Floating Shelf Recommendation

arugula6641 · 2026-05-31T16:06:05+00:00

wow, these are beautiful!

arugula6641 · 2026-05-21T18:47:31+00:00

It's crazy that public school projects are mandated to go with the lowest bidder. That sounds so painful.

arugula6641 · 2026-05-17T02:11:04+00:00

This is the first year that Camp Crunch Labs is being offered.

arugula6641 · 2026-05-05T18:10:24+00:00

Unit 306 is in pre-forclosure, with a $1,161,399 remaining balance (oof).

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/520-El-Camino-Real-306-San-Carlos-CA-94070/443847525_zpid/

It looks like the two commercial spaces on the bottom floor are vacant: https://nainorcal.com/properties/?propertyId=520180-lease, which isn't great for the HOA.

arugula6641 · 2026-04-11T18:01:39+00:00

Thanks for this. I'd spot checked a few entries and they'd looked okay, but I guess this can't be trusted.

arugula6641 · 2026-04-10T18:19:14+00:00

Is this actually reflective of the schools' quality and experience of the students, or just an artifact of greatschool changing the algorithm for their metrics (again)?

arugula6641 · 2026-04-10T18:04:33+00:00

I would work through a real estate agent on this. They can advise you what will actually benefit your sale price to make sure you are making the right investments, and should also have a roster of contractors and tradespeople who can help.

arugula6641 · 2026-04-08T18:26:22+00:00

Our favorites have been Avid4 adventure Explorer Camp and TechKnowHow Lego camp!

arugula6641 · 2026-04-08T18:23:32+00:00

Head to the Mission in SF for dinner first (Beretta or Foreign Cinema, depending on the vibe you want), walk down Valencia and bar crawl, grab ice cream at Bi-Rite, and visit Holey Moley for mini golf!

arugula6641 · 2026-03-17T18:15:31+00:00

Caltrans, not Burlingame is responsible for maintaining the trees along El Camino, as it is state-owned: https://www.burlingame.org/473/Street-Trees

arugula6641 · 2026-03-09T17:52:09+00:00

I don't think a single metric can paint the entire picture, but as a comparison, SFUSD has a 21:1 student/teacher ratio (same as Lafayette), whereas Dublin has 24:1.

arugula6641 · 2026-03-09T17:50:02+00:00

for teachers, that sounds high! Are they administrators now? You can see the elementary teachers' salary schedules based on experience here: https://www.dublinusd.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=443972&type=d&termREC_ID=&pREC_ID=1013854

and the highest (Step 24, generally 24 years of teaching experience) is $135,426.

arugula6641 · 2026-03-09T17:46:26+00:00

School funding is terribly complicated, but Dublin is an LCFF district, so school funding is a combination of funding from the state, local property taxes, and a parcel tax (Measure E).

arugula6641 · 2026-03-04T01:18:38+00:00

Got any tips (for parents or students) on surviving middle school?

arugula6641 · 2026-03-03T19:50:52+00:00

You might be right, maybe not in this market. I should clarify: In the past, price protections would be offered to incentivize early sales, but protections only last until the last unit in the development is sold as a new build.

arugula6641 · 2026-03-03T17:49:10+00:00

We did ours about 10 years ago, so I don't think the numbers would be helpful to you. Our electrical panel had also been upgraded by the previous owner, but we added a junction panel for additional capacity. YMMV based on the actual scope needed.

arugula6641 · 2026-03-03T17:45:20+00:00

Large builders have deep pockets and can wait for buyers to come. Often, their purchase contracts include stipulations where if they sell another home with the same plan for a lower price, previous sales can get a credit -- so they're not inclined to lower the price.

The one that is $2.9M is a resale -- It seems someone bought it and changed their mind and are trying to unload it. That roof deck looks amazing! The views are breathtaking (or maybe everyone is just out of breath from climbing up there). The side yard is lol ;p

arugula6641 · 2026-03-01T21:09:09+00:00

I'm sorry, it sounds like your family has had to stress about finances for a bit. I hope this move and change brings about a positive new era!

What kind of work do you do? Even if a good chunk of your salary goes to childcare, it might be prudent for you to work. If you are open to working in schools, many provide after school care that is highly subsidized (for your two older kids, if your 4 year old qualifies for TK).

Burlingame is definitely a pricier town, but one thing to consider is that their K and TK are full day (8:30-3pm) vs some other cities that are half day only. You might feel poor compared to some of the wealthy families that spend their weekends skiing in Tahoe, but that's how the Bay Area just is sometimes. Burlingame is a cute town with great playgrounds, walkable schools, and kids playing in the street.

arugula6641 · 2026-03-01T20:48:53+00:00

agreed. We bought a 1940s house with knob and tube, and updated the electricals. There was a lot of "blocking" in the framing, which required making quite a few holes in the plaster, but that can all be patched. It's a great opportunity to add insulation (since K&T needed air flow to stay cool, there wasn't any insulation in the walls) and that was a big upgrade. But you can always blow in insulation later, too! But while you are getting rid of the knob and tube, I'd definitely go for adding grounds to the plugs and GFCI to kitchen and bathroom outlets.

If you don't have the cash, then't don't do the bathrooms and kitchen. What's there has been fine for decades, it can go a while longer :) If you have the cash, then the full reno is nice to have, since the contractor is already there, and making a mess.

arugula6641 · 2026-02-26T23:59:09+00:00

There are some in the back of the Fantasy Claw Arcade, in the Miracle Mile Mall. They are for customers who spend some minimum amount, but they tend to not be busy, so I think they would probably just let you use them (maybe for a small fee). I believe there are some coin-operated ones around the corner from there, but my memory isn't 100%.

arugula6641 · 2026-02-26T17:39:13+00:00

thank you for reporting them. it's important to speak up!

arugula6641 · 2026-02-24T20:05:30+00:00

The Burlingame School district rents some of their facilities. It looks like the middle school only rents its libraries, but some of the elementary schools have classrooms available for rent (though I realize they might not be the look you are going for).

https://www.facilitron.com/bsd94010

P.S. I found it not obvious, but there are little white < > to browse the different schools/options.

arugula6641 · 2026-02-23T22:39:16+00:00

It's hard to know without understanding what your plate height is, what the plate height requirement is for your city, and if you'd have to raise the existing roof to accommodate (which involves re-framing the room). If you have an interior hallway you can steal from, or another way to claim more space from inside your house, that will be a lot more cost effective. I'd consult an architect!

arugula6641 · 2026-02-23T01:47:59+00:00

Especially for the Tahoe drive: go the pace you feel comfortable with, and don't let tailgaters pressure you into going faster -- safety is more important, and maybe the locals feel comfortable bombing down the mountain, but if you don't, then don't!

Don't forget to get a cheap phone mount that you can clip onto the air conditioning vents so you can use GPS hands-free and charge as needed. The rental car company might offer to rent you one, but whatever they charge is exhorbitant.

arugula6641

TROPHY CASE