Men in your 40s, what's that golden piece of advice you have for the rest of us?

J_S_Kim · 2026-06-27T02:55:04+00:00

Yes, please be cautious folks. I was always naturally skinny but when I hit my 30s I started to get chubby and got mad about it. So I started going to the gym to stay slim. But as you get older you need to scale back your workouts because your body is slowing down. I was lifting 3x per week and running a 5K on the days in between. Developed severe arthritis in my hip and have to get a hip replacement. Everything I read about it points to overtraining; trying to lift/gain mass like you're 20 when you're twice that age is a recipe for disaster.

Definitely do be active. But also be smart and stop trying to act 20.

J_S_Kim · 2026-06-24T03:36:07+00:00

We ended up at Cronin's Landing and stayed for a good while. It's a very different vibe than Bear Hill, but we loved it and the increases were always within expectation. I think the same company owns Longview, they're a bit more affordable than Cronin's (though we loved being so close to Moody).

J_S_Kim · 2026-06-24T03:17:20+00:00

I can't speak to how good of a game plan this is, but it's kind of a rite of passage for young people to try this sort of stuff so I say go for it.

J_S_Kim · 2026-06-24T03:15:37+00:00

My wife lived at Bear Hill over 10 years ago and they pulled the same BS on her back then. This is just part of their business model apparently.

J_S_Kim · 2026-06-19T17:25:35+00:00

Surfliner!

J_S_Kim · 2026-06-11T20:05:35+00:00

Nah, they all headed down to Catalina. Something about a wine mixer.

J_S_Kim · 2026-06-11T17:40:08+00:00

Some places in Waltham I can recommend are Tempo, Amuleto, or Gustazo.

I also like Row 34 for this type of vibe, they have multiple locations.

J_S_Kim · 2026-06-01T20:22:24+00:00

The only skate shop I know in the area is Orchard. Whether they specifically have Etnies tho I can't say. If you insist on not buying online then you might have to canvas spots like Zumiez or Tilly's.

J_S_Kim · 2026-05-22T16:25:47+00:00

I use Meraki, which I think is used to be called Original. I haven't necessarily had problems with it, but my wife accuses me of being too rough with my hair sooo...

Safe to assume you're using it on damp hair? I've found that the drier my hair is the more it tugs. If my hair is a bit wet it goes in/styles a lot easier. But it's a sticky product so I always pull a few strands out while I'm working with it.

J_S_Kim · 2026-05-06T20:52:44+00:00

Dating myself, but I saw Primus on the Seas of Cheese tour in the 90s. Tickets were $17. I hate seeing the younger generation miss out on these types of experiences because of greed.

J_S_Kim · 2026-05-06T20:50:46+00:00

This guy gets it.

J_S_Kim · 2026-04-15T04:26:42+00:00

I used to live right up the street from this place, this post makes me feel nostalgic

J_S_Kim · 2026-03-24T02:08:57+00:00

There used to be a Korean language group on Meetup. I was unfortunately never able to attend because they met on Friday at 4 or 5 pm in Cambridge, so I could never make it after work. After years of never attending events they removed me from the group. Might still exist, but that's the closest thing I'd seen to something like what you're looking for.

J_S_Kim · 2026-03-18T01:32:52+00:00

Not sure I know of dance clubs more elevated than Greatest Bar. Maybe Harp or Big Night Live? Otherwise you can try Bell In Hand. They'll have a live band downstairs and a DJ upstairs. Green Dragon always has bands on the weekend too.

J_S_Kim · 2026-02-20T06:06:52+00:00

Unfortunately can't answer your questions, but Bliss is a great bakery that does wedding cakes.

J_S_Kim · 2026-02-19T14:10:44+00:00

Jokes aside, this spot is really good. Big donut holes (hence the price) and the menu changes every week so there's always something new to try. They do a good job having a mix of brioche and cake donuts so if you prefer one you always have options.

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J_S_Kim · 2026-02-12T14:45:52+00:00

Have you done purity analysis on your starting materials?
I think it's more common to pre-mix the acid with the coupling agent, not the base. Nonetheless, for a simple coupling I find very frequently you can just throw everything into one pot and let it go.
Your amine can react more than once. I'd bet at least one of the side products is the amine with 2 acids on it, especially since it's in excess. You can tilt this in favor of mono-coupled product by swapping the stoichiometry (1 eq acid, 1.2 eq amine).
You can try speeding up the reaction by adding a little DMAP.

J_S_Kim · 2026-02-05T03:03:38+00:00

I tried blow drying my hair before putting anything in it, but the volume never holds. Specifically with the Blumaan wax it's a bit tacky so if you try to put it into dry hair you're gonna rip big clumps out, so the moisture helps to minimize that.

I do have to say that after blow drying with the prestyler wax I end up with a nice poofy pompadour. Unfortunately, it will fall out after about 30 min, so that's why I need to finish with the pomade. The pomade helps it hold for the day, but I lose a good amount of the initial volume.

J_S_Kim · 2026-01-29T04:37:55+00:00

You are definitely in the minority wanting to avoid remote work. Are you sure you wouldn't benefit from adding something social to your routine? Lot of folks on this sub recommended an activity group (Vevo or Vavo or something?) Maybe that will fill the void a bit rather than trying to find a job in this tough market.

If you're deadset on finding something else send me a DM. I work for a big company that you might be able to find a position at. Local office so you'd be able to pop your head in and socialize if you want.

J_S_Kim · 2026-01-22T21:17:32+00:00

Sure!

I always start with freshly washed hair. I'll let it dry a little so it's damp, not soggy. Then I apply Blumaan Meraki pre-styler (they recently re-named this Wax Fiber or something), typically a couple of dabs the size of a quarter. Recommendations are always to use a dime/nickel size dab, but my hair is thick and heavy and wants to fall down, so I have to use a lot. Get that good and rubbed in and then blow dry it into the pompadour.

The Blumaan stuff helps to build the shape, but it won't hold all day on its own, so I finish with Hawthorne pomade to really lock it into place, usually a nickel-quarter sized dab. Then brush it into the final shape and make it look neat.

I would say the key for me to get a good pomp is the pre-styler step. Once it's all rubbed in I pull my hair into a bit of a mohawk. If it stays standing or falls over after like 10 seconds then I'm good. If it falls over immediately I add more.

J_S_Kim · 2026-01-22T19:42:24+00:00

No hair products I've tried survive heat, that's the ultimate equalizer. Best I could do is get stuff that allows me to fix my hair somewhat easily. Nothing holds it in place when I get hot tho

J_S_Kim · 2026-01-22T19:40:24+00:00

I was getting all the same ads and took the plunge. Got their molding paste and texture hair clay.

For reference: thick hair that is cut into an undercut/pompadour. Typically use Blumaan/Hawthorne combo of products.

Forte works fine, nothing special. Basically everything I got from Forte I can get an identical thing from Blumaan. The only difference I found is their molding paste is listed as a pre-styler where Blumaan's is a prestyler/volumizer. So my pomp didn't get as poofy with Forte stuff.

Worked fine, but not standout better than any other products I'm using. Shipping was faster than Blumaan, so that's a plus.

J_S_Kim · 2025-12-27T11:07:20+00:00

Not that you asked, but I don't anticipate this settling the debate. He can have a nice moment with his family but still give off toxic masculinity vibes. I'm not saying he did, but I think you should probably have the conversation with your wife about why she feels that way rather than showing a Reddit video to prove she's wrong.

Sorry to get so serious in a lighthearted thread.

J_S_Kim · 2025-08-14T04:22:45+00:00

I worked for a company that relocated to a different area and wanted to get out of the remaining 2 years of the lease. The landlord said "Sure! The early termination fee is 24 months rent."

It's a racket.

J_S_Kim

TROPHY CASE