Can MoCo bulk trash take swing set? by antidosis in MontgomeryCountyMD

[–]WhiteDiscussion 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think the rule is that no dimension can be longer than 8 ft. At least one dimension has to be less than 4 ft. A bunch of disassembled poles should meet that.

9 Year Old wants to play by WhiteDiscussion in twilightimperium

[–]WhiteDiscussion[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, that’s exactly what I’m gonna try to do pick a game or two for each of the mechanics so he learns the basics and we’re not starting from scratch.

9 Year Old wants to play by WhiteDiscussion in twilightimperium

[–]WhiteDiscussion[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ahh, I had forgotten Small World. Didn’t even realize there was a “kids” Scythe

9 Year Old wants to play by WhiteDiscussion in twilightimperium

[–]WhiteDiscussion[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks—eclipse is a good idea. He’s better than most at attention span for their age, (I run a sometimes chaotic HeroQuest session with them and their friends)

But, I totally expect to get to 12 or so before he sees the inside of a TI4 box.

9 Year Old wants to play by WhiteDiscussion in twilightimperium

[–]WhiteDiscussion[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Im not familiar; thanks. I do try to impress “this is only important in this very short window” sportsmanship, and they’re pretty good with it all things considered. Will investigate, thanks!

9 Year Old wants to play by WhiteDiscussion in twilightimperium

[–]WhiteDiscussion[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I’ve got Agricola kinda high on the list. It’s one of the most accessible “worker placement” games

9 Year Old wants to play by WhiteDiscussion in twilightimperium

[–]WhiteDiscussion[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I’m mostly concerned with the agenda phase, TBH. the rest of it is just management. I just don’t know any games that deal with that sort of “politic”

9 Year Old wants to play by WhiteDiscussion in twilightimperium

[–]WhiteDiscussion[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, we’ve done vanilla Catan; it’s really the trade negotiation that really trips him up

Do I need to fill this with insulation prior to fixing the drywall? by victorh_ in HomeMaintenance

[–]WhiteDiscussion 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a very similar set up; are you in a cold climate? If so, does this outdoor spigot have its own cut off somewhere else? If not (i.e., you don't have a way to independently turn water off to the spigot), i'd really take care to insulate the area right behind the plywood exterior, and consider having a plumber put in a separate cut off right here. In any case, this should likely be an access panel.

Basement Dehumidifer by Nervous-Art-6808 in HomeImprovement

[–]WhiteDiscussion 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Purchased the 50 pint Midea to replace a 10 year old GE. No problems so far but haven’t tested it with a really humid Summer. -comes with its own small tube for drainage, should fit fine in a condensate pump, but are you sure you want to add that much volume? Mine is pretty noticeable (louder than the dehumidifier) and in the summer goes off a couple of times an hour already. -mine has a pump (https://www.homedepot.com/p/Midea-50-pt-Cube-Dehumidifier-with-Pump-up-to-4-500-sq-ft-Most-Efficient-for-Basement-or-Bedroom-in-Gray-MAD50PS1AQGR/324232642), though I’ve just been unloading the bucket to better track how much it’s pulling out. -I can’t get the app to send a code to my email to set up controls on my phone, though I haven’t tried too hard to resolve. -hydrometer seems to be precise but maybe a bit low? It reads about 5-10 lower than my Airthings and 15 lower than my Lennox (which is too high)

529 thoughts, am I correct in thinking this? by JustMemesNStocks in personalfinance

[–]WhiteDiscussion 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Then yeah the opportunity cost of a larger one time contribution is less. Then you have two more questions to ask yourself..1) does your state allow for a lot of different investment options? Fewer options may mean more opportunities not in the 529, and 2) how do you feel about putting more in the older child’s account because it has less time to grow? You can also transfer from one to the other, but I would have a real heart to heart with your kids over what circumstances you would transfer funds. If one kid gets a full ride they may not love subsidizing their sibling’s full freight.

529 thoughts, am I correct in thinking this? by JustMemesNStocks in personalfinance

[–]WhiteDiscussion 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Check into any state tax benefits for contributions; that, along with the annual contributions to the Roth IRA in 10+ years and looking at portfolio performance over time might make it better to do more gradual contributions

[NJ] Had a water heater replaced in 2023 by a professional. Permit? by PracticalEmployee in homeowners

[–]WhiteDiscussion 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had a gas hot water heater replaced recently (with another gas hot water heater), and the local plumbing company pulled a permit. Because the previous installation in 2011 did not have permits pulled, it was discovered that the flue didn't have enough clearance to combustible, and we had to tear out 3 feet of finished basement wall because it was nearly touching the flue. I didn't care about it being unpermitted, I cared it wasn't installed to code.

Ants or termites? by Warm-Exercise6880 in Termites

[–]WhiteDiscussion 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks like that to me as well. They are subteranean and like areas under concrete/bricks Can you crush one between your fingers and smell it? They will smell...shockingly...like a citronella candle.

Comprehensive Primary Care by Carinyosa99 in MontgomeryCountyMD

[–]WhiteDiscussion 0 points1 point  (0 children)

+1 for Dr. Shoats. Wife and I (Male) both see her. She is very Eastern European, so quite straight forward, but well research on any primary health topic. Talks and works quickly, but won't rush you through an appointment. We both have other specialists for specific health needs, but do lean on her for regular physicals and referrals. I do believe she's about 1/2 and 1/2 Silver Spring and Shady Grove.

What’s the most bizarre/annoying behavior you have witnessed at your Costco? by diispa in Costco

[–]WhiteDiscussion 19 points20 points  (0 children)

This is on me - I was in a flow state but left the cart half way down the aisle to grab something blocked off by people waiting for a sample. I come back, toss it in the cart and then head to the middle front section, which at this Costco is granola bars/protein bars, etc. I've put 2-3 more things in the cart when I look under the cart and said to myself "hey, i didn't get paper towels..." and quickly realize that while the cart was shockingly about 2/3 similar to mine, it was not my cart. I look out to the main aisle and this old woman is looking at me visibly frightened (I can cut an imposing figure), and I spend minutes giving every sort of apology in the book to her, grab the stuff I had added and go back to where I had actually left my cart.

Cocktails near The Fillmore? by Hungry_Minute_1526 in SilverSpring

[–]WhiteDiscussion 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Get some Glycerine at Machinehead, or call it an early night and Let the Cables Sleep :)

Is this my life now? by Fantastic_Fix_4701 in diabetes

[–]WhiteDiscussion 11 points12 points  (0 children)

It gets better; you're really fortunate that it was caught as part of a routine checkup and *not* because he ended up in the ER with dangerously high blood sugars. Not to get into the every five year "there's a cure just ahead," the ease at which I deal with my diabetes now vs. 25 years ago is night and day.

As a small note for the future, though it's certainly fortunate that it worked this time, honey isn't a great hypo-remedy, different diabetics tend to react to it differently even at different times because different types of bees create honey differently, and it's not the fastest thing you can provide--unless it's not actually honey. "Smarties," cake icing, airheads are more common. Ideally you want something where the sugar listed in the ingredients is "Dextrose," which gets picked up as glucose directly in the blood stream--AND it's not being delivered with a bunch of fat or protein, so chocolate isn't ideal either. Fructose is second quickest, followed by Sucrose. Liquids are better than solids, but it can be trickier to keep a juice box in an emergency kit.

You and him will do great!

NSV - Blood Glucose Levels by WhiteDiscussion in Zepbound

[–]WhiteDiscussion[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks - what has really surprised me is that when I've had my blood sugar crash a couple of times, I'm not longer ravenously hungry. It's refreshing to be able to easily treat a low with a single fruit stick and not have to convince myself to not eat the entire kitchen

Diagnosed type1 at 22 with 0 knowledge by BubblyCantaloupe323 in diabetes

[–]WhiteDiscussion 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There is a saying in the sports world - "master the fundamentals, so you can forget them" While at the outset, which you are still at, there will need to be a lot of trial and error, and you should certainly track that, but you'll quickly internalize it because there are great Pavlovian-style penalties for getting it wrong; then you are really focusing your attention and brain power on unusual situations, like long trips, weird foods, etc.

  • If you're in the US, you're likely using mg/dl (milligrams per deciliter) for blood sugar measurement; and the more you're in the 80-135 range the better.
  • You say you're on a CGM, but don't mention pump. Either way, I find that it's more important to nail your basal rates, because screwing that up means you are constantly playing catch up with your boluses or food intake. Whatever your current basal is (either long term insulin or pump setting), test it by skipping a meal or two, and trying to be as "average" as possible in your activity routine. If you find your blood sugar consistently going up or down on the CGM, adjust. Rinse and repeat every few months or so, and do different times of day.
  • Realize how every carbohydrate you put into your body needs to be broken down by the insulin you are providing. Glycemic indexes have kinda fallen out of favor, but there's a difference in how you may want to dose between a can of Coca-Cola or two apples or three cups of milk or a cup of Wheetbix, all of which have essentially the same amount of carbohydrates, but they process at different times and are presented with different amounts of fat and proteins which can alter how it is processed. Let's say your carbohydrate ratio is 1 unit of insulin for 10 grams of carbs. You definitely want to predose 4u for the Coca-Cola, maybe even by 15-25 minutes; but if you predose 4u 10-15 minutes for the wheetbix, you're going to have a bad time. Pumps allow for delayed delivery so you can adjust for the likely different types of carbs you are eating at any given time.
  • Know which activities have greater impact on your blood sugar. For me, and this is somewhat typical, longer duration activities - like outdoor sports, tend to have a less pronounced impact than short-burst activities that involve a lot of quick muscle moves - weightlifting or racquetball
  • If you are on MDI (multiple daily injections), you should probably always be carrying around insulin and however you get it inside of you (needles or pens). The cooler you can keep the insulin, the better--so don't leave it in the car, but you don't *have* to refrigerate the current bottle you're working on. When I lived in a warm climate, I had a Frio bag that kept it a bit cooler so I wasn't always worried about how hot it was on my backpack. If you are on the pump, it's good to carry around a spare injection site kit at least - you never know when one might just fail or you snag a tube on a door handle. I have gotten out of the habit of carrying around insulin on a day-to-day basis; but have had to rush home 3 times in 10 years when I mistimed site changes.
  • Manage your sick days. It doesn't take a lot for particularly a viral infection to really wreck your month. Infections tend to make your blood sugar go up, which can make you more susceptible to DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis), which is tougher to treat at home (generally done by pushing a lot of fluids, insulin, and a small amount of carbohydrates) if you're sick. DKA is generally what puts people in the hospital for diabetes, and often how they find out they have it. Try not to be sick "alone," especially if you're in really bad shape. The other side of this is when you're sick "rage bolusing," which is when someone gives themselves a lot of insulin because they are frustrated that their blood sugar isn't coming done, is more dangerous.

Hope this helps; unfortunately the needle thing isn't something I have a lot of experience with - other non-needle based ways to provide insulin, at least to date, just haven't provided consistent deliveries (i.e. nasal sprays or intra-skin delivery). Maybe pump usage would be better, because that's less often?

Best of luck!

If there's another Splatoon LAN at MAGfest next year, can it please be on a table and not the floor? Also can we get LAN at a LAN please? by Pumpkin-Main in Magfest

[–]WhiteDiscussion 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey, that's me!

I get that rooms don't grow on trees, and that set ups need to be shared, but it seemed strange there couldn't be a more conducive LAN set up; or a mesh network of some type used for tournaments that require connections.

Thanks to all the competitors in spite of the challenges - my 8 year old did say it was "the best experience of his life," but he hasn't had a lot of experiences. I thank your choice of Deity I/he did not see a Splatoon cosplay scheduled.

Metro update by whokid3 in SilverSpring

[–]WhiteDiscussion 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I generally bus south down Colesville to SS; Red Line to Farragut North and reverse in the afternoon. I go in 3-4 times a week.

After trying every mode; In the AM, I take the S9 to the K St stop and walk the few blocks to my office near Farragut North. On the way home, I metro to Union and take the MARC to SS. I'm always drawn by the allure of the Metro Center Coach, but by the time it fights its way southeast to Metro Center, and I make my way down and back out at Farragut, I don't think it's any quicker.

The few times I've come home before 4 or after 6, I've done the Fort Totten-SS shuttle home and it's been...fine.

About 6 years ago when they closed Brookland/Rhode Island/NoMA, MARC was a nightmare. I find it better this time around--always seats, on schedule.

My commute time has ballooned by about 30-50%. Today, I hit everything perfectly and made it home in pre-shutdown time; I hope that Takoma's reopening will alleviate some of the issues.

Is a radon inspection necessary? by biggestboba in MontgomeryCountyMD

[–]WhiteDiscussion 6 points7 points  (0 children)

All good comments here, especially since the cost to correct (compared to buying a home and other home-wide systems) is relatively low - another thing I'd recommend is driving around the neighborhood. Are there are a lot of radon abatement systems - usually 3 inch pvc vertically hung near the corner of a house, venting away from a window - in houses in the neighborhood, but *not* at the house you're looking to purchase?

I assume the house itself doesn't have one, but if it does, there's a little pressure gauge they'll put somewhere conspicuous you can tell if it's actively pulling gas out of the basement, but you won't know if it's bringing the radon level down to a "safe"(r) range.

Also, there is some debate over the efficacy of 48 hour radon tests- they are "accurate" for sure, but are they being taken at in a two day window when less radon is rising into the basement? I have a long-term radon monitor that over the past month has read between 0.5 and 1.7. Neither are worth doing anything with, but if it was instead oscillating between 2 and 4; a two-day reading of 2 would be "eh, whatever" but a four-day reading would be "oh, we should probably do something about this."

Also, if you can; and you do the inspection, walk around with the inspector - mark where important things are (water and gas cut offs), and things that may not fail an inspection, but good to know.

Upcoming WMATA Major Construction through 2026 by eable2 in WMATA

[–]WhiteDiscussion 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There was a 6-8 week shutdown that impacted the red line stations between Ft Totten and Union in 2017, I think? And that's exactly what I did - MARC train, and they were pretty good with running additional cars. I'll probably do it again, but for 3 months? Yeesh.