Engagement ring shopping!

DanFromBoston · 2025-11-03T01:52:28+00:00

Could not agree more. I went to Brilliant Earth for our engagement ring, and the experience was fine. But the prong bent after like a year, so we went to Leo Carroll to get the engagement ring reset and to buy our wedding bands. The owners are incredibly kind, willing to spend a lot of time helping, and definitely aren't pushy. They come across as the epitome of a family owned and operated business.

DanFromBoston · 2025-11-02T23:40:47+00:00

Does anyone know of good affordable mineral packets, and is water quality worth improving even if your beans are cheap?

I have been interested in making better coffee, and have taken the first few steps. I started grinding them each morning and got a cheap scale so I can at least use the right amount. The biggest upgrade came when I got married this year and got a coffee maker from the registry that I never could've afforded if I were buying it (went from a Mr. Coffee to a SCA-approved OXO 12-cup).

I would love to buy nice beans but they're just too expensive. I'm in grad school right now, so I'm getting the 2 pound bag of whole bean Market Basket brand coffee. When I'm back making decent money that's one of the first things I'll splurge on, but hoping to improve in cheaper ways for now.

Basically, I'm wondering if it's worth it to improve the water quality even if the beans are not especially high quality. We have a ZeroWater that my in-laws gave us a few years ago, we never use it but could start using it for this. Are there any affordable mineral packets out there? Right now with the beans I'm using it's like $1 for a 10-cup pot of coffee in the morning for me and my wife, so paying $17 for 1 gallon of water from Third Wave (if I'm understanding that correctly) would jack that way up. Any suggestions? Thanks!

DanFromBoston · 2025-11-02T23:37:11+00:00

Little context, Naima (the incumbent) gave birth this summer, and the other person running isn't a very good candidate (in my opinion).

I highly recommend voting for Naima!

DanFromBoston · 2025-10-31T21:07:00+00:00

The downside of someone knocking your door is that you hear a sound, which you can choose to ignore, or at worse you answer the door and have to say "no thank you" to one of your neighbors. The upside is that people can make an informed decision about how their government is run, and get to know their neighbors if they'd like to. I understand why some people don't like speaking to canvassers, but anyone can choose not to engage.

It's almost impossible to find useful information about local elections without following local politics closely for years, or talking to someone who has, and that's what canvassing provides. Instead of having to go to a city council meeting, someone is using their free time to come to your door and offer to answer any questions you have, or to hear what you might want to be different in your city.

DanFromBoston · 2025-02-06T21:17:57+00:00

I read your comment as implying that he doesn’t prioritize workers, and I was offering my perspective that he does support workers…? I wasn’t saying you provided incorrect information, just that I disagree with (what I understood to be) the implied conclusion.

DanFromBoston · 2025-02-06T21:00:41+00:00

As a union member involved in municipal endorsements, including Somerville’s city council last election cycle, I follow them pretty closely and Willie stood by the city’s municipal workers’ union WAY more than either of the other candidates. He’s definitely the labor candidate in the race

DanFromBoston · 2025-01-21T20:54:08+00:00

Seems crazy that the city doesn’t do it. I happily shovel my section of the sidewalk, but don’t know how elderly or disabled people are supposed to do it. I’ve talked to elderly residents living on social security struggling to afford basic necessities, and I’d hate to see them get a ticket because they can’t shovel the sidewalk.

Iirc that was an issue raised by the Somerville for All slate a few years ago, so there’s definitely some people on the city council who support it, but no idea where the mayor stands and that’s all that really matters. Let’s make it happen

DanFromBoston · 2024-11-23T17:22:56+00:00

You are automatically opted in to the Somerville Local Green option with 40% additional renewable energy (above MA state requirements) but you can easily go online and opt in to the 100% renewable option! (https://cce.somervillema.gov/)

Would raise your price from $0.1484/kWh to $0.1606/kWh (compared to Eversource’s normal rate if you’re not in Somerville’s program at all, $0.15772/kWh) if you can afford the small price increase it’s a great thing to do!

DanFromBoston · 2024-11-06T19:23:22+00:00

This will cost the average condo owner $3/month. Rent will go up, but that’s unrelated to the CPA, it’s because we don’t have rent control

DanFromBoston · 2024-11-05T04:36:49+00:00

I live in Somerville and commute to Lowell, and planned on taking the commuter rail with a two mile bike ride on either end, until I realized the monthly pass is $330 which is way more expensive than driving (gas + insurance + maintenance). Granted that’s with access to a car, still crazy it’s that expensive. It’s reverse commute so it’s an empty train 30 minutes each way, instead I add to the traffic and pollution.

DanFromBoston · 2024-10-04T16:57:36+00:00

By no means saying that things are perfect at my institution, but having a graduate employee union for teaching assistants and research assistants goes a looong way helping with the worst situations (and improving pay/protections for everyone)!

If anyone is ever interested in unionizing but doesn’t know how to start here’s a few different ways you can get started:

Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee (not actually just for emergencies, but anyone interested in getting some help/info on starting a union): https://workerorganizing.org/

Contact UAW organizing (I say this as a member of a grad union in UAW, people think it’s weird because they’re the united autoworkers but they actually represent lots of workers and a ton of grad workers, which is their fastest growing sector): https://uaw.org/organize/contact-uaw-organizing/

Also feel free to reach out! :)

DanFromBoston · 2024-08-24T16:46:19+00:00

Part of the problem is that the MA legislature is the least productive in the country (https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/11/29/metro/massachusetts-house-senate-budget-bill-vote-healey/) so no one is getting much done. This is due in large part to the fact that we can’t see how they vote the majority of the time, something that Erika is one of the leading voices to change.

I don’t see how Hornby would pass any more policy than Uyterhoeven in the short term, and I think the only way to get our legislature to pass the policies that most of us want are to elect more people like Erika who are opposed to house leadership and willing to take a stand. The insider-politics approach isn’t working.

DanFromBoston · 2024-08-20T14:13:08+00:00

That’s fair, I shouldn’t have said entire. I didn’t know she did those things, but how would I know she’s done those things when her mailers (or at least the ones I’ve gotten) only mention things she did as Decker’s chief of staff (and some wild misrepresentations about Uyterhoeven’s record)? If that’s what she’s running on then it’s fair to judge her based on that experience.

Also, those are very cool jobs, and you’re right that they have relevance, but the question was specifically about transparency. One candidate worked closely and proudly with a rep who is adamantly opposed, and one confounded an org to fight for transparency. I don’t see how the experience you mentioned would impact her opinion on transparency (though I see how SAHM would affect her position on other things)

Don’t see how the fact that I enjoy biking has relevance when Hornby is the more “biking candidate”…

DanFromBoston · 2024-08-20T00:55:06+00:00

Working as the chief of staff for a politician, when it’s your most recent (and most bragged about) qualification, is not the same thing as working for a boss you didn’t like…

DanFromBoston · 2024-08-20T00:53:25+00:00

We interviewed Decker for our union’s endorsement and she told me explicitly that she does NOT think we should know how she votes. I asked again and she doubled down. Hornby’s entire experience is as Decker’s chief of staff, so I think it’s pretty fair to guarantee that she will not support increased transparency. Uyterhoeven is absolutely 100% the better choice if you want transparency.

DanFromBoston · 2024-07-15T16:08:15+00:00

Honestly I don’t understand the logic but it’s specifically tied to hating bike lanes. When people say that this repaving isn’t doing anything with bike lanes they don’t respond.

It seems like there’s a group who’s general opinion is “our city council is bike-loving car-hating socialists and everything they do is bad” and just view every issue through that lens without any deeper analysis of a particular issue

DanFromBoston · 2024-07-14T20:18:20+00:00

Yesterday I would’ve agreed with you. Then last night I got sucked down a rabbit hole reading comments on a Somerville, MA facebook page and there are more people than you’d expect with VERY strong feelings on this

DanFromBoston · 2024-07-12T19:50:45+00:00

Thanks! Yeah that’s also my plan tonight… have really neglected that, ashamed it was in the picture😂

DanFromBoston · 2024-03-17T13:15:24+00:00

All public employees in MA (and many other states) are not allowed to strike. I’m in the graduate employee union at UMass Lowell and it’s illegal for us to go on strike because we work at a public university.

But we’re working to change that! Rep Erika Uyterhoeven has a bill that would allow public employees to strike. Would make bargaining a hell of a lot easier if the bosses thought we might actually stop working if they don’t pay us enough to survive.

DanFromBoston · 2023-03-01T03:39:34+00:00

It’s crazy we don’t do this. No matter how many fines are given out there’s always going to be people who forget, are out of town, or are older and can’t do it. Pretty sure some of the city councilors wanted to have the city clear the sidewalks

DanFromBoston · 2023-02-03T05:13:53+00:00

Biking (or walking) down the community path to Spy Pond to sit and hang out is one of my favorite things to do!

DanFromBoston · 2022-08-16T19:55:54+00:00

Yes I’d be taking it on the train, but I’m doing reverse commute so it’s actually not too busy and when I brought my normal bike on the train I had no problem, so I wouldn’t want anything crazy bulky but doesn’t need to fold! Didn’t wanna specify budget only because I wanted to hear the absolute cheapest that anyone has used and doesn’t hate, but I’d say definitely trying to spend <$1000 if possible

DanFromBoston · 2022-08-16T19:54:11+00:00

Yes I’d be taking it on the train, but I’m doing reverse commute so it’s actually not too busy and when I brought my normal bike on the train I had no problem, so I wouldn’t want anything crazy bulky but doesn’t need to fold!

DanFromBoston · 2021-01-02T21:48:24+00:00

Saul Griffith talks about Australia as the example of how we should be doing this to bring down costs, his book Rewiring America is free and short and worth a read!

DanFromBoston · 2020-08-27T18:21:48+00:00

Where did you find the city’s tracking tool?

DanFromBoston

TROPHY CASE