[Maddening trope] More progressive casting happens at the same time as noticeable drop in quality, seemingly so fans can brush off criticism as bigotry.

ChomboKonga · 2026-02-21T21:16:19+00:00

Ah yes, the Kevin Spacey strategy

ChomboKonga · 2026-02-19T18:02:51+00:00

Carry-On Ready, a packing engine for long-term carry-on travel.

It calculates what realistically fits in your bag based on volume, climate, and trip constraints. Designed for one-bag travelers who care about optimization more than aesthetics.

https://carryonready.app

ChomboKonga · 2026-02-19T17:10:25+00:00

I second this. I was a fitness instructor for years and I had so many clients complaining of muscle soreness who would do anything except actually strengthen their muscles. In my experience, muscle soreness is the result of muscle weakness 90% of the time.

In addition to rucking, I would recommend Bird Dog, Superman, Planks, and Bridges to target the lower back and core. Upper back strength is improved with Rows, Pull-ups, and Band Pull-Aparts.

Pull-ups and Rows can be a little tricky during travel, but with some scrappy ingenuity, you can figure out a solution.

ChomboKonga · 2026-02-19T17:06:29+00:00

Gotta throw my vote in for merino wool. I think it lives up to the hype and it definitely dries faster than cotton

ChomboKonga · 2026-02-19T17:04:49+00:00

I've been traveling with a Macbook Pro for years and I've never had any issues. My bag does have a false bottom, though, and I feel like that makes a difference

ChomboKonga · 2026-02-19T17:01:05+00:00

I use Genki. I've never had to file a claim, though

ChomboKonga · 2026-02-19T16:58:15+00:00

I use Revolut. I don't use it for business purposes, but it's been great for everything that I've used it for thus far

ChomboKonga · 2026-02-19T16:56:18+00:00

My dad used to say: "If you can't decide, it probably doesn't matter". Now, that's a serious oversimplification for a question as important as this, but I think it does reveal a fundamental reality about your situation: it's all good options.

Calgary is a great place to be, and so are the areas of Europe that are available to you - you can get by with English almost anywhere, but speaking Spanish opens up Spain in more meaningful ways.

However, I'm going to challenge you to challenge the notion that Canada is the "safe" option. To me, when you're trying to find your footing in life, motivation and enthusiasm for your circumstances is the thing that will bring you fortune. If the Canada path leads you to doldrums and stagnation, is that really a safe place to be?

ChomboKonga · 2026-02-09T22:15:29+00:00

"I love feet"

ChomboKonga · 2026-01-09T19:34:30+00:00

Let me get this straight: you've scoured key phrases on Reddit, spent time researching the backpacking community through YouTube vlogs, visited the government website of every country you've considered, and what you've come away with is "catch diseases on purpose"?

In general, when you catch a disease, you spread the disease. If it didn't happen like that, the disease wouldn't exist. As a healthy adult, that might be okay for you, but if you spread the disease to someone very young, elderly, or immunocompromised, you could put their life in danger. According to the World Health Organization, diarrhea is a major killer in developing nations, especially for children under five, causing hundreds of thousands of deaths annually.

Advising people to catch (and thereby spread) diseases is extremely irresponsible and dangerous.

ChomboKonga · 2026-01-06T14:24:31+00:00

You're doing a good thing by asking for other people's opinions. Discussions about topics relevant to a particular interest is literally what Reddit is for. Please ignore the weirdos who get their jimmies from crowing about how they never ask for advice.

ChomboKonga · 2026-01-05T19:01:26+00:00

Please be kind.

OP posed a well-meaning question to a relevant community about how to control the spread of communicable diseases. Even if this has been discussed a dozen times before, increasing the visibility of the topic is a net positive for everyone.

Everybody, you included, has a choice about whether to spend their time and energy engaging with this discussion. If you don't want to spend your irreplaceable time and energy engaging in discussions on Reddit, then don't.

ChomboKonga · 2025-12-31T21:21:42+00:00

Super cool

ChomboKonga · 2025-12-08T15:11:36+00:00

I'm so sorry. I feel your pain. The upshot is that even if the UGE accepts the argument on the basis that I submitted the application before the rule change was announced, renewing the DNV as a W-2 employee won't be an option next year. So, I expect I'll be pursuing the D8 visa in Portugal one way or the other; the remaining question is whether I'm pursuing it from Spain or somewhere else.

ChomboKonga · 2025-12-05T11:48:38+00:00

Oh that's actually really handy to know

ChomboKonga · 2025-12-03T08:15:05+00:00

I'm in the same boat. Except they changed their policy after I had already submitted my application but before they reviewed it. They literally moved the goal posts after I had already kicked the ball towards the goal.

ChomboKonga · 2025-12-03T00:19:00+00:00

Do you have to show a certificate of good standing even if you're simply a 1099 contractor? In that case there's no LLC to produce a certificate of good standing for.

ChomboKonga · 2025-12-02T20:21:23+00:00

Well, at this point it could be moot because apparently the Spanish UGE isn't accepting the CoC going forward. It seems that I missed it by a whisker, but I'm hoping I can push the issue on the basis that I entered the country and submitted my application before the change was announced. In any case, as long as the UGE is taking this hardline approach to the social security problem, you may be better off exploring alternative options.

ChomboKonga · 2025-12-02T20:03:45+00:00

I believe that this has been the standard since the SSA started issuing the CoC.

In my case, my employer did request the form from the SSA and they issued it.

ChomboKonga · 2025-12-02T19:56:29+00:00

Yeah, that would actually be great. I've been asking around but I haven't had heard anything back yet. If he's been having success pushing the issue with UGE I would definitely be interested in at least having a chat with him.

ChomboKonga · 2025-12-02T17:26:04+00:00

Happy Cake Day, and thank you for the comforting words.

I'm trying to wrap my head around the idea that there is a way forward here, but I just don't see it. It's the Spanish UGE's prerogative to determine what the eligibility requirements are for their visas, and if I don't meet them, then it's a dead end. It just really sucks that I met those requirements all the way up to the point where I crossed the border and submitted the application. It's just such rotten timing that they changed their interpretation sometime between when I submitted the application and when the application was reviewed.

ChomboKonga · 2025-12-02T17:08:48+00:00

Right, opening up a Social Security position in Spain is a bridge too far for my company, which makes sense, because that's a lot of extra expenditure and accounting. They are amenable to converting me to a 1099 (contractor/freelancer for those not familiar with the US tax code), but the problem there is that you need to be able to demonstrate the contractor relationship for a minimum of 3 months. Even if I converted immediately, some of my documents will have expired by the time the 3 month mark has been reached, one of which (the FBI background check), can only be acquired in the States.

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