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GottaDEAL 2024 Prize Club Discussion Thread


Brad

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Back in June I cut back my rosemary and started 40 cuttings in potting mix after dipping in honey water and Ceylon cinnamon powder. I kept them in a dappled shade area of the porch in a couple of Costco pie keepers with the lids. Of the 40, 17 developed roots. However, 3 are iffy as the leaves are more brown than green, and 2 don’t look to be rosemary. Google Lens says they may be blue tomatoes. Probably a bit late to start them, but I’ll see how it goes.

If the other 12 up pot well , hopefully I’ll have a dozen rosemary plants to trade at my first Green Elephant Plant Swap in September.41D8CFEC-C7B5-40C5-BA76-27B6F294AAF4.thumb.jpeg.31c6a7c5d5954dd2795e3c5f36485359.jpeg

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Black Friday is where you find it...

 

I built a new computer last October.  Someone asked me to recycle a computer.  I liked the ten bay case and decided to do something with it.  I needed to replace a decade old computer and was having difficulty finding a pre-built that met my needs.  New computers tend to lack drive bays and SATA connections.  I found an eight SATA connector Z690 Pro RS as part of a Newegg bundle that included an Intel Core i7-12700KF, and 16GB (2 x 8GB) of RAM.  I added 16GB of matching RAM, a SAMSUNG 870 QVO SATA III SSD 4TB 2.5" Internal Solid State boot drive, 40tb of storage, and an aged video card.  It was a very nice computer.  But it was incomplete.  I needed a modern video card.  I liked the RTX 3070, but putting a $600 video card in a $700 computer did not sit well with me.

 

I set up searches on many deal sites for a 16GB RTX 3070.  Last week, I got a match to a $650 computer that INCLUDED a 16GB 3070, an Intel Core i7-12700F Processor, 16GB Memory, and a 512GB Solid State Drive.

 

It arrived Saturday -- two days ahead of schedule. The box was plain, brown, undamaged, and with handles. I've never seen anything packed so well in my life. Even the power cord and mouse were protected by bubble wrap. The computer was unblemished and, so far, I have found no indication that this is anything but a brand new computer. A few unexpected treats...

  • 1TB Spinning Disk (Toshiba DT01ACA100 $45 on Amazon)
  • Gaming Mouse
  • Backlit Keyboard
  • Glass Panel for the side of the case

The Glass Panel was not a surprise, but that it was an accessory to a computer that had a metal side cover was.

 

There was a manual to facilitate the installation of the glass panel. There was also an app to turn off all the LEDs. I returned to the scene of the crime to see if I had simply failed to notice the unexpected treats (they were not listed) and found the same PC selling for $225 more and still sold out.  Smile.

 

The RAM is two 8GB sticks with two open slots. I'll have to go through Bag'O'RAM to see if I can boost the memory to 24 or 32GB. There is also an open drive bay.

 

I haven't played any games yet, but the computer runs cool and quiet.

 

I received an email advising how to get support and warranty service (two-year Square Trade) for the computer.

 

Overall, an excellent purchase. I would not hesitate to buy an Acer refurb in the future.

 

Funny thing is that I like this computer so much that I am still looking for a video card for the computer I built last fall.

 

Happy shopping!

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Checking in for August.  My sons and I drove from Oklahoma to Wyoming to visit my father-in-law this week. We’re having a good visit and I’m sure time to head home will come way too quick.   Hoping to score some huckleberries tomorrow at a farmer’s market.   Later in the month I’m going to Tulsa to a Rick Springfield concert with my cousin, looking forward to that too. 

Hope everyone has a good August. 

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Welcome to August... Wow how time flies. 

 

On the agenda for the month for me: 

- Once again fighting a potentially losing battle against fungus on my cuke vines (ugh)

- Buddy coming in to town to visit for about a week. While she's here: 

  • Heading to MIS for the NASCAR races (will stay at home vs camping at track but will enjoy all the track activity) 
  • A few days at Cedar Point
  • Possibly some other fun adventures as time permits

-  Finishing up plans and material list for my planned makeshift greenhouse space I am creating out of an existing tubular structure originally designed to hold up a tarp for entertainment space (to allow for a longer grow season and maybe even some late fall lettuce if I do it right) 

 

Hope all the GDer fam is doing well! 🙂

 

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Hello August - goodbye July.  School starts in 10 days, hockey tryouts have started and continue through the end of the month, and I am nowhere near ready for any of that.  And what am I doing today, you might ask?  Cleaning up my house, getting organized for anything?  heck no - heading to the pool to get the last drop of summer that I can.  I tell myself there's plenty of time to figure out the rest, but at this point... 😆

 

 

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