Glitterwolf Posted October 1, 2022 Share Posted October 1, 2022 (edited) Well it's a good thing I have collected 20 minis/paints and 3D files over the years. It seems I'm going to have to stop buying hobby stuff for a while. Due to World events Energy prices in the Netherlands haven skyrocketed. Some people pay double the amount for energy than they do for rent or mortgage. Now I'm safe for the coming two years due to a fixed contract but after that I'm fair game as well for these things. Nobody knows what will happen then. So, considering this all, we decided that we now will use those two years to take measures. Besides the fact that we'll need to replace the roofing anyway, we will now look into a new boiler, maybe combined with an electrical heat pump or maybe another form of electrical heating. Considering either a hybrid form or completely electrical so we won't need natural gas anymore. Solar Panels and maybe more isolation etc etc.. Depending on the costs and of course delivery times etc we'll have to see what we can do to lower our dependency on gas. Needless to say that will bite a big chunk out of our savings and I might need to put some more aside the coming year or two. So, I will now print/paint the huge stash I already have but I won't be buying some new hobby stuff soon. At least until I get a better idea about what I need to spend on upgrading the house. Some of you may have noticed that I'm not very happy at the moment, well this is what causing it. I had everything figured out for my upcoming retirement in 4 years, and now this @%#^#! Oh well, we'll have to deal with it, I also hope to get my mojo back soon, I don't even feel like painting right now. Not going to be political etc, so keep it that way please. But let's just say there are some people I would like to take to my annual shooting practice...yes, please stand over there...perfect..wait for it... Edited October 1, 2022 by Glitterwolf 3 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werkrobotwerk Posted October 1, 2022 Share Posted October 1, 2022 16 hours ago, Green Eyed Monsty said: They won't "get it" until the IT Department removes the ability to do attachments from HRs email privileges. GEM And while they are at it they need to include the numbskulls in management who think this is OK from the unrestricted email list. It's hr they'll almost always find a way to be the security weak link. Well then and any executive... 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Chaoswolf Posted October 1, 2022 Moderator Share Posted October 1, 2022 1 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsair Posted October 1, 2022 Share Posted October 1, 2022 1 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsair Posted October 1, 2022 Share Posted October 1, 2022 1 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Froggy the Great Posted October 1, 2022 Author Moderator Share Posted October 1, 2022 As an unofficial point of preference - I can get memes anywhere, it's the banter here I enjoy much more. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparrowMarie Posted October 1, 2022 Share Posted October 1, 2022 I had a test done on Tuesday. MyChart informed me yesterday that I'm positive for high-risk HPV. My doctor is still waiting for the other part of the results before we can proceed with treatment. This has happened before and it resulted in surgery to shave off cancerous cells. It has not been a good weekend. Probably won't hear back until Monday at least. 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haldir Posted October 1, 2022 Share Posted October 1, 2022 @Pezler the Polychromatic I meant to post this earlier, but lost track of time. So sorry to hear about your mom. Moms are special people, keep her memory in your heart & she'll be alive forever. 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great Khan Artist Posted October 1, 2022 Share Posted October 1, 2022 I have ordered lots of minis from Lucid Eye; they're cheap when they have the weekly flash sale, I enjoy painting them and they're quick to paint for units, so I have quite a few. The owner/sculptor is also great to deal with. But their QC department needs a boost. They send me extra shafts and yokes for my chariots, but missed the driver. I've had a few problems with extra pieces and missing ones. I wonder if I should bring this to their attention? Last night I did my first ever drill-and-pin with Lucid Eye's mounted amazons. (The legs and torso are seperate. Kind of dumb, but maybe it's because there will be lancers in the future?) I think I did a great job, but the smallest drill bit we had was 1/16, same with the wire. With the glue, there is no way these girls will ever come apart! I used a little battery powered drill and a little "desk hand", a stand with alligator clips. So proud of myself. Some are a bit off center, but they look pretty good. I'd share the photos, but the girls are topless. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegazus Posted October 2, 2022 Share Posted October 2, 2022 Grah! Been looking for some lost paints for a month or two. Roped the wife into looking this afternoon. First suggestion was my “grab n go” vacation box. Nope, wouldn’t be in there. So I open it up anyway. Nope. Still not there. It’s a paint-less box. I will grab the pistol case of paints when I need that. But the ReaperCon project boxes? Yeah, they were in there. Guess paint is off the October shopping list now. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Eyed Monsty Posted October 2, 2022 Share Posted October 2, 2022 Stopped on the way back from Dayton yesterday to observe a group of a dozen plus Virginia Rang Wild Horses loitering near the highway, The attraction was a large puddle from a recent rainstorm, making a convenient watering hole. After everybody had drank their fill and they started to move off I observed a dappled gray colt carrying its left front leg, The leg was dangling limply like it was broken. In all my years I have never witnessed a horse acting in that manner. Anyone with experience with horses who has seen something similar? GEM 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Jack Posted October 2, 2022 Share Posted October 2, 2022 (edited) 6 hours ago, Great Khan Artist said: I have ordered lots of minis from Lucid Eye; they're cheap when they have the weekly flash sale, I enjoy painting them and they're quick to paint for units, so I have quite a few. The owner/sculptor is also great to deal with. But their QC department needs a boost. They send me extra shafts and yokes for my chariots, but missed the driver. I've had a few problems with extra pieces and missing ones. I wonder if I should bring this to their attention? Last night I did my first ever drill-and-pin with Lucid Eye's mounted amazons. (The legs and torso are seperate. Kind of dumb, but maybe it's because there will be lancers in the future?) I think I did a great job, but the smallest drill bit we had was 1/16, same with the wire. With the glue, there is no way these girls will ever come apart! I used a little battery powered drill and a little "desk hand", a stand with alligator clips. So proud of myself. Some are a bit off center, but they look pretty good. I'd share the photos, but the girls are topless. I'd let them know about it... If nobody tells them they goofed up, they can't learn from the experience and get better. Over ten years ago, I ordered a set of hobby-sized drill bits and a bag of 100 tiny pins (of the sort that model ship enthusiasts use for stuff like the rigging) to use for pinning minis from Micro-Mark for something like $30, and ten years later I still haven't gotten even halfway through the pins... Definitely worth the investment. You can also get pin vises and finger drills from MM as well. Fair warning, though, Micro-Mark's website is serious hobby pr0n - you'll spend a couple hours drooling over everything and need to make quite a few saving throws to avoid ordering seventeen other things you didn't know you needed, lol... Alternately, you can head to Home Depot or a hardware store - Dremel has a set of small drill bits available for their rotary tool, and the two smallest ones are useful for pinning. Edited October 2, 2022 by Mad Jack 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TGP Posted October 2, 2022 Share Posted October 2, 2022 18 hours ago, Glitterwolf said: . . . or maybe another form of electrical heating. Considering either a hybrid form or completely electrical so we won't need natural gas anymore. Sad that WOOF HQ is suffering. You do realize that the electricity on your electrical grid is probably generated by Natural Gas? Unless you are thinking a roof full of Solar Panels?? How much snowfall do you get? 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glitterwolf Posted October 2, 2022 Share Posted October 2, 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, TGP said: Sad that WOOF HQ is suffering. You do realize that the electricity on your electrical grid is probably generated by Natural Gas? Unless you are thinking a roof full of Solar Panels?? How much snowfall do you get? Thanks, yes I'm aware of that although more and more electricity is coming from Sun and Wind power. But yes, there's still a lot being generated by natural gas. And yes, as soon as I have the roofing done I will invest in solar panels. We have a flat roof so we can put up enough of those, also the Sun is coming from a good position for us. We don't get a lot of snowfall maybe a few days a year now.. And..in the Netherlands we can return electricity we generated by solar power to the Energy Company, starting next year the Energy Companies are obliged to calculate it over the whole year. That way you can generate power in the sunny days en when you use power from the grid during darker days it will be evened out, in the end one will have to pay less for electricity, or in an ideal situation, not at all. By replacing as many appliances that use natural gas for electric appliances we can lower the costs a month. Natural gas is now about 4 or 5 times more expensive. It's no longer, can I earn back the money I paid for the Solar Panels and Heaters, it's now, can I lower the monthly fees so we can live... As I mentioned, I have about two years to fix things before my fixed contract expires, and I want to make sure that it won't happen to us what I see around me. I am as I mentioned a bit sad and angry because it now has to be done, I feel forced to, I wanted to use those savings in a different way, so that is what bothering me, and I'm a bit afraid to make the wrong choices. But..it's still a luxury problem when I think about it. I'm not a rich guy but I can still take some measures. There are a lot of people now ( and not just in the Netherlands, but all over Europe) who can't afford such things and are forced to pay a ridiculous price for energy, some people are forced to choose between a meal or a hot shower. So when I think about that I still consider myself lucky that we can at least do something. I won't go into the politics behind it, it's no use and I want to keep it nice. Also don't want to break any forum rules. Maybe when I get a good estimate of what the costs will be and what I need/can do, I will start collecting again and such. It's not that we will stop doing any fun things, I will still take my girl out for dinner. But I need to make responsible choices and I want to save as much money as possible in the coming years to replenish what I will have to spend or even to take more measures... And of course....the amount of minis and 3D files I acquired is .....let's say...substantial.... So now worries, I can still hobby. Edited October 2, 2022 by Glitterwolf 4 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord of the Dish Pit Posted October 2, 2022 Share Posted October 2, 2022 What are the regulations regarding woodstoves in your area? Do you have a fireplace if it comes down to worst case scenario? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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