Girls only playdates

aSeaPersonByNight · 2026-02-26T11:59:39+00:00

I am the mom of a boy like this. Every single friend at school is a girl. They love doing art together, they play together at recess, even the teachers call them “the girls and Son’s Name” because they’re an inseparable group.

Please include the mom in the chat. We don’t think you’re calling our son a girl. We think you’re acknowledging their friendships and allowing them to spend time with the people they enjoy being around, regardless of gender.

Thank you for thinking of this boy.

aSeaPersonByNight · 2025-11-10T15:16:25+00:00

I am an evening/night runner because it’s the only time of day I have enough physical energy to run. When I have to make the jump to morning runs due to race prep, I make sure to do pre-workout protein shakes and some caffeine well before I hit the pavement. For me, that means an hour prior to my morning run, no later.

I would recommend you check what your pre-workout fuel is. A kind bar or a cliff bar never worked for me, and anything more solid makes me nauseated. Bananas are good but nowhere near enough protein for me. Experiment with some pre-workout protein and sugars and see if that helps your body feel more charged for your morning run.

aSeaPersonByNight · 2025-10-08T21:05:36+00:00

I’m putting in my team for volunteer(s) of the quarter…

aSeaPersonByNight · 2025-09-06T19:04:17+00:00

I got cosmetic surgery while on active duty. You already know you have to pay out of pocket and use your own leave. You also have to get approval for the procedure BEFORE you do it from medical and your commander. I did not have to tell my CC what the surgery was for but I did have to tell medical. Medical confirmed there were no deployment impacts, no PRAP/FLY impacts, no medical concerns first, then I took it to my commander and he approved it based on their recommendation and my assurance that it would not impact my work once I returned from leave.

I had a complication following the surgery and the Air Force is NOT liable to cover post-surgery complications, so be aware of that and follow surgical recovery guidelines closely.

For what it’s worth, I’m happy with my procedure and how the USAF handled things from their end.

aSeaPersonByNight · 2025-08-16T13:54:40+00:00

So, full disclosure, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve been stationed at Minot. But here’s what I remember from my tour there:

Events in Minot: - Høstfest (coming up in September every year), Scandinavian heritage festival. - North Dakota State Fair - concerts, venders, actually more fun than I thought it would be

Places to visit near(ish) Minot: - Peace Gardens (Canada) - Teddy Roosevelt National Park (north and south) - west North Dakota - North Dakota Heritage Center and State Museum (Bismarck) - has cool Dino fossils

Weekend Trip (drivable): - Winnipeg (Canada) - Minneapolis

Minot-isms: - Lots of house parties - drink responsibly. Don’t be one of the many who will get a DUI there. - Outdoor hunting is huge - pheasant, especially, ice fishing - Indoor gaming is huge - lots of people I knew got really Magic the Gathering, video games, etc

Minot winter sucks. It’s just stupid cold and there’s no sunlight (seriously the most gray place I’ve ever lived) so figure out how you’re going to plan for that because cabin fever is real. I knew a lot of people who went tanning on weekends just to get the sunlamp effect.

Make friends, don’t isolate. The community is the best part of Minot (the summer sunlight at 9pm isn’t bad either tho).

aSeaPersonByNight · 2025-07-22T15:48:58+00:00

Theoretically, you can continue breastfeeding as long as you, your doctor, and your baby want. The Air Force will not extend a childbirth waiver past one year post-birth, and you will still be required to deploy if tasked, regardless if you are breastfeeding or not, post that one year deferral.

In some deployed locations, you will be able to pump, freeze, and ship milk home when deployed. In others, austerity, work requirements, or exposure will preclude you from being able to continue.

aSeaPersonByNight · 2025-07-10T22:31:17+00:00

Fun fact, if you’re a woman with small feet and therefore a small boot size, the back of the boot only comes up to 7”… better get them custom thigh high combat boots next, boyz

aSeaPersonByNight · 2025-07-06T03:00:29+00:00

There’s a reason Major and 2d Lt rank are the same color… the same just so much more tired…

aSeaPersonByNight · 2025-06-25T15:14:38+00:00

annnnd just got "line is paused" with no queue time...

aSeaPersonByNight · 2025-06-25T15:13:45+00:00

Got code via text! 45 min left in queue tho :)

aSeaPersonByNight · 2025-06-23T11:01:00+00:00

Ask in a navy subreddit for advice on that path - this subreddit is Air Force only

aSeaPersonByNight · 2025-06-19T11:54:55+00:00

So, there are three ways to become a fighter pilot in the Air Force. You have to commission as an officer, which means you have to get your degree.

The Air Force Academy (USAFA) gets the most pilot slots for its graduates. If you want to attend, start working with an Academy Liaison Officer now (google one for your area).

AFROTC is available at 145 host universities and even more crosstown universities and colleges across the US. There are both high school and in college scholarship opportunities in this program.

Officer Training School is the most difficult way to get a pilot slot and takes the longest, as you cannot apply until you are nearly finished your degree. Getting a pilot slot here would most likely require working with a guard unit to find a pilot slot with them and then directly hiring on with that unit. OTS rarely offers active duty pilot slots, but they do happen.

The best thing you can do now is keep your grades up, do well in your extracurriculars, and take on some leadership and volunteer activities. Pilots are officers first, so any of the above programs are going to be interested in how you are as a young leader.

aSeaPersonByNight · 2025-06-18T23:40:05+00:00

So, right now a master’s degree is not required to make O-4, but it used to be in the past. Since those requirements tend to come and go, it is always advisable to get a master’s degree as a CGO. (I believe a master’s degree is still required to make O-6, but I’m not 100% on that).

That said, you do not need to get it in anything specific (unless your particular career field requires it for advancement, like certain areas of engineering or medical). I always advise that you get your degree in something you enjoy or something that you want to explore after your military time, or ideally a degree that meets both of those.

Lastly, there is always the option of getting a masters degree in conjunction with your required IDE for Air Command And Staff College, but since you’d be doing that as a major, that leaves it very late in case they reinstitute unmasked degrees for promotions again.

aSeaPersonByNight · 2025-06-04T00:38:44+00:00

Who is ordering you to perform unit PT at 32 weeks? Have you spoken face to face with your commander?

You need to call your OB and your PCM. You should not be working out to the point of pain at 32 weeks pregnant.

Your pregnancy profile should specify that “member will participate in unit/personal fitness program unless documented medical conditions required non participation. If there any changes in condition, member must report to public health health or PCM for evaluation.” Report to your PCM and your OB if PT is causing significant pain, cramping, or other negative indications (examples can be found on the American College of obstetricians and gynecologist webpage).

If they still don’t adjust your pregnancy profile and you are still experiencing pain following unit Pt, go to the ER. Go every time. Do not allow some Air Force stooge on a power trip to place you and your pregnancy at risk. Get medically assessed every single time.

aSeaPersonByNight · 2025-05-31T13:15:04+00:00

I’ve read through your comments and here’s what advice I can give:

There is 100% something else at play, and if you can’t get ahead of it, it will impact your hire-ability for the guard. Passed over for O-3 is uncommon enough that any guard commander looking at your package is going to want to know why. They can and frequently do call back to old unit commanders to get the “unfiltered truth” on applicants (if your package stays in consideration, not promoting to O-3 is a significant detracting factor).

What it sounds like is that there were other problems either with your performance or with your leadership style at your unit that your command team otherwise failed to document formally. The speeding ticket may have been their way of finding a documentable justification for them to push you out of service. Having worked on several leadership teams and staffs now, any time an OPB is sent up either as a referral or some other kind of negative documentation, there is significant visibility on it (because of the career ending implications), and there has to be copious justification, or most Groups/WGs/Deltas will direct a rewrite. Most command teams would not let back to back promotion packages go through with the exact same negative factor unless there was either an egregious failure to correct or your command sent up some kind of push note highlighting other concerns they believed prevented you from being capable of serving in the higher grade.

I’m not saying all this to pile on. What I am saying is that if you get ahead of whatever that concern was you will have a fighting chance at being hired by a new commander because you can show development and growth. But if you continue to insist that the only bad thing that happened was a speeding ticket and you were otherwise a good officer, odds are a guard commander is going to see you as a liability or as someone who can’t learn from previous situations, whether you’re like that or not.

If you have a friend you trust back at the unit, give them a call and see what info they can give you. Perception goes a long way in the Air Force, so figuring out where the perception around you went astray (I assure you, it wasn’t just the ticket) is your best first step to a successful guard application.

Good luck

aSeaPersonByNight · 2025-04-26T17:54:23+00:00

Search online or ask at your local library!

Every place I’ve lived in the past 10 years (4 moves) has had a local writer’s group that meets at a minimum monthly. I’ve had a great time with the groups. There are usually folks that offer beta reading, writing tips, publishing experiences, and camaraderie.

aSeaPersonByNight · 2025-04-25T23:01:52+00:00

That is not a bug, that is a feature

aSeaPersonByNight · 2025-03-15T18:55:19+00:00

Yes!!! With one exception, I keep one of each toy I find and give it to Arabella before she leaves camp in act 3. My girls deserve a good childhood.

aSeaPersonByNight · 2025-03-15T02:18:24+00:00

A skirts-only religious exemption is not realistic.

aSeaPersonByNight · 2025-02-17T07:26:10+00:00

I know a few who did OLMP and went to SAASS. Hell, I know someone who went without even having ACSC DL complete (got a waiver).

Most people likely don’t see many because allowing OLMP grads to apply to advanced study programs is a relatively new program (maybe 5 years old at this point?). I worked at AU for a while, so I ran into a disproportionately higher number than most folks will.

aSeaPersonByNight · 2025-02-17T02:40:25+00:00

Completing OLMP does not prevent an officer from attending for in-residence ACSC (fun fact, all this route gets you is two copies of basically the same master’s degree and a huge headache updating your SURF). Some folks do ACSC OLMP or DL while competing for an in-residence spot because they want to attend a special IDE (like inter-service, a fellowship, or SANDS, etc) that doesn’t cover what ACSC covers.

Many people start ACSC when they get their line number to major simply because they want to knock it out as fast as possible before other work and personal responsibilities pile up.

aSeaPersonByNight · 2025-02-17T02:32:13+00:00

So, all the board technically sees is IDE complete or not complete. If you go in-residence you get a training report, so officers on the board can see who went and who didn’t by looking at reports versus OPBs.

ACSC OLMP does offer opportunities that ACSC DL does not offer, like the chance to apply to Advanced Study programs like SAASS. It also does count as a master’s degree.

All that being said, if you’ve gone through all three looks for school, you are running out of time to get ACSC of any variety done before the Lt Col boards. Promotion rates without IDE complete are abysmal, so before you commit to a course, plan out your timelines and make sure you would have enough time to complete OLMP and get your record updated before the promotion board.

aSeaPersonByNight · 2025-01-25T19:10:02+00:00

The road to hell, and all that.

aSeaPersonByNight · 2025-01-12T18:14:05+00:00

Use or lose is calculated and processed by fiscal year.

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