along our coastal beaches happily swimming along folks who actually believe that all fronts in California are just dandy! Hahah!

To make that even worse, Gavin declared the entire state sanctuary state, and added more financial burden when our state and local governments couldn't handle the homelessness problems as it is.

Oh yeah, my bad. Just remembered. You guys voted a ballot to allow the state to tax us even more whenever they feel like it. Forgot about that. Sorry.

May be this is the report GQB is referring to?..

Could anyone find homeless people being the 'factor'?


http://healthebay.org/beach-report-card-nowcast-2019/

Load the page ..'press ctrl f'..type in 'homeless'.. should you doubt my questioing the veracity of GQB's 'rant' ..

[fathertime]

Holy Molly FT!?!? Which 'front'? Hell, which 'California'?

10 of the dirtiest beaches in California were recorded, recent 'Heal the Bay' study showed. They were graded from 'C' - 'F'. The water along the coastal stretch are filled with septic dump bacteria far below health standards as a result of out-of-control hundreds of thousands of homeless people that are growing in number everyday!!! They are defecating on surface streets that are washed directly unto storm drainage that in turn washes directly to our beach outlets.

You literally have small cities' septic system going straight into the ocean water. Hepatitis, typhoid, etc..are out there along our coastal beaches happily swimming along folks who actually believe that all fronts in California are just dandy! Hahah!

To make that even worse, Gavin declared the entire state sanctuary state, and added more financial burden when our state and local governments couldn't handle the homelessness problems as it is.

Oh yeah, my bad. Just remembered. You guys voted a ballot to allow the state to tax us even more whenever they feel like it. Forgot about that. Sorry.

Hehe, I recall when I criticized US policy (Instead of California) I was told to leave the country! 

From my perspective things are going just fine in good old California...not perfect so people can pick out problems...but overall life here is good.  One issue I'd like to see managed better is the growing homeless population.  I think a lot of it is homegrown, and some of it is people migrating from other states.  I have a friend and former baseball teammate from teenage years who I see on the streets from time to time, he is drug addled and looming nuisance to society in his current state. He chooses to live like this, so there is really no helping him because there is no helping somebody who won't help himself.

Fathertime!   
 

[LiveFromUkraine]

Entering the 13th year stuck with this Russian woman and  4 kids - I should receive the Nobel peace prize and an award for staying out of various mental institutions...

haha  A better man than I.  I'm not surprised, IO.  You were one of the guys I made sure to read when you posted.  My parents are hitting their 70's now and they still drive each other crazy.  Something to look forward to.   

[LiveFromUkraine]

Hehe, I recall when I criticized US policy (Instead of California) I was told to leave the country! 

From my perspective things are going just fine in good old California...not perfect so people can pick out problems...but overall life here is good.  One issue I'd like to see managed better is the growing homeless population.  I think a lot of it is homegrown, and some of it is people migrating from other states.  I have a friend and former baseball teammate from teenage years who I see on the streets from time to time, he is drug addled and looming nuisance to society in his current state. He chooses to live like this, so there is really no helping him because there is no helping somebody who won't help himself.

Fathertime!   
 

I've seen a lot of video and images on the homelessness and drug problem there.  People shooting up in train stations and needles everywhere.   Right out in the open where parents are walking their kids.  I find it crazy how that isn't a priority like outlawing plastic straws or using natural gas. 

There is even a poop sighting app for San Fran.  haha  No need for bathrooms when you can drop trousers anywhere you want. 

Florida also seems to get their share of crazies.  Almost every weird story I read seems to be in Florida. 

Is there still a exodus to Nevada and Arizona?  I've been reading Nevada real estate is nuts because of Californians selling their homes and buying there.

[GQBlues]

Hehe, I recall when I criticized US policy (Instead of California) I was told to leave the country! 

From my perspective things are going just fine in good old California...not perfect so people can pick out problems...but overall life here is good.  One issue I'd like to see managed better is the growing homeless population.  I think a lot of it is homegrown, and some of it is people migrating from other states.  I have a friend and former baseball teammate from teenage years who I see on the streets from time to time, he is drug addled and looming nuisance to society in his current state. He chooses to live like this, so there is really no helping him because there is no helping somebody who won't help himself.

Fathertime!   

Homeless people is a massive problem, and the single biggest cause of that is ACLU. They even recently sued the city of Laguna Beach and won when they city previously banned homeless people from putting tents within their city limit.

Metro-LA's explosion of homelessness is the perfect example of this compounding problem. The City gets sued anytime they try to regulate, manage skidrow. You just can't touch these folks, not them, not their belongings. You can't even usher them to shelters/missions or whatever.

I grew up in Santa Monica/Marina Del Rey and between these two areas is Venice Beach. Even back in HS, I ca remember hordes of them already prevalent from the beaches, along Ocean all the way to the 405. It's worse today than back then. And will only get even crazier. San Francisco, Sacramento, San Diego and all points in between and beyond.

They blame this on housing being so high, now equate that to the state being declared sanctuary state. We already have, and are continuing to add more everyday, millions of illegal aliens.

But I'm glad you still have the affinity for good ol' Kali. California I used to know resides deep in my heart, too man. Its' become a perfect example of what a place looks like when fully governed by liberals.

[LiveFromUkraine]

They blame this on housing being so high, now equate that to the state being declared sanctuary state. We already have, and are continuing to add more everyday, millions of illegal aliens.

I thought the housing was crazy because the new building projects end up getting shut down.  There was an article showing a half burned down house auctioning off for like a million.   Blows my mind how the middle class can even survive there.  There is a lot of talk about income equality but you never hear anything about living expenses in places like California.  Sounds like a lot of stress just to survive there.

[GQBlues]

I thought the housing was crazy because the new building projects end up getting shut down.  There was an article showing a half burned down house auctioning off for like a million.   Blows my mind how the middle class can even survive there.  There is a lot of talk about income equality but you never hear anything about living expenses in places like California.  Sounds like a lot of stress just to survive there.

Generally, wages are in fact in line with the living standards, at least here in LA. I won't speak for the lower rung of our society, but there are numerous social programs for these folks to serve par for the their standard of living.

The biggest stressor in our town at this time is 'traffic'. Bar none. It's way too crowded right now for the current infrastructure. MTA had long been engaged tunneling below our surface areas to create avenues for additional thoroughfare. Unless the freeways gets retrofitted and renovated for double deckers - it's just not plausible to widen existing serving lanes on these freeways.

I'm not sure if you were referring to the apartment building along Harbor Freeway that burned down in the middle of construction, if so, that was actually owned by a client of mine. They've put up a few apartment, mixed-use buildings in DTLA. I think average rental rate for their units are anywhere from $3-4,500.00/MO. You'll lietrally be less than 2 miles from skidrow.

Yeah, I checked out that 'poop' app for Frisco. Every morning they water down feces on their sidewalks unto those storm drain everywhere in the city. The ends of these storm drain system does not hook up at the same point as the sewage system, where that is taken to sewage treatment plants before getting dumped in the ocean. The SD lines goes directly out to estuaries and outlets along the coastline. Iolani, a member who came by not too long ago to say hello, tells me he's sick and tired of all these homelessness there, too. Feces, syringes, etc..littered everywhere.

In LA, here's a nice little consequence of homeless people unabated.  http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2019/07/16/la-rats-rodents-california-health-emergency/

Thank the liberals and ACLU for that.

[LiveFromUkraine]

I'm not sure if you were referring to the apartment building along Harbor Freeway that burned down in the middle of construction, if so, that was actually owned by a client of mine. They've put up a few apartment, mixed-use buildings in DTLA. I think average rental rate for their units are anywhere from $3-4,500.00/MO. You'll lietrally be less than 2 miles from skidrow.

I wasn't referring to anything specific.  I just read that many building projects, which would also involve houses, were closed down due to the environmentalists.   No new housing creating the higher prices for what is already there.

Crazy to think San Fran is one of the richest cities in the world and you have to worry about poop and syringes while walking the streets.   Instead of fixing the problems they create an app so you don't have to see them.  lol

[GQBlues]

I wasn't referring to anything specific.  I just read that many building projects, which would also involve houses, were closed down due to the environmentalists.   No new housing creating the higher prices for what is already there.

Moratorium for home development was generally conducted out in suburbia. But that was conducted a few years prior to the 08 collapse. These days, while still slow in comparison prior to the fall, new home development are starting to juice up again. Because of high demand for new homes, Environmentalist had made compromises with numerous developers. In exchange for permits, they are to dedicate 'x' amount of acres to be slated as greenbelts or sanctuary zones, or cash (to build parks).

As for urban locations, it had been fairly brisk and doesn't seem to be slowing any. DTLA, and adjoining business center areas are pretty busy building a lot of mixed-use high rises with multiple level subterranean parking. Lot's of money from domestic and foreign investors alike are feeding this current frenzy. It's what we call in-fill development programs. They demolish old buildings/structures, etc...soil gets tested for pollutants (contaminated/hazardous material), VOCs, sVOCs, Title 22 Metals, Petroleum-based products, etc...excavate and export the soil, then build 'em high rise, multi-density residences.

There's current demand for both localities - urban/suburban. Just a question on your preference. More bang for your buck regarding what type of home you get for your money, or live in the nerve center of the city to avoid congestion, but sacrifice in dramatically less living space.

[LiveFromUkraine]

Moratorium for home development was generally conducted out in suburbia. But that was conducted a few years prior to the 08 collapse. These days, while still slow in comparison prior to the fall, new home development are starting to juice up again. Because of high demand for new homes, Environmentalist had made compromises with numerous developers. In exchange for permits, they are to dedicate 'x' amount of acres to be slated as greenbelts or sanctuary zones, or cash (to build parks).

As for urban locations, it had been fairly brisk and doesn't seem to be slowing any. DTLA, and adjoining business center areas are pretty busy building a lot of mixed-use high rises with multiple level subterranean parking. Lot's of money from domestic and foreign investors alike are feeding this current frenzy. It's what we call in-fill development programs. They demolish old buildings/structures, etc...soil gets tested for pollutants (contaminated/hazardous material), VOCs, sVOCs, Title 22 Metals, Petroleum-based products, etc...excavate and export the soil, then build 'em high rise, multi-density residences.

There's current demand for both localities - urban/suburban. Just a question on your preference. More bang for your buck regarding what type of home you get for your money, or live in the nerve center of the city to avoid congestion, but sacrifice in dramatically less living space.

Ah, that makes sense.  I reminds me of when I lived in Atlanta.  You first figured out where you would be working before you could figure out where you were going to live because of the traffic.  It was crazy there and I could only imagine how bad it is in LA.  No thanks.

[I/O]

My parents are hitting their 70's now and they still drive each other crazy.  Something to look forward to.   

I have no intention (or desire) of being around, one way or another, when she hits 70. That's something I sincerely pray that I'll be spared...

[msmob]

  My parents are hitting their 70's now and they still drive each other crazy.  Something to look forward to.   

..and ..as a by product of that 'union ', you really see no irony in that statement, at all ?