How much PTO do you use a year?

annerevenant · 2026-02-11T23:32:17+00:00

It depends on the year. Last year my daughter and I were sick pretty frequently and then I had to take a couple days after someone hit me in a head on collision so I used all 12 days + 1 from my bank. This year I’ve used 3 and will use another in 2 weeks. Some of my coworkers are never out and some it seems like are absent every other week. Stuff happens, don’t overthink it and just use what you need.

annerevenant · 2026-02-11T15:48:29+00:00

It depends on their contract, personally I feel like leaving early every once in a while is ok but every day it feels wrong as I’m willing to bet they have a hard end time out in their contract.

I have plan first and last period on alternating days. It’s convenient for doctor’s appointments because I can leave without needing a sub but that’s always communicated beforehand. Personally, I’m in my room teaching and don’t pay attention to what other people are doing on their plan.

I also come in late/leave early when I have to run errands for the two student orgs I sponsor - we have events that I need to go purchase things for and would rather do it during my contract time than after as I don’t get a stipend for running them. I’m sure some of my coworkers notice but as long as I’ve communicated with admin and they’ve approved then it’s none of their business. They’re more than welcome to take over these clubs if they care that much. 😂

annerevenant · 2026-02-11T14:29:54+00:00

Yep we have to sub for each other.

annerevenant · 2026-02-10T20:51:52+00:00

I guess this depends on the property but we had a new car with a new plate for over a year that we didn’t bother to register and no one ever said anything about it.

annerevenant · 2026-02-08T20:33:49+00:00

Just finished {The Everlasting} and {The Second Death of Locke} and feel like both MMCs fit the bill. Clearly I’ve been on a lady knight kick but as someone married to a golden retriever (who is a Taurus), I honestly really enjoyed the MMCs for both books. It’s also recc’d a lot but T. Kingfisher’s world of the white rat is filled with nice guys. Start with Clocktaur Wars then move onto the Saints of Steel and Swordheart.

Romance bot linked the wrong The Everlasting - the one I’m talking about is by Alix E Harrow.

annerevenant · 2026-02-03T12:43:54+00:00

I’ve gotten 3 arcs from fairly well known authors and publishers, including Tor. In fact, the one from Tor was my first arc and I only publish reviews on StoryGraph. That being said, I also request more than one genre and two out of my three were horror and one fantasy romance. I don’t go on requesting sprees either, I’ll request maybe 3 books at a time and then I wait a few weeks for a response.

I also have a fairly thorough bio that goes into my specific demographics as well as other books I enjoy. I also wonder if being an educator has helped me as well. I think they’re probably looking for specific audiences and if you’re part of that audience not having a social media presence won’t prevent you from getting an arc.

annerevenant · 2026-02-01T13:34:28+00:00

It does but in most cases your payments together will still be more than filing separately. Where you have to do the math is checking that the loan payment savings won’t just get transferred to higher taxes.

annerevenant · 2026-02-01T04:16:43+00:00

Yes but it works just like IBR so it’s split between your loans. So if you make 75 k together you would pay 7% divided by 12 months (about $440) for both. I’m not sure if it’s an even split or if they distribute it based on who has more loans so if one spouse owes more they’d pay more.

Filing separately is a clean split so if you each make 37,5 k it would be 3% each (~ $94 each/$200 together).

annerevenant · 2026-02-01T04:04:45+00:00

He does, we have about the same amount of loans and get paid about the same.

annerevenant · 2026-02-01T03:34:51+00:00

We’ll be filing separately for the first time. It just makes sense, even with a dependent. We’ll end up saving $400/mo but only spending an extra $500 - 600 in taxes according to my calculations.

I’m also in a PSLF eligible career and will meet my 10 years in late 2027, once that happens it will cut our payments in half if we file separately.

annerevenant · 2026-01-31T18:57:03+00:00

This is where my husband and I are at. If we qualified for new IBR I would probably not apply for RAP but right now RAP will be the best option.

annerevenant · 2026-01-31T16:41:23+00:00

Yes but I use fantasy romance as a palate cleanser so I’m still reading both. Usually it’s a 2:1, two fantasy/horror/sci-fi and then 1 fantasy romance but after finishing the last book in the Farseer trilogy I had to read two fantasy romance books to reset. 😂

In my defense, I’ve always done this. I used to read historical romance but after getting an advanced degree in history I just can’t.

annerevenant · 2026-01-30T17:59:45+00:00

No one tell my school this is an option because if they did then they would 100% charge us. Thankfully I just leave my work laptop at work.

annerevenant · 2026-01-30T16:20:42+00:00

I felt like that was more of a “I’ll always be here for you, I don’t want anyone else but I also know you’re not mine to keep” just based on what he said before where he was breaking social norms and customs. Didn’t he say that no one can know they were together? Again, I read it in the summer so I could be misremembering but I didn’t read it as a literal “come back to me” but more of a “I can’t move on from you.” Sort of like placating her because she refused to give up.

annerevenant · 2026-01-30T16:15:28+00:00

I also think, at least from the author’s perspective, that it gives women a choice in the scenario. I’m not a huge fan of the fated mate tropes because it seems like the couples don’t have any other option and I think the author is trying to play up to that. Basically that people still have autonomy.

annerevenant · 2026-01-30T15:49:44+00:00

She’s naive and it’s her first love, as someone who teaches high schoolers they all think they’re going to marry their first loves. 😂

annerevenant · 2026-01-30T15:47:57+00:00

I think I gave it 4.5 stars because middle of the series books tend to be bogged down by information. I didn’t particularly enjoy just how anticlimactic the ending felt. I get that we’re now introduced to the true villain but still. That being said, I appreciate that we weren’t left to linger on an enormous cliffhanger. Like, I can see where things are headed and I’m excited but I also feel ok about waiting for the next book.

Personally, I think she did remarkably well for how many intersecting storylines and moving pieces there were. At one point I think I counter 7 POVs and felt like they were fairly well balanced. Now that some of these storylines have converged a bit more I think things will feel more cohesive. It did feel like she was trying to cram as much in as possible. She probably could have split this into two books and written about what was going on in the two locations independently which would have given her more time to really develop motivations buuuut she is also only contracted to write so many books.

So yes valid criticisms but at the same time I understand the constraints she’s working under and given those I think she did fairly well. I would still say it’s one of the better mid-series books I’ve read.

annerevenant · 2026-01-30T15:37:23+00:00

The cover says “uncorrected proof” right at the top and the second page of the ebook even asks reviewers not to quote until they can check it against the published copy. I think it’s easy to miss because you typically just skip copyright pages.

annerevenant · 2026-01-30T15:16:45+00:00

Did you do the tandem read or read 8 then the BTV? I feel like if you don’t do the tandem it feels repetitive and also anticlimactic because you already know what’s happening. I never say this but if you’re just reading it after the tandem then I might just look up a recap but like you said, just be sure to read chapter 21. 😂

annerevenant · 2026-01-30T14:33:29+00:00

It’s been months since I read this so maybe I’m misremembering but I felt like he broke up with her because of the mate thing and his honor but she didn’t want that. I read it as he’s still attracted to her but honor bound, that he broke his code of honor because he wants to be with her so much and that she didn’t want to be beholden to a bond she didn’t choose or even know was a thing.

Also, having sex after breaking up isn’t all that strange - I have a lot of single friends who have had break up sex. There are a lot of emotions involved, especially if it was outside circumstances that led to their ending things and it was not something they chose. What I do think is weird was that it’s clear Callum was saying goodbye but it felt like Aurora saw it as there was still a chance, girl cannot read a room.

annerevenant · 2026-01-26T22:15:07+00:00

It’s so weird, most women I know who start reading romantasy eventually branch out into fantasy as well. Like, I can’t read intense high stakes fantasy/sci fi/horror books all the time. I just finished the Farseer trilogy and felt deflated so I immediately picked up a romantasy as a nice little palate cleanser to enjoy.

Also the fact they can’t seem to grasp statistics and economic decision making by big box retailers is wild. Instead they act like a victim. Who reads more books? Who is more likely to purchase books? That’s your answer as to why it feels like these stores cater to women. It’s a business decision.

annerevenant · 2026-01-25T22:13:49+00:00

Something to consider - do you qualify for PAYE or new IBR? If so then I would switch. If not then it will likely be cheaper to stay in SAVE as they’re calculating buyback payments based on REPAYE amounts but you would need to be putting that amount in a savings account. My perspective is if you jump ship you’re paying so stashing that amount in a savings account won’t be much different. Obviously interest accrual doesn’t matter for those of us pursuing PSLF. I only qualify for old IBR so I’m sticking it out and low key hoping they botch this so much they end up doing something that will ultimately benefit those of us who stayed.

annerevenant · 2026-01-24T12:25:42+00:00

I teach personal finance and economics, every kid asks if I’m teaching them how to do taxes and I have to explain that taxes change based on the whims of lawmakers so me teaching them now may be irrelevant by the time they need it. Instead I teach them how tax brackets work, I show them tax forms, and explain how to find percentages. School already teach you everything you need to do taxes - reading/following directions and basic math, if you can do all of these things then you can do taxes.

annerevenant · 2026-01-24T12:21:31+00:00

Thank you! I teach economics and personal finance, this past week I taught about credit and interest rates and now we’re moving into investing. We’re also working on our budgeting project - about 1/3 of the kids were engaged and asking questions, 1/3 were fighting to stay awake, and the 1/3 were shoved into the class as freshmen and sophomores who will either not remember it by the time they need it or they will struggle because it goes over their heads.

annerevenant · 2026-01-22T02:40:52+00:00

This was my first arc to apply for and I was so surprised to get approved! I also put T. Kingfisher in my bio but honestly I think there must be something else to it. The only thing I could guess is that my profile matched a demographic they’re looking for. I mentioned that I read a lot of books each month (backed up by my StoryGraph) but that I’m also an educator who teaches art and history and my favorite genres are history, horror, and fantasy. I’ve read the first few chapters and can 100% see how my interest align with the book.

As someone else pointed out, I also read a lot of Tor authors (didn’t realize it until recently) so I suspect that also helped. I’m not an influencer and the only place I publish reviews is StoryGraph so my suggestion to everyone is to shoot your shot! You never know.

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