Second Chance

That's backwards. Induction "burners" work by exciting the magnetic/ferrous atoms in the pan or container which then heats the food. Rob

There are only two days left in March... are you leaving that soon? Rob

We are long-term at Aberdeen Proving Ground just north of Baltimore off I-95. We always take I-695 west around the west side of Baltimore... it increases our travel time by 20 minutes vs. the other routes. US-1 and US-40 are a maze of stop lights (especially 40 - though we use it for local travel all the time). That would add a lot more time than going around the west loop. Rob

If just for toast, I would vote for this solution (used one for many years of rough camping starting with my dad in the '50s, too). Rob

We have one daughter-in-law (a brilliant veterinary oncologist) who doesn't get the image file format thing - in fact , she didn't realize that IOS and Android were "things." When they upgraded their phones and she started sending .HEIC images of the grandkids, I found the "Real HEIC to JPG Converter" on the Microsoft app store and installed it on my laptop. I've had zero issues with doing anything with the JPEGs converted using the app. Rob

Yikes! I don't see anything in the "Pros" column on that one. Rob

And just as often by failed, poor quality ICs on the LED circuit board. We had to replace almost all of the LED ceiling puck lights in our rig early on due to blinking (voltage was fine per multimeter). I replaced the cheap OEM pucks with better quality ones and haven't had an issue since. Rob

A little confused, here... you ask about "bulbs" and then mention "pucks." These are two different items. Rob

Laura and I had both been with our PCPs (and a specialist that Laura saw) in the Augusta, GA/North Augusta, SC, area for quite a while before we went full-time. The three of them were willing to work with us when we hit the road and we only had to go back through the area annually to be seen in person in order to keep our prescriptions current, etc. As our travel routes changed and we started spending more and more time in Maryland near kids and grandkids, it became less convenient (shall we say a PITA!) to make the dog leg back through Georgia to see the providers we loved (my late wife and I had been with my PCP since I left active duty... that was a long time). Since we're spending most of our time on Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, these days, I did the research and we settled on a new PCP (an internist this time since we're aging - and young enough he won't retire any time soon). His practice is part of the University of Maryland Medical System so there are a lot of connected resources. Laura had been seeing a retina specialist in the area for a couple of years, so it made sense to stick with him (former Johns Hopkins guy). Our new PCP is flexible and will support us should we decide to travel for several months at a time again sometime in the future. Finally, we are fortunate in that we have Medicare and Tricare For Life - neither of which restrict us to a particular part of the country. Rob

I'll echo what Kirk said in a slightly more negative tone. My wife found a very good description of extended service plans a while back (they are not warranties, but rather insurance policies with lots of fine print). They are another form of legalized gambling. The company is betting that nothing breaks that would cause them to pay out more than you paid for the policy; you're betting it will. As in all forms of legalized gambling, the house usually wins. Otherwise, these companies wouldn't be in business or make a profit. Dave Ramsey and Clark Howard have commented on these plans many times, too. The standard seems to be that 80% of extended service plan revenue goes toward commissions and marketing. Only 20% goes toward paying for actual repairs, which means most people are getting a really bad deal. We prefer to set money aside regularly (earning interest) and pay for repairs as they come up. Rob

Price? Location? Rob

It's a bit on the pricey side, but this new device seems to tell you the difference between wood studs, PVC pipe, metal studs, etc. It might come in hand for a lot of other things around the RV and/or house: Walabot DIY 2 Rob

It depends on whether it's a first-time registration with title application or just a registration renewal. I just renewed the registration on our fifth wheel last week. The part of the web site that used to ask you to certify that the vehicle was out of state (and that you would get it inspected within X number of days of returning to the state) has changed to a check box to state that the owner has inspected the vehicle according to such-and-such regulations. I just checked that box (I inspect the RV continuously) and went ahead and completed the registration. I should get the sticker next week. Rob

If the OP is using the satellite version of DirecTV, YouTube TV will require the establishment of unlimited data streaming (not cheap these days - and an expense on top of YouTube TV). Also, YouTube TV will only let you change locations twice a year, I believe. I looked into it a while back and decided against it (though we've even packed up our Dish equipment and put it in storage because we're not watching network TV these days). Rob

It's still possible to do that with USAA. The Capital One 360 cards have no foreign transaction or withdrawal fees, so for longer trips like our stay in Ecuador in 2022 it saves us some money. We still carry the USAA cards with us for backup. We'll do the same for Italy next spring. Rob