u/crumblemuppets

I know this article has been shared here before, but I’m wondering if any Vermonters here have had experiences with getting their vehicles inspected since the August 1 rule change took effect.

I have a Kia Sorento that needs inspection. It failed a few months ago due to some rust on a rocker panel. I actually got the area that I thought was the problem filled in, and the same shop then failed it again, saying there was still rust in some other spots. They said it was not a safety issue, and that they had gotten a warning a few years ago for passing a car with very minor rust, so they are now as strict as they come, which makes sense. I won’t name the shop, but they are excellent, honest mechanics in Rutland and I fully recommend them; they’re just very tight with inspections which is fine.

I am wondering if I should roll the dice and try to get the thing inspected again, maybe at a different shop, potentially wasting some $. Is rocker panel rust that doesn’t impact safety is something that can now pass with just a fix-it advisory, as described in the linked article? Or I could try to get the rust repaired but I have had a tough time finding people who do that work and do it well.

TIA for any insight.

Hola a todos!

I have been playing Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 for the first time this summer (it came out about 1.5 years ago; playing on Xbox Series X). Not only is it a fantastic, impactful game, but I am finding it to be an extremely immersive and enjoyable way to boost my input and engagement with Spanish. (I’m a Spanish teacher currently on summer break, so I typically speak with my native speaker colleagues and students for a minimum of 2 hours a day during the school year, but it drops off over the summer.)

I am fluent in Spanish and would estimate KCD2 to be most appropriate/helpful for advanced learners. It contains extensive amounts of archaic and literary vocabulary; in fact I am watching a (reasonably educated and well-spoken) Spanish streamer, Menos13, play it as well, and almost every episode he’ll comment on at least one unfamiliar word (beodo es como bebido? Rocín es caballo? A vale).

Additionally, all the dialogue (except with your dog and God) is in vos reverencial, which is not used anywhere now, but it conjugates exactly like vosotros, so this is an effective way to get your vosotros game on point.

If you are not already fluent in Spanish, I could see this being less relevant as it’s an extremely intricate game with dozens of hours of dialogue, tons of reading required to understand the systems, and uses a form of Spanish that is not quite like that spoken anywhere in the world currently (would be like playing a game entirely in Shakespearean English). Also, in terms of pronunciation, it is standard European Spanish, so if you find that distasteful (as many learners unfortunately seem to), this wouldn’t be a good choice for you.

However, I’ve built a ton of cool and colorful vocabulary and sayings I can add to humorous effect, and I feel very immersed in the language when playing. All of the animations were also remapped to the Spanish dialogue, and, overall, this is by far the best Spanish dub I’ve experienced in a video game, so far (the new black flag is also pretty good but I didn’t like the gameplay).

If you’re on the fence, check out Menos13 or one of the other streamers with complete playthroughs on YouTube to see if you would enjoy the game and perhaps a novel approach to practicing your Spanish!

Vehicle Inspection Overhaul

Anybody else tried KCD2 for Spanish practice?