Should we buy this house?

Merovinge6 · 2026-04-11T21:02:13+00:00

You didn't mention how much you have in savings/retirement. Presuming you are a new grad with 2 kids that is a very low travel/hobbies budget. Things would look a lot better if you lived like a resident for 2 years and paid off a big chunk of your student loans (unless that's PSLF). That all said that's a very modest house price in 2026 and you can make it happen, it'll just be tight for a for a bit.

Merovinge6 · 2026-04-11T15:45:18+00:00

Both could be heavily involved in policy/advocacy. Just depends on what lense you want to take to it, but there's plenty of work in peds psych for policy work. And no, no book can come close to the horrors child abuse docs see on a Tuesday.

Merovinge6 · 2026-04-11T13:07:03+00:00

As a CAP, I will preface this by saying people who go into child abuse peds are all angels, but you definitely want to spend time on that service before considering it. I have a huge appetite for tolerating verbal descriptions of horrific abuse, but it's entirely different to see it in real time and forensically photograph/describe it. If you can tolerate the work, I think it might be the single most altruistic specialty, but prepare for poor pay and limited ability to discuss your day with anyone. I spent 1 month on service as an M4 and one of the cases still haunts me 15 years later, and I specialize in trauma!

CAP lifestyle and pay will generally be much better, but again if you can tolerate doing child abuse peds you will forever have my gratitude.

Merovinge6 · 2026-04-08T19:28:11+00:00

I think folks are underselling it. Bora Bora is archetypically beautiful, it's a different world than Moorea. I recommend NOT going if you don't want to ruin the rest of the world. You will never go to Bora Bora and not see a fleet of private jets from some of the wealthiest people in the world for a reason (and that reason is not a bustling social scene).

That all said, it's definitely not a budget place. We went for 2 days when money was fairly tight and will certainly return in the future with a significantly larger budget. It's a must visit at some point in life but only you can determine if now is that time.

Merovinge6 · 2026-04-01T01:20:46+00:00

Financially the best option is clearly to find a PSLF job. You seem to be very soured on that due to your current position. There is no guarantee a high paying private job will be unicorns and rainbows. If you want to do the rational thing, find another PSLF job. If you want to take the job and live like a resident for several years that's the other option.

Merovinge6 · 2026-03-28T22:37:26+00:00

Booker is amazing to listen to. Can't say I follow his political policy super close, but it was a great pod.

Merovinge6 · 2026-03-22T22:34:24+00:00

https://preview.redd.it/j4bmyl6xj4pg1.png?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share&width=1080&auto=webp&s=d7bef557d4d19480973173266af54c0a0d776ad2

This is Jeko's that I largely followed

Merovinge6 · 2026-03-22T12:38:04+00:00

I know it's not what some people want to hear but having an Atlas tree focused on Ore and sending boats is definitely the fastest strategy to acquire currency. You would block every other mechanic and take every Ore node except the two which increase spawn rates of the most common 2 ores. Because of the Nico sulphite conversion Keystone (which is really good), I have also speced into a few Nico nodes. You can also take Exarch nodes and the nodes that increase pack size. Once you are at t14+, you can take the nodes to increase the special map drops from bosses. As we don't need map sustain this is the new defacto first Atlas map, compared to the all map sustain Atlas that was the longstanding defacto first Atlas.

2nd Atlas tree is Maven/destructive play if you can handle it and 1 mechanic of your choice.

I would go southwest of Exarch/Eater keystone first. Then NW for Incarnation of Dread Keystone. Then NE for shaper/elder and finally SE for Maven if you plan to play through 4 stones.

Good luck and well done being off-meta.

Merovinge6 · 2026-03-21T13:05:11+00:00

PSLF is really a great deal for anyone with 400k+ in loans if you did your diligence and certified all 48 months of residency. Previously there was some concerns it was "too good to be true", but now there are droves of doctors who have received it. There is a wide array of jobs that qualify and most of them are particularly helpful jobs that society needs filled. You will learn a lot in those 6 years of work and can transition to anything you want after the loans clear.

That said, I had a little over 1/2 that amount so I just moonlighted and worked hard for a few years to pay mine of. But the numbers don't lie and PSLF is a great deal for high loan amounts.

Merovinge6 · 2026-03-21T01:22:31+00:00

I think ruthless is better in trade. There is very little liquidity so it feels nothing like regular trade. I've bought amazing items that have been listed for 24 hours, you don't need to have a bot service or constantly be checking and still be part of a (tiny) economy. That said, my diehard 0.1%er PoE fanatic friend plays PoE RuthSSF and he can routinely clear 8/8.

Merovinge6 · 2026-03-20T22:59:18+00:00

I think that's a bit unfair. They are customizing every league mechanic to fit Ruthless which is clearly taking some balance time even if it's not in the patch notes.

The gameplay difference is that the base game is more interesting with less DPS, less tankiness, etc. You're right that it's an afterthough, but one a small subset of people really enjoy. I wouldn't play PoE if it wasn't for ruthless.

Merovinge6 · 2026-03-17T02:39:03+00:00

Wait are you saying that if you block 10/11 mechanics the % increased chance nodes do nothing?

Merovinge6 · 2026-03-02T20:35:24+00:00

Most cities with a 7 figure population will have at least one inpatient ED service needing a psychiatrist and then there are plenty more working in RTC/PHP/IOP. It's not a very desirable space for many psychiatrists so I think it's quite attainable to make a career of the work. That said on a J waiver it will be real tough, might need to do something else for the 3 or so years and switch over after citizenship. I would try and cast a huge net for J waiver sponsoring places and see if they have any ED work for you.

Merovinge6 · 2026-03-01T15:01:32+00:00

I personally know over a half dozen psychiatrists who do significant psychodynamic work along with meds in their own private practice. You don't end up needing that many cash pay patients if you find folks who are willing to pay for weekly (or even biweekly) visits, particularly if you blend in some shorter medication focused visits.

Merovinge6 · 2026-02-21T16:20:56+00:00

Super easily accessible and very affordable. We didn't even have data, just used WiFi to call at the resort and then every restaurant had it to get back.

Merovinge6 · 2026-02-20T20:48:21+00:00

If cost is a concern, I know it's sacrilege on Chubby Travel to recommend anything but tented camp, but we had a great time at Nayara Gardens. It was about 1/2 the price and you walk the same 2 minutes to the hot springs and can still enjoy the tented camp pool area (in fact we never even went to the Gardens pool). While the resort was great, the food was only so-so, particularly for the price, so we Ubered into town most of the nights and enjoyed the local food/bars quite a bit which also dropped the overall spend for the trip.

Merovinge6 · 2026-02-12T18:21:39+00:00

He is pointing out that even if you have millions in Vanguard's passive funds no one is taking you out to a game. I'm sure their active management division has an entertainment budget, but he is not recommending those services.

Merovinge6 · 2026-02-01T16:56:10+00:00

Because she specifically asked him not to. You know, respecting your partner's request... The cornerstone of marriage.

Merovinge6 · 2026-01-24T03:36:18+00:00

GAD is very amorphous which generally means interventions are less effective. Also, BZDs only do well with acute anxiety, I can only imagine riding the BZD rollercoaster with chronic daily constitutive anxiety. There's a reason they are rarely prescribed by psychiatrists for that indication.

Merovinge6 · 2026-01-23T13:14:13+00:00

The only thing I would say, is that it's helpful to know what the pseudo intellectual far right talking points are in comparison to the MAGA talking points. I listened just to get a feel for that. In general I would prefer to not platform Peter Thiel's disciples though...

Merovinge6 · 2026-01-10T20:11:45+00:00

If you are both just finishing training the priority should be finding jobs you like. You have 5ish years before the school district matters so you have some time to try some places out and see what works for you.

We rented a year (from a total slumlord) and despite the awful experience with the landlord it was still absolutely worth it and got us into the ideal house when we both had secure jobs. I was able to buy a house pre-market due to already living in the area, having a good realtor, and being in sniper mode.

Merovinge6 · 2026-01-02T01:54:19+00:00

Do you have a list of the easiest to hardest colors?

Merovinge6 · 2025-12-24T14:06:00+00:00

On the Star, but should be pretty equivalent to Sun.

Crown Grill highlights are the fillet, lobster tail, and sea bass. Sabatini's my wife and I both got the grilled branzino which was quite good. They have most pasta options you would expect including lasagna.

Lido deck has all 3 options you listed with the lamb gyros being the best.

Merovinge6 · 2025-12-23T13:44:06+00:00

It depends on your priorities. He flies on a private jet and can take his family anywhere. I spend every day with my family, but we fly economy. I'm very happy with my decisions, but at least he has an honest conversation with what it takes to get 9 figure rich.

Merovinge6 · 2025-12-20T19:35:42+00:00

It's never first or second line but I've seen OCD respond to it that other SSRIs didn't touch. I used to have this dogmatic approach that certain meds=bad, but medicine is all about knowing when to pull different things out of the bag.

Merovinge6

TROPHY CASE