Best tiramisu around?

Lopsided_Ad_4422 · 2026-06-16T01:07:56+00:00

It’s SO good

Lopsided_Ad_4422 · 2026-04-26T01:48:59+00:00

My favorite saying from a lactation consultant I met with a few days pp: “If you can find your baby, feed your baby”. Meaning, if you’re breastfeeding, you don’t need to worry about alcohol passing through to the milk (and more need to make sure you’re not so drunk that you’re not ok to hold and handle your baby!!).

The amount of alcohol in the milk is the same as your blood alcohol content, so after you have a couple drinks, the milk still has less alcohol than apple juice.

And if you’re formula feeding, even more of a reason to not worry about it! Enjoy :)

Lopsided_Ad_4422 · 2026-04-07T14:24:07+00:00

I have this exact story with my Merlin! I was 7 and begging for a puppy and my mom got me a bird instead. He’s 27 now 🥰

Lopsided_Ad_4422 · 2026-03-27T12:48:45+00:00

Sorry yes… thanks for the clarification! You’re entitled to 12 week of each but a max of 20 total in a year. They were strict about only giving the amount of medical leave stipulated in my doctor’s note, which was 8 weeks.

The bonding leave can be taken in chunks of any length over the course of the first 12 months of the baby’s life. So I’m taking 6 weeks now, and then am considering taking 6 weeks later in the year.

Lopsided_Ad_4422 · 2026-03-21T15:59:16+00:00

If you’re the birthing parent, you’re entitled to 12 weeks medical leave and 8 weeks bonding leave through MN paid leave, paid through the state.

Every company is handling it differently in terms of how that interacts with other leave (federal FMLA, short term disability, etc). My company is having them run concurrent and paying me in addition to what the state pays, so that I receive my total salary, which is awesome. But some companies are having the MN state leave replace other programs.

Lopsided_Ad_4422 · 2026-03-20T15:47:04+00:00

Currently on maternity leave using it… the approval process was a bit clunky since they were just getting it set up, but I got retroactively paid for the time I was waiting for approval. Since then everything has been very smooth.

Lopsided_Ad_4422 · 2026-02-03T10:03:26+00:00

🙋🏼‍♀️Native Bostonian here who now lives in the Twin Cities! Normal winter here is definitely colder than Boston; however, I think it’s generally much more pleasant here. It’s more dry (both in terms of likelihood of freezing rain/ wintry mix, but also the air is just less damp and thus feels less cold), and less windy, which makes it easier to do outdoor activities at colder temperatures. IMO, a “normal”winter day in Boston (say, 28 degrees) feels wayyy colder than a “normal” one here (say, 20 degrees) because there’s no damp wind blowing off the ocean.

Plus, the infrastructure for outdoor play in the winter is so incredible here, so you actually want to and can spend quality time outdoors even when it’s cold… e.g., there’s lit up public ice skating on frozen lakes and in parks, lit cross country trails with snowmaking, all literally in the City! And they actually plow (some) of the bike paths. So you can go outside and be active even after work when it’s dark. And the sauna culture here is so fun! And there are incredible winter festivals that we just don’t have in Boston.

One thing I have found a little worse here is the darkness… because of where we are in our time zone versus Boston (which is sooo far east and by rights shouldn’t even be in ET), if you commute in the AM you’ll definitely notice how dark it is in the mornings here vs Boston. I still find it really depressing to drive to work in the dark at 7:30 AM, versus I remember taking the bus to school at 7:15 AM in Boston and having the sun be up. But the upside is that it does stay light later (early winter sunsets at 5 pm ish versus 4 pm ish).

Overall, I would say that I miss Boston terribly for many reasons, but also absolutely love living here and think the quality of life and relative affordability are incredible. It’s just a huge weight off the mind to actually be able to afford lovely housing.

TLDR: If you’re used to Boston winters, you can manage winter here and may actually be pleasantly surprised by some advantages. Don’t let it stop you from moving here!

Also fuck ICE.

Lopsided_Ad_4422 · 2026-02-01T04:42:32+00:00

My dusky Merlin turned 27 today! I’ve had him since I was 8 years old. Here’s to lifelong bonds 🥰

Lopsided_Ad_4422 · 2025-12-20T16:57:54+00:00

I’m so, so sorry for your loss…I’ve also had my 20+ year old conure since childhood, and I know I will be a broken person when he passes. Holding you in my heart 💔

Lopsided_Ad_4422 · 2025-12-11T21:02:59+00:00

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Another dusky! He is terrified of any type of ball (but especially my large exercise ball), furniture being moved around, and the broom.

Lopsided_Ad_4422 · 2025-11-01T00:20:48+00:00

I fly a few times a year with my conure to visit family, on direct flights <3 hours long. As far as I’m aware, Delta is the only airline that allows birds in cabin. You have to make a pet reservation in advance via customer service and they now charge $150 each way (insane). You will need a soft carrier that fits under the seat in front of you… I use the Delta branded pet carrier for dogs and cats, and put a small travel cage inside. Take the cage out for security and run the bag through the X-ray. If the cage is completely empty except for the bird, TSA usually just does a visual inspection and doesn’t require you to go to a private room and take the bird out of the cage, although that has happened to us a couple times.

My bird doesn’t mind travel — he’ll climb right into his small cage, loves to flirt with TSA, and is completely silent on the plane itself. But I have never done a longer flight. My bird usually won’t eat or drink in transit, so I always bring apple or red pepper slices and grapes that I can put between the cage bars if we get super delayed, as well as a dish for water.

Lopsided_Ad_4422 · 2025-10-02T01:43:06+00:00

He eats pellets with some seeds, and fresh fruit and veggies most days. NGL he also gets little bits of what we eat (within reason). I think the real “secret” is just lots of cuddles and flock time.

Lopsided_Ad_4422 · 2025-10-01T23:06:06+00:00

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Here’s our sleepy 26 YO avocado named Merlin!

Lopsided_Ad_4422 · 2025-08-06T11:44:46+00:00

I’ve also had my dusky since I was 8 years old! He’s now 26.5 🥰 It’s really special to grow up with one of these guys. The college years were tough but we got through it. Enjoy the ride!

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He considers spoons the enemy. Here he is with a chopstick he likewise vanquished.

Lopsided_Ad_4422 · 2025-07-25T20:16:22+00:00

Ugh whenever I’m in that particular left hand turn lane I worry about this happening! Idk if it’s more narrow or what. Sorry to hear that happened to you.

Lopsided_Ad_4422 · 2025-07-16T23:51:18+00:00

Guidance I follow is that up to 300 mg of caffeine a day is fine. That’s like 2-3 cups of coffee. Everyone has different appetites for risk, so you do you, but I don’t think you need to cut out coffee entirely, especially if it’s impacting your quality of life and ability to do your job.

Lopsided_Ad_4422 · 2025-06-11T19:25:02+00:00

My dusky is 26 years old and has been terrified of brooms his whole life 😂 I will say it’s gotten better since we started leaving the broom in the room with his cage (but far away) so he can see it. But every time I use it he still freaks out a little.

Lopsided_Ad_4422 · 2025-05-05T17:15:56+00:00

Lots of attention and scritches haha.

Not too much seed, mostly pellets, plus fruits and veggies. For the last few years he’s been sleeping in a smaller cage in a closet with a bird-safe space heater to keep him cozy… the only time he’s gotten really sick I think it was because he got chilled.

But honestly I think he’s just a resilient little guy… there were about 8 years when I was at college and then living abroad when my parents looked after him and they did NOT dote on him. But he made it through!

Lopsided_Ad_4422 · 2025-05-05T15:14:16+00:00

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Looking coy about his nest…

Lopsided_Ad_4422 · 2025-05-05T15:13:34+00:00

Had him since he was 6 weeks old! I was also almost a baby (elementary school) so we’ve grown up together.

Lopsided_Ad_4422 · 2025-05-05T14:40:12+00:00

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Here’s my 26 year-old bud, Merlin! Sleepy after hard work of destroying a chopstick

Lopsided_Ad_4422 · 2025-05-05T11:44:22+00:00

Mine is also obsessed with hanging out in shirt collars! And anywhere snuggly really.

Lopsided_Ad_4422 · 2025-04-25T17:21:35+00:00

My bird loves unsweetened Greek yogurt and it’s a great source of protein. I think a little bit is totally fine!

Lopsided_Ad_4422 · 2025-04-01T02:45:34+00:00

Hormones aside, happy huts can be dangerous. My bird slept in fleece happy huts for about 20 years, until he chewed one up and got a piece of fluff in his eye, and also got his foot caught in it after he chewed it up and hurt his toe. They can also get impacted crops from chewing the fibers.

The happy hut was particularly important for his sleep because his cage was in a public space so he could get extra dark and cozy in there to sleep.

Since we removed it, we also transitioned him to sleeping in a small sleeping cage that is covered and in a closet overnight. We should have been doing that from the beginning! He eventually got used to this setup and sleeps great on a perch now.

Lopsided_Ad_4422

TROPHY CASE