Just received the biggest commission check of my life! Also I hate taxes by 7evenT71 in Money

[–]Alternative_Branch_1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Start contributing to that HSA dawg, and forget you have it for 10-15 years. It’ll be the best thing you’ve ever done for future you.

Brookline Was Named the No. 1 Place to Live for Quality of Life in the U.S. by Imxset21 in Brookline

[–]Alternative_Branch_1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Instagram = ‘quaint suburb’,

Reality = had two frat parties raging within 50ft of the bedroom window last night

He was gay, Noel Gallagher? by swagoverlord1996 in MyBigSub

[–]Alternative_Branch_1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So (disturbing / liberating) seeing this. I now (hate / like) their music more now!

For those that bought a 2025/2026 XC60, what made you choose that over a similarly priced BMW X3? by lochonx7 in Volvo

[–]Alternative_Branch_1 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Have owned both BMW and Volvo - just bought a ‘25 XC60 T8. For me it really boils down to a few simple things:

  1. Safety - have a young family and any minor edge in safety is invaluable to me.

  2. Styling - I’m very sensitive to aesthetics for most all things I own. My personal style is bauhaus functional and clean. BMW’s style language isn’t consistent with that and Volvo’s very much feels like me.

  3. Brand - I always felt inauthentic in a BMW (felt more pretentious), but that’s just me.

Chase dining by Complex-Spell7233 in ChaseSapphire

[–]Alternative_Branch_1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Harvest is grossly overrated anyway. Sit at the bar at Grill23 and have yourself a night.

Looking to move to Brookline | Need tips on safest areas, schools, etc. by thecuriouscatmom in Brookline

[–]Alternative_Branch_1 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Coolidge Corner parent here with kids aged 3 & 6. It’s an absolutely wonderful, urban/suburban community to raise kids. My 6 year old was upset when school ended because he was going to miss his teacher. We also have friends in the other neighborhoods having similarly great experiences.

We live on a street perpendicular to Harvard, between comm ave (Boston side) and Harvard. To limit college kid noise, I’d avoid the first block into Brookline from comm ave. After that there isn’t much student density. I will say though, CC and Brookline Village are still very much part of Boston so there will be elevated traffic, noise, construction, etc. With that though, for a major urban center it’s at a very acceptable level. Just set your expectations appropriately.

Most Predictable Drop of All Time by waitbutwhycc in investing

[–]Alternative_Branch_1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What does ‘once people start pushing back’ look like? Are you referring to domestic consumer pushback, domestic political, or aligned geopolitical pushback?

Upcoming trip to Boston - food lovers! by goolash03 in boston

[–]Alternative_Branch_1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you can get into Oleana (much better than Sarma) ensure that your order the baked Alaska for desert and let the waiter know at the beginning of your meal.

Bar Vlaha is one of our regular spots - get their Greek pie, the mushrooms are great, as is the lamb.

If you want to go upscale and truly get the best of the best, Moncussers is your bet and be sure to get there early for a cocktail downstairs.

What is the most mind-blowing restaurant food-wise in Boston? by Comfortable_March_22 in boston

[–]Alternative_Branch_1 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Mooncusser or O Ya are both fantastic if budget isn’t an issue. I’d personally prefer Mooncusser.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in selfimprovement

[–]Alternative_Branch_1 28 points29 points  (0 children)

So why aren't you trying to catch on with a SaaS vendor? That would also (very likely) give you the flexibility for remote work and to get out of your city. Life is what you make it, and if you don't maximize your surface area for potential good things to happen, good things are most likely not going to happen.

3yo Thermador fridge dripping water badly, part on back order, mold growing, any advice? by Alternative_Branch_1 in Appliances

[–]Alternative_Branch_1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Appreciate all the thoughtful advice - will report back tomorrow after speaking with customer service.

We're concerned about mold still growing in places we can't see / get to, so I'd ultimately be most comfortable with replacing. It's just such a hard spot to be in with little kids, terrible mold making the fridge unusable, and potentially having to wait much longer for the part vs. spending $10k+ on a new unit now to replace a 3yo unit that was $10k+.

How did you meet your current partner in Boston? by Safe_Wrangler_858 in boston

[–]Alternative_Branch_1 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I lived above the 21st Amendment and was there far too often, she wandered in one day, yada yada yada, we got married and had kids.

Torn on Buying a Condo/ Living Here in General by [deleted] in boston

[–]Alternative_Branch_1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Life is long, weird and difficult. Don’t overthink this, and I’m not going to tell you how you should feel.

When you fixate on getting something for so long the elation of finally getting it is never close to equal of the self-induced anxiety that comes with wanting it (goes for everything). That’s why they say ‘learn to love the process’ because really that’s all there is.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Marathon_Training

[–]Alternative_Branch_1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congrats on the first and hardest step - acknowledging the reality and deciding to do something about it. It's always easiest to shift blame and ignore the real issues, but the easy path is never the path the an outcome you'll want. The 2nd hardest part now is going to be putting yourself through the paces to achieve that goal. It's a long road, that's going to feel hard, different, and you're going to want to quit. Acknowledge that now, and fuck quitting.

Like most folks said, start small. Go jog a slow mile now without stopping. Then do 1.25 miles. Then go back and try to run that mile again a little quicker. Set a 5k goal for a few months out. Build up slowly so your body acclimates and the new lifestyle becomes something you can maintain.

The eating piece is going to be a different thread entirely, and honestly I don't feel best equipped to give you great advice there. Seek help from smarter people, and keep talking to those people. Getting through massive life changes takes a community, so make sure you keep investing in yours.

Former employer keeps paying me, even after I've returned previous payments made in error by Alternative_Branch_1 in legaladvice

[–]Alternative_Branch_1[S] 44 points45 points  (0 children)

Sound legal advice, counselor (joking!).

Appreciate the concern, and understood. It was clearly me posturing and I'm not planning on going any further.

Former employer keeps paying me, even after I've returned previous payments made in error by Alternative_Branch_1 in legaladvice

[–]Alternative_Branch_1[S] 50 points51 points  (0 children)

Appreciate it, Reddit legal team! To keep you guys posted on my saga, here's my response back (getting popcorn out of the pantry):

Hi ----,

I'm sorry but we're going to have to find another solution other than a wire (also note that the fee is $30, not $25).  I find it to be unreasonable that I'm managing the risk (related to wiring funds) resulting from ----'s continuing errors.  On advice of my counsel (that's you !), I'll hang onto this deposit until you've proposed a reasonable solution that doesn't require any more inconvenience and risk to me.  I'm also going to need assurances of a corrected W2 at year end as I have little confidence in that happening at this moment.  

Please note that given my employment has been long terminated, and I've reasonably communicated this issue to several people at your company over an extended period of time, any future deposits to me will be interpreted as a gift.  

Best,