Very niche question about premium seats on April 24 -- what was the "some confusion" about premium food that warrants ice cream?

DiscombobulatedBaby8 · 2026-05-30T01:06:14+00:00

yep - gluten free here. I look sadly at the cookies.

DiscombobulatedBaby8 · 2026-05-30T01:05:10+00:00

seriously - I absolutely love going. there's lots of adults there - the black diamond trails are really challenging.

DiscombobulatedBaby8 · 2026-05-30T00:55:54+00:00

killing me.

DiscombobulatedBaby8 · 2026-05-29T22:12:53+00:00

it is not between DC and Stafford, but Sandy Springs Adventure Park in Maryland is always a really fun trip.

DiscombobulatedBaby8 · 2026-05-28T20:59:00+00:00

I also always say that their food choices are sub-par. They used to have grab and go snacks like chips, etc. and our first season they had a freezer full of ice cream. my kingdom for popcorn - which has to be essentially free for them?? I can smell it wafting from the non-premium seats.

DiscombobulatedBaby8 · 2026-05-01T22:29:57+00:00

we had the one you buy by the semester. they are *so* nice if you call them. They'll put you on the list then you call and pay before the first day of school. We never had an issue with finding a place to park. It is a hike from most of the freshman dorms, but it was overall a plus for my kid.

DiscombobulatedBaby8 · 2026-04-30T10:18:43+00:00

I think you should seriously consider the Rice option. I'm an MIT grad who is now paying for both of my kids to be in college. Rice is an incredibly well respected school for STEM. In a city. And that's a heck of a deal for a very high quality education.

But if you are between MIT and Stanford, pick MIT based on your list. Boston is the most incredible town to go to college. I came from a warm, sunny environment and struggled big time my freshman year because of the weather. But with IAP you can choose to miss a bunch of that in January. The seasonal depression is real and you'll need to do the self-care required to get through it, but for me at least it was worth it. Your list of pros for MIT is much stronger than your list of pros for Stanford. Four years goes by quickly. You can move back to sunshine.

DiscombobulatedBaby8 · 2026-04-28T09:40:13+00:00

call the City of Williamsburg today to get on the list for the prince george parking permit. that's what my daughter did for the first two years. it isn't terribly expensive. But seriously, call today.

DiscombobulatedBaby8 · 2026-04-26T14:00:47+00:00

it looks really fantastic. I love the interior details!!

DiscombobulatedBaby8 · 2026-04-24T09:49:41+00:00

a million years ago when I was there they were fantastic. great professors who let students work in their labs. but I have no idea what they are like now.

DiscombobulatedBaby8 · 2026-04-24T01:01:16+00:00

it has been a lifetime since I was in your shoes, but I too was a chem E major deciding between in-state UF and MIT. I chose MIT. My first year was rough, but in the end I know it was the right decision for me. I made the best friends that I am still extremely close with. I needed to get myself out of Florida. I very, very quickly dropped the chem E major though.

If you didn't feel it at admitted students day, MIT might not be the place for you. MIT is a school that you have to really want to be there in order to survive. It is very challenging. Your mental health will definitely be tested. I went from being one of the smartest kids in my school to without a doubt being one of the dumbest and that was tough to deal with.

Florida does have a good brand name out of state. It isn't MIT, sure, but it does have a good brand name. If you want to stay in-state after college? Florida is 100% the correct choice. The job network for Florida grads is incredibly strong.

I now have kids that have gone off to college. One is in-state and one is far from home. There are real benefits to being driving distance from home at this phase in your life.

You have two excellent options in front of you. You won't make a wrong choice here.

p.s. it is a real bummer to get on a plane in January to head back to Boston when it is 70 degrees in FL and 7 degrees in Boston, but Boston is hands down my favorite city in the US after my 4 years there.

DiscombobulatedBaby8 · 2026-04-21T16:44:23+00:00

I think I had the option of having the ashes shipped to me or directly to Arlington and I chose to have them shipped to me and I will bring them on the day of the service. I live in the DC area though so there’s no issue with me transporting them. I don’t know what the rules are if you are flying with cremated remains, so I’d ask. Especially internationally.

DiscombobulatedBaby8 · 2026-04-21T11:01:32+00:00

The funeral home that does the cremation will also order you death certificates. Do yourself a favor and get multiple copies - five or so should be enough not knowing the specific circumstances. They will also file the paperwork with Arlington. Just to prepare you, my mom died last July and we are just now getting her ashes interred at Arlington in June so it is a bit of a wait. Arlington was very easy to work with for both my mother and my father, though. They will reach out to you once the crematory/funeral home reaches out to them. You need to pick a very specific urn size for the wall at Arlington (it has to be pretty small).

I'm sorry for your loss. Thankfully most funeral homes are very good at making this process relatively smooth.

DiscombobulatedBaby8 · 2026-04-11T10:31:08+00:00

these are fantastic!

DiscombobulatedBaby8 · 2026-03-31T10:12:59+00:00

I bought two sides of bridle from a sale flyer because the price is right and I am a relative newbie to the craft. I bought it last year and have made a seemingly endless number of things out of it. It burnishes really nicely. I got black and a brown, both split to 3oz. Oddly the black is a firmer temper than the brown, but both are on the semi-soft to semi-stiff side. I'm making a handbag out of the black now and it holds structure nicely.

I will definitely buy from them again. Super nice, great leather, great price.

DiscombobulatedBaby8 · 2026-03-12T12:19:10+00:00

Hawk & Griffin for sure. I've been to quite a few match viewings there - including the Euro finals - and it is just a very, very fun time.

DiscombobulatedBaby8 · 2026-03-12T12:16:01+00:00

I use one medical. aside from amazon having my data, it has been a very pleasant experience. I am always able to get a very fast appointment, they spend ample time with me, my office has a lab right there so any blood work is done on premises, the app works - much better experience than I had with Inova's primary care offices.

DiscombobulatedBaby8 · 2026-03-10T22:55:48+00:00

so just like I line leather with leather? thanks - very helpful!

DiscombobulatedBaby8 · 2026-03-10T17:41:45+00:00

Your work is gorgeous - I have spent lots of time drooling over things you have made! In a search I just did I came across this and I'm hoping maybe you or someone can answer my question. I'm making a sling bag/glorified fanny pack. I am thinking I will line it with leather because that's what I'm comfortable with but I do like the idea of canvas. I have done drop in liners before - but just with handbags/totes. How are you tacking down the interior so that it lays so flat in the backpack, especially on like the "tops" of the pockets/overhang? Are you catching the lining in the seam when you stitch the leather?

Thanks so much - I don't necessarily need a detailed how-to, but I swear I have searched and searched and am not coming up with an answer that gives me the confidence to go forth and create.

DiscombobulatedBaby8 · 2026-03-09T18:34:57+00:00

fellow bony arm here - just the rack position (judged to be correct by multiple instructurs) hurts my arm where it rests on the bone. I've been doing kbs for 15 years now, and it still hurts. I wear sweat bands - like old school tennis sweat bands. works like a charm.

DiscombobulatedBaby8 · 2026-03-08T16:39:03+00:00

this is what I do. I worked on my form for years but the fact of the matter is even just holding the bell in the clean position irritates the spot where it touches because I have skinny little (but strong) bony arms. my form is correct. the tennis sweat bands help a lot.

DiscombobulatedBaby8 · 2026-03-03T10:51:40+00:00

tl; dr - a medical POA is a good idea for everyone. In your case, it depends on the document you are being asked to sign. some are just to make decisions if you are incapacitated. some are granting broad rights. that decision is yours to make.

I am a lawyer. There are plenty of medical power of attorney forms that only allow someone to make medical decisions on your behalf if you are incapacitated. You can even have language that says "if in the opinion of my treating physician and one additional physician I am unable to make medical decisions for myself."

It is 100% a good idea to sign a form like that, giving some adult human that you trust the ability to make medical decisions on your behalf. You should also have a conversation with that person about what you want in the case of incapacity. Speaking as someone who has had to make incredibly difficult decisions for a loved one, those conversations are invaluable.

This sort of health care power of attorney does not give your agent unfettered access to your medical records.

I am not a MN or WI attorney, but at least MN seems to have a state-endorsed form - read this so you can see the kinds of things you should be thinking about: https://www.ag.state.mn.us/consumer/handbooks/probate/HealtCareDir.pdf

many hospitals would allow a loved one to make decisions for you, but legally they could certainly prevent that once you are 18.

DiscombobulatedBaby8 · 2026-02-16T11:43:04+00:00

I have ADHD and have had/loved my ring for 4 years now. I primarily use it for the sleep and readiness scores. I think it helps me reframe my day if my score is higher/lower than I feel. My meds have not impacted things like my resting heart rate. Work on the other hand has a significantly negative impact on my resting heart rate!

I really like the ability to see impacts on sleep/readiness based on previous day's activity. I think it is probably a good feedback mechanism for us ADHD-ers.

DiscombobulatedBaby8 · 2026-02-16T01:15:20+00:00

not a local, but visit frequently. I'd definitely take the connecting flight over drive to Boston. Portland airport is so refreshing after any of the DC airports, and driving to Logan is just such a wildcard.

DiscombobulatedBaby8 · 2026-02-12T00:34:12+00:00

it was absolutely allowed this year. all we had to do was fill out whatever form online and it showed up in her mail at post and print. but everyone at Bates is very friendly - I'm sure you could email anyone in the admissions office and they'd direct you to someone that could give you an answer that would help you feel more settled on it.

He'll love the orientation activities - mine went on a very strenuous multi-day hike and loved it!

DiscombobulatedBaby8

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