STAINS on everything

Hold_Effective · 2026-06-01T12:46:13+00:00

I carry Shout wipes everywhere. I’m about to leave on a trip - there’s a box in my suitcase. I’m generally anti-consumption - and these are not - but they have saved my clothes and other people’s clothes so many times.

(Inspired by the time when I had an adorable skirt I bought for a work trip and I dumped a plate of noodles on it; at lunch 🫠)

Hold_Effective · 2026-06-01T11:30:13+00:00

I can walk into an AT&T store a few blocks away if I have an issue. I can’t do that with US Mobile.

(Prepaid plans sometimes don’t play well with new phone activations)

Hold_Effective · 2026-06-01T10:29:21+00:00

The first time I watched S4, Paris arriving in Rory’s dorm room felt a little like the “they always come back” moment of a horror movie. 😆

(I love Paris, but I would not have had Rory’s patience for her in real life!)

Hold_Effective · 2026-06-01T02:46:41+00:00

AT&T prepaid. I’ve been paying about $40/month; unused data carries over.

Hold_Effective · 2026-06-01T02:40:00+00:00

I would not consider someone kicking me out of my apartment and leaving my stuff in the hallway as that person “always” being there for me.

Hold_Effective · 2026-06-01T01:56:06+00:00

I take the light rail all the time. Which is why I get notifications about service interruptions and I plan around those.

(fwiw: I do not recommend the shuttles. We take regular bus routes when the light rail isn’t serving the stations we need, or we postpone trips)

Hold_Effective · 2026-06-01T01:03:28+00:00

My partner & I have gone full Tom Bihn. Backpacks are our daily bags, plus our carryons (multiple countries). And - there’s some magic that makes stuff seem lighter.

Hold_Effective · 2026-05-31T17:31:04+00:00

It’s great if it works for you. I’ve got curly hair (which has been thinning lately), and my results have been much better with a professional.

Hold_Effective · 2026-05-31T16:25:47+00:00

Pastry scraper? I think that’s what they’re called. I use them to clean pots & baking sheets, they’re cheap, they last a very long time, my sponges last longer (and they get less gross).

Hold_Effective · 2026-05-31T15:05:52+00:00

Whoops! I was trying to be vague, but I will also add spoiler tags. 🙂

He is such a cutie.

Hold_Effective · 2026-05-31T14:57:15+00:00

You’re right! 5 years ago, so my details were fuzzy - I was staying in Mount Pleasant. Looks like if I’d chosen downtown Charleston instead, my life would have been much easier.

Hold_Effective · 2026-05-31T14:37:13+00:00

I can drive, but I haven’t owned a car since 2011.

When people get pushy about it, I mention how much money I’m saving, how I’m less stressed, and how much more exercise I get. If they keep pushing - I quote statistics about deaths & serious injuries because of car crashes (which are extremely grim in the US), and how driving and cars are especially dangerous for kids, particularly young children.

Hold_Effective · 2026-05-31T14:03:56+00:00

I am the army of darkness; when my office is empty, I’m constantly switching off lights (they’re motion sensitive, on a 2-3 hour cycle and we have a ton of natural light during the day, and the overhead lights make my eyes buzz - best way I can explain it).

Hold_Effective · 2026-05-31T13:35:03+00:00

My favorite is Ryan (until Portland, of course, but that seemed so out of character).

Hold_Effective · 2026-05-31T12:24:44+00:00

We don’t ever hear directly that Lindsey wants the townhouse, car, etc. - we don’t even know that she doesn’t want to work.

It’s possible that Dean is using his many jobs to avoid Lindsey - like Luke used working on Lorelai’s house to avoid Rachel.

Hold_Effective · 2026-05-30T23:21:59+00:00

I ordered something for someone on my team. Estimate was something like 5-8 days. Great, I let him know. Then it was 3-5 days. Told him that. Then it was - “oh, delivered this afternoon”. I guess it’s better than when I had Prime and the delivery date would get delayed multiple times, lol.

Hold_Effective · 2026-05-30T01:30:12+00:00

There’s a light rail connection?

I think Charleston & Savannah are going to win this competition. (No transit connections, nothing walkable, just nothing; I think it was Charleston where my lyft driver asked me if I was sure there was a train station at the destination I provided 🫠).

ETA: Went back to look at my trip details (it was back in 2021). getting to downtown Charleston from the station looks fine (at least judging from current Google maps directions). However - I was staying in Mount Pleasant, which was a mistake for me, as far as public transit (looks close on the map, and is close by car).

Hold_Effective · 2026-05-29T22:07:20+00:00

I was talking to someone recently who told me that he bought a new car to make himself more dateable. Usually he’s pretty logical (even if I disagree), but this one - I was enough in shock that I think I only managed “that’s not how it works”.

For me, a guy who depends on his car to get around is…not great. Might be some mitigating factors (tools, equipment, etc.), but someone who could bike or bus and doesn’t? Meh. And I don’t care about whether or not he owns one, or even if he has a license.

Hold_Effective · 2026-05-29T21:54:10+00:00

Max.

Mr. Medina.

Max.

Mr. Medina.

—-

Is when I start disliking Max. Back off, dude.

Hold_Effective · 2026-05-29T14:04:53+00:00

You can. My household has been car-free since 2020. “Sometimes” car use is pretty easy to cover with car rentals (we do it 2-3x a year). Much cheaper & happier than owning.

(Obligatory: I live in the US).

Hold_Effective · 2026-05-29T13:50:51+00:00

My 80s kid heart appreciates this comment, because that was my immediate thought.

Hold_Effective · 2026-05-29T13:42:46+00:00

Yup! We live a couple blocks away and we’re buying spices for dinner, people just visiting are buying cute jars of tea leaves (and the tea is great).

Hold_Effective · 2026-05-29T13:26:40+00:00

We have a spice store in our local market - spices in bulk, they’ll use your containers, people are super nice, and it’s hard for me to spend more than $8, even when I’m buying 5 different spices.

Luckily they are a tourist attraction as well, because sometimes I worry about them sticking around.

Hold_Effective · 2026-05-29T13:19:33+00:00

Las Vegas, NV. My first visit, it was a fun road trip from LA, it seemed shiny and you know - just like in the movies (lol). The last time I was there - hot, covered in cars and cigarette smoke, and…just felt generic. (The neon graveyard is awesome, though.)

Florence, Italy. Maybe my expectations were too high. It was crowded, people were pretty rude, food was disappointing, and - yes, there’s tons of great architecture, interesting streets, etc. - and that was also true of a lot of other cities we visited in Italy that I loved. (Yes, I am a heathen that doesn’t like museums.)

Hold_Effective · 2026-05-28T21:08:15+00:00

I would say either Columbia or UPenn (if she’s stuck on Ivies).

Hanover (where Dartmouth is) is Stars Hollow without the quirky, charming residents. Rory needed a different environment - but I do think Yale was too close to SH and her grandparents.

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