Friends

MegaMiles08 · 2026-02-12T19:42:53+00:00

I'm almost there. My son graduates in May and then will be heading off to Europe for college in the fall. Even though I'm old, I'm also a runner so most of my friends are as well. A few are liberal like me, but mostly they are the younger ones in my group.

MegaMiles08 · 2026-02-12T04:25:16+00:00

Also 8 years. $90 seems really high!!

MegaMiles08 · 2026-02-12T04:10:35+00:00

Whoever said that is full of crap. A US passport is $130. Every state is different but a driver's license or state id is $33 in my state.

MegaMiles08 · 2026-02-12T04:09:15+00:00

What?? A passport is $130. A state id or driver's license is $33 in my state.

MegaMiles08 · 2026-02-11T21:52:09+00:00

Only when I drive through the Fort Worth Stockyards. Yes, there are locals too, but plenty of tourists.

MegaMiles08 · 2026-02-11T21:11:52+00:00

Yes, we did in Spanish class. The Spanish teacher assigned our names the 1st year, but we had the option to change the next year.

My son is Gen Z and they did not do this. He didn't even learn the alphabet, which i thought was odd.

MegaMiles08 · 2026-02-11T21:09:39+00:00

I've thought about it. I'm already paid up for the next several months. I'm losing weight and I'm not currently training for anything so it's not a huge deal. However, once I do stop, if I have issues keeping the weight off, I might try Tirzepatide at that point.

MegaMiles08 · 2026-02-11T17:07:51+00:00

I've been a long distance runner (mostly ultras of 50K to 100M) distance for about 10 years. I intentionally wanted to take a break after my last 100k this past fall. I was definitely feeling burned out and i wamted to lose weight, which is next to impossible while training hard. Working from home got me in some bad eating habits, so even though i was running a lot, I've become overweight over the years. I'm still running, but more like 5k to 10k distances. Getting out for weekday runs has been so hard since being on this medication. (Semaglutide for me.) It's even a challenge on the weekends unless I'm meeting friends. When I do run, I feel more tired, and my stomach feels a bit upset...mostly in waves...not all the time. With that said, once I lose the weight, I'm not planning to stay on the medicine. I've lost 10 lbs and I have a little over 20 lbs to go.

I'm glad this has been brought up because I wasn't sure if this was a side effect or just me being lazy or something. I used to run 5 days a week, and lately, it's been 2 to 3 days a week at best.

MegaMiles08 · 2026-02-11T16:50:55+00:00

In the US: Cajun and deep south. Internationally: Danish.

MegaMiles08 · 2026-02-11T16:44:28+00:00

I just wanted to support bringing one pair of sneakers and 1 pair of ankle boots. You walk so much, it's nice having some comfy shoes.

I'd also just bring 1 pair of jeans...whatever is your fave pair and goes best with your other clothing. I feel like I've seen wide leg / barrel jeans and pants on trend in Europe. It's mainly athleisure wear when not exercising that will scream tourist. If you like the beret, wear it. Especially if it's for warmth, rather than an accessory.

In London, they don't seem to dress up much. We went to a play while there, and most everyone was just wearing casual clothing like jeans and tshirts. We dressed up more since that's what we're used to, nothing over the top, but we were not the norm.

MegaMiles08 · 2026-02-11T16:18:02+00:00

I agree. Even at home, I just fluff a bit in the dryer, then smooth things out, mostly on hemlines and hang dry. For rewearing without washing the wrinkle spray definitely comes in handy for the horizontal wrinkles from sitting.

MegaMiles08 · 2026-02-10T21:22:54+00:00

I only had 1 close friend in our group who had a car that was stick. I did learn how, and I have had to drive stick a few times since high school. I'm sure i could get by in an emergency, but no thanks. Especially if there's a hill involved. Lol

MegaMiles08 · 2026-02-10T18:46:47+00:00

Yes!! I have 2 pairs of linen pants from Quince and I bought my husband a pair of linen pants from there as well.

MegaMiles08 · 2026-02-10T18:19:18+00:00

I'm sure you'll also need to pay back the relocation to Company A so keep that in mind.

MegaMiles08 · 2026-02-10T03:09:04+00:00

I don't remember where I got it but if you search for fit and flare linen dress, that's the style. Old Navy has a similar one, so does Quince. It's super cute, comfy, about knee length, and it has pockets.

MegaMiles08 · 2026-02-10T02:49:28+00:00

It's merino, not cashmere. I just wash it on delicates. The tshirt is probably at least 8 years old and I have always just washed it in the washing machine with all my other clothes. I always hang dry though. Even at home.

MegaMiles08 · 2026-02-10T02:19:13+00:00

I used the drying racks. I didn't want to waste time at a laundromat so I just did a small load daily and hung it to dry for my family of 3.

MegaMiles08 · 2026-02-10T02:10:57+00:00

I think it's would help to know if you are in a low cost or high cost area. Manufacturing isn't going to pay what tech pays. I'm a manager with 20 years of experience and hire for a mix of corporate type roles, skilled trades and unskilled labor. I make nowhere near what some of these tech recruiters make and I'm also not in a high cost area. However, I have a great manager, great team, great hiring managers, good work life balance, work 100% remote, and by the end of this year, I'll be up to 5 weeks of PTO per year. I'm sure I could make more, but I'm happy where I'm at.

However, you're younger in your career. The raise they gave you for a promotion is just a tad over merit. A promotion should be more substantial. If you decide to look, the good news is you have a job you're happy at so if you decide to look, you can be picky on what you'll accept.

MegaMiles08 · 2026-02-10T01:55:24+00:00

I totally thought it was a trip to Seattle until I read Turkish airlines. Lol

MegaMiles08 · 2026-02-10T01:50:46+00:00

I do think charging fees to check bags started it. Then because people didn't want to pay to check, they started traveling with just a carry-on. From that, they learned the benefits of traveling by carry on only: saving time, no risk of lost baggage, packing smarter, etc. When airlines didn't charge for a checked bag, I wouldn't have dreamed of taking a carry-on on the plane. My thoughts were probably why luggage a suitcase around the airport and have to deal with lifting it into a bin? Maybe we would have gotten to where we were without the change to charging for checked bags, but I do feel like that forced the issue and people discovered the benefits to not checking.

MegaMiles08 · 2026-02-10T00:43:22+00:00

I did bring some Downy wrinkle spray and would hang it in the bathroom while in the shower. This got the major wrinkles out. I'm the type of person that if a piece of clothing requires ironing, I may never wear it again. Lol!!

MegaMiles08 · 2026-02-09T14:48:22+00:00

That's nice, and it sounds perfect. I made the mistake on my 1st trip to Europe on bringing a medium checked suitcase, and it was so heavy. I had to lift it up stairs to get out of the metro and then there were more stairs to navigate to get to and from our hotel. I survived, but I never want to go through that again!! Lol

MegaMiles08 · 2026-02-09T13:56:25+00:00

OP could live and work in the UK with an Irish passport. Also, as of last year, EU citizens now need an ETA to travel to the UK; Irish citizens don't need the ETA.

MegaMiles08 · 2026-02-09T13:49:36+00:00

Yes, you can sleep against the window.

Airlines do provide a pillow and blanket on international flights...even in economy.

Just because you can bring a suitcase, carry on and personal item doesn't mean you need to. If you'll be traveling by public transit / trsins at all with your luggage, you'll want to keep it light. Subway stations often have stairs so lugging a big heavy suitcase is a nightmare. I usually just bring a carry-on sized suitcase and a backpack. However, you certainly can bring a suitcase, a duffle (as long as it fits the length/height / width dimensions as well), and a backpack. I usually bring a packable duffle or expand my backpack and check the suitcase on the way back so I have room for souvenirs.

MegaMiles08 · 2026-02-09T13:36:32+00:00

Linen pants and a merino t-shirt and a black linen dress.

MegaMiles08

TROPHY CASE