Things that are AWESOME...

[qwksndmonster]

My gramma is 88, and has very advanced dementia.  I'm currently care taking for her full time.  I haven't heard her sing in probably about a year.  The last (and only) time I heard her sing it was this: 

 

 

Yesterday I was flipping between music channels.  I landed on "old school funk." She read the channel name off the tv in a sweet voice and then scatted a little.  It's so jarring and touching to hear.  Then, when I put her to bed I said my usual "Good night Gramma, I love you."  She normally responds with "Thank you."  Or a laugh and a smile.  Last night she said "I love you too."

 

I think that's the first time she's ever said that to me.

[Samson's Flow]

HAHA This is awesome!!

 

Awesome: I get married on Saturday! I am so excited.  we wrote our own vows, and her dad (a pastor) is actually going to do the ceremony for us.  It's going to be great.  I can't wait to see her in her dress. She says I'm going to cry.  I don't want to tell her that she's probably right  ;)

As someone who just got married last month (only three weeks ago now), the biggest thing I can say is that the whole day just flys by. Make sure to take a few minutes to enjoy where you are and who you are with. I swear my wedding ceremony felt like it took 5 minutes when it really took 1 hour +. I thought I was gonna cry too, but the whole thing was so surreal for me that I didn't have time to comprehend the events enough to get emotional. 

 

By far the longest part of the day is the few hours before the wedding ceremony itself. The waiting in the church room felt like it took hours.

 

Good luck.

Man, I thought you had yours already.  Oh well, have a fun with the crazy week you're in for this week.

Could you be confusing him with your other favorite poster?  :P

[ubkev]

It's funny. I get the same total cargo capacity of my Buick. But it's like 300% more useful.

 

 

:wub:

 

 

I will. I wanted a diesel and I'm a big fanboy of Volkswagen/Audi's TDI tech. I mean, it's born from their LeMans race cars FFS. How cool is that?

 

I'll report back on mileage and driving characteristics once the computer gets calibrated and I get settled in to it.

Enjoy your new signal lights. Autobahn signals are one of the greatest creations ever!

 

My last car was a VW. Solid vehicle. I liked it. It was nice being able to fit my hockey bag and my golf clubs in the trunk at the same time.

[Randall Flagg]

My gramma is 88, and has very advanced dementia. I'm currently care taking for her full time. I haven't heard her sing in probably about a year. The last (and only) time I heard her sing it was this:

 

 

Yesterday I was flipping between music channels. I landed on "old school funk." She read the channel name off the tv in a sweet voice and then scatted a little. It's so jarring and touching to hear. Then, when I put her to bed I said my usual "Good night Gramma, I love you." She normally responds with "Thank you." Or a laugh and a smile. Last night she said "I love you too."

 

I think that's the first time she's ever said that to me.

Truly awesome, qwk.

[shrader]

Truly awesome, qwk.

 

Agreed.  Best post on here in a while.

[dudacek]

 

My awesome of the day- finalizing some details for my trip to Whistler, BC in a couple weeks to see my friend compete in the Ironman. I'm so ready to see some mountains and cheer on some awesome people. 

 

Hope the smoke has cleared by then. Major forest fires up that way has blanketed southern Vancouver Island in smoke.

Yesterday the sun was a creepy scarlet and everything had a red tinge. Looked like I woke up on Mars.

 

HAHA This is awesome!!

 

Awesome: I get married on Saturday! I am so excited.  we wrote our own vows, and her dad (a pastor) is actually going to do the ceremony for us.  It's going to be great.  I can't wait to see her in her dress. She says I'm going to cry.  I don't want to tell her that she's probably right  ;)

 

Congratulations. Enjoy.

 

My gramma is 88, and has very advanced dementia.  I'm currently care taking for her full time.  I haven't heard her sing in probably about a year.  The last (and only) time I heard her sing it was this: 

 

 

Yesterday I was flipping between music channels.  I landed on "old school funk." She read the channel name off the tv in a sweet voice and then scatted a little.  It's so jarring and touching to hear.  Then, when I put her to bed I said my usual "Good night Gramma, I love you."  She normally responds with "Thank you."  Or a laugh and a smile.  Last night she said "I love you too."

 

I think that's the first time she's ever said that to me.

 

This is supremely awesome.

[biodork]

Congrats, d4rk!  And qwk, that is definitely awesome.  dEnnis -- enjoy the countdown to this weekend!

[X. Benedict]

My gramma is 88, and has very advanced dementia.  I'm currently care taking for her full time.  I haven't heard her sing in probably about a year.  The last (and only) time I heard her sing it was this: 

 

 

Yesterday I was flipping between music channels.  I landed on "old school funk." She read the channel name off the tv in a sweet voice and then scatted a little.  It's so jarring and touching to hear.  Then, when I put her to bed I said my usual "Good night Gramma, I love you."  She normally responds with "Thank you."  Or a laugh and a smile.  Last night she said "I love you too."

 

I think that's the first time she's ever said that to me.

 

Nice. :) 

[Ogre]

Qwk. What you are doing for Gramma is awesome.

[That Aud Smell]

My gramma is 88, and has very advanced dementia.  I'm currently care taking for her full time.  I haven't heard her sing in probably about a year.  The last (and only) time I heard her sing it was this: 

 

Yesterday I was flipping between music channels.  I landed on "old school funk." She read the channel name off the tv in a sweet voice and then scatted a little.  It's so jarring and touching to hear.  Then, when I put her to bed I said my usual "Good night Gramma, I love you."  She normally responds with "Thank you."  Or a laugh and a smile.  Last night she said "I love you too."

 

I think that's the first time she's ever said that to me.

 

Oh, man. That was really great. Thank you.

 

Had you ever seen this short video profile?

 

 

Something about music, man -- it reaches beyond and below and above what the conscious mind is processing.

Qwk. What you are doing for Gramma is awesome.

 

Amen.

[inkman]

So I got an email from a recruiter at a company In town for a position similar to mine. The thing is, my former boss and friend has that job to my knowledge. So, should I ask her I'd she is still there? Inquire without her knowledge? I don't think the recruiter would have known to contact me without director from my former boss. Just weird...

 

Edit: the correspondence is Def through LinkedIn so she most likely doesn't know I'm being contacted.

Edited July 8, 2015 by inkman

[biodork]

So I got an email from a recruiter at a company In town for a position similar to mine. The thing is, my former boss and friend has that job to my knowledge. So, should I ask her I'd she is still there? Inquire without her knowledge? I don't think the recruiter would have known to contact me without director from my former boss. Just weird...

Definitely awkward... maybe your former boss / friend is being promoted and suggested you as a replacement?  I'd suggest contacting her directly to ask how things are going (if it wouldn't be entirely out of the blue) and how she likes the gig to see if she mentions an opening.

Edited July 8, 2015 by biodork

[Drunkard]

So I got an email from a recruiter at a company In town for a position similar to mine. The thing is, my former boss and friend has that job to my knowledge. So, should I ask her I'd she is still there? Inquire without her knowledge? I don't think the recruiter would have known to contact me without director from my former boss. Just weird...

If she's your friend just ask her about work in general and she if she brings it up. If she doesn't I'd bring up that a recruter at the same company contacted you but I wouldn't necessarily say for any specific position and see if any new information shakes loose.

 

If you have no actual interest in the job then you might want to clue her in further and give her a heads up to start networking now. Or maybe she's been promoted and they need someone to fill er old gig. All kinds of possibilities.

[inkman]

Spoke with her this morning, she is vacating the position. Meeting with her to discuss it. My whole career has been at one company, not sure if I can leave. At least want to see what it's like.

[darksabre]

Spoke with her this morning, she is vacating the position. Meeting with her to discuss it. My whole career has been at one company, not sure if I can leave. At least want to see what it's like.

 

Interesting that she's leaving that position after such a short time there. Did she say why? 

[inkman]

Interesting that she's leaving that position after such a short time there. Did she say why?

Another job at a bigger Co.

[Drunkard]

Spoke with her this morning, she is vacating the position. Meeting with her to discuss it. My whole career has been at one company, not sure if I can leave. At least want to see what it's like.

 

No harm in at least looking into the new job, especially since she is leaving of her own accord. If the job is a promotion or substantial raise it may be worth it to pursue, although there's something to be said for stability and job security which you seem to have at your current company.

[darksabre]

Let us know how the Deisel works out. I've taken a look at one. 

 

Alright, so here's my preliminary review after a few days behind the wheel. 2015 Golf S TDI. 

 

Let's start by saying that you should pay attention to the manual's warning about the 600-1000 mile break in period. The engine on this car is certainly well toleranced. It's tight. As the DSG Automatic downshifts while you're stopping you notice the engine braking slowing you down hard. I suspect this will let up as the engine breaks in, but right now it's a huge change from what I'm used to. I definitely don't have to allow the stopping distances that I did before.  :lol: I have yet to use the Tiptronic sport mode. I'm waiting until after the break in period to try that out, but I've read up on it and it sounds great. Flappy paddles!  

 

The diesel motor makes me laugh every time I start it. It sounds like a little tiny truck. The torque is as advertised. It has no problem giving you the power you need. In fact I think if I wanted to I could definitely chirp the tires. You won't feel intimidated by other cars.

 

It runs a process called DPF Regeneration that might catch you by surprise, where basically the engine will, at times, heat up this particulate filter by injecting extra fuel, which burns off soot into CO2. If you do a lot of highway driving you wont notice this process as much because it acts passively on the highway. But around town you'll notice the more active DPF Regen. If you notice a fan running after you park your car, this is the car completing some of the regen. It'll likely pick back up where it left off when you start the car again. Read more about it here (start at page 61): https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/38150502/AudiSport/DOC33_IL_40CA_1680_Diesel_Engine_2.0L_TDI_CommonRail_BIN5_UL.pdf

 

After 168 miles I filled up yesterday. VW recommends using Top Tier (http://www.toptiergas.com/) certified diesel, which is available at Mobil in this area. At $3.09, I put just shy of four gallons in. I'm getting 42 mpg average, which is 6 mpg over the EPA estimated combined. And we're just getting started.  :o If you're worried about where to get gas, I use the Gas Buddy app on my phone. 

 

Ride quality is great. The seats are comfortable. Some people might complain about the infotainment center being too small but I like it that way. It comes with 3 months of Sirius XM but I can't see myself using it. For some reason the EQ levels are completely different between the radio bands and the satellite band, which makes the satellite radio sound like crap. You can adjust the EQ in the sound settings but I'm not messing with that every time I want to use the satellite radio.

 

The sound insulation is good, but not so good that you can't hear anything going on around you. I appreciate that. Wind buffetting with the windows down is reasonably low, especially if you crack each window a little bit. 

 

Everything about the interior the car is intuitive. Everything is where it's supposed to be. I can't say enough about how important this is. The seats fold down easy, the rear hatch privacy tray stows easily under the floor. I loaded all of my goalie stuff in the car Tuesday night and it was amazingly easy. The spare tire actually exists and is a full size donut. Yup. No can of fix-a-flat for the Germans. 

 

The factory windshield washer fluid smells like lemons. When you squirt it on the window it evaporates and the smell comes into the car. It's very nice.  :lol:

 

You'll notice the car has no exposed key locks. I assure you they are there though. They're hidden under little caps on the door handles. How clever. As a Buffalonian I find this great. Read up on it in the owners manual. 

 

I only have one complaint so far and it's about the fuel filler door. You can't open it unless the car is unlocked, which means I can't lock my car at the pump until I open the fuel door. Annoying, but I'll get over it. I appreciate their security concern over my gas cap. An extra button in the car for a fuel door release would have been fine though. 

 

All in all I'm enjoying the car. I'm learning about it too. My biggest suggestion is read the owners manual as soon as you get home. There's a lot of helpful stuff in it. Don't get caught with your pants down if something goes wrong.  :ph34r:

 

What a great little car. 

[MattPie]

All in all I'm enjoying the car. I'm learning about it too. My biggest suggestion is read the owners manual as soon as you get home. There's a lot of helpful stuff in it. Don't get caught with your pants down if something goes wrong.  :ph34r:

 

What a great little car. 

 

Keep the reports coming over time. A VW diesel is on my future short-list of vehicles when it's time to trade in my WRX. I love Subarus, but I'd like to have something that gets better than 22 MPG (requires premium). Van-dor the Unstoppable gets the same, but at least it's regular gas.

[sabills]

Keep the reports coming over time. A VW diesel is on my future short-list of vehicles when it's time to trade in my WRX. I love Subarus, but I'd like to have something that gets better than 22 MPG (requires premium). Van-dor the Unstoppable gets the same, but at least it's regular gas.

I'm getting ~30 on my little Impreza Hatchback. Live in the city, commute via highway.

[MattPie]

I'm getting ~30 on my little Impreza Hatchback. Live in the city, commute via highway.

 

Yeah, the WRX is a bit of a pig. I actually do a few MPG better with the winter tires on it, they're lighter (less rotating mass) 16" where the OEM rims are 17" and wider, but all those holes in the front of the car don't help its mileage.

[Weave]

Alright, so here's my preliminary review after a few days behind the wheel. 2015 Golf S TDI. 

 

Let's start by saying that you should pay attention to the manual's warning about the 600-1000 mile break in period. The engine on this car is certainly well toleranced. It's tight. As the DSG Automatic downshifts while you're stopping you notice the engine braking slowing you down hard. I suspect this will let up as the engine breaks in, but right now it's a huge change from what I'm used to. I definitely don't have to allow the stopping distances that I did before.  :lol: I have yet to use the Tiptronic sport mode. I'm waiting until after the break in period to try that out, but I've read up on it and it sounds great. Flappy paddles!  

 

The diesel motor makes me laugh every time I start it. It sounds like a little tiny truck. The torque is as advertised. It has no problem giving you the power you need. In fact I think if I wanted to I could definitely chirp the tires. You won't feel intimidated by other cars.

 

It runs a process called DPF Regeneration that might catch you by surprise, where basically the engine will, at times, heat up this particulate filter by injecting extra fuel, which burns off soot into CO2. If you do a lot of highway driving you wont notice this process as much because it acts passively on the highway. But around town you'll notice the more active DPF Regen. If you notice a fan running after you park your car, this is the car completing some of the regen. It'll likely pick back up where it left off when you start the car again. Read more about it here (start at page 61): https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/38150502/AudiSport/DOC33_IL_40CA_1680_Diesel_Engine_2.0L_TDI_CommonRail_BIN5_UL.pdf

 

After 168 miles I filled up yesterday. VW recommends using Top Tier (http://www.toptiergas.com/) certified diesel, which is available at Mobil in this area. At $3.09, I put just shy of four gallons in. I'm getting 42 mpg average, which is 6 mpg over the EPA estimated combined. And we're just getting started.  :o If you're worried about where to get gas, I use the Gas Buddy app on my phone. 

 

Ride quality is great. The seats are comfortable. Some people might complain about the infotainment center being too small but I like it that way. It comes with 3 months of Sirius XM but I can't see myself using it. For some reason the EQ levels are completely different between the radio bands and the satellite band, which makes the satellite radio sound like crap. You can adjust the EQ in the sound settings but I'm not messing with that every time I want to use the satellite radio.

 

The sound insulation is good, but not so good that you can't hear anything going on around you. I appreciate that. Wind buffetting with the windows down is reasonably low, especially if you crack each window a little bit. 

 

Everything about the interior the car is intuitive. Everything is where it's supposed to be. I can't say enough about how important this is. The seats fold down easy, the rear hatch privacy tray stows easily under the floor. I loaded all of my goalie stuff in the car Tuesday night and it was amazingly easy. The spare tire actually exists and is a full size donut. Yup. No can of fix-a-flat for the Germans. 

 

The factory windshield washer fluid smells like lemons. When you squirt it on the window it evaporates and the smell comes into the car. It's very nice.  :lol:

 

You'll notice the car has no exposed key locks. I assure you they are there though. They're hidden under little caps on the door handles. How clever. As a Buffalonian I find this great. Read up on it in the owners manual. 

 

I only have one complaint so far and it's about the fuel filler door. You can't open it unless the car is unlocked, which means I can't lock my car at the pump until I open the fuel door. Annoying, but I'll get over it. I appreciate their security concern over my gas cap. An extra button in the car for a fuel door release would have been fine though. 

 

All in all I'm enjoying the car. I'm learning about it too. My biggest suggestion is read the owners manual as soon as you get home. There's a lot of helpful stuff in it. Don't get caught with your pants down if something goes wrong.  :ph34r:

 

What a great little car. 

 

 

You will always get more engine breaking out of a diesel.  It is a function of engine compression and I doubt you'll lose much, if any, compression during break in.

[darksabre]

You will always get more engine breaking out of a diesel.  It is a function of engine compression and I doubt you'll lose much, if any, compression during break in.

 

I suspect you're right. We'll see where it goes. I'm waiting for the break in period to be over so I can use the manual mode and do my own downshifting to slow down without using the brakes as much. 

[MattPie]

You will always get more engine breaking out of a diesel.  It is a function of engine compression and I doubt you'll lose much, if any, compression during break in.

 

I'm trying to figure out a nice way to say you're wrong. Diesels don't restrict the intake like a gasoline engine does; instead they vary the amount of fuel squirted into the engine to vary the amount of power it will create. Gas engines use a butterfly valve to restrict the air coming into the engine and squirt the right amount of fuel for the amount of air. When you let off the gas, engine braking happens because the engine is trying to move the same volume of air through a very small intake area. Think trying to suck a milk shake through a cocktail vs. a regular straw. In fact, a "Jake Brake" (when trucks make that loud engine sound when slowing down) is an add-on that turns the engine into a compressor using the trucks momentum as power. The truck slows down since the compressor is offering resistance.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engine_braking

 

Looks like engine braking is either added by VW to make it feel like a gas car, or the emissions equipment is doing it.

I suspect you're right. We'll see where it goes. I'm waiting for the break in period to be over so I can use the manual mode and do my own downshifting to slow down without using the brakes as much. 

 

All I'll say is: brakes are a lot cheaper and easier to replace than transmissions.

[Weave]

I'm trying to figure out a nice way to say you're wrong. Diesels don't restrict the intake like a gasoline engine does; instead they vary the amount of fuel squirted into the engine to vary the amount of power it will create. Gas engines use a butterfly valve to restrict the air coming into the engine and squirt the right amount of fuel for the amount of air. When you let off the gas, engine braking happens because the engine is trying to move the same volume of air through a very small intake area. Think trying to suck a milk shake through a cocktail vs. a regular straw. In fact, a "Jake Brake" (when trucks make that loud engine sound when slowing down) is an add-on that turns the engine into a compressor using the trucks momentum as power. The truck slows down since the compressor is offering resistance.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engine_braking

 

Looks like engine braking is either added by VW to make it feel like a gas car, or the emissions equipment is doing it.

 

All I'll say is: brakes are a lot cheaper and easier to replace than transmissions.

 

 

I hate when someone teaches me something I thought I already had figured out.

 

And, I'll agree that using your transmission instead of your brakes is a not a wise long term decision.