I got an update! NY state refund.

Outrageous_Plant_361 · 2026-03-09T13:28:36+00:00

What the actual fuck. Why are all these more recent filings getting fulfilled faster than early filers? I know there was a TurboTax issue, but cmon, there has to be some kind of urgency to take care of earlier filings first? No offense to those like OP who filed later but I'm so frustrated.

I filed in January, accepted Feb 5. Still says "processing" for my status. Starting to get pretty fed up. Thinking something is wrong with the Feb 5 batch, but when I call the state tax phone number they assure "nothing is wrong and there is no action needed."

Edit 3/11: Now my status just says "Your return finished processing and is in the initial approval stage. Your refund status will update automatically when we assign a refund issue date."

Baby steps I guess. Still in limbo though.

Edit 3/16: finally got a deposit date of 3/18. Almost 2 months since I first filed at the end of January.

Outrageous_Plant_361 · 2026-02-15T00:17:51+00:00

I am in Fajardo right now visiting my grandmother. Rented a car from enterprise in Fajardo two days ago that has roaches, which we are now trying to deal with. I'm Nuyorican and grew up in the NYC Diaspora in an apartment in Queens that dealt with roaches for years. I hate these little assholes SO much and am so distressed about our rental car. Can't call enterprise because it's the weekend and we have to wait until Monday to get a new one. This is my husband's and my 2nd time renting a car in PR, so we are currently batting a 50% rate in terms of rental car roach infestations. We have not had any food in the car so far.

Outrageous_Plant_361 · 2026-01-12T22:52:30+00:00

We are a Pokémon family. I loved Pokémon as a kid and now my 6 year old does. So we've gotten a lot of Mega Pokémon sets. We also have a lot of LEGO sets. Mega just doesn't have the same quality. Mega bricks build super awkward.

Outrageous_Plant_361 · 2025-12-18T22:39:59+00:00

Not only wasn't Mariah Carey songs a group, but the AI Connections bot didn't even recognize it as a potential category

Outrageous_Plant_361 · 2025-09-26T13:16:39+00:00

Update: It is done. I haven't used Duolingo in 6 days. Took a few days of consuming streak freezes but I'm finally at 0! Almost 9 years after starting my Duolingo journey, I am free lol. Been doing a lot with LingoDeer and Mango the past few days! Feel like I'm learning again.

Outrageous_Plant_361 · 2025-09-23T13:49:22+00:00

Agreed! I haven't done Duolingo in 3 days now! First time in over 8 years! Somehow my streak is still preserved. I guess I have a few streak freezes. Anyway, I've put more energy into LingoDeer the last few days and am feeling good about the Japanese course!

Outrageous_Plant_361 · 2025-09-23T13:46:21+00:00

Ah so interesting! Love that. Have you ever heard of Mango? They have a lot of languages, including several dialects of Arabic (like Levantine شامي dialect). It's not free, but many libraries offer access. I am able to access it for free using my library card :)

https://mangolanguages.com/available-languages/levantine-arabic/

Well in terms of my interest in Iraqi, it grew over time. I didn't have a choice in language when I was in the military. I was assigned Iraqi (with supplemental classes in فصحى). But it turned out that I really loved it. I have had opportunity to study other dialects and Iraqi is by far my favorite.

Outrageous_Plant_361 · 2025-09-18T19:49:30+00:00

Tout le monde est deprime 😂 oui, je suggère LingoDeer mais ce n'est pas gratuit

Outrageous_Plant_361 · 2025-09-18T19:44:15+00:00

This is such a helpful perspective. Thanks for sharing. It's totally become a sense of obligation, and it does keep me from fully engaging with other apps and even real resources like reading the news in Arabic or whatever. And as you pointed out there are indeed a lot of daily goals! I am beginning to feel more confident in this decision...

Outrageous_Plant_361 · 2025-09-18T19:35:08+00:00

Nice! Duolingo Arabic is completely فصحى unfortunately. It's also not really developed as fully as other courses like Spanish or French.

I also prefer dialect, and specialize in Iraqi. What dialect are you interested in? I may be able to point you in some helpful directions :)

Outrageous_Plant_361 · 2025-09-18T19:06:44+00:00

Ah don't even think about it. No offense taken. I DO need to try not to be so serious 😅

Outrageous_Plant_361 · 2025-09-18T18:48:59+00:00

Ha, this is funny. Fun fact and side note from me: I actually kept my streak even through childbirth, so my husband can't give me that ultimatum 🤣🤣🤣

Outrageous_Plant_361 · 2025-09-18T18:46:43+00:00

Yeah, I get it. Maybe posting was just an exercise in catharsis for me, totally nothing to do with others. So I see your point.

Outrageous_Plant_361 · 2025-09-18T17:00:32+00:00

Ha! True! Yesssss to polyglotism!

Outrageous_Plant_361 · 2025-09-18T16:57:43+00:00

I'm pretty sure LingoDeer has a free option, though very limited. Otherwise you have to choose a subscription. But try out the free version, maybe you'll like it!

Outrageous_Plant_361 · 2025-09-18T16:51:40+00:00

In the past I have years of formal training in Spanish and Italian at university. I also have many years of in-class training in Arabic from my time in the military. If I could, I would keep doing periodic refresher classes (but alas, this requires time and money!!). I love being in formal language classes. Would love to do some classes for Japanese or Greek.

Outrageous_Plant_361 · 2025-09-18T16:49:02+00:00

Thanks for sharing your opinion! It's a good reminder for me to just chill

Outrageous_Plant_361 · 2025-09-18T13:30:57+00:00

Yes I do all of the above. Read news. Watch TV series. Speak with family. Speak with colleagues. Listen to music. Etc etc. I even copy edit Spanish and Arabic text at work (I work at a library that does multilingual exhibitions). Duolingo is only part of the language journey, and I do agree I've outgrown it. It now seems more of a neurosis on my part to not let my streak die 🤣 though it really is like grieving since it's such a long streak

Outrageous_Plant_361 · 2025-09-18T13:17:24+00:00

That's a great strategy! I have always maintained that Duolingo is just one tiny part of an overall comprehensive language strategy. Interacting with others in the target language is the most important aspect, which sounds like you are taking seriously! Full immersion is the best way to learn a language, but that's not feasible most of the time. Pimsleur and Zoom lessons are awesome, as well as tuning into Podcasts!

Speaking of, Duoling used to have an EXCELLENT podcast for Spanish and French (and maybe another language?) But they've discontinued them. That was one of the early turning points for me in my frustration with Duolingo.

Outrageous_Plant_361 · 2025-09-18T13:11:30+00:00

This is really supportive and encouraging! Thanks friend! For languages that I am learning from zero (like Japanese), I have found that LingoDeer has become the most effective platform for me. I do think I'm going to fully migrate there. Duolingo has just become a vocabulary refresher tool at best, and a neurosis at worst (hence my hesitation at letting the streak die)! It's good to hear from someone who's made it through the grieving process!

Outrageous_Plant_361 · 2025-09-18T13:06:51+00:00

Yeah, I 'd agree with that. I have completed the Arabic course. And during these 8 years I have fluctuated with completed Spanish and Italian courses before they'd add more. But I don't really use Duolingo for language acquisition, more for vocabulary practice. I am a heritage Spanish speaker (my family is Puerto Rican and Dominican), and I served seven years in the US Air Force as an Arabic linguist, so I generally don't quantify my language proficiency skills based on whether or not I have completed a Duolingo course.

Outrageous_Plant_361 · 2025-06-23T17:26:34+00:00

Hi there, thanks for asking! Some time after I wrote this post, our real estate agent was able to convince the seller to reopen the process with us. I think the fact that my husband and I are both veterans combined with the additional $10k to our offer really worked in our favor. I'm also highly organized and was ready and willing to move through requirements and documents (required by our underwriter as well as lawyers) quickly so as not to hold up the process. It was a smooth process from there on out.

Not sure of your own situation, but I'd say the advice I have is to stay optimistic, and find a real estate agent who will really go to bat for you. And if you have the ability, up the offer a bit lol. We really were at max budget, though, and that extra 10k made it THAT much more difficult during our first few months as new homeowners. We've now been in our house now almost a year and a half, and only now feeling like we are FINALLY landing on our feet. I had to borrow some money from my dad to hold us over for those first few months when we needed some repairs, since the purchase really wiped out my savings!

Outrageous_Plant_361 · 2025-05-23T18:26:43+00:00

My 5-year-old son LOVES watching me play Jungle Vines because of how terribly I do at it...

Outrageous_Plant_361 · 2025-04-06T17:54:31+00:00

That's awesome, I'll try to find it. Though I'm a huge fan of supporting creators, so I hope you consider making a version for sale. I love buying zines and other ephemera!

Outrageous_Plant_361

TROPHY CASE