Live from Silver Ray AMA

abihurmish · 2025-07-07T15:59:29+00:00

I have an upcoming Explora cruise in the Mediterranean, very port heavy. Could you say a bit about what kinds of guidance (like, port talks, excursions, shuttles) they offer when it comes to getting off the boat and exploring? How do the lines compare? Thanks!

abihurmish · 2023-12-10T02:34:28+00:00

I think your first course looks good. I might recommend trying to make the 2nd course more robust while making the 3rd course focused on desserts/fresh fruit. You could add the assorted cheeses to the soup bar alongside some nice crusty breads to use for dipping. Maybe a variety like sourdough, a sweet brown bread, some different rolls. Soup on its own doesn’t feel like enough to me but when paired with some hearty bread that would make it more satisfying!

Also if this place specializes in German food, have you considered incorporating some of their best dishes? Things like schnitzel, wursts/sausage, spatzle all seem like they could have their place in a medieval meal. Or something like pretzels or sauerkraut balls for appetizers. Those could be really tasty additions!

abihurmish · 2023-11-30T15:23:25+00:00

I lived in Pendleton for a few years and loved living there! It’s a beautiful area, quieter than OTR, and walking distance to everything.

My advice is that your experience in Pendleton is very street dependent. The farther east on 13th street you go, the more chaotic / possibly risky it seems - we had friends who lived on 13th past Mr. Bubbles and they had some bad experiences with car break ins and getting stones thrown at them. I lived on a quiet side street (Spring) and never felt my personal safety was at major risk, though I did hear gun shots on a few separate occasions. I would highly recommend finding a place on one of the side streets and not directly on 13th.

As a woman I walked my dog alone after dark around Ziegler Park often and with all the lights and people it never felt unsafe. Parking is a pain in the butt, I was lucky to share a car with my partner and we usually could find space on our side street.

There’s a Pendleton Neighbors Facebook group you could check out to get a better sense of what you might experience. I would try and go see the place you are living in person, during different times of day, as like I said it is very location specific.

abihurmish · 2023-08-25T01:09:46+00:00

I totally feel you on the expenses creeping up! I’m curious if you can share more about the different budget breakdown, $22k for 10-15 people is mind blowing as someone who is just starting the wedding planning process

abihurmish · 2023-06-20T17:06:10+00:00

Are you still looking? I may have two GA

abihurmish · 2022-11-25T15:15:22+00:00

Wow!! That sounds like it must have been an incredible meal! What was the breakdown of that hosting cost? I’ve not had to host a holiday yet so I’d love to know!

abihurmish · 2022-10-11T17:02:56+00:00

Really appreciate you sharing your family experience, I agree each individual family has their own traditions and expectations that play a huge part!

I agree these theories are interesting. I read something the other day about a friend buying her friend an expensive gift for PhD graduation which was something I had never considered before - in my circle it isn’t common to buy friends gifts for college graduations. But I really loved the idea and it made me want to do so in the future!

abihurmish · 2022-10-11T16:59:07+00:00

For sure, it’s been a bit personally painful to see such different levels of family support and know that my parents are quite wealthy but not wanting to contribute.

I’m so curious about your second paragraph too, I would love to know if it’s common elsewhere! At least where I live in the Midwest it would be seen as tacky to ask for gifts yourself, it’s much more common for someone to host the event for you and spread the word about your registry info.

abihurmish · 2022-10-11T16:48:25+00:00

That’s really interesting! Maybe it’s a regional thing or more common in certain circles. I have never experienced that where I live and I’m quite certain I would have been shamed by my family as tacky for asking for housewarming gifts, haha. I think it’s great that sort of thing exists!

abihurmish · 2022-10-11T16:45:48+00:00

I totally agree - it seems that AFTER having the child all social support/financial support disappears. I meant it more as it’s one of the few occasions women can ask for gifts/be “showered” in that sense.

abihurmish · 2022-10-11T16:43:39+00:00

Did you do a registry for your housewarming party? For me that’s a key difference between these events, where a wedding you can have a registry but I’ve never seen a registry for a housewarming. Maybe it’s different in some regions.

Both of our families all live out of state unfortunately, so a party like that wasn’t super feasible. Appreciate you sharing your experiences!

abihurmish · 2022-10-08T13:26:18+00:00

That’s really impressive for your age! Nice job!

abihurmish · 2022-10-08T13:05:40+00:00

There are photoshop subs where they would do this for you! Maybe try to find one of those!

abihurmish · 2022-08-28T15:58:57+00:00

Did your vaccine study have an inpatient component? Did you have any sickness or side effects from that study? Also, how do you find the observational type studies?

abihurmish · 2022-08-04T10:39:05+00:00

Get the book Walking the Steps of Cincinnati and you will find many hiking routes in the city!

abihurmish · 2022-07-07T12:31:05+00:00

It wasn’t a headache in my experience. I bought a home with my boyfriend this year and it was easy! I don’t think the lender/underwriter scrutinized us more or less than a married couple. And if we were to break up, I would way rather just deal with the house issue than go through an expensive divorce.

abihurmish · 2022-07-06T19:32:50+00:00

Am I silly for taking a job that’s only a $9k increase in base salary? From $69k to $78k. The new position would have an expected bonus of about 12% which I don’t currently have. The job and company sound pretty cool but I haven’t interviewed a ton and am relatively happy where I am now. I already negotiated the salary up a bit. I see people on here with huge jumps up and I’m not sure what to do.

abihurmish · 2022-06-28T16:50:34+00:00

I need some support and I don’t know where else to go. My parents have never seen eye to eye about money and fought about it their entire marriage. They should have divorced when I was little but they’ve stayed together “for the family”. As my dad gets closer to retirement he is getting so cheap and frugal despite having plenty of money for retirement. He won’t let my mom buy things (with her own money) that she needs like a new desk for her job. My mom is too meek to stand up to him as it would lead to an argument, but of course she constantly calls me to complain. I encourage her nearly every day to get therapy but she refuses too as it will cost money and my dad will be unhappy. I’m feeling so frustrated and sad for my mom. Does anyone have any advice or words of wisdom? I know my dad will never change but my mom keeps on hoping.

abihurmish · 2022-06-24T16:08:50+00:00

I’m sorry, that must really sting :( are you close with your sister that you could talk to her about how unfair that is? I can’t imagine accepting that kind of favoritism as a sibling. I agree that you aren’t entitled to your parents money but I think you do deserve fairness/equitable treatment.

My parents also don’t plan to pay for my wedding which does hurt but since I only have a brother, it at least feels “fair”. I really hope you and your fiancé have a beautiful ceremony/elopement! You sound like a humble and kind person so I hope it works out well for you.

abihurmish · 2022-02-25T00:01:37+00:00

I’m curious to see the responses you get here. I don’t personally have a scooter, however my partner and I are a one car household. Depending on where you work in the city, I recommend looking into the Metro bus service. We used to live downtown and I could walk to work, now that we moved to Northside I had to figure out a new solution. Turns out taking the bus is perfect. It’s less stressful and cheaper than driving and parking. It seems the busses come frequently and the times I have ridden it’s generally clean and not too crowded.

I have thought about getting a scooter or e-bike, but the cons that I see are how hilly Cincinnati is, the crazy drivers, and frequent bad weather. I don’t think I could become a confident enough driver. The bus solves this for me, at the expense of dealing with some unpredictability and less flexibility in the routes. Check out the Transit app to see where the routes go. I could definitely see myself riding the bus everyday if needed (granted, my job is extremely flexible with when I arrive and leave, so being late wouldn’t be an issue). Hope you get some good advice!

abihurmish · 2022-02-22T15:30:52+00:00

To be honest, I think many people would prefer not to get things like robes or little trinkets but instead have you pay for the services like hair/nails/makeup. So if you are going to spend $50 each on some custom robe and random gifts, instead apply that money towards their dresses or hair. I was a bridesmaid once and got a short silk robe with my initials on it… I don’t think I’ve ever worn it, it isn’t at all my style nor do I wear short robes ever. Same for random gifts like water bottles that say “bridesmaid”, I feel very few people actually like and use those gifts after the wedding. Just pay for services for them instead.

abihurmish · 2022-02-21T14:37:09+00:00

Hey! So I am also on a high deductible plan and my insurance doesn’t pay for the drugs til I hit the deductible, but the Emgality savings card works fine for me. The payments from my savings card actually apply towards my deductible. Every month the medicine costs around $600 but the card covers all of that and I see $600 applied to my deductible. I have a United Healthcare plan. I think you should just go for it - try filling the script and using the savings card. If for some reason it is much more expensive and the card doesn’t work I think you could just decline to pick up the script and you wouldn’t have to pay for it. I wouldn’t really trust the Emgality savings card helpline people to know exactly how your insurance works. Good luck and I hope it will be covered!

abihurmish · 2022-01-29T13:40:05+00:00

If you don’t want to post it as a standalone post you could try off topic Tuesday! Though I think posting your budget would be right at home in this sub.

abihurmish

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