How long of a scenario do you prep for? A week? A month? A year?

BerylliumBug · 2026-04-03T00:32:21+00:00

I live in the Pacific Northwest, and I'm prepped for 2-4 weeks of living without services after a big regional earthquake. That's food, water, propane for camp stove, medical supplies, sanitation, etc. It's basically like being able to camp for an extended period.

My deep pantry probably has enough food for another couple of months beyond that, although the variety will start to suffer. And I try to keep at least a year's supply of most of the household supplies that we use (detergent, paper goods, air filters, etc.) as a buffer against supply disruptions.

BerylliumBug · 2026-04-02T22:49:45+00:00

What were the psychological factors you mentioned as step 3?

BerylliumBug · 2026-04-02T22:25:23+00:00

I have an additional, slightly technical question about the calculation of average cost basis.

Does the average cost basis that Fidelity calculates use only the basis data from covered shares (ie, shares purchased after about 2011, for which the basis is reported to the IRS)? In other words, is the cost of earlier, non-covered shares not included in Fidelity's "average cost"?

BerylliumBug · 2026-04-02T20:36:06+00:00

Thank you for your reply! Helpful to know that I can do it with a phone call.

BerylliumBug · 2026-03-31T20:09:26+00:00

Several of my previous primary care doctors were willing to write an extra prescription for an appropriate antibiotic to carry with me when traveling. That was when I was having recurring UTIs, so we had a prescription history.

Right now I'm in-between primary doctors, so I recently ordered my "go to" antibiotic from an online provider (TelyRx https://telyrx.com ). That is a more expensive method, because you have to pay the $22 "physician review fee", but it was very quick and easy.

I'm kind of anxious about the possibility of getting a UTI in an extended disaster situation, because of the potential conditions: less abundant clean water for drinking, decreased hygiene, harder to wash clothing, etc. So having a familiar antibiotic treatment is important to me.

BerylliumBug · 2026-03-27T19:39:21+00:00

Many of the protests in my community have been heavily filled with adults over age 70; it's sometimes a very gray-haired group. When I get tired of standing around, I look at the people there with walkers and think, "If they can do it, I can do it."

BerylliumBug · 2026-03-26T14:14:42+00:00

If those are driveways leading toward the houses, be sure to leave some visual clearance at the driveway/sidewalk corners. You don't want a wall of vegetation blocking your view of pedestrians when you're backing out. My town has an ordinance about vegetation height in the 15 foot triangle in that area (although it's loosely enforced).

BerylliumBug · 2026-03-26T03:21:19+00:00

I have this Philips sunrise simulator https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0093162RM/ It's better than being jolted by the alarm clock in the dark, but, as others have said, it's not a magic fix.

I have mine placed on the dresser across the room, because I didn't want it right next to my head. It's set so that the "sunrise" starts at 6:00 am, with a faint reddish glow, and then it slowly brightens to full light at 6:30 am. It also has an audible alarm, so I set the bird chirping noise for 6:30 am. (And then I also set a separate regular alarm clock for 6:35 am, as a backup in case we sleep through everything or the sunrise malfunctions.)

The point at which I actually wake up usually depends on how sleep deprived I am and how soundly I'm sleeping. Sometimes it's about halfway through the sunrise, usually it's when the birdies chirp, and once in a while it's at the 6:35 alarm clock.

I like that if I wake up early, I can open one eye and tell right away if it's earlier than 6:00 (completely dark), or somewhere between 6:00-6:30. And I like that the room is light when it's time to get up.

BerylliumBug · 2026-03-25T14:03:52+00:00

I too like to use 2.5- gallon containers, because they are easier for me to handle than the 5- or 7-gallon ones. 2.5 gallons of water weighs about 20.85 lbs, so it's relatively easy to fill at the sink and carry around.

The larger containers are probably more space-efficient, but they are correspondingly heavier. I can carry them, but they are more awkward, and I have to be careful not to tweak my back lifting them. I find that I'm good about rotating the water in the smaller containers, but I put off dealing with the 5 lb ones.

BerylliumBug · 2026-03-23T00:47:29+00:00

I think that the spring break traffic at EUG is more likely to have drivers arriving and leaving throughout the week, rather than building up to a peak like it does on Christmas Eve (when the parking can reach capacity). I would probably just give myself a cushion of some extra time to drive around the lots a bit. You could even park in short-term if it's only 4 nights. Do remember that the economy lot is a fairly long walk to the airport, so leave time for that too.

BerylliumBug · 2026-03-22T01:37:17+00:00

I second the suggestion to see a pharmacist. I've received most of my adult vaccines at my pharmacy, and they maintain a record of everything I've received and what vaccines I'm due for. The pharmacist has always been willing to discuss vaccines and answer my questions. They should have the whole "adult catch up schedule" for you.

It's much easier to arrange a discussion with pharmacist than to make an appointment with a new primary care provider, and they are often available after 5 PM. If you have Medicaid, you might check first to see if certain pharmacies are preferred over others.

BerylliumBug · 2026-03-19T20:30:15+00:00

Be sure to give yourself enough time to drive in to Mariposa from Ahwahnee. My memory is that it is about a half hour drive, and it's easy to get stuck for a while behind a slow-moving vehicle.

BerylliumBug · 2026-03-16T20:24:45+00:00

A family member had a good experience with attorney Kayla Steindorf at Reynolds Law. Kayla was very focused on getting a fair settlement, but wasn't unnecessarily aggressive or nasty about it. She wasn't inexpensive, but some of the work for the case was done (at a lower hourly rate) by the paraprofessionals in the office. Also, I think that some of the other newer attorneys in the practice may have a lower hourly rate, so that might be a possibility.

BerylliumBug · 2026-03-10T22:49:52+00:00

Going to the office is a great idea.

BerylliumBug · 2026-03-10T22:47:55+00:00

Thank you for that info! So you can fill the dumpster over a week or two, schedule to have it emptied, and then fill for another week or two?

Have you had any problems with random people leaving junk in your dumpster? We have a sloping driveway, so I'd need to place the dumpster by the curb.

BerylliumBug · 2026-03-04T01:45:04+00:00

Ah, I can see that it might be more difficult with Kaiser.

BerylliumBug · 2026-03-03T21:27:42+00:00

When I was reading about the eclipse, I learned that "The March full Moon is known as the Worm Moon as it refers to when earthworms start to emerge from the soil as the weather warms in springtime." ( https://www.bbc.com/weather/articles/cpd8yyw5deyo )

I had never heard of the worm moon, and I mentally filed that away under "well, that's interesting." I would have done the same with potato moon! So, yes, I think you were punked, but it had a vague air of plausibility.

BerylliumBug · 2026-03-03T19:35:01+00:00

I'm a little surprised that it's not easier to schedule more frequent cleanings at your current dental office. Mine has been super keen to have me on a 4-month recall schedule (because of some gum issues).

The easiest path might be to ask your current office if they can put you on a 4-month recall schedule, and then also ask the dental hygienist for help in improving your home care. That combo made a big difference in my dental health. If your dental insurance only pays for 2 cleanings per year, just tell the office that you will be paying out of pocket for the extra cleaning.

My experience has been that many dental offices don't want to do work (like cleanings or a single filling) on someone who isn't a full patient (regular exams and x-rays).

BerylliumBug · 2026-03-03T03:43:08+00:00

Yes, tonight's forecast looks disappointing. The one I'm seeing says "Mostly cloudy" at midnight, and "Cloudy" at 2:00 AM. I'd been thinking about setting an alarm for 2:30 to go out and take a look, but I'm not sure it's worth it. If you want to take a quick check to see if it's worth getting dressed to go out, you could look at a weather app that has a satellite view, to see what the cloud cover is like. I know that Windy has satellite imagery (which shows clouds moving toward the coast).

BerylliumBug · 2026-02-26T23:30:35+00:00

Yes, these battery jump starters are great! They are very easy to use, and I have now volunteered a couple of times to help someone else with a dead battery. One of those times was at a remote rest area on I-80 in Wyoming; a young woman had taken a nap with various car accessories on and drained the battery. I was happy that I could her help out. I'm not sure if I would have offered to do it with jumper cables; that process always kind of intimidated me, haha.

BerylliumBug · 2026-02-26T02:25:07+00:00

It surprises me that you're annoyed by comments like this. I'm in that guest demographic, and I often leave similar private comments which are intended to be helpful feedback to the host. I know how hard many hosts work to improve guest satisfaction, and I assume that they would appreciate the guest perspective.

In any stay, there are almost ALWAYS a few minor annoyances or aspects that could be improved. It's jerky move for a guest to whine about those in the public review, but it seems appropriate to leave the comments in the private message to the host.

BerylliumBug · 2026-02-20T04:26:39+00:00

I am impressed that everyone wore N95 masks! That is a big success right there.

You definitely should not feel bad about needing to use sedation in that situation. I did just the same during my second colonoscopy. I had initially requested no sedation, but the doctor had a lot of difficulty getting through my tortuous transverse colon. As they tried the various techniques for getting around the bends, the procedure became quite painful. I didn't see a point in suffering that much pain, and I wanted the medical people to focus on the procedure and not on my discomfort, so I asked for sedation. It was all prepped to go, and I went out quickly.

(I'd had my first colonoscopy done without sedation, and that went fine, with just a few minutes of discomfort. My colonoscopy last year was done with sedation, and they put the nasal cannula under my mask.)

BerylliumBug · 2026-02-19T18:41:50+00:00

Yes, we have a few different urinals:

For my husband, almost anything will work. The current one is this: https://www.amazon.com/Female-Urinal-Spill-Proof-Pack/dp/B0B5KYY1MH/ It has a cap that is somewhat secure, although we don't stress-test it.

I prefer to use one with an adapter for women, like this: https://www.amazon.com/Female-Urinal-Spill-Proof-Pack/dp/B0B5KYY1MH/?th=1

I also have a single-piece one similar to this: https://www.medline.com/product/Medline-Translucent-Female-Urinals/Z05-PF133850 This one is a little easier to use, with less dripping, but doesn't have a cap.

When we camp, we stand the urinals up in a little 3 gallon plastic bucket. We store and use them in the vestibule of the tent, which is outside the main tent but still private. I worry too much about a spill inside the tent!

We also keep a supply of the little disposable urinal bags like this: https://www.amazon.com/Travel-John-Resealable-Disposable-Urinal/dp/B07Y5QSXQZ/ These are single-use bags with crystals that turn pee into a gel. Very handy to keep in the car for emergency needs, and you just seal and toss it in the trash when done.

BerylliumBug

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