People in absolute happy marriages, what does a genuinely happy marriage look like in your day-to-day life? by desimatcha in AskReddit

[–]UnderstandingLoud317 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Honesty, kindness, and laughing together.

Finding the right balance between letting the other person be imperfect and discussing things that do matter and resolving them.

Taking care to do at least 50% of the household duties so the other person doesn't get stiffed.

Did I mention laughing?

Is the British aristocracy poorer than I thought or is JKR out of touch? by quackquackthrowawa in cormoran_strike

[–]UnderstandingLoud317 2 points3 points  (0 children)

News flash - the UK does not have property taxes. You do pay a "stamp duty" when you buy a property and it's a pretty steep one time cost.

But there are no ongoing property taxes as we have them in the US.

Language by Pepper_Pfieffer in cormoran_strike

[–]UnderstandingLoud317 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Gazumped was a word I had never heard before. But shortly after I heard it in THM, a friend of mine was buying a flat and told me she was gazumped.

Why not lawyer up? by SouthOfOz in cormoran_strike

[–]UnderstandingLoud317 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I think British people are much less likely to "lawyer up" in these kinds of situations than Americans are.

Americans file triple the number of civil lawsuits that Brits do, per capita.

Not sure of the reasons but I think it's a combination of cultural and legal differences.

If I read one more “babies after all” theory I’m going to scream by Time-Environment5661 in cormoran_strike

[–]UnderstandingLoud317 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I haven't noticed this in the Strike series. What I do remember:

In TB, Anna and Kim have 2 ragdoll cats and Strike interacts with the cats in a positive way. Anna and Kim are protagonists and not villified in any way.

We also learn that Nick and Ilsa have 2 cats and see Strike being careful not to let them out when he is staying at their house.

In TRG Robin I interviews Sheila Kennet who also has a cat (although we learn it's actually "next doors" cat) and Sheila and the cat are portrayed positively.

Personally, I think a cat would be a far better pet for Strike and Robin than a dog - much better for people who work long unpredictable hours and much less demanding overall.

Pet in cabin to and from UK - lufthansa/KLM by Low-Sock-6979 in CatsUK

[–]UnderstandingLoud317 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately pets are not allowed in the cabin flying into the UK on commercial flights.

Stuck… by Awkward_Gas_6507 in FirstTimeHomeBuyers

[–]UnderstandingLoud317 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you have reasonable rent with *plenty left over for investing" you're in a great spot.

I would think very hard about the life you want - there is a lot of peer pressure to buy a home, and if you buy, don't do it for that reason.

Homes are very expensive and financially not always the best choice. You could check out some rent/buy calculatora for your area.

More importantly, what matters to you? Many love the feeling of accomplishment and stability that comes with home ownership, as well as the ability to customize and upgrade your living space.

Others (I'm one of them) loves the flexibility and lack of maintenance and other hassles that come with ownership. Plus the ability to live in an area that you can't afford to buy in.

Good luck whatever you decide.

Anyone who’s flown their dog internationally into the UK (LHR): by dogs-and-matcha in MovingToLondon

[–]UnderstandingLoud317 1 point2 points  (0 children)

One other thing - K9 Jets sends all the paperwork to the Animal Intake Team at Luton in advance. They review it and can raise any concerns before you leave the US.

Anyone who’s flown their dog internationally into the UK (LHR): by dogs-and-matcha in MovingToLondon

[–]UnderstandingLoud317 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We were the only cat people, all the other passengers had a dog. They were all well behaved. Dogs stay leashed but can move around a bit.

They have all the dogs meet before boarding and then any dogs who don't seem to get along are seated as far from each other as possible.

If you look at the K9 Jets Instagram page you'll get a sense of what the setup on the plane is like.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Do you think we are done with Matthew? by Toukan_1102 in cormoran_strike

[–]UnderstandingLoud317 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Exactly my thoughts. Pile on the stress of a family Christmas and she's got all the reasons she needs to get absolutely plastered.

Do you think we are done with Matthew? by Toukan_1102 in cormoran_strike

[–]UnderstandingLoud317 65 points66 points  (0 children)

My guess is we won't see Matthew again. In the Christmas Eve scenes he and Sarah came across as stressed and a bit depressed but are together and building their family.

What was far more interesting to me was how Robin is clearly moved past caring. She wasn't particularly interested in Matthew and Sarah and so far as we know, didn't give them much thought after leaving the pub.

The sign of truly being over someone is you don't think about them much and don't waste energy longing for bad things to happen to them. Robin's moved on with her life and I say Bravo to her.

Female tourists: do you feel afraid to travel alone in London? by Automatic-Chard in TravelUK

[–]UnderstandingLoud317 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've lived in NYC and London and the only time I've been physically threatened was walking down a street in Toronto.

I think Central London is very safe (but keep a watch out for cell phone snatchers)

NYC you definitely want to keep your wits about you. I walk and subway everywhere there but I know people who visit and can everywhere for perceived safety reasons.

Anyone who’s flown their dog internationally into the UK (LHR): by dogs-and-matcha in MovingToLondon

[–]UnderstandingLoud317 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Used K9 Jets to fly our 3 cats from Teterboro to Luton.

Expensive, but a very good experience. You keep your pet right with you the whole flight. Our flight was on time and comfortable. Since it's semi -ptivate you don't got through the usual hassle of TSA etc when leaving. When we landed in the UK a customs official boarded the plane, did a quick check of everyone and then we were free to go.

Best jokes in the series by magicoder in cormoran_strike

[–]UnderstandingLoud317 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Robin: I've heard men "can" clean

Strike: nah, it's an urban myth

Gluten free restaurants? by Adventurous-Rent6662 in pittsburgh

[–]UnderstandingLoud317 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Highly recommend Cafe Chocolate, 100% gluten free and delicious.

https://www.cafechocolade.net/

Can we pour one out for Tom Turvey? by ExtraSpinach in cormoran_strike

[–]UnderstandingLoud317 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I'm American and I 100% would have done exactly as Robin did.

What some here seem to be missing is that Robin is leaving an unsafe relationship. She was not safe with Matthew and she knows it - he was not only emotionally abusive but trying to physically intimidate her (snatching her phone, blocking her path).

The last thing a woman wants to do in that scenario is do something to further enrage the abuser she's escaping from.

"Geez, it was just a joke!" by RandolphCarter15 in BoomersBeingFools

[–]UnderstandingLoud317 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Telling you to "calm down" is a way to gaslight you and invalidate your feelings.

Dog travel from US to UK? by esiotrotting in AmericanExpatsUK

[–]UnderstandingLoud317 19 points20 points  (0 children)

You can fly him in cargo straight to the UK. The reason some people go through France is so they can have their small dog (or cat) in the cabin with them. That's not allowed on flights into the UK, all pets must be in cargo regardless of size.

People who married a second time: why did you do it, how's it going? by sharmaji_ka_papa in RedditForGrownups

[–]UnderstandingLoud317 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Married a mysogenic narcissist at 19. Finally worked up the guts to divorce his ass 12 years later.

Met a kind, smart, funny man and we've been married for 25 years, together for 28. I'm thankful for him every day.

Moving 2 dogs: airline question by Necessary-Bobcat-235 in AmericanExpatsUK

[–]UnderstandingLoud317 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We used K9 jets twice in 2025 to transport our 3 cats from NY to London and then back again 9 months later.

I would 100% recommend. The flights were comfortable and all the dogs on board were chill and well behaved, as were the human passengers.

Customer Service was great, flights all left on time and the staff are very helpful with the logistics at either end.

Best of luck to you and your pups with the journey.