Red Ring Tupperware Party, Autumnal Equinoctal Edition (24)

I haven't looked at TX in a while. I wonder if all the rain this spring helped.

BearLeeAlive wrote in post #17492600
Have you slapped a moose today?

I haven't planned on it

BearLeeAlive wrote in post #17492598
That seems like a pretty decent cost.

Not only does quality equipment (for any use) last longer, it is nicer to operate too, which encourages, rather than discourages use. Compare $500 worth of crappy gear that rarely gets used and breaks down quickly, as opposed to $2,000 for something you enjoy using a lot and last 10X as long. I will always opt for quality first.

Biggest problem I had with the cheap treadmills is that the belt would slip and catch. It was murder on the knees. The one I have now is rock steady. Whatever you set it too, that's what it does.

Is Moose slapping a euphemism for some other activity?

gjl711 wrote in post #17492642
Is Moose slapping a euphemism for some other activity?

some dodgy Canadian yoga move?

Harm wrote in post #17492643
some dodgy Canadian yoga move?

I don't know, that's why I ask.

You never know. Might be at a party someday and someone asks if I have slapped my moose and i would just have to star back blankly totally unsure of what they are asking me.

Harm wrote in post #17492546
we are only in march.... what will this year bring for californians?

The short version: it's going to be a year of bad fires and ugly water politics.

The long version:

Besides the earlier and longer fire season, this year will eventually be marked as the outbreak of water wars in California. Many folks in NorCal are tired of sending water to large corporate farms in the southern part of the central valley, and to SoCal swimming pools. Its been reported that Norcal water users conserved water at a higher rate than SoCal water users.

We now have NorCal rice farmers selling water to the Metropolitan Water District in LA. The price for that water is so high that the rice farmers are making more money than if they had kept the water and grown rice. Watch the price of rice increase too.

More groundwater regulations are coming. We get our water from a well. I'm told I will soon be required to report the water table depth in our well. Also I will be required to meter our water usage, and to pay a "fee" for my well monitoring. I agree with the well monitoring to gather data about the water tables. This is something that should have begun decades ago.

As a frequent visitor to SoCal it always astounded me at the water waste that I could see. Water plants on the highway mid-day is just plain dumb and to mist water is even dumber. 1/2 the water evaporates before ever hitting the ground.

gjl711 wrote in post #17492676
As a frequent visitor to SoCal it always astounded me at the water waste that I could see. Water plants on the highway mid-day is just plain dumb and to mist water is even dumber. 1/2 the water evaporates before ever hitting the ground.

You can see the same thing in many NorCal places. Regardless of where we live, we have to get a whole lot smarter about how we manage water demand and use.

For example, how much water evaporates every year in the 300 mile long, 50 foot wide canal (river?) that runs down the west side of the Central Valley to LA? How many golf courses are still watered by clean drinking water rather than treated wastewater?

I saw an interesting report the other day about moving Boston's snow to California. It appears that even if you could do it, it would raise the Shasta Reservoir in NorCal only about 4 inches.

BearLeeAlive wrote in post #17492598
That seems like a pretty decent cost.

It doesn't seem that bad, until you look at the rest of the pricing.

"With the purchase of a Family Membership the family will gain free access to lane swim for two adults, family and public swim times. Three FREE sessions of swimming lessons per child, free unlimited general programs per child. Full access to the Wellness Centre, Aqua Fitness, Aerobics classes, and Group Cycling for everyone over the age of 14. Specialty programs are at an additional cost. Membership includes 2 adults and any children under the age of 19 residing in the same household.

Annual ............... $1,185.43 + HST"

I totally get it that families need discounts, but for just over double the cost of a single person, you get all that. And with the demographics around here, unlimited kids under 19 can be a really big number. This area is full of old-world Dutch families, and German Mennonite families. Good friends of mine have 5 kids under the age of 12. Another family of friends has 9 kids. So 13 people could have all access for $91/person/year. And that's a tax write-off.

interesting you say that, Tim. I wonder if CA will start to allow desal plants. Sure it will be costly and noisy in some areas, but at least you will have water, without having to dry out your well.

Jill-of-all-Trades wrote in post #17492827
It doesn't seem that bad, until you look at the rest of the pricing.

"With the purchase of a Family Membership the family will gain free access to lane swim for two adults, family and public swim times. Three FREE sessions of swimming lessons per child, free unlimited general programs per child. Full access to the Wellness Centre, Aqua Fitness, Aerobics classes, and Group Cycling for everyone over the age of 14. Specialty programs are at an additional cost. Membership includes 2 adults and any children under the age of 19 residing in the same household.

Annual ............... $1,185.43 + HST"

I totally get it that families need discounts, but for just over double the cost of a single person, you get all that. And with the demographics around here, unlimited kids under 19 can be a really big number. This area is full of old-world Dutch families, and German Mennonite families. Good friends of mine have 5 kids under the age of 12. Another family of friends has 9 kids. So 13 people could have all access for $91/person/year. And that's a tax write-off.

That is not that un-typical for pricing. In most cases, it is just the mom and some kids, plus they then bring in lots more money from memberships, many of which barely get used.

For unlimited spin and yoga at the studio I go to, they have lots of different pricing, from $19 for one class, to $110 for a month unlimited. I usually do 6 classes a week, so drop-in would be very costly. My wife does about 9-10 classes a week.