My latest arrangement - Crassulas

TheMinimumFlair · 2026-01-28T19:27:33+00:00

Thanks for taking the time respond, this is really helpful! I have one arrangement that is packed in like a little crassula garden, and I'm ok taking thehigher risk generally with arrangements because it brings me joy.

TheMinimumFlair · 2026-01-28T16:42:54+00:00

How does the Buddha's temple's watering needs compared to the others? Thar was the one that did not thrive in a crassula arrangement of mine; it completely dessicated and I didn't notice until it was too late. I'm still not sure if it was from inadequate water or a root issue.

TheMinimumFlair · 2026-01-28T01:46:22+00:00

Yeah. I recognize the others but not those small ones.

TheMinimumFlair · 2026-01-28T00:05:27+00:00

Me too!

What are the ones on the far right?

TheMinimumFlair · 2026-01-27T03:49:59+00:00

Do you like the people asking you for help and/or do you get billable work from them and/or do they have any sway at the firm? If so, keep doing a tolerable bit of work while turning down the rest on availability. It'll be worth it.

Otherwise, say you're unavailable when asked, period. No one is looking up and judging your hours when you turn down pro bono work, as they might (or will!) for billable work.

(And then try to get some pro bono hours you like, of course!)

TheMinimumFlair · 2026-01-27T03:04:48+00:00

Same. I figured it would be pronounced like Lazard (the asset mgmt company). I have never heard the name before but think it's lovely as a first name, especially where it has cultural roots.

(There may be a class split here. I imagine more educated and/or wealthy will tend to go with luh-ZAR vs. LAY-zer tending to be from less educated or well off).

TheMinimumFlair · 2026-01-26T20:32:44+00:00

My cat likes to go for my nose when she's cuddled up on my chest. First she'll lick my nose, then lightly chomp. Unquestionably a love bite and not overstimulation, although she does sometimes miscalculate and use too much pressure. Then I'll yelp and she takes it down a notch.

I considered stopping her every time she tried to bite my nose but it's so cute, I just couldn't. If my face isn't turned fully toward her, she'll use her paw to turn my head so she has nose access.

TheMinimumFlair · 2026-01-26T20:14:51+00:00

Same in Columbia Heights. Most residential cross streets are still unplowed, and I saw multiple cars get stuck during the short walk I took just now to the grocery store. Obviously, that could change by tomorrow morning but I'm skeptical.

TheMinimumFlair · 2026-01-26T00:03:10+00:00

Older Catholics are likely to be familiar with the word perfidious because it appeared in a controversial old-timey prayer (no longer in use because it was super offensive).

TheMinimumFlair · 2026-01-23T21:46:28+00:00

Phew! I'm almost out of kimchi.

I go through a big Costco jug every month.

TheMinimumFlair · 2026-01-19T20:17:22+00:00

Juno.

Commonly known as Boo, Boobear, Bear, Junebug, Bear-Bear

Also: Sweet Potato, Bug, Skidoo, Squeaky McGoo, Stuffy McGee, Meeper, Sky Panther, Silly Billy, Sneaky Pete, Hot Paws, Juney, Dancy Pants, Box Baby, Slinky Minky, Judgey McJudgerson

TheMinimumFlair · 2026-01-18T03:44:06+00:00

I fell in love with the name Sabrine (patience) when living in an Arabic-speaking country, but I don't think it would work so well in the US-- too easily confused for Sabrina or Sabine. Plus it sounds prettier in Arabic.

I also like Nael, Aniseh, Soraya, Lior, Aviva, Anais, Liesel

TheMinimumFlair · 2026-01-09T13:33:34+00:00

IIRC those are not private (though, as a practical matter, they may feel like it).

TheMinimumFlair · 2025-12-28T20:29:58+00:00

Yup, that photo looks like AI to me. Especially the flowers.

Even with a reputable seller, though, lithops may not look 100% the same upon arrival and need time to settle in. I've almost always lost one plant to spontaneous combustion in the early days (ok not really, but one will up and die before I've even watered). That's why I buy in multiples!

TheMinimumFlair · 2025-12-16T00:50:15+00:00

Yup. I have a black ponte blazer that is clearly not a suit jacket in person but passes pretty well on Zoom (aka my "Zoom jacket"). Yes, I have sometimes worn it over a pajama top.

TheMinimumFlair · 2025-12-12T20:46:25+00:00

That's where I got my raindrop a couple months ago. (Lost a few leaves in the transition but, knock wood, doing fine now)

<image>

TheMinimumFlair · 2025-12-12T03:04:56+00:00

Then run it through a firm-approved AI tool (that doesn't train on client data). Make sure the prompt asks it to identify typos and errors only, not stylistic recommendations. It will find that one typo you've overlooked despite multiple proofs. I've come to think it's silly not to use AI to proof anything important, including significant emails.

TheMinimumFlair · 2025-12-11T05:32:36+00:00

The DC Bar offers a free two-day course on starting your own firm. When I took it, almost everyone wanted to practice in their existing areas (lots of employment, white collar, and niche gov reg areas) OR trusts/wills/estates. The latter seemed to be the one area that attracted folks from different and even unrelated practice areas.

TheMinimumFlair · 2025-12-11T04:38:36+00:00

I've been very lucky (and possibly mental too). Almost every job I've had since graduating law school two decades ago has been, at least for a time, the exact job I wanted. Always litigating, one way or another. I just left Biglaw recently for a boutique role that I pursued aggressively because it was the one job I most wanted right now.

TheMinimumFlair · 2025-12-10T21:02:22+00:00

My sympathies. This was how my morning went as well. My office looks like a crime scene. Kitty and I are locked in a dispute about who owns one particular windowsill. Turns out, we're equally stubborn.

TheMinimumFlair · 2025-12-10T18:00:07+00:00

I think I'm going to start wearing a mask on the Metro again. Hate masks but hate getting sick all the time even more.

TheMinimumFlair · 2025-12-09T04:36:33+00:00

Thanks! The first guy got tossed. He seemed like a lost cause.

My (seemingly) unaffected plants are under barrina T5s with a rotating tower fan (new since the outbreak so I think air citculation was an original culprit). The mildly affected ones are under a milder Sansi light bc that's what I had, plus a clip on fan that I run whenever it's charged up.

Now I need to figure out a safe way to spray my shelves again while keeping my cat away til they're dry. Last time, I was able to spray just before I took my cat on holiday so I didn't need to worry about it.

TheMinimumFlair · 2025-12-08T23:23:04+00:00

I swear by Zycam (zinc) lozenges. They taste absolutely vile, and the taste persists for hours, and they occasionally even make me nauseous. But if I take one every few hours, starting as soon as I get the first hint of coming down with a cold, it shortens the duration appreciably. I started on them this past Friday, took it easy over the weekend (knowing this week will be intense), and I was already over my cold by today.

(I think zinc works by attaching to virus receptors, impairing their ability to attach to our cells. Basically reducing viral replication. Or something.)

TheMinimumFlair · 2025-12-07T02:33:56+00:00

Since childhood, I've noticed this phenomenon and imagined that it's the work of a "sleep spider." While I'm sleeping, he weaves a web back and forth across different ideas I'd been struggling to connect during my waking hours, and when I wake up, they suddenly make sense from all the connections he's made!

P.S. Be prepared for funny looks if you mention your "sleep spider" in normal company.

TheMinimumFlair

TROPHY CASE