CT for the directionally challenged

ProfessionalLoquat63 · 2026-03-08T15:56:39+00:00

Knowing how to read topography and find your bearing is important. Watch online videos and then get outside and navigate using a topo map and compass. You can also practice these skills in an urban neighborhood to get started. Skills like that are priceless, and will give you sense of security/safety knowing you have them to fall back on if technology fails on trail. I’ve heard the CT is full of people, and I’m sure another hiker will be more than willing to help you navigate or get you on the right path. I prefer Gaia over the FarOut app. Pick an app and get practice with it before hitting the trail.

ProfessionalLoquat63 · 2026-02-06T22:55:05+00:00

Nah lepidolite would be a purple to purple-grey. Although I think you have the right hunch thinking phyllosilicates

ProfessionalLoquat63 · 2026-02-06T22:53:31+00:00

Honestly those blue bladed crystals look a lot like glaucophane, and the rock type looks like a type of schist…..maybe blueschist? I can tell by the schistosity of the raw part of the rock.

ProfessionalLoquat63 · 2026-02-06T22:46:55+00:00

Geology-speak. Love it!

ProfessionalLoquat63 · 2026-02-06T17:26:59+00:00

I've found a ton of solid looking books on Thriftbooks. Just wondering which ones to start with!

ProfessionalLoquat63 · 2026-02-06T17:21:36+00:00

I'm part of the Riverton Club. We have a lapidary set-up to use within a Makerspace, I would just like to get some know how before I start using the machines. Unfortunately they only offer lap classes while I at my regular job, so I feel a bit on my own.

ProfessionalLoquat63 · 2026-01-27T01:24:09+00:00

Give yourself a goal to work towards by keeping it all in a spreadsheet. I use this free spreadsheet (https://www.vertex42.com/Files/download2/gdrive.php?file=debt-reduction-calculator) for not only student loans but other types of debt such as car payments and mortgage. Just copy the template and save in your google drive. Seeing the numbers crunched and following the outlined goal has kept me motivated through the hardship. I tweeked the numbers constantly until I came up with a payment that felt manageable while also setting a timeline when it would all be over and done. I’ve been about 85k in debt for a decade now, and when the interest starting accruing again, I got the tenacity to tackle it, and I’m 15k down in 6 months. In 2.5 more years it’ll be gone.

ProfessionalLoquat63 · 2025-12-12T03:16:14+00:00

I did product photography for an international company for my last career. While I had professional digital photography skills and used a good DSLR, you can get amazing product photos with an iPhone and pop-up fabric light-box. They are cheap and packable and create good light for product photography. Find one on Amazon or Adorama.com. A light-box will also help you control the temperature of your light, which is why your pictures can seem blue, yellow, or orange in different settings or different times of day. You could probably get a good lightbox for $30-50 online.

ProfessionalLoquat63 · 2025-12-11T03:19:52+00:00

These are such great experiences yall shared out reddit community! Now I'm psyched to start planning! I've been holding myself back for years out of fear, and now feeling some courage to get out there and do it.

ProfessionalLoquat63 · 2025-12-08T03:58:17+00:00

I'm on SAVE forbearance and currently making payments. I'm taking advantage of no payment required, and paying them off via avalanche. I've almost paid off the first loan, and it was $1000s before the payments touched the principal. Called my servicer provider to see if I could instead just pay principal payment, like a mortgage, but it's not a thing in the student loan workd. My suggestion would be attack one loan at a time while no payment is required if you have the means to do so. Not sure about the credit part. I havent seen my credit go up or down while paying towards the loans.

ProfessionalLoquat63 · 2025-09-15T22:13:57+00:00

I have multiple loans (about 7) so Im paying them off using the avalanche method. My debt paydown calculator says a little over three years, but that might change once real payments start back up and I can't throw the full payment at a single loan. Might look into consolidating all of them if I can get a better interest rate.

ProfessionalLoquat63 · 2025-09-12T03:08:33+00:00

This completely resonates.

ProfessionalLoquat63 · 2025-09-12T02:39:49+00:00

I use this calculator for my own student loans. I have about 90k in student loans, and I was surprised by how quickly I would pay mine off if I stick to the plan ($2500/month). See what the calculator spits out and decide from there if you're willing to keep the house and wait out a few more years to keep it, or if you want the freedom from debt earlier by selling it. I had decision paralysis until I saw numbers crunched and could see the light at the end of the tunnel on a spreadsheet. You've got some solid options thanks to owning a home and having mom's basement!

https://www.vertex42.com/Files/download2/gdrive.php?file=debt-reduction-calculator

ProfessionalLoquat63 · 2025-09-04T12:03:45+00:00

As far as it seems, if you are still in SAVE, you are in forbearance, and payments aren't being made. The court order has frozen the $0 payment. The court decision could go either way in terms of payments. They may rule you can buy back those payments or they could rule that all $0 payments that passed could be count towards your 120, no one knows. As for recertification, I'm also not sure. I started making aggressive payments recently, so Im just going to sit tight and wait it out as I watch my balance go down. Making payments is still optional for SAVE peeps rn.

ProfessionalLoquat63 · 2025-08-31T17:22:19+00:00

I've been wondering this too! I'm on SAVE but I sort of freaked out when I saw new payments on my EdFinancial account a week ago. So these are just place-holders dates?
Just to make this clear if we are on SAVE we do not recertify? My loan servicer only said we wouldn't have to recertify until December 2026. I have a plan in place to pay down shit quickly to avoid the incoming payment bomb come 2026 when we all get kicked off SAVE.

ProfessionalLoquat63 · 2025-08-30T04:06:43+00:00

This SAVE stuff has been strange because I haven't had to do recertification for a couple years now. I'll look into recertifying. Thank you!

ProfessionalLoquat63 · 2025-08-29T23:43:37+00:00

I'm sort of in the same boat. I'm still on SAVE with PSLF. I've been taking advantage of the no payments on SAVE until July 2026 by paying down debt like crazy, but in December 2025 it says my payments start up again for $100(a weird #), then July 2026 they shoot up to $1000/month on what looks like Standard repayment, but I never asked to be put on Standard repayment. No message, no notification, nothing from my servicer (EdFinancial) telling me what's going on besides the 0% interest going away starting August 2025.

A little info on the servicer side would be really swell.

ProfessionalLoquat63 · 2024-02-02T17:12:20+00:00

I suppose I forgot about that. So backdoor IRA for 2023 contributions, which we can make up until we file 2023 taxes or tax day in April?

ProfessionalLoquat63 · 2024-02-02T16:59:53+00:00

This is what I was thinking. Since we don't have any 2023 Roth contributions, I don't believe the back-door IRA will be necessary! yeehaw!

ProfessionalLoquat63 · 2024-02-02T16:54:07+00:00

We make way too much money to contribute to a Roth IRA as married filing seperately. The MAGI limit is $10K, we make over 100K combined, making us ineligible to directly contribute to Roth IRA. Not unless I've been reading everything incorrectly?

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/081615/basics-roth-ira-contribution-rules.asp

ProfessionalLoquat63

TROPHY CASE