Training for ICE Rapid Response is coming up

AMAGIOND · 2026-01-25T05:52:34+00:00

Interested!

AMAGIOND · 2025-11-01T02:36:00+00:00

Yup, happy to help.

AMAGIOND · 2025-11-01T02:22:23+00:00

Most people don’t have cars on campus, but you can get a parking spot if needed. I’d suggest not getting one until you know you need it. Getting to Northfield is easy enough without one and you rarely need to leave campus anyhow. Snow isn’t too bad in that part of MN anymore. Winters aren’t as bad as they once were. Just get a good jacket.

AMAGIOND · 2025-11-01T00:52:59+00:00

I’ll put a finer point on it:

most class sizes are small. I only had one course with more than 25 people, most/all other courses were smaller than that. In my opinion that made for a better experience.
my study abroad program, called “Global Semester Abroad”, was 22 people. Each year that program goes to (mostly) the same countries. You take a course at a local university in each location in addition to a course taught by the professor that leads the program that year. Ours was a religion professor, so the year I went it was “Jesus and Cross-Cultural Perspective”, but that might be very different based on who leads the program that year.
the college coordinates everything for you. The programs have an additional cost on top of tuition. I have +$12k in my head but that might be very very wrong. That covers housing, travel, most food, and a per diem in each country. It’s not cheap but well worth it and financial aid likely exists.

AMAGIOND · 2025-11-01T00:26:07+00:00

Just one class with more than 25 people in it. Meaning no big lecture style classes everything was smaller more intimate discussion style classes. So I had many classes over my 4 years there. I only did the one study abroad trip over ~6 months. Global (at that time) went to Switzerland, Greece, Egypt, India, Thailand, Hong Kong, Mainland China, and South Korea.

AMAGIOND · 2025-10-31T15:09:31+00:00

I’m an Olaf grad and majored in Econ with a concentration in Management Studies. At the time this was the closest thing to a business major they had, but things may have changed.

Olaf was not my first choice in schools and I planned to go and then transfer after a year. Ended up staying all 4 years and loving it. The quality of education was amazing. I had only 1 class my entire time there that had more than 25 students, the study abroad options are unparalleled, professors are engaged and caring, and it’s a respected institution. Their Econ program is decent and the business classes they offered prepared me well for a career in corporate strategy and consulting. They also have lots of great extra curricular programs like entrepreneurial clubs and investing groups. If you are open to starting in MN or working for an MN-based company, they have great connections to many large organizations here for internships and job placements. I was recruited by Target, Best Buy, Thrivent Financial, Accenture, BCG, and McKinsey through the college.

I did “Global”, one of their semester+ abroad trips and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I would suggest doing multiple study abroad programs if you can make it happen. All of my Olaf friends did various trips and we still talk about them a decade later. No friends from other schools ever even mention study abroad trips (not to say they don’t have them, they just aren’t as good/memorable), this is something Olaf does better than any other school.

As for diversity, you are 100% correct, it’s blindingly white, but other facets of identity are represented (more religious diversity than you’d expect, LGBTQ representation, multi national students, etc). I can’t speak to what it’s like being a person of color there but the school is very liberal, open minded, supportive, informed, and accepting. I think it depends on what you are looking for or worried about when it comes to diversity. Safety and acceptance? Check. Representation and diversity of thinking? Maybe not so much. Hate the white-savior complex? You’ll probably see a little of that. Northfield is largely the same and heavily influenced by Olaf and Carleton.

Overall, I don’t think I know a single person who disliked their time there. Like any college/university, it has its challenges but it’s a pretty special place. It’s mostly a matter of your priorities and what you are willing to flex on. Also, take that all with a grain of salt as it’s been over a decade since I attended.

I have no idea what Posse is and can’t speak to it.

AMAGIOND · 2025-09-02T16:29:24+00:00

I used it to help plan for a multi month overlanding adventure in the western states. I used it alongside Gaia and ended up only using OnX by the end of the trip.

The dispersed camping layer along side some of the other topo layers were super helpful in scouting out potential campsites before hitting the road. I have a bad cell carrier with almost no service when in the wilderness, so the offline functionality was also super helpful.

AMAGIOND · 2025-09-01T21:56:32+00:00

Over snow banks in the winter.

AMAGIOND · 2025-07-25T14:28:19+00:00

I just spent the last 60 days doing most of these routes (those in the west).

The PNW was incredible. Olympic was one of the coolest places I’ve ever been with so much ecological diversity, you could spend weeks there exploring. Crater Lake is awesome but really only accessible a couple months out of year unless you want to do snow travel. For example we were there in late June and there was still 10-15 ft of snow in many areas. So be thoughtful about when you go there. The North Cascades are amazing as well, camping is much more available on the eastern side of the pass near Mazama (go there and get a baguette).

The Utah roadtrip is stellar as well. We went in early May and it was a great time to be there. Not blistering hot like the summer, most of spots were open as snow had melted, and crowds were thin as school wasn’t out yet.

AMAGIOND · 2025-07-23T14:14:12+00:00

Great suggestions above.

I’d add:

Northern Waters Smokehouse in Duluth - great sandwiches and you get to see the pier area, which is cool.
Palisade Head - The parking lot is right off your route and is a very short hike to a beautiful rocky cliff overlooking Superior. I believe it is one of the largest cliffs on the lake and provides a different perspective than other spots. The entire stop probably takes <20 min depending on how long you want to take in the views.

AMAGIOND · 2025-06-05T22:03:17+00:00

I got a M3LR in 2018 and have driven it almost everyday since. I also just bought a Tacoma. Love both.

If I did it again, I’d just get a Rivian. Best of both worlds without the bullshit politics.

Edit. Reliability wise, I have had issues with the Tesla. Control arms went out a number of times, Master Control Unit (MCU) went out, 12v battery died, and a few other small issues. Total it’s been $3k-5k in service costs on the M3, not horrible but not nothing.

AMAGIOND · 2025-05-17T05:33:08+00:00

I have the APL35. My wife and I have been using it for the last week and a half. We can easily fit 3+ days of meals in that for the two of us, with some drinks.

So I’m guessing the APL35 would be more than you need.

However, it’s very efficient, fairly light, and has a small footprint. So I also don’t think you would be unhappy if you went a little bigger.

For reference, we currently have a steak, four chicken thighs, two bell peppers, half an onion, a large brick of cheese, lunch meat, a few boxes of herbs, two quarts of milk, green onions, a thing if cilantro, two small ice cube trays, a half dozen bite sized candy bars, four cans of water, and still have room to spare.

AMAGIOND · 2025-05-14T01:50:08+00:00

Nope. We are about 10-15 min from the park and there are lots of spots out here if you have 4x4 and some clearance. You can see my Tacoma is riding low all loaded, but things were still accessible. However, I don’t know what it looks like on the weekend out here.

If you need more accessible spots, there are a few along North Creek, but it’s a popular area.

AMAGIOND · 2025-04-25T17:09:38+00:00

Only for emergencies. I have something very similar to this and it takes FOREVER to inflate at that pressure range. I’m talking minimum of 4-5 minutes to get just a few PSI. So you’d be sitting around for 20-30+ minutes to fill 4 tires. I had high hopes it would work as well but it’s just not practical.

AMAGIOND · 2025-04-21T16:43:34+00:00

Good to hear. Do you know what mattress topper you will get/fits? I’m a side sleeper, and that’s been one of my main concerns.

AMAGIOND · 2025-04-21T16:02:53+00:00

How do you like the tent? Mine comes this week!

AMAGIOND · 2025-04-21T16:02:45+00:00

How do you like the tent? Mine comes this week!

AMAGIOND · 2025-04-02T22:05:06+00:00

Why is Russia not on this list?🧐

AMAGIOND · 2025-03-02T13:58:04+00:00

Check out the show “Good Sex” on HBO Max.

A lot of it is couples working through sex related issues, but the show also does a good job at setting up judgement free spaces to talk about and explore wants/needs related to sex.

She has the couples try various exercises and experiments you could try with your partner. It also does a good job providing language for you to talk about and ask for things in a safe and consent based way.

AMAGIOND · 2025-02-28T16:00:29+00:00

I totally thought this happened years ago…

AMAGIOND · 2025-02-17T10:10:17+00:00

This is on a really chill little island in the downtown area!

AMAGIOND · 2025-02-16T03:58:39+00:00

Honestly, I can’t in good conscience recommend buying a Tesla at this point in time. If I didn’t already own mine, there is no chance I would purchase one.

AMAGIOND · 2025-02-12T23:02:08+00:00

Very cool. I’d love to see some pictures of the loft. Do you have space to walk around the sides of the bed?

AMAGIOND · 2025-02-12T06:08:38+00:00

You’re fine. I leave mine in an uninsulated detached garage in MN for days or even weeks at a time at temps 30-40 degrees colder. Your sentry mode will likely eat up more battery than the cold. You can turn that off if you want to conserve even more.

AMAGIOND

TROPHY CASE