That's odd... we didn't have to do anything to get our "Real ID" certification; it was just on our driver's licenses when they were renewed. I haven't actually been to the DMV in... I don't know, a long time... a decade, maybe. We are supposed to renew in person every five years (I think it is) for new photos, but when our time for in-person renewal came around it was during the height of COVID and we were allowed to renew online. The last time our licenses came up for renewal was post-pandemic, yet we were allowed to renew online as well. (That was when we got Real ID.) Incidentally, Tracy was travelling the very first day Real ID was required for air travel. She was expecting a huge hassle at the airport, but there was no delay to speak of, either outbound or inbound.
Jeff, I think the issue is, if you didn't get Real ID when you last renewed, you now have to get a new ID with that little gold star (that's it right?). Luckily, I did get the Real ID last time I renewed.
I remember I took the day off in preparation of spending all day at the DPS office, like Cap. I had scheduled an appointment online, even then when I showed up at 6 something in the morning there was a line all the way past my car where I had parked. What I didn't know was that location was almost exclusively for appointments only, so once everyone w/o one was taken out I was maybe 10th in line? I wasn't even done taking the eye test when they were already calling my number. I was home before I was even supposed to be at work.
Jeff, I think the issue is, if you didn't get Real ID when you last renewed, you now have to get a new ID with that little gold star (that's it right?). Luckily, I did get the Real ID last time I renewed.
Yes, that's it exactly. And we're going to try to go to England next year (first time out of the country), which is before our licenses renew, so we need a Real ID so we can get a passport. Which I don't actually have in hand, either -- they're going to mail it to me. "They" being the county clerk, who is notoriously incompetent.
to avoid the five-hour wait, some of my colleagues have driven to other counties. Despite the one- or two-hour drive, it's usually faster.
I've decided, in my dotage, that I'm tired of the current ways of listening to music. I don't want to keep doing Pandora, Spotify and all that. I just want to play what I want, when I want. Especialy given the hundreds of CDs I have. So I want to physically control my music.
About 4-5 years ago, I got a bundle of Spotify Premium with Hulu basic together. I am holding on to that dearly. I already had Hulu basic, so at the time my reasoning was I am only paying $1/mo for Spotify Premium. It does introduce me to a lot of new musc. I defintiely understand wanting to control your music though. I still have like 90% of my CDs "just in case"
I don't have any way to listen to the radio currently, for example. Not that I want to, but I want to be able to, you know?
Not really addressing your problem, but just a little anecdote. I still have a radio in my apartment, and I've had several friends walk in asking what I was streaming. I'm just like, "Nah, its my radio." It is like such a foreign concept to people these days.
Anyway, I'm going to go to Best Buy and get a 5-CD player. Or more, if they have it. But what else do I need? An amplifier? And I do want a receiver fo some sort. Does that mean going back to a component system, like when I was a teenager? I don't have any LPs any more, but my wife has lots of casette tapes, so we need a way to play those. And probably some sort of Bluetooth, as we've got Bluetooth all over the place (including the showers). We're planning to build a patio, which will probably have some sort of Bluetooth speakers.
I know nothing about current electronic systems, so I'm puttiing it out here. Any advice, Legionnaires?
My advice, most people can't really tell diffference between a "good" speaker system or whatever and a "bad" one, so I wouldn't go crazy about putting a new system together.
That's some good advice, Travis. I've been looking online, and it looks like most CD players have in-built speakers. I assumed that would be fine, and you've confirmed it. I wasn't ever much of a music connoisseur, and at my age I don't think I'm catching everything anyway. Why get great sound for old ears?
I'm guessing that I DON'T need an amplifier, but the online descriptions dont say one way or the other. And when I look up receivers or tape players, they seem to be separate beasts with their own speakers (and amplifiers, I guess). So maybe what I need is three items: a radio, a desktop 5-CD player and a cassette player. That would actually not be bad, as the tapes are in one room and all the CDs are in another. I could put the radio wherever.
I'm still wondering about wi-fi, however. But everything's wi-fi these days, so I guess if I bought a CD player it could probably play wherever I have a Bluetooth connection. Like the showers! I should probably make a list of whatever questions you guys don't answer and make some Best Buy floor guy have the worst day of his life.
I would say you do not need an amplifier. The rest I guess it wouild be a personal preference. I did get rid of all of my cassettes around 1999, but I didn't have many anyways and the ones I cared about I had already replaced with CDs.
Another piece of anecdotal advice, with a different piece of tech. When I got a new Blu-ray player I got the most basic one I could find. I didn't need one that could hook-up to the internet and had no extra bells and whistles. I already have a TV and computer that can do that. I just wanted something that can play my disks. I am a big believer in having physical media. My ability to watch Full Metal Jacket or whatever isn't at the whims of whatever streaming service decides to offer it up this month,
Long story. I'll post more when I have cleared my head and slept for a day or so. Short version: one of my nieces, who had been living in India, ended up in a hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal. The hospital deemed her safe to travel, but were uncomfortable releasing her with no one to assist her or travel with her. Her parents were unable to make the trip right away for various reasons, so two of her other relatives took a whirlwind trip. We did have a day and change to see some of the city. All have returned home safely, and she is in good spirits.
And how many people will be starting a blog post with, "I received a phone call Thursday morning asking if I could be in Kathmandu by Monday night."
Replies
That's odd... we didn't have to do anything to get our "Real ID" certification; it was just on our driver's licenses when they were renewed. I haven't actually been to the DMV in... I don't know, a long time... a decade, maybe. We are supposed to renew in person every five years (I think it is) for new photos, but when our time for in-person renewal came around it was during the height of COVID and we were allowed to renew online. The last time our licenses came up for renewal was post-pandemic, yet we were allowed to renew online as well. (That was when we got Real ID.) Incidentally, Tracy was travelling the very first day Real ID was required for air travel. She was expecting a huge hassle at the airport, but there was no delay to speak of, either outbound or inbound.
Jeff, I think the issue is, if you didn't get Real ID when you last renewed, you now have to get a new ID with that little gold star (that's it right?). Luckily, I did get the Real ID last time I renewed.
I remember I took the day off in preparation of spending all day at the DPS office, like Cap. I had scheduled an appointment online, even then when I showed up at 6 something in the morning there was a line all the way past my car where I had parked. What I didn't know was that location was almost exclusively for appointments only, so once everyone w/o one was taken out I was maybe 10th in line? I wasn't even done taking the eye test when they were already calling my number. I was home before I was even supposed to be at work.
Jeff, I think the issue is, if you didn't get Real ID when you last renewed, you now have to get a new ID with that little gold star (that's it right?). Luckily, I did get the Real ID last time I renewed.
Yes, that's it exactly. And we're going to try to go to England next year (first time out of the country), which is before our licenses renew, so we need a Real ID so we can get a passport. Which I don't actually have in hand, either -- they're going to mail it to me. "They" being the county clerk, who is notoriously incompetent.
to avoid the five-hour wait, some of my colleagues have driven to other counties. Despite the one- or two-hour drive, it's usually faster.
Ah. Timing is everything.
SNL on Real ID.
I've decided, in my dotage, that I'm tired of the current ways of listening to music. I don't want to keep doing Pandora, Spotify and all that. I just want to play what I want, when I want. Especialy given the hundreds of CDs I have. So I want to physically control my music.
About 4-5 years ago, I got a bundle of Spotify Premium with Hulu basic together. I am holding on to that dearly. I already had Hulu basic, so at the time my reasoning was I am only paying $1/mo for Spotify Premium. It does introduce me to a lot of new musc. I defintiely understand wanting to control your music though. I still have like 90% of my CDs "just in case"
I don't have any way to listen to the radio currently, for example. Not that I want to, but I want to be able to, you know?
Not really addressing your problem, but just a little anecdote. I still have a radio in my apartment, and I've had several friends walk in asking what I was streaming. I'm just like, "Nah, its my radio." It is like such a foreign concept to people these days.
Anyway, I'm going to go to Best Buy and get a 5-CD player. Or more, if they have it. But what else do I need? An amplifier? And I do want a receiver fo some sort. Does that mean going back to a component system, like when I was a teenager? I don't have any LPs any more, but my wife has lots of casette tapes, so we need a way to play those. And probably some sort of Bluetooth, as we've got Bluetooth all over the place (including the showers). We're planning to build a patio, which will probably have some sort of Bluetooth speakers.
I know nothing about current electronic systems, so I'm puttiing it out here. Any advice, Legionnaires?
My advice, most people can't really tell diffference between a "good" speaker system or whatever and a "bad" one, so I wouldn't go crazy about putting a new system together.
That's some good advice, Travis. I've been looking online, and it looks like most CD players have in-built speakers. I assumed that would be fine, and you've confirmed it. I wasn't ever much of a music connoisseur, and at my age I don't think I'm catching everything anyway. Why get great sound for old ears?
I'm guessing that I DON'T need an amplifier, but the online descriptions dont say one way or the other. And when I look up receivers or tape players, they seem to be separate beasts with their own speakers (and amplifiers, I guess). So maybe what I need is three items: a radio, a desktop 5-CD player and a cassette player. That would actually not be bad, as the tapes are in one room and all the CDs are in another. I could put the radio wherever.
I'm still wondering about wi-fi, however. But everything's wi-fi these days, so I guess if I bought a CD player it could probably play wherever I have a Bluetooth connection. Like the showers! I should probably make a list of whatever questions you guys don't answer and make some Best Buy floor guy have the worst day of his life.
I would say you do not need an amplifier. The rest I guess it wouild be a personal preference. I did get rid of all of my cassettes around 1999, but I didn't have many anyways and the ones I cared about I had already replaced with CDs.
Another piece of anecdotal advice, with a different piece of tech. When I got a new Blu-ray player I got the most basic one I could find. I didn't need one that could hook-up to the internet and had no extra bells and whistles. I already have a TV and computer that can do that. I just wanted something that can play my disks. I am a big believer in having physical media. My ability to watch Full Metal Jacket or whatever isn't at the whims of whatever streaming service decides to offer it up this month,
Long story. I'll post more when I have cleared my head and slept for a day or so. Short version: one of my nieces, who had been living in India, ended up in a hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal. The hospital deemed her safe to travel, but were uncomfortable releasing her with no one to assist her or travel with her. Her parents were unable to make the trip right away for various reasons, so two of her other relatives took a whirlwind trip. We did have a day and change to see some of the city. All have returned home safely, and she is in good spirits.
And how many people will be starting a blog post with, "I received a phone call Thursday morning asking if I could be in Kathmandu by Monday night."
If I ever get out of here, I'm going to KATMANDU...
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