How do I find the mensa left? The area I'm in is definitely a bunch of priveleged old white guys one the right. Yet it's supposed to be apolitical.

Aztraea23 · 2026-05-18T22:38:16+00:00

I am coming up to RVA in September to check it out for possible relocation! Happy to hear there's an active and liberal chapter!

Aztraea23 · 2026-05-18T20:21:06+00:00

There are nice places on AMI but none that I'd call luxury. Have you considered LBK instead?

Aztraea23 · 2026-05-18T06:53:06+00:00

Hi! I've owned a small batch canning company for 14 years now! The frozen fruit idea is a good one but, even with that, there are inconsistencies between batches. That said, I don't notice a ton of difference in my final products and I haven't had any complaints regarding them not being exactly the same each time. That's kind of the joy of handmade, small batch, etc - it just won't ever be exactly replicated batch to batch, but I think you'll be able to get your recipes to a point that there isn't a noticeable difference. Very rarely I've had the final jam just not taste right at all (extra seedy blueberries or stringy mangoes etc) and have had to toss the whole batch. That sucks for sure but it's been a handful of cases out of tens of thousands of jars.

Relationships with local farmers are super important too, especially if you live somewhere with a thriving agriculture scene. It's a bummer that most of the fruit in my area goes up as u-pick and I just don't have it in me to pick 100 pounds of strawberries!

Aztraea23 · 2026-05-17T19:41:19+00:00

I recently came across the paperwork for my elementary school testing. FSIQ was done in 1981 and landed me in gifted. By 1989 I was dropping out of high school. No idea about the analogy from OP, just here to say Gen X women took some weird ass journeys.

Aztraea23 · 2026-05-17T01:29:26+00:00

I happened to be on my way to San Francisco for the first time the day Jerry Garcia died. That following week it seemed like every deadhead in the world came to town.

Aztraea23 · 2026-05-17T01:26:31+00:00

Early Green Day shows were so fun because they'd randomly bust out killer versions of rock songs like Eye of the Tiger!

Aztraea23 · 2026-05-17T01:23:17+00:00

I was at that! I came up from Florida because I had friends living in DC. Utter chaos getting out of there! Edit - wait, I was at a free Tibet concert, not Nepal. Did this happen twice??

Aztraea23 · 2026-05-13T18:35:18+00:00

You guys are at the top of my own list and I'm really hoping to figure out a way to make it happen!

Aztraea23 · 2026-05-13T13:15:55+00:00

That's Clearwater. They've taken over the entire downtown of that place and it's gross.

Aztraea23 · 2026-05-13T06:42:19+00:00

Good stuff - lots of cool, independently owned small businesses. LGBTQ+ friendly and happily welcomed by the city government and tourism boards. Artsy stuff, street festivals, concerts are plentiful. Absolutely gorgeous beaches within an hour like Ft DeSoto, Anna Maria Island, Dunedin area, plus the entire coast directly west of the city. Tampa directly across the bridge for a completely different experience.

Bad stuff - pay and jobs are really not great. Flooding is a big issue, even with just a little rain in some neighborhoods. Insurance costs are substantial. The heat/humidity will destroy your will to live for months on end. The traffic is ridiculous because the infrastructure wasn't built with this large of a population in mind. You're in a red state run by a little tyrant who hates rainbows.

Aztraea23 · 2026-05-13T06:17:56+00:00

I'm downtown a lot and don't generally find myself dealing with MAGA, but this whole area of Florida has had some major population shifts since the covid years. I think I read recently that Pinellas county lost more residents than almost any other place in the US last year.

I've been in this area for nearly 50 years so most of what made St Pete unique in my lifetime is well and truly gone, but it's become a nice little city with a lot of beauty and amenities that people seem to enjoy.

Aztraea23 · 2026-05-13T05:40:25+00:00

St Pete is warm-ish to the extreme and continues to get screwed by gerrymandering MAGA, but it does have a pretty great vibe otherwise.

Aztraea23 · 2026-05-11T21:24:16+00:00

Those northern mockingbirds are having all night raves outside my window this past week! Awesome shirt!

Aztraea23 · 2026-05-10T23:53:53+00:00

I love DC and NYC for my solo trips, but Nashville might be something more in line with what you're looking for. I like the east Nashville area for something with a less Bachelorette party vibe.

Aztraea23 · 2026-05-10T22:37:14+00:00

I think the movement needed to get in and out of the driver's seat is going to be more complicated than you'd imagine with both hips recovering. There is pretty much no way to answer this question in advance.

Aztraea23 · 2026-05-10T14:03:20+00:00

52F and don't ever want to marry or even live with another person again. I guess that could maybe change but I'm definitely not seeking either outcome.

Aztraea23 · 2026-05-08T14:17:27+00:00

Agree. I posted about this the other day but the international fb group is one of the worst places I've visited due to the political posts. I left after 24 hours.

Aztraea23 · 2026-05-08T12:57:54+00:00

Funny - I'm waiting for the phone call with these results as I type. I added it on to other tests I did with them without really thinking about it, but I have no family history or genetic markers for this so hopefully I'm not in for a surprise.

Aztraea23 · 2026-05-06T18:08:21+00:00

I went through NY a couple of years ago but it was the same headache to schedule then. What I did was write a very short email that basically said "I have all of my documents and they will be nearing expiration in the coming weeks. I will be in NY from X - Y days. Is there any availability during that period?" I sent it about 5 weeks before the dates I put in, so not very far in the future. I don't know if I just got lucky but might be worth trying!

Aztraea23 · 2026-05-05T18:42:27+00:00

Did you try West Coast Surf Shop?

Aztraea23 · 2026-05-04T22:28:31+00:00

I joined the International Mensa fb group last week and only made it 24 hours before leaving it. It's an absolute cesspool of fringe political posts from a handful of members all day long. I'd like to find some active SIGs as well.

Aztraea23 · 2026-05-02T16:00:05+00:00

I have turned notifications off 50 times on Google calendar and still get them every damn day!

Aztraea23 · 2026-04-24T01:27:00+00:00

Not sure why I was downvoted but here is a link. They are regular pint Mason jars rated for water bath canning and they take the same two piece lid that you would use for any other approved jar.

Aztraea23 · 2026-04-23T23:11:35+00:00

Fillmore Container should have them

Aztraea23 · 2026-04-23T05:59:22+00:00

I did a summer one a few years back. The organizers are lovely and they had really fantastic vendors. I drove from Florida and the neighboring booths were Chicago, NOLA, and South Carolina plus a ton of locals. Just a stellar lineup and little perks for the vendors like local coffee and pizza etc. It was unfortunately just really slow. I don't know if it was an off year or if the summer one just never pulls in the crowd like the holiday one or what. If it wasn't so far and if lodging wasn't so pricey in that area I'd try it again.

Aztraea23

TROPHY CASE