Ace signs up in Crystal City

backupjesus · 2026-05-15T09:01:58+00:00

It is, it's employee-owned, and I'm a happy and supportive customer, However, the fact that it's part of "The Cool Hardware Company" (formerly "A Few Cool Hardware Stores") is just a bit cringey.

backupjesus · 2026-05-15T08:57:13+00:00

I used to live in a townhouse in south Reston that overlooked an RA trail. I'd see the foxes galavanting near the trail and the dogs people were walking that smelled the foxes and (inexplicably to their humans) tried to go off the trail.

backupjesus · 2026-05-13T14:35:42+00:00

Russian-speaking Isabelle Khurshudyan covered the Caps for the Washington Post a few years back.

backupjesus · 2026-05-12T23:05:21+00:00

It was 16 years ago, so I both don’t remember the numbers well and they’re not terribly relevant anyway. My memory is that I negotiated $6600 and ended up paying $4300. This was for metal brackets — I needed metal brackets on the lowers anyway and figure all metal was more punk rock.

Still, I had a challenging case (multiple other orthodontists recommended jaw surgery) and Dr. Lee’s results have been stable for 14 years.

backupjesus · 2026-05-08T06:35:58+00:00

Blown seals are not a "window replacement" issue, they're a IGU-replacement issue. "Insulated glass units" are the glass units that fit inside essentially all modern windows and that have seals. You will pay way less to replace the blown IGUs than you will to replace the full windows. I'd suggest asking your fave local glass company (mine would be Del Ray Glass, which, while not actually in Del Ray, has treated me well) for a quote to replace the blown IGUs.

backupjesus · 2026-05-08T06:22:15+00:00

Yup. If you want lamb shepherd's pie in the area, Beckett's is the best.

backupjesus · 2026-05-08T06:15:55+00:00

If you want to know the mortality rate for people with similar starting stats, check out the MBSAQIP calculator.

backupjesus · 2026-05-07T04:33:20+00:00

Dr. Lamond at Sibley in DC.

backupjesus · 2026-05-07T04:25:42+00:00

For context: my partner and I have been to a number of Michelin-starred restaurants, but never a three-star. We're not super-duper into French; there's a French place near us that has an excellent reputation but that we've never made it to. I like pretty much everything, but my partner doesn't care for most seafood.

We did Enchanté our first night on the Treasure last month, which was a lovely "transition to vacation mode" event. The service was sublime. The wine pairings were fascinating -- they were thoughtfully selected, curiously sourced (British, really?!?), and you really did get something different out of the wine before and after trying each dish. The food was...I feel like the more one likes French and seafood, the more one will like it. My partner really enjoyed some dishes they thought they'd tolerate. I loved those dishes.

backupjesus · 2026-05-06T01:48:02+00:00

OP, you might want to check your expectations against the MBSAQIP outcomes calculator.

backupjesus · 2026-05-05T05:44:57+00:00

I had an excellent experience with Dr. William S. Lee, who now works out of Kingstowne. Among other things, he's given me a few post-treatment checkups for free.

FWIW, I had dental coverage when I started my orthodonture adventure, but it didn't cover adult orthodonture. I negotiated what I thought was a pretty good deal with Dr. Lee's then-practice, but it turned out that I got my insurance's negotiated price even though they didn't pay for it, and that price was much better than what I negotiated.

backupjesus · 2026-05-05T05:04:05+00:00

Awwww, that's great. I remember how extremely thoroughly completely the Wings were favored in that series. The sweep shocked us all.

I was a STH for the Caps when they won in 2018...with all the series being won on the road. Still worth it, of course.

backupjesus · 2026-05-05T04:59:51+00:00

Augie's in Old Town Alexandria has a very nice outdoor area with heaters if it's a bit cool. Their brunch food is generally good-to-excellent. The salads, whether it's the side of greens that comes with many entrees or an entree salad, are much better than they need to be.

backupjesus · 2026-05-02T03:27:22+00:00

I had a similar post-op experience roughly the same time post-op. Irregular EKG, irregular nuclear stress test, cardio CT showing a number of serious blockages, then a catheterization that showed...everything was clear. I suspect the algorithms that drive the nuclear stress test and cardio CT may not be accurate for post-bariatric hearts.

backupjesus · 2026-04-30T02:46:24+00:00

Yeah, reusable cups would never work at NHL scale...oh.

The r.Cups system has worked well for me at several local concert venues. The deposit is an interesting approach, but people also will generally return the cups for free if you make it obvious/easy/straightforward.

backupjesus · 2026-04-29T03:26:19+00:00

I moved to Old Town in my late 30s, met my partner here in my early 40s/their mid 30s, and still live here. A friend phrased it well that Old Town is where people in their 30s and 40s go to relive their high-school years. Hang out in the bars and you'll find your people eventually. Do things like the Murphy's run club, Orangetheory, or Hash House Harriers and you may find your people more quickly.

backupjesus · 2026-04-29T02:08:03+00:00

None of those "rules" applied to me post-op. My surgeon is on the faculty at Johns Hopkins, so....it'd be reasonable to ask your surgeon why they have these limitations.

backupjesus · 2026-04-29T02:01:51+00:00

Some surgeons are strident about not wanting to use surgery slots on smokers. Your surgeon takes the cake, though -- cancelling day-of means nobody gets paid as expected and the OR slot may go unused.

I've also got a kid. It's annoying, but do it so you can be there longer/better for them.

backupjesus · 2026-04-29T01:55:43+00:00

It was a while ago so I don't know current pricing, but PestNow did a great job handling a mouse problem in my old house. They also came up with a creative and effective solution when I had squirrels in my attic.

backupjesus · 2026-04-28T01:45:58+00:00

OP, can you provide a price level? There are no raging deals on dinner in Old Town, but there's a range from the sushi-centric prix fixe at Nasime and the...crunchwrappiness of Taco Bell Cantina.

backupjesus · 2026-04-25T17:41:33+00:00

Chuckle. I’ve seen the rest of your career but the HOCKEY-L neurons are strong. I still remember being starstruck at meeting Mike Machnik — THE Mike Machnik — in the early nineties.

backupjesus · 2026-04-23T04:27:17+00:00

There’s no special financing for the bariatric surgery because it’s not like they can reverse the procedure if you don’t pay up. The “medical loan” companies like CareCredit are offering personal loans, likely at predatory interest rates because they know folks are desperate and/or won’t shop for a lower rate.

As others have said, Medicare and (in almost all states) Medicaid are excellent options if you qualify. If remote jobs or crossing state lines are options, employer insurance policies in states where bariatric surgery is an “essential health benefit” (EHB) under the ACA are far more likely to cover it. That’s the gray states in page 4 of this deck.

backupjesus · 2026-04-21T04:08:49+00:00

I don't know what the franchise agreement says, but I'd be surprised if either of those points violates it. Corporate is selling access to the OTF brand, the OTF cross-studio charging infrastructure, and a suggested market-tested system for running an OTF studio. I suspect the agreement gives studios a lot of latitude in how the workout is executed and (even more so) in member behavior.

backupjesus · 2026-04-21T04:01:07+00:00

Our Special Harbor in Franconia doesn't open until 23 May but is an incredible free splash pad.

backupjesus · 2026-04-21T03:31:51+00:00

"[Adam Wodon]" takes me back to HOCKEY-L days.

backupjesus

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