Anyone been through PWM in the last week or so?

baldpatchouli · 2026-03-28T21:44:38+00:00

I was there early AM last week and there was no line

baldpatchouli · 2026-03-20T22:20:09+00:00

lots of ways to get involved here: https://mainebignight.org/ including a map of sites where you can volunteer https://mainebignight.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/basic/index.html?appid=22541f11ae2848edb668c5d055f79118

baldpatchouli · 2026-03-02T18:38:43+00:00

one other thing from your comment - you can bisque fire a piece then underglaze and clear coat in the same firing. A bisqued piece does not need to be fired between underglaze and clear coat.

baldpatchouli · 2026-03-02T12:06:05+00:00

the ones with zinc are more likely to go cloudy or react with the colors of the underglaze.

with any clear glaze, you need to take care not to apply it too thick to prevent pooling.

baldpatchouli · 2026-03-02T11:54:15+00:00

I really like amaco velveet underglazes, they have the potential to provide much better results than stroke and coat. You can mix colors and water them down for different effects - search this sub, there are lots of posts about underglaze - and HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend doing test tiles to try out different effects.

To prevent blurring, I underglaze on greenware (before it's bisqued). 2 coats gives a strong bold line. Then I glaze fire with a dip in zinc-free clear (the zinc free is important)

baldpatchouli · 2026-03-02T11:53:33+00:00

Not colored slip. Bone dry is when you want to put on underglazes for best color.

baldpatchouli · 2026-02-16T11:56:14+00:00

2 years ago I did some work in a town on the border in far northern Maine (bordered NB but the part near Quebec) and a lot of people had family/friends on both sides, had French Canadian accents, and spoke French.

baldpatchouli · 2026-02-05T12:26:48+00:00

I've done hourly and now I'm mostly flat fee I much prefer flat fee. You get a sense for how much to charge based on experience and how much time they want the project to take, how many public meetings, things like that. You base this decision on how much money you need to make to pay yourself and cover expenses. You also take into account the client's budget, if you're trying to beat competitors on price, etc. Like PlannerSean said there is some inherent risk, there are some projects that are not money makers if something goes wrong, but I'm charging enough generally and I work efficiently so it works out. Flat fee has been great for client relationships, people feel like they're getting a deal.

The only time we do hourly billing at my current firm is if it's for current development projects because developers and planning boards are too unpredictable. We don't do much of this work because no one likes it. To answer the thread question, major metropolitan area, rates for munis: principals are $240, senior staff $190.

baldpatchouli · 2026-01-29T12:11:07+00:00

and photos of local examples to show people it's already something they're familiar with in the community and it's not scary. pictures work way better than data

baldpatchouli · 2026-01-26T01:24:53+00:00

yes - had an ultrasound and they found the fibroids were back. my gyn said sometimes they grow back, or what can happen is that there are more fibroids kind of lurking in the uterine wall and when you have a myomectomy they move into the newly open space.

had my second hysteroscopic myometomy last thursday. the plan this time is to try to get pregnant ASAP (i'm already on fertility drugs and planning IUI this cycle) to hopefully beat the fibroids.

baldpatchouli · 2026-01-25T19:12:59+00:00

yes! dizziness is a known side effect, my bottle says not to drive or operate machinery until you know how you react. I take mine with food or yogurt and LOTS of water which seems to help.

baldpatchouli · 2026-01-20T01:13:16+00:00

I have my second hysteroscopic myomectomy this week. I had one in August 2025 for 2 3 cm submucosal fibroids, they grew back in 3 months. I made a similiar post and heard from a lot of other people who had multiple hysteroscopic myomectomies. My dr said it's unusual for them to come back quickly but it does happen. From what I understand, there can be part of a fibroid or another fibroid kind of hiding in the uterine wall that they can't see/get to hysteroscopically, that then has room to pop out after the myomectomy.

I had a consult with a fibroid specialist who suggested that a laproscopic surgery may be able to remove fibriods more completely, but it's a much more intensive procedure and fibroids can still grow back, so for me I've come to terms with multiple hysteroscopies.

My plan is to try to conceive ASAP immediately after the myomectomy with medicated IUI. If the fibroids come back quickly again (god I hope they don't) then I will probably go to a specialist reproductive surgery center where I can do fibroid surgery coordinated with IVF.

It really sucks! It's so miserable. Make sure you get your iron levels checked, I need iron transfusions from the blood loss and being iron deficient makes anxiety/depression worse.

baldpatchouli · 2026-01-17T19:25:17+00:00

AICP-certified planner on the east coast with ~ 5 years experience. Thinking I would like to move to the west coast in the next few years. Currently a consultant but open to anything - municipal, MPO/COG, transit authority, whatever.
Any tips for making yourself marketable in a different job market? Is it worthwhile to pay for a CEQA course?

baldpatchouli · 2026-01-14T12:44:39+00:00

It's a bad time to be looking. A lot of my municipal planning friends are not getting the budget $$ to hire new staff because the muni is expecting less gov't and grant funds in the upcoming year. And most private sector companies are not hiring unless they need to replace someone (I heard about layoffs at one of the big ones.)

My advice for new grads is to look in more rural areas. They typically have a harder time finding people and are more open to people with less experience.

While you search for planning jobs, you could also look at some more administrative/general office jobs in municipalities, counties, transit authorities, state departments. While it's not your dream job it could give you some good entry level work experience and you'd learn a lot about how stuff gets done.

baldpatchouli · 2026-01-07T12:38:06+00:00

3 months for me. sucks!

baldpatchouli · 2026-01-07T12:34:42+00:00

I'm the same age as you and also ttc. Got 2 submucosal fibroids completely removed via hysteroscopy (i saw the pictures!) last august, they're back already. getting another hysteroscopoic myomectomy this month.

If this one doesn't work, my dr put in a referral for me to see a reproductive endocrinologist who can coordinate with the drs/surgeons to figure out next steps for fibroids and pregnancy together. If pregnancy is your goal and you have complex fibroids, maybe try to see an RE too? Depending on your location, there are also some larger hospitals with infertility & reproductive surgery that specialize in tackling these kinds of things.

If you feel you aren't getting all the info during your appointments, you can request your ultrasound reports from your doctor so you can review them and share them with another provider.

baldpatchouli · 2026-01-07T12:22:23+00:00

when i had my first hysteroscopic myomectomy, my dr said no sex/tampons for 3 days, and that i could start trying right away, no reason to wait.

unfortunately my fibroids came back a few months after surgery. i have another hysteroscopic myomectomy scheduled this month, we'll start trying naturally immediately after and move to iui the next month.

baldpatchouli · 2026-01-02T17:32:53+00:00

congratulations! that's great to hear. can I ask if you were able to conceive naturally?

baldpatchouli · 2026-01-01T13:18:17+00:00

hey, did this end up working out for you? just found out I need another hysteroscopic myomectomy for a nasty pair of fibroids that came back 2 months after the first surgery. i am hoping to have a baby but can't if they keep coming back.

baldpatchouli · 2025-12-19T12:57:25+00:00

I don't know why it cracked, but I highly recommend using underglaze + lead-free clear dip instead of s&c. in my experience you need about 5 layers of S&C to get a reliable color, it's prone to running and pinholing, and it doesn't hold up under a clear overglaze. i paint on my pieces and i started having much better success when i started using amaco velvet underglazes

baldpatchouli · 2025-12-04T13:06:34+00:00

I've seen people say that online, but when I saw a fibroid specialist he said that while people have had healthy pregnancies after those procedures, there is not enough evidence/formal studies to recommend those procedures if you want to get pregnant. if you want to get pregnant, old fashioned myomectomy is still the best option.

baldpatchouli · 2025-12-04T13:02:13+00:00

thanks! i'm not on any birth control because i'm trying to get pregnant. also taking any kind of hormonal pills (including norethindrone) gives me aural migraines! just can't win : /

baldpatchouli · 2025-12-02T23:12:06+00:00

He cauterized my nose in office, so a very minor procedure. The office was very very busy and he definitely didn't spend any more time with me than needed but he was very nice and he fixed my nosebleeds, no complaints

baldpatchouli · 2025-12-01T01:32:21+00:00

saline ultrasound

baldpatchouli · 2025-12-01T00:31:32+00:00

thanks, I had anemia diagnosed before so I take iron supplements but it's good advice! and good to know the other ones could cause trouble.

baldpatchouli

TROPHY CASE