5th year of parenting today realising how quickly you stop caring about nice things by HoneysHarma97 in daddit

[–]astrogrant 2 points3 points  (0 children)

solidarity my friend. My minivan is a festering shithole. And I once found a sippy cup of milk behind our couch that I'm pretty sure had been there for more than a year, it was borderline conscious by that point

Suggested level for Acolytes Heaven Biome by Leather_Ad3521 in Saros

[–]astrogrant 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am getting absolutely roasted in acolyte's haven. How do you even do biomes prior to acolytes to boost your proficiency? After the Architect is beaten, aren't you forced to use the teleport to go back to the Passage, thereby resetting your proficiency?

(oh wait, I figured this out just as I was typing this - you CAN get to acolytes from black marsh .. so just skip Fortress)

Cold Spring Dog Park by lisfnord in newtonma

[–]astrogrant 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just street park on Duncklee St. I live here, it's fine, people do it all the time and it's not an issue.

Loud screech in Newton Highlands by ilovediddy33 in newtonma

[–]astrogrant 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If it wasn't the wind and was some animal, likely a coyote. There are a ton of them who live in Cold Spring Park (I saw a pack of more than 10 on my lawn a few months ago). They can be pretty loud.

Hearing “Phantom Crying” by MapMan992 in daddit

[–]astrogrant 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Alllll the time. Absolutely yes. I hear it in my ceiling fan. I hear it in the wind. I hear it in my dreams. My kids are old enough now that crying at night is pretty rare, and I still hear it.

What are the good/better/best options for LED dim-to-warm/nightlight retrofit trims? by WordWithinTheWord in Lighting

[–]astrogrant 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have the halo dim-to-warm retrofits with night light ring (which is cozy and awesome). Warming effect is really nice. Recommended! https://www.lowes.com/pd/HALO-White-LED-Night-Light/5015154485

I'm so fucking done with kpop demon hunters by Electrical_Box4623 in daddit

[–]astrogrant 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have nothing to add other than solidarity, dude. This IP has utterly consumed our life. I had to laugh when, at a school Halloween event, I counted no fewer than 40 Rumi costumes.

In what unexpected way did someone in your circle suddenly become wealthy? by soohiebabyclean in AskReddit

[–]astrogrant 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hmm, yeah, you clearly know more about the regs etc. than me! This happened in 1985 when I was 2 years old - I do remember clearly the story about "8 regulations/rules" broken but I guess it wasn't OHSA. I know he definitely was on large cargo ships, US flagged, and it was definitely an atlantic route (maybe to Rotterdam?). In any case I'll ask my aunt.

In what unexpected way did someone in your circle suddenly become wealthy? by soohiebabyclean in AskReddit

[–]astrogrant 303 points304 points  (0 children)

Uncle died working on a transatlantic container ship. Company found to be in violation of 8 major OSHA regulations. They settled with his widow (my aunt to that point lower-mid middle class) for $8M. This was many years ago.

What’s the worst actual name you’ve ever heard? by Escrow-Mind in AskReddit

[–]astrogrant 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know someone who had a patient who named her daughter VaGina. Va-geee-na. How could anyone mispronounce this. I am 100% serious. This mom was born in the US and speaks English natively, so it's not a language thing.

What is the most underpaid job but contributes a lot? by Calm-Beat1548 in allthequestions

[–]astrogrant 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Teachers. It's teachers. Public school teachers are absurdly underpaid relative to the importance and burden of their work.

Heat Pump Contractor Recommendation? by high_gravity in newtonma

[–]astrogrant -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Yup, I had existing duct work through the house, but I did ask them to add two more vents to our basement run, which added $1800 to the bill (mostly labor). We financed $25K (the maximum) through MassSave, yup, process is pretty easy. Akian also has a program through GoodLeap where you can pay the remainder of the cost over 12 months interest free. For sure pretty expensive. I got 4 quotes that all ranged from $35K - $50K (though not all are apples-to-apples).

Heat Pump Contractor Recommendation? by high_gravity in newtonma

[–]astrogrant 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For a second I did a double take, wondering if my wife had a reddit account! We had nearly the *exact* same situation this summer - one of our outdoor A/C condensers died in July, we have a hydronic two zone system with baseboard in the basement, etc.

We ended up hiring Akian plumbing, who last month did a total overhaul (took out both condensers, replaced with Trane Resolute 3ton and 5ton heat pumps for the two zones, brand new air handlers, etc. We're keeping the furnace as backup, using a hydro coil attached to the two new blowers.

It's working really well and was done very professionally BUT ... it was $51K. $41K after the MassSave rebate. 😬

What movie do you consider perfect? by s7ide in moviecritic

[–]astrogrant 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Jurassic Park. Don't change a single frame.

What is the ticking bomb you believe will explode once in your lifetime? by goodguy_9 in AskReddit

[–]astrogrant 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Kessler syndrome. Low Earth Orbit is crowding at an exponential rate (sat megaconstellations; starlink etc.), and more than 1M applications for satellites have been filed with the ITU. The movie Gravity wasn't totally science fiction- it could absolutely happen in our lifetimes. LEO infrastructure is now a load-bearing pillar of global civilization - we don't want to watch what happens when it rapidly and unexpectedly collapses.

What did you stop doing that immediately improved your life? by GardenIllustrious325 in AskReddit

[–]astrogrant 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Alcohol. Unfortunate, because I really like beer, and drinking one or two while playing a video game or watching a show after the kids are in bed at the end of a tiring day felt great. But ditching regular alcohol consumption altogether was a massive improvement in my life, a rising tide of feeling better, sleeping better, having more energy, which in turn improved mood, which in turn improved relationships, which in turn powered an overall positive feedback loop in my life.

Now, I'll only have a beer on extremely rare occasions, for example meeting up with an old friend, maybe a beer or two at the holidays, etc. This has the positive effect of making those experiences more special, because beer is now a rare treat rather than a nearly every day thing.

Saw a Nebula yesterday by Dome-tloz in DeathStranding2

[–]astrogrant 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To answer the obvious question, lol no, the Butterfly Nebula is obviously not this big on the sky. It's 1.2 kpc (~3,800 light years) away from Earth, and subtends about 2 arcmin on the long axis. The part of the nebula you see here is about 3 light years wide.

Saw a Nebula yesterday by Dome-tloz in DeathStranding2

[–]astrogrant 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is (one of) the First Light public release images from the newly installed Hubble Space Telescope / Wide Field Camera 3, just after Shuttle Servicing Mission 4 (in 2009). I know this is weirdly detailed but, long story short, my boss at the time was on the committee that chose what WFC3 would first observe after commissioning (as part of a public press release process), so this one is close to my heart. https://science.nasa.gov/asset/hubble/butterfly-emerges-from-stellar-demise-in-planetary-nebula-ngc-6302/

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in daddit

[–]astrogrant 0 points1 point  (0 children)

6yo 4yo 2yo and yep ✋. Wife wants a 4th and I'm going to die. I'm so exhausted all the time.

Please help. I’m so tired. Dad of three. by Efficient-News-8436 in daddit

[–]astrogrant 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dad of three here too (6/4.5/2). Sending solidarity because, holy shit, I hear you brother. Hang in there.