I may be done with the internet, news and big tech!

[Pahonu]

Love the pet squirrel Crockett.

He is something else. Some people raise baby squirrels when they fall out of a nest and mom isn't around. In some rare cases they can become pretty tame, but most become wild after a year and want to get out. But a wild moving into my house and staying for long periods of times like an outdoor cat, that is unheard-of.

That being said, they do make bad pets. Handling him is like playing with a handful of razor blades. The claws are super sharp. Just walking over bare skin leaves scratches. When they hook in, in order to jump off, they cut through all skin layers. My hands, arms and legs are full with scratches and cuts. Every shower and handwashing is a painful sensation.

Biting is part of their communication, they are wild after all. That can range from playful nibbling to biting through a finger bone. They have a biting force of 7,000 PSI.

Their incisors constantly grow, so they are forced to grind them down on wood etc, or the teeth will literally grow into their skull. It takes them just a few seconds and a perfectly fine looking edge on your furniture is rounded off.

He also likes to steal my food, especially when I make or buy fries. Trying to get any stolen food back, or anything in his multiple stashes, will be answered with growling, teeth chattering... and you guessed it... biting.

They only bond with one human. Any visitors will be attacked when they come to close to me. They are very territorial and possessive.

That being said, the experience is well worth it. A connection to a wild animal is that much deeper. You can't cage them, they go nuts, so he roams the entire house at any time. He can be extremely cuddly or sensitive too. When it rains outside, he sneaks into my bed.

Eating a French fry while sitting on his back, with the help of a hind and his man pillow.

About the scratching and biting, Yikes! It reminded me of my father telling me stories about a skunk he had as a boy that had been abandoned as a baby. He raised it so it would survive, and had the scent glands removed to keep it in the house and yard. It didn’t like anyone but him, like you said, but it was pretty affectionate with him. My grandma hated it. Apparently it learned how to open cabinets looking for food. LOL! I don’t know their lifespan, but had it for several years, he said.

[Crockett]

We’ve met quite a few people over the years who were doing just what you describe, spending a year or even more, traveling around the country in their van. Most were retired, but a handful were younger. They had figured out how to work remotely to pay for it, which was pretty unusual pre-pandemic. We even met, and had a great breakfast, with a man from the UK crossing the country on a recumbent bike with a trailer! He started in Florida, went up the East Coast, crossed the country in the north, and went south down the West Coast. We met him at a campground in Big Sur and he was just a couple of weeks from the end of his trip in San Diego. What a trip!

We are planning another trip up the West Coast this summer. We went last about 7 years ago. I have college friend in Anacortes and my wife has a friend who just retired to Port Townsend. We’ll visit them both and camp at a several place on the Olympic Peninsula. I also have family in Portland. We plan on rotating between camping, friends and family, and a few AirB&Bs and hostels for about 3 weeks.

We live in LA County, the most populous county in the country, but have carved out a nice little life in Alamitos Bay here in Long Beach. Long Beach, itself, is a city of half a million, but it has dozens of neighborhoods, all different and unique. We like walk all over the place in the neighborhood as it’s pretty compact, including a great farmers market on Sunday mornings in the marina parking lot. I don’t feel particularly stressed by all the activity around, but understand that many do. My wife is somewhat that way.

Being here does offer lots of opportunities to do all kinds of things nearby. We just walked over the bridge yesterday to a wonderful Indian buffet lunch. Both my parents came from small towns in Quebec. I visited several times and know I don’t want that life. That said, we are planning to retire to the Central Coast, in the Morro Bay area, but splitting our time between there and our current location. That’s only about 8 years away as I’m almost 52 and we’re both teachers. We have invested for retirement by 60 and plan to keep traveling then as well.

You are only 2 years ahead. I semi retired at age 40 from my own business, with staff taking over everything but financial controlling. It took a major hit ever since covid became a thing. I'm currently debating if I should get back into the workforce or start a new business. On the other hand, working in today's society is way too complex for my liking and I'm tired of being the fire extinguisher, having to solve business problems on a daily basis.

California is beautiful, I love the outdoor lifestyle and the variety in good food and restaurants. I used to attend the Cine Gear every year. Only the politics, taxes and regulations ain't for me. I can't stand being told what I'm allowed to do, and what not. 3 of my cars and trucks wouldn't be legal in CA, let alone pass inspection. We have no inspections in FL. Many of my firearms also don't meet CA requirements. My current home on a lake and that close to a prime beach would cost me 3+ million in CA. The resulting property taxes alone would be a no-go.

I may be able to find a job with my background in CA, paying 200k plus, but I'm long done working in teams. I'm not compatible anymore.

My real issue though, is with the media and the news. I need to get away from the internet for the most part. It is highly toxic in my book, and I don't have what it takes to moderate my intake.

I'm glad I found a handful of good people on this forum. Maybe I'll cut it all out and only stick around on this and a couple other forums.

[308GUY]

"I'm glad I found a handful of good people on this forum. Maybe I'll cut it all out and only stick around on this and a couple other forums."

[Pahonu]

We’ve met quite a few people over the years who were doing just what you describe, spending a year or even more, traveling around the country in their van. Most were retired, but a handful were younger. They had figured out how to work remotely to pay for it, which was pretty unusual pre-pandemic. We even met, and had a great breakfast, with a man from the UK crossing the country on a recumbent bike with a trailer! He started in Florida, went up the East Coast, crossed the country in the north, and went south down the West Coast. We met him at a campground in Big Sur and he was just a couple of weeks from the end of his trip in San Diego. What a trip!

We are planning another trip up the West Coast this summer. We went last about 7 years ago. I have college friend in Anacortes and my wife has a friend who just retired to Port Townsend. We’ll visit them both and camp at a several place on the Olympic Peninsula. I also have family in Portland. We plan on rotating between camping, friends and family, and a few AirB&Bs and hostels for about 3 weeks.

We live in LA County, the most populous county in the country, but have carved out a nice little life in Alamitos Bay here in Long Beach. Long Beach, itself, is a city of half a million, but it has dozens of neighborhoods, all different and unique. We like walk all over the place in the neighborhood as it’s pretty compact, including a great farmers market on Sunday mornings in the marina parking lot. I don’t feel particularly stressed by all the activity around, but understand that many do. My wife is somewhat that way.

Being here does offer lots of opportunities to do all kinds of things nearby. We just walked over the bridge yesterday to a wonderful Indian buffet lunch. Both my parents came from small towns in Quebec. I visited several times and know I don’t want that life. That said, we are planning to retire to the Central Coast, in the Morro Bay area, but splitting our time between there and our current location. That’s only about 8 years away as I’m almost 52 and we’re both teachers. We have invested for retirement by 60 and plan to keep traveling then as well.

You are only 2 years ahead. I semi retired at age 40 from my own business, with staff taking over everything but financial controlling. It took a major hit ever since covid became a thing. I'm currently debating if I should get back into the workforce or start a new business. On the other hand, working in today's society is way too complex for my liking and I'm tired of being the fire extinguisher, having to solve business problems on a daily basis.

California is beautiful, I love the outdoor lifestyle and the variety in good food and restaurants. I used to attend the Cine Gear every year. Only the politics, taxes and regulations ain't for me. I can't stand being told what I'm allowed to do, and what not. 3 of my cars and trucks wouldn't be legal in CA, let alone pass inspection. We have no inspections in FL. Many of my firearms also don't meet CA requirements. My current home on a lake and that close to a prime beach would cost me 3+ million in CA. The resulting property taxes alone would be a no-go.

I may be able to find a job with my background in CA, paying 200k plus, but I'm long done working in teams. I'm not compatible anymore.

My real issue though, is with the media and the news. I need to get away from the internet for the most part. It is highly toxic in my book, and I don't have what it takes to moderate my intake.

I'm glad I found a handful of good people on this forum. Maybe I'll cut it all out and only stick around on this and a couple other forums.

Other than the pandemic period, teaching hasn’t changed too much in my career. It’s pretty much back to normal now, and I still enjoy the students so I feel fortunate that I found something I still love in my 27th year. I’m sure many other jobs have changed more dramatically in the same timeframe.

To be above board, I would describe myself as a fiscal moderate and social liberal. I’ve always found social conservatism to be much more about telling me what I can and cannot do than more liberal views. There’s lots of room for debate on fiscal policy in my book. Not all taxes are bad and not all government programs are good. I believe the reverse is very true as well. Unfortunately, I think many have an immediate good/bad response to my statement above.

I have a good friend and business owner who moved to Sarasota a few years ago from Marina Del Rey here in SoCal and was surprised by the higher property taxes, particularly because he had owned his place for almost 20 years before moving. He also didn’t seem to understand the subtropical climate! LOL CA has had surprisingly low property taxes since the 70’s because of legislation called Prop 13. It allows a maximum of 2% increase per year regardless of assessed value and a maximum of 1%, though it is closer to .75% effectively. We bought our place for $215k in 1999 and it’s assessed at around a million today. We paid around 5.5K last year.

Family in New Jersey was also surprised at the relatively low property taxes here. It’s 3x in NJ and my brother in law said he paid over $13k on a place valued at half. My cousin who moved to Texas last year paid more than we did on a place also valued at about half of ours. Now sales tax and personal income tax is very high, but property taxes wouldn’t be the reason to avoid real estate in CA. Its overall cost might be, but my friend tells me FL real estate has been rising quickly. There are also fewer business rules he says, but he’s in aftermarket auto parts supply and says it doesn’t make much of a difference for him. I hope to get out there and see him soon. I haven’t been to Florida since the 90’s.

I feel like social media platforms, more than traditional news sources have accelerated the partisanship, from all perspectives. I steer away from social media as you seem to be attempting, but I still read lots of newspapers and particularly long form news magazines. Those seem to be dying, unfortunately I’m my opinion. The headline and sound byte are where far too many people stop, or they dive into non-journalistic opinion content.

I’m not a gun owner, but I can comment on California’s vehicle laws. We don’t have yearly vehicle inspections like they have in New Jersey, for example. We do have smog inspections every two years for vehicles over eight years old. Vehicles older than 1975 have none, so that influences some collectors. I considered an older VW van. I sometimes envy my neighbor with a 69 Corvette convertible that is exempt, but we’ve had some great cruises down PCH.

The two things that most people don’t understand about the emissions laws here is 1) that older vehicles that do have to get checked only have to meet the requirements of the year of their construction, and 2) that the state provides subsidies to older vehicle repairs to keep them clean. So, in my case, I bought my VW in 2007 and it failed, so a new, more efficient catalytic converter was installed at about $1k and it passed with better than new numbers. My out of pocket was $100. It just passed again last week.

I will also argue to the bitter end about the effectiveness of the legislation because the smog when I was a kid in the 70’s growing up was horrendous compared to now. I often tell my students about the orangy-brown air (seriously, how many things are orange-brown!) and how it felt like someone sitting on your chest when you would run around and play in it. There hasn’t been a 1st or 2nd stage smog alert in SoCal since the early 90’s. Now I can enjoy the outdoor lifestyle as an adult!

Damn! Sorry that got long.
I’m off today for the Easter weekend.

[Crockett]

Other than the pandemic period, teaching hasn’t changed too much in my career. It’s pretty much back to normal now, and I still enjoy the students so I feel fortunate that I found something I still love in my 27th year. I’m sure many other jobs have changed more dramatically in the same timeframe.

To be above board, I would describe myself as a fiscal moderate and social liberal. I’ve always found social conservatism to be much more about telling me what I can and cannot do than more liberal views. There’s lots of room for debate on fiscal policy in my book. Not all taxes are bad and not all government programs are good. I believe the reverse is very true as well. Unfortunately, I think many have an immediate good/bad response to my statement above.

I have a good friend and business owner who moved to Sarasota a few years ago from Marina Del Rey here in SoCal and was surprised by the higher property taxes, particularly because he had owned his place for almost 20 years before moving. He also didn’t seem to understand the subtropical climate! LOL CA has had surprisingly low property taxes since the 70’s because of legislation called Prop 13. It allows a maximum of 2% increase per year regardless of assessed value and a maximum of 1%, though it is closer to .75% effectively. We bought our place for $215k in 1999 and it’s assessed at around a million today. We paid around 5.5K last year.

Family in New Jersey was also surprised at the relatively low property taxes here. It’s 3x in NJ and my brother in law said he paid over $13k on a place valued at half. My cousin who moved to Texas last year paid more than we did on a place also valued at about half of ours. Now sales tax and personal income tax is very high, but property taxes wouldn’t be the reason to avoid real estate in CA. Its overall cost might be, but my friend tells me FL real estate has been rising quickly. There are also fewer business rules he says, but he’s in aftermarket auto parts supply and says it doesn’t make much of a difference for him. I hope to get out there and see him soon. I haven’t been to Florida since the 90’s.

I feel like social media platforms, more than traditional news sources have accelerated the partisanship, from all perspectives. I steer away from social media as you seem to be attempting, but I still read lots of newspapers and particularly long form news magazines. Those seem to be dying, unfortunately I’m my opinion. The headline and sound byte are where far too many people stop, or they dive into non-journalistic opinion content.

I’m not a gun owner, but I can comment on California’s vehicle laws. We don’t have yearly vehicle inspections like they have in New Jersey, for example. We do have smog inspections every two years for vehicles over eight years old. Vehicles older than 1975 have none, so that influences some collectors. I considered an older VW van. I sometimes envy my neighbor with a 69 Corvette convertible that is exempt, but we’ve had some great cruises down PCH.

The two things that most people don’t understand about the emissions laws here is 1) that older vehicles that do have to get checked only have to meet the requirements of the year of their construction, and 2) that the state provides subsidies to older vehicle repairs to keep them clean. So, in my case, I bought my VW in 2007 and it failed, so a new, more efficient catalytic converter was installed at about $1k and it passed with better than new numbers. My out of pocket was $100. It just passed again last week.

I will also argue to the bitter end about the effectiveness of the legislation because the smog when I was a kid in the 70’s growing up was horrendous compared to now. I often tell my students about the orangy-brown air (seriously, how many things are orange-brown!) and how it felt like someone sitting on your chest when you would run around and play in it. There hasn’t been a 1st or 2nd stage smog alert in SoCal since the early 90’s. Now I can enjoy the outdoor lifestyle as an adult!

Damn! Sorry that got long.
I’m off today for the Easter weekend.

Some interesting thoughts and perspectives.

All my cars and trucks still have catalytic converters - I'm no fan of smog either - but they are tuned in several ways. My Vette has race cats installed with a very high flow rate, everything else is straight piped. They remove most, but not enough for CA emissions. Another concern is noise emissions. CA started enforcing against loud exhaust system a few years back. My Vette and my HEMI truck are both way too loud.

I live close to the Cleetus McFarland gang, our entire county is all about extreme motorsports. Our monster trucks would be impounded first thing on CA roads. We drive 7 second cars on the street, radials / slicks, no lights, parachute, 2-step, you name it.

Driving a tank on public roads, cops don't care.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svKGg9ys1n0


Heck I rode my SuperBike class race bike on our public roads for many years without being bothered by police. No lights, no mirrors, extremely loud, 200 horses to the rear wheel @ 370 pounds dry. Bike was new before it was race modded. No cat obviously. Wouldn't fly in CA.

[Pahonu]

I can do you one better on the tank on the street video.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6UBW0wrB18

I remember this from the mid 90’s down in San Diego. Sure the police got involved but it was only because it was stolen, not a tank, right?!?!? Seriously, it left a trail of crushed cars and other debris. I also remember hearing that the streets had to be resurfaced in multiple areas because the treads tore it up under the great weight of the tank.

I remember reading about noise ordinances being tightened but I don’t see very much enforcement. I hear loud bikes all the time and have for many years. I do recall reading about one particular cop down in Orange County who made it his mission to go after loud vehicles, but that was years ago and didn’t impact me. My old VW’s flat four has a very distinct and easily recognizable sound, but it’s 85 horsepower don’t exactly scream.

On a side note, a friend of mine mentioned to me that they had some kind of monster truck thing at the Long Beach GP when he went last year, I think it was. I’ve been a few times but not recently. Is that what your talking about? I do see really lifted trucks once in a while, but I don’t think it’s very popular here. I see far more lowered vehicles, of all kinds. Not my thing though. VW actually made a lifted four wheel drive version of my van called the Synchro. I’ve seen them sell for close to $100k after restoration. Also not my thing, but only because I can’t afford that!

[Nikita70]

I feel much like both of you guys. We’re in the same age bracket, I’m 53. Besides all the crazy stuff I see online every day, I really enjoy the older shows because the mental programming was minimal, if at all. I like story arcs in the shows I watch but every single episode doesn’t have to be a cliffhanger.
I quit watching some shows that I was long term into because of the BS social engineering. I’m glad there are tons of older shows from the 60s-80s I can enjoy. I want to be entertained by the shows, if I want reality I’ll just go online. More than enough of that any day and everyday.

[Luther's nephew Dobie]

My washer & dryer are 27 years old -- bought in 1996 when I moved back to this area. I repaired the washing machine just last week, with a $50 part. I refuse to get a new one because I don't want a computerized one that will fail after a year or 3.

Hi Eagle,
My buddy Albert was a jack of all trades plumber, electrician, mechanic, Maytag repairman, helped build nuclear subs, flew a plane, etc.
He repaired washers and dryers on the side in retirement.
5 years ago I was thinking of buying one of these 21st century marvel washer/driers (the ones I have are from the early 90's) and he had a fit.
He asked me when was the last time either needed repairing, I paused, replied, "um, never."
You can't buy better machines today, in fact Al said if I bought a new one - 2018 then - it might last to 2023 and then die, after at least two visits by repairmen over those 5 years, the problem
almost always with the computerized bits.
He then said he'd be happy to buy my units on the spot, as guys in the trade like him treasure those old units, for their own use or selling them to each other or to savvy people.
If they ever do break down, odds are you can find the You Tube how to video that will let you repair these simple machines yourself.
Just like you fixing yours with a $50 part.
Well you guessed it, my machines are still humming along. Albert has dementia now but he was right, the damn things will probably being doing wash on the Mars Colony one day.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rupert of Hentzau(Douglas Fairbanks): "I see you let the drawbridge down. I just killed a man for that."
Rudolph Rassendyll(Ronald Colman): "An unarmed man of course."
Rupert of Hentzau: "Of course!"

From 1937's immortal "Prisoner of Zenda". In what was possibly the most charismatic acting job in history, Douglas Fairbanks jr was delightfully rotten as bad guy Rupert of Hentzau.
I for one was almost rooting for Rupert to beat Ronald Coleman in his iconic career defining role of the Englishman Rudolph Rassendyll. If you haven't seen this one you are
cheating yourself. Beware the merely pretty good color remake with Stewart Granger, the original is one of the greatest adventure movies ever. The end scene is a classic.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

From 1937's immortal "Prisoner of Zenda". In what was possibly the most charismatic acting job in history, Douglas Fairbanks jr was delightfully rotten as bad guy Rupert of Hentzau.
I for one was almost rooting for Rupert to beat Ronald Coleman in his iconic career defining role of the Englishman Rudolph Rassendyll. If you haven't seen this one you are
cheating yourself. Beware the merely pretty good color remake with Stewart Granger, the original is one of the greatest adventure movies ever. The end scene is a classic.

I refuse to watch movies pre-1940!

But seriously... I don't think I've seen a single film from the 30s. Maybe a few frames of The Wizard of Oz and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs when I was a youngster. Nope, not even the timeless Gone With the Wind. I do have Mr. Smith Goes to Washington on my radar because I'm a big Jimmy Stewart fan and it's supposed to be a Frank Capra classic. So hopefully I'll get around to that one some day. But basically my interest in films starts in 1940 and forward. 1940 alone had Foreign Correspondent and Rebecca (both by Hitchcock, of whom I am a pretty big fan). The 40s had some great classics that are among my favorites - Casablanca, Shadow of a Doubt, Gaslight, Double Indemnity, The Spiral Staircase, Notorious, Rope, Key Largo, Samson and Delilah. Gaslight (the "Hitchcock film" not directed by Hitchcock) is probably my favorite from that decade! I also really liked Spencer Tracy's version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941) - you don't hear that one mentioned too often.

[eagle]

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is excellent, and I should watch that tomorrow with my kids... hmm...

I'm a big Hitchcock fan too - both of those you mention were excellent. I really liked Rear Window, The Birds, Psycho, Rebecca, Foreign Correspondent, Dial M for Murder, Vertigo, Marnie. Really the list goes on and on. I need to watch them all.

Gaslight was excellent. Casablanca is one of my all-time favorite movies.

[Pahonu]

Since you’re both Hitchcock fans, I would recommend a few of his early films before he came to Hollywood. They often get overlooked, namely: Sabotage, not to be confused with the excellent Saboteur a few years later, The Lady Vanishes, and particularly The 39 Steps. That last one is his first featuring the wrongly accused man theme that he would revisit in other classics. They’re all from the 30’s Ivan. All the classic Universal monster movies like Dracula, Frankenstein and King Kong are from the 30’s too.

This will probably not appeal to many, but I record Silent Sunday movies on TCM every week. I mostly enjoy the comedies as many of the dramas don’t stand up as well, but Hitchcock did one called The Lodger that I really enjoyed. It has very atmospheric and moody visuals. He also started his uncredited appearances tradition with this one.

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

Psycho, North by Northwest, and The Birds are my top 3 Hitchcock films. Dial M for Murder is an honorable mention. I really think the late 50s and early 60s was Hitchcock at his absolute best!! Starting with Marnie things went downhill I'm afraid. Though Frenzy from 1972 was pretty good.

[Pahonu]

Psycho, North by Northwest, and The Birds are my top 3 Hitchcock films. Dial M for Murder is an honorable mention. I really think the late 50s and early 60s was Hitchcock at his absolute best!! Starting with Marnie things went downhill I'm afraid. Though Frenzy from 1972 was pretty good.

Psycho is the pinnacle in my opinion. I would replace The Birds with Vertigo on your list, which is in that timeframe though. I also really like Rear Window from slightly earlier. I’m a Jimmy Stewart fan too. The Birds would be in my top ten, but I like Strangers on a Train more, I think. That’s almost a list!

This is the best I can do:
1. Psycho
2. Vertigo
2. North by Northwest
2. Rear Window
5. Strangers in a Train
6. The Birds

[ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)]

Psycho, North by Northwest, and The Birds are my top 3 Hitchcock films. Dial M for Murder is an honorable mention. I really think the late 50s and early 60s was Hitchcock at his absolute best!! Starting with Marnie things went downhill I'm afraid. Though Frenzy from 1972 was pretty good.

Psycho is the pinnacle in my opinion. I would replace The Birds with Vertigo on your list, which is in that timeframe though. I also really like Rear Window from slightly earlier. I’m a Jimmy Stewart fan too. The Birds would be in my top ten, but I like Strangers on a Train more, I think. That’s almost a list!

This is the best I can do:
1. Psycho
2. Vertigo
2. North by Northwest
2. Rear Window
5. Strangers in a Train
6. The Birds

That's a good list! Vertigo is an interesting one because it certainly is a very good movie and is drenched with Hitchcockian atmosphere (the cinematography, Herrmann's score, lovely but ill-fated Kim Novak, the surreal feel, the great twist) but it's not one that I would return to very often. In fact I only saw it once many years ago. I get more repeat satisfaction from his other films. The twist (which is a real jolting eye-opener when you first see it) is the best thing about the film, but once you know it then on repeat viewings you're really just watching the film for the atmosphere. It's a more slow moving film than many of the others from the "master of suspense".

[Pahonu]

Psycho, North by Northwest, and The Birds are my top 3 Hitchcock films. Dial M for Murder is an honorable mention. I really think the late 50s and early 60s was Hitchcock at his absolute best!! Starting with Marnie things went downhill I'm afraid. Though Frenzy from 1972 was pretty good.

Psycho is the pinnacle in my opinion. I would replace The Birds with Vertigo on your list, which is in that timeframe though. I also really like Rear Window from slightly earlier. I’m a Jimmy Stewart fan too. The Birds would be in my top ten, but I like Strangers on a Train more, I think. That’s almost a list!

This is the best I can do:
1. Psycho
2. Vertigo
2. North by Northwest
2. Rear Window
5. Strangers in a Train
6. The Birds

That's a good list! Vertigo is an interesting one because it certainly is a very good movie and is drenched with Hitchcockian atmosphere (the cinematography, Herrmann's score, lovely but ill-fated Kim Novak, the surreal feel, the great twist) but it's not one that I would return to very often. In fact I only saw it once many years ago. I get more repeat satisfaction from his other films. The twist (which is a real jolting eye-opener when you first see it) is the best thing about the film, but once you know it then on repeat viewings you're really just watching the film for the atmosphere. It's a more slow moving film than many of the others from the "master of suspense".

I think you nailed Vertigo’s appeal, the atmosphere and score, the visuals, including the dolly zoom that is now called the vertigo effect. It was the first film to ever use this. I also like the detective aspect of being drawn into something unforeseen for a friend (ahem Magnum). I also think it delves into the protagonist’s psychological state more than any other Hitchcock film. I’ve seen it about four times, and while I agree that it does require a bit of patience, I think it’s worth rewatching, especially, not in spite of the conclusion. Plus… Kim Novak!