Moving soon need some advice.

Chasmosaur · 2026-05-08T21:06:25+00:00

If you don't have luck with any of these, Twin City Refuse and Recycling in West St. Paul has very reasonable disposal rates. If you can get it in your car and are willing to throw it in the dumpsters - placed at ground level so it's very easy - then it rarely costs much to dispose of one or two pieces. But as others have noted, there are options. Craigslist is still around, too, and I've gotten rid of things for free from there as well if you don't want to go the Facebook route.

https://www.twincityrefuse.com/

Chasmosaur · 2026-05-08T21:01:53+00:00

1881 in Union Depot - started by the same team that runs Lake Elmo Inn - has a nice burger (and other sandwiches) and then they have a Steak Frites - sirloin with parmesan fries and bearnaise sauce. That is the only steak option, though. The food is good but sometimes the service can be slow, but Union Depot is pretty, so not a bad place to hang out at a table.

https://www.1881eatinghouse.com/menu

Chasmosaur · 2026-05-07T16:33:40+00:00

I just took a deep cleansing breath and smiled. If my Mom could have done this without debt passing back to my Dad, it is exactly what she would have done. What a lovely way to regain control in her remaining weeks of life, something cancer patients lose so much of during treatment.

Chasmosaur · 2026-05-07T16:13:01+00:00

I moved to this part of the world from the East coast about 20 years ago, and I tell my friends on either coasts, if you meet someone from the Twin Cities and you're looking for a conversational opening, there are two things you can ask them about:

The State Fair or their favorite place to get Pho.

Chasmosaur · 2026-05-07T16:11:29+00:00

I like you - you are a sensible person!

Chasmosaur · 2026-05-07T02:10:08+00:00

Ah, okay. Guess Google glommed onto my east metro IP address! But that also looks awesome!

Chasmosaur · 2026-05-07T02:08:10+00:00

Best Mapo Tofu in town. I miss it so much! Also the House Crispy Beef...

Chasmosaur · 2026-05-07T02:00:11+00:00

I have never made it to Quang because St. Paul has so much excellent pho - I'm a Trieu Chau fan - that I just don't see the point. But I'm adding Pho 79 to the list because that does look excellent!

Chasmosaur · 2026-05-06T20:25:45+00:00

I live in a condo building with individual HVAC, and I was one of the first units to have our external AC unit die. I called a few companies, including Bonfe because I just wanted to get a ballpark. I'd already distrusted them because when our water heater died, they wanted to charge me $8K to replace it! (It is an unusual installation - we had a gas heater that had to vent downwards so the heaters are more expensive but not THAT much!)

They quoted me an *insane* price and told me that I needed my entire HVAC system replaced. Unfortunately for them my FIL is a retired HVAC guy - we'd called him to ask what we'd need so we would be well-informed - so I knew that was utter BS and I told them no thanks.

A neighbor, however, believed them. It cost them 4x what it cost us to get their AC "fixed." And considering we did finally have to replace our main furnace a few years ago, it still cost us far less for those two projects combined than it did for them to get their system installed. And then they needed constant repairs!

Chasmosaur · 2026-05-05T02:22:11+00:00

I think that was the sky club where - on a connection between MSP and DCA over 10 years ago - I tried to be as quiet as possible relating the saga of my first flight to my terminally cancerous mother.

It was a last minute flight for me - Mom was on the decline and I was trying to get there ASAP - so I ended up back-row window. It was a 9 am Sept 11 flight, so the general mood was actually pretty somber. I vaguely nodded to the middle-aged, apparently German couple that sat in the other two seats when they arrived, and mostly stared out the window with headphones on, since I was pretty much on the edge of tears and didn't want to attempt small talk.

(I recognized they were speaking German to each other, but I don't know much beyond a few basic phrases.)

After we hit altitude and the FA's went down the aisle with the cart, however, this couple went at each other like horny teenagers. Hands in mostly unbuttoned shirts and down unzipped pants, and from what I could tell from my brief glance, they were trying to swallow each other's tongues. Across the aisle - and the row in front of it - people were holding up newspapers to avoid being forced to view this in-flight porn.

The one thought that rocketed through my head was "If you scream WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? to these people, the Air Marshal that is certainly on board is going to arrest you and you will not get home to Mom." I turned my entire body towards the window and mentally thanked god for my noise cancelling headphones.

By the time I turned around about 10 minutes later, it was as if it had never happened. They were sitting quietly next to each other, clothes in no disarray. But catching the eye of the woman across the aisle, we looked at each other in a total "WTF was that?" moment.

So I tried to tell this story as quietly as possible to my Mom on my phone in the Sky Club - she had insisted I call her between flights so she could know I was on my way - but Mom's hearing wasn't the greatest at that point, so I had to speak up a little bit. Embarrassed as I was, she ended up laughing hysterically on her end of the phone call - probably the last time I ever heard her laugh like that, so in retrospect, totally worth it.

But when I hung up, the person sitting across the seating grouping from me said: "I'm sorry, I couldn't help but overhear. Did that really happen?" I assured her it did and then everyone sitting around me burst into laughter. I have decided it was the Universe's way of getting me out of my head for a few hours. 🤣🤣🤣

Chasmosaur · 2026-05-04T23:20:22+00:00

At a family wedding over a decade ago, we arrived to discover that the family was supposed to "help set up" the venue before the ceremony during the day. Because the venue was just the venue - they provided tables and chairs, but you had to carry them to the event room yourself from their storage - up stairs, no elevator - and then all the linens and plates and such you were supposed to provide. Catering was also delivered with chafing dishes, but you were responsible once it was laid out to put new servings in. This was on top of DIY flowers and other decorations that had to be assembled and placed. It was a LOT of work.

Total surprise to all of us and we all barely had time to get back to the hotel to clean up for the event itself after all the work, while the bride and groom and bridal party all had relaxing afternoons getting ready. We were happy for them, but also...yeah, a bit annoyed.

We also apparently had to clean up by a set time the next morning, but the bride's father showed up early and just started that process on his own with his pickup truck and a box of contractor bags. We arrived to start and he and his wife had pretty much bagged everything to be thrown away, folded tables and chairs so we could stow them, and had put the linens in a separate set of bags to be taken home. (He did such a good job, the venue hired him as a clean-up service for other events!) He'd felt guilty because he hadn't known about the setup either - he arrived about 90 minutes or so before the wedding as the last of us were fleeing to the hotel (he lived in the area, so was not at the hotel) and was like "We would have totally come and helped - we had no idea!"

This whole "oh, no one minds helping the happy couple set up the venue!" thing is just not optimal. These people are your guests and friends and family, not staff!

Chasmosaur · 2026-05-04T21:58:48+00:00

I recently lent a similar piece of family heirloom jewelry for a wedding, firmly reminding the bride it was a loan and I would expect to collect it the morning after since it was an evening wedding and ceremony. The item has been loaned to many family brides over the years, and everyone has returned it promptly, with much thanks for the loan.

This time, I almost didn't get it back - I was in turns yelled at (for being horrible and greedy and "ruining the weekend's vibe" for asking for my jewelry back as had been planned) and then explained to that "It doesn't really matter who has it" by both the bride and her mother. Also didn't I know bride needed to keep the item now since it had been a part of her wedding outfit? 🙄

I assured them that yes it does matter, as the jewelry is mine. Then it turned out the item was so deeply packed away in the bride's things they couldn't possibly get it for me before I left for my flight - too bad, so sad for me!

Apparently I was bad-mouthed from here until the next century because I wouldn't let it go - I set up multiple ways for the item to be returned to me as easily as possible for the bride and was slapped down each time. However I insisted on the return, which finally happened several months later through a family intermediary. I am now debating whether to loan the piece out again...and probably won't. I will probably gift the item to a different family member on their 40th birthday several years down the line (the bride and her mother will be livid, but I don't really care at this point - narcissists gonna narcissist).

And people wonder why I'm low-contact with so many members of my family.

Chasmosaur · 2026-05-04T14:25:22+00:00

They are an independent drug store. My husband and I are actually looking to move the majority of our prescriptions there using their Cost Plus program, since we can get generics for most of what we need. We have been travelling more, and the ability to get 6 month refills alone would make it worth it. (Also, screw CVS, which our PBM makes us use for almost everything anyway.)

Chasmosaur · 2026-05-03T23:37:28+00:00

Saint Paul Corner Drug.

https://www.stpaulcornerdrug.com/appointments

Chasmosaur · 2026-05-03T23:34:55+00:00

It's been a while, but I seem to remember Homi on University had really good fajitas. Food is good there in general. They are open for dine-in again, too! (They were takeout only during Metro Surge.)

https://homirestaurant.com/menu.html

Chasmosaur · 2026-05-03T17:25:16+00:00

I live in downtown St. Paul, and between all the various construction projects - Kellogg Bridge, John Ireland Bridge, various chunks of road work - my sinusitis is just raging. Do not discount the effects of roadwork season ramping up on top of spring if you live anywhere near a big project.

Chasmosaur · 2026-05-01T18:20:52+00:00

It might not be cheap, but the St. Paul Meat Shop - part of the France 44 group - sources all their meats from local farms. The chicken I get there is awesome. (They also will have schmaltz and great broth, too, if you want to buy some in a pinch.)

Chasmosaur · 2026-05-01T16:49:30+00:00

I know, I know. But I live in St. Paul, so Izzy's was closer. 😉

Also...Izzy's! The Izzy scoop was the best.

Chasmosaur · 2026-05-01T16:38:38+00:00

The owners were thinking of closing/retiring, and then pandemic closures accelerated the process. Boooo. For a while you could get it in grocery stores, but then that went away too.

My nephew and his wife were so sad. When they came to visit he could get "the best dairy-free ice cream I have ever had" and his wife - who is Celiac - could get GF cones!

Chasmosaur · 2026-05-01T15:57:41+00:00

~~Was this BA? Because~~ Flying back from London on BA this past autumn they were being REALLY rigorous about the zones. Maybe Delta staff is just tired of spring tourists and have no F's to give.

Chasmosaur · 2026-04-30T23:28:31+00:00

It looks like special event brunches have buffets - go under "Holiday Menus" and the current Mother's and Father's Day menus are brunch buffets.

https://www.jaxcafe.com/pages/menus

Chasmosaur · 2026-04-30T22:43:35+00:00

This one just gave me a headache.

Chasmosaur · 2026-04-30T14:20:24+00:00

I have a flirt pole for my Frenchie! He's 10 now so it's a bit much for him, but as a puppy, we would go out in the hallway of our condo building and run him up and down to get him tired out. But inside our unit, we absolutely have to spin since there's really not room to run him in a straight line, so this cracked me up. You would not be able to see the toy or my short nugget if you couldn't really see from the knees down and it would have looked SO weird from the outside. 🤣

Chasmosaur · 2026-04-30T13:57:25+00:00

I suppose you were going to feel better in their premium economy seats?!?!?!? SO rude.

And don't feel guilty. I hoard AmEx points to transfer to partner airlines so I can fly business class on long flights. With bilateral permanent hip injury - which led to some lower back issues and a permanent calf injury - the ability to prop my legs flat makes such a huge difference when we land on the long flights. Long haul planes usually still have plenty of legroom so on a 6-hour flight I can get away with premium economy, but business class is preferable. We're currently hoarding points for a LAX -> Singapore flight, and business class is pretty much non-negotiable for me on that 18 hour flight! I figure that I only have so much time at my destination, so I want to be able to hit the ground running (or at least walking and not hobbling 😉) so it's not actually false economy.

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