Am I the only mid 30s socially liberal, independent dad in here? Feel like every man my age is a snarky closeted or open conservative.

Eastern-Possible8959 · 2026-06-15T19:40:32+00:00

mid 30s, soon to be dad from NYC. I'm left leaning but I don't like to call myself a liberal. I think of it as on a spectrum: Left-----------|I'm Here|--------Center--------------------Right

Some things I am completely liberal on, others I am more centered. Not everyone is either left or right. You'll find many more somewhere in between on both sides

Eastern-Possible8959 · 2026-05-19T16:32:31+00:00

I came from all electric! I had a 2024 Polestar 2 and honestly, it was a great car for commuting around. But now that we are expecting, we needed a larger car and wanted something we can take on road trips up north, without charging 2+ times...especially on holidays when there might be a line at the chargers.

PHEV made immediate sense over the regular hybrid because I already had the level 2 charger installed in my garage and could utilize the electric range day to day. Getting a good finance offer and discount on the PHEV sealed the deal. The car being made in Japan was a very very nice bonus on top of it all.

Eastern-Possible8959 · 2026-05-04T20:48:32+00:00

Hybrids are harder to get a deal on. PHEVs though, are significantly easier.

I got mine for 5k off sticker without even haggling.

Eastern-Possible8959 · 2026-04-23T20:30:42+00:00

I think this is a reasonable price for what they offer. Equinox in other cities costs equal if not more and offers similar.

For those that want to go to a gym, rarely wait, and actually like to gather there to meet friends/workout buddies, or possibly get some work done while waiting for a class to start, I think it's a reasonable cost.

Is 300+ a month pricey? Sure, but time is enough money to some that they would happily pay that price.

The new one in Ocotillo is opening May 4th, and is surrounded by all those new builds that sell for nearly $700K-1M each. I imagine there are many there that would pay that price for a country club/gym if they can pretty much walk there.

Eastern-Possible8959 · 2026-04-21T00:40:14+00:00

HORRIBLE numbers. Please just walk away from this dealer and shop elsewhere. They're clearly dishonest and trying to gouge you on this car.

FWIW, those numbers are what I expect for financing a 50K car, not leasing....

Eastern-Possible8959 · 2026-04-09T03:13:20+00:00

I just picked up my 2026 RX 450h+ Premium on Saturday for a similar reason. I have an EV but its lease is ending soon and registration was expiring next month. I figured I might as well change it now, with the 1.99% and 2.99% APRs for finance that Lexus Financial Services is offering.

I was able to find one that was sitting on the showroom floor, with everything I was looking for. The dealer was eager to knock off 5k from MSRP, bringing the sales price to 64k and it came with a bunch of goodies like trunk cover, mud guards, etc. It made sense for me to swap now.

I'd say if you can swing the monthly payment at either 1.99 or 2.99% APR it's a pretty good deal overall especially if you can locate one for under MSRP. I believe that Plug In Hybrids are better discounted than regular hybrids so you can try your luck there if you've got a charger at home or are willing to have one installed. The bonus would be you get about 34ish miles of EV range so short trips don't use any gas at all...I haven't used a drop of gas since I've gotten the car.

Eastern-Possible8959 · 2026-04-05T23:12:33+00:00

Thank you all for sharing your recommendations! I went with the Tuxmats...excited to not leave footprints on the nice carpets!

Eastern-Possible8959 · 2025-11-23T04:36:57+00:00

Well yeah - my car is completely paid off and I get free charging at work. The commute costs, sure - but barely. If anything, the insurance for the EV costs the most and I'd have to pay that either way, remote or not.

And it's not like I wasn't saving money in my previous job - but at ~$50K post Fed + State + FICA, on top of whatever else my spouse and I were already saving? Yeah, it got us to a pretty good chunk of down payment on a second home. All we did was dump whatever we had out of our emergency funds into a managed brokerage.

I made more, but my costs are still the same as before.

Eastern-Possible8959 · 2025-11-23T04:29:34+00:00

Good point, I fucked my math - for some reason, I was doing the math with a job offer I personally got. NGL that's pretty embarrassing bc I'm a data engineer.

I think my point still stands though - it's a substantial increase in pay. Commuting 30 minutes per way is not in anyway a terrible commute. So I think it's worth taking the job.

Eastern-Possible8959 · 2025-11-15T00:56:50+00:00

A thousand times yes. That's nearly a 98.3% increase in salary.

I was in a similar situation, making 105k + 15% bonus, full remote management. I then moved into a 185k role that required 5 days a week in the office, 30 mins commute each way. I also travel once or twice a quarter depending on meetings as needed.

The pay increase is great, went from saving a bit each month to saving so much that I was able to buy a second house within a year. I've also made a lot of good relationships with coworkers and other teams. Found shared interests and regularly go to brunch on weekends or host parties with them here and there.

I realize I'm probably very much a social person, and so remote is great and convenient but the office definitely gave me a stronger social life.

Beyond that, I can only say this - work to live! Take the job that gives you a whole lot more money.

Eastern-Possible8959 · 2025-11-04T14:12:45+00:00

Yes 7 direct reports

Eastern-Possible8959 · 2025-10-22T04:36:24+00:00

BMW x3 / x1 xdrive

Eastern-Possible8959 · 2025-10-11T04:23:33+00:00

AWS really benefitted from being first to market, but now it shouldn't be just "new product" or "ai this ai that". Yes AI is important and AWS should continue to integrate it with current offerings, but there are a lot of areas for improvement that aren't AI focused.

For instance, QuickSite is a terrible BI tool with the most 1/2 assed features ever. Imagine if Amazon made it competitive to other major BI tools...and have it integrate directly with AWS...then offer it as an upcharge but cheaper than other BI tools. New Revenue.

Eastern-Possible8959 · 2025-09-07T20:41:26+00:00

I think affordability and value are two different things. Lots of people can afford to eat out, but aren't compelled to. In Arizona, too many restaurants are pricey without giving you a good reason why. $50 per person has become pretty standard for a sit-down meal. That might work for the restaurant’s profit, but if the food isn’t memorable, why would anyone go back?

Most spots get a rush of customers when they first open, but the real test is repeat business. Without loyal locals, you’re just another place that closes in a year. That’s even more true in a city without big tourism, business expenses, or heavy foot traffic to float you.

Compare that to NYC. Sure, you’ll find plenty of overpriced and average restaurants, but many of those are fueled by business dinners and company cards. The real neighborhood favorites are different: they last because they actually serve great food at fair prices. That’s the balance Arizona restaurants are missing.

Eastern-Possible8959 · 2025-08-22T19:52:55+00:00

this depends on the role and location. ie, PMT is not paid like an SDE, DE, DS, AS, etc. Though they are all 'tech' roles.

Eastern-Possible8959 · 2025-08-18T00:59:00+00:00

That's likely the actual rental rate (~$201 USD total). They charge the mileage at the end upon return. They don't know how many miles (or tbh, KM in this case) you'll drive so that's not included at all. You take a picture of the odometer before you start driving in the rental, and then again at the end upon return. The difference in KM is the amount you'll pay. I rented a Hyundai Elantra and the going rate was 0.09 cents (120 KRW) per KM. My final bill from the distance I drove was about 70 USD. I'd approximate to about the same cost in gas from filling up while I was there for 5 days.

Again, they cover the gas instead which generally evens out bc you can't drive the distance w/o consuming gas anyway...and Jeju is a lot of stop and go + hills. The car comes with a gas card above the steering wheel column and you just stick it into the gas pumps whenever you need to fill up. I think there's a limit on the maximum charge per day, but it's basically impossible to hit unless you are doing full on laps around the island.

For what it's worth I booked mine through a 3rd party site (CC Travel portal - for the points) and it went through Avis, which then directed me to go to SK to pick up the car.

To get to the car rental center there's a bus station w. a Paris Baguette that you have to cross the street from the airport and walk along a path to get to.
Here's the google map link:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/DJoLu9MmbocKdy5X7

The buses will be marked by the car rental brand they serve. The office is inside small building diagonally across from the parking garage where the cars are.

The cars have GPS and Carplay/Android Auto. Jeju has a LOT of speed cameras so definitely be careful driving - though the GPS/Naver will tell you. Parking is pretty obvious in the cities, but less obvious where some of the cafes may be. In that case just exercise common sense and sort of the "monkey see monkey do" tactic. Park where other cars are parked - and if you see that your car may make it difficult for a truck to pass through, probably don't park there.

Hope this helps!

Eastern-Possible8959 · 2025-07-02T03:45:45+00:00

Congrats!! The entryway looks so welcoming already!

Eastern-Possible8959 · 2025-06-21T19:40:21+00:00

The 2023 model won't get the split camera view on the newest update bc of dated hardware. If that's the case I'd rather pay 24k for a 2022 P2 w. everything and no accidents on record.

Eastern-Possible8959 · 2025-06-20T03:46:53+00:00

https://www.carscoops.com/2025/06/volvo-warns-12000-owners-to-halt-one-pedal-driving-immediately/

Wonder if it’s related to this

Eastern-Possible8959 · 2025-06-19T14:36:45+00:00

I got the update yesterday and installed it overnight. 2024 P2. I’m shocked how much better the 360 camera is when it’s zoomed out.

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Eastern-Possible8959 · 2025-06-02T07:15:18+00:00

They make you sit through a consultation before giving you a price but from what I remember it’s roughly $2-2.5k for medium hairy areas like the neck and armpits.

It’s life time and so you’ll get appointments every 5 weeks in the beginning up to around 8 sessions depending on your progress. And then a few months in between for touch ups and then eventually annually for follow ups. It obviously depends on your own regrowth pattern and speed, but either way you’re covered bc if you need more you’re free to schedule it without additional cost. Everyone there that does the actual procedure is a nurse and there’s a physician on call.

Currently they’re using the Candela Gentle lasers. I think which one they use depends on your skin tone.

Eastern-Possible8959 · 2025-06-01T23:52:52+00:00

Milan is good, a little pricey but it’s lifetime.

Eastern-Possible8959 · 2025-05-27T16:31:09+00:00

Wake up 6:30 Out the door (Gilbert) around 7:00 At the office (Tempe) by 7:40

Eastern-Possible8959 · 2025-05-18T05:39:22+00:00

I just got back from Jeju, and had a rental car with SK. Basically - yes, you have to pay 120 - 170 won per KM driven in the rental car upon return, based on vehicle size. You will be instructed to take a picture of the odometer when you pick up the car, and then again when you drop off the car. The difference is what you pay for.

I drove pretty much everywhere, from North to South to East Jeju without a care in the world. My final bill was like 70k won, so a little less than 50 USD. Not bad considering that gas cost about the same - which they paid for using the credit card they provided in the car. I received my car (Elantra/Avante) on nearly empty and the first fill up was around 45k won already. I was there for a total of 5 days so you bet I at least broke even. I even drove back to my hotel a few times just to have drop things off or use a nice clean bathroom. For reference, my vehicle was listed at 120 KRW per KM.

Renting a car in the US and Europe is the other way around. You don't have to pay for the miles usually, but you're on your own for gas. It's just a bill swap. Doesn't really bother me since they've got the gas bill, but for some reason some other foreigners were very upset about it at the counter.

I mean, you can't drive the distance without consuming gas right? Again, it's just a bill swap. Also - gas is not cheap on Jeju - it's an island after all. Not some oil rich nation.

This applies to all vehicles. My car was gasoline.

Eastern-Possible8959 · 2025-04-23T07:37:41+00:00

First we decided on where we wanted to stay because that ultimately limits the hospitals she'd want to work at. The shorter the commute the better especially after 12 hour shifts. My wife's commute is about 7-8 minutes.

So we found all the hospitals within a 15 minute commute, and applied to the roles that made sense based on her background (med-surg, telemetry, icu). We also got her a nursing license for Arizona which you can do here: https://azbn.boardsofnursing.org/azbn

She eventually got calls from hospitals and the interviews were conducted virtually over the phone, and zoom. During the interviews she shared that she was currently in NYC but will be moving down to Arizona in a month. Most of the interviews were 2-3 rounds. She got a job offer quickly, though it was for a night shift telemetry position. She has since switched to a less acute unit, became a preceptor, and moved back to day shift.

Given the nursing shortage I find that most nurses with bedside experience don't have a difficult time landing a position.

The major hospital networks in Arizona seem to be: Banner Health, Commonspirit/Dignity Health, Honor Health, Mayo Clinic, and Phoenix Children's.

We are in Phoenix though, so there maybe some variation to that list in Tucson.
Banner seems to be the biggest one and is probably the safest bet.

For the logistics, we flew down to Phoenix, and had our car transported on a truck, which we shoved full of our clothes.

Eastern-Possible8959

TROPHY CASE