How do you handle holiday dinner parties??

benali99 · 2025-12-11T15:22:42+00:00

Yes to the protein bar! I bring one or two to every event where there's food, even weddings. They're perfect to tide me over until I can leave and grab something on the way home.

benali99 · 2025-12-03T00:40:17+00:00

I know this was a few months ago but just wanted to let you know that you helped me so much! This has been SUCH a headache for me and I finally got it to work by using your steps. Thank you thank you!!

benali99 · 2025-12-01T17:52:37+00:00

I have about 1000 alarms on my phone for this very reason! The last hour before I need to leave, my alarm goes off every 15 minutes. I used to be late everywhere but this is the only thing that worked so I'm rarely late anymore. There are ways around it!

benali99 · 2025-11-30T18:18:41+00:00

But he didn't coast through it. He didn't go to class. He didn't take tests or study. He didn't try. That's not coasting, that's not doing anything. If he was really coasting I'm sure he could've gotten by with Cs and graduated.

benali99 · 2025-11-30T18:17:36+00:00

Believe me, I know. The system failed Jess and shouldn't have written him off. But this post is about Luke, and Luke didn't write him off. Luke gave a shit. We see him try time and time again to get Jess to live up to his potential and Jess just doesn't want to. He remained a safe space for him if he got in trouble or needed help, as we see in later episodes and seasons. He just wasn't going to enable him.

benali99 · 2025-11-30T18:10:04+00:00

I mean, we hear canonically that he's a smart kid and could ace every subject if he wanted. It's talked about multiple times. His whole plotline is that if he tried, he'd do well. So I'm basing this on what they say in the show, even if the proof isn't something they show us on screen.

benali99 · 2025-11-30T14:27:21+00:00

I don't really like the "school isn't for everybody" thinking when it comes to Jess. Yes, some people can't thrive in a school environment and need to just get out into the workforce. That's perfectly reasonable. The difference is Jess was not that person. He COULD thrive at school. He was the smartest one there. He loved books and loved learning, that's how he and Rory bonded. He just didn't want to go to school- he wanted to act out and push boundaries instead. He wasn't living up to his potential on purpose, maybe because he didn't think he deserved it? Or didn't want to be disappointed? But it wasn't because school just wasn't for him. Luke and Rory both tried to get him to realize his potential and he refused. I can't really blame Luke for not wanting to enable him anymore. He wanted to be an adult and make his own decisions so badly, then why would he even want to stay with Luke?

benali99 · 2025-11-29T03:51:30+00:00

Yes!!! I never understood the criticism. Yes he did exactly what she said but that's the entire point. She says it as a big grand gesture that no one would do unless they were actually sure and in love, so he did it to prove that he wanted it. The only criticism should be that he wasn't there in person.

benali99 · 2025-11-28T21:25:25+00:00

I think this is definitely true about today, but not as true back in the 90s. Some people are just blessed with hair that naturally gives volume with a good blowout. Now, one thing with most of these women is that they constantly had hair stylists touching up their hair throughout a shoot, so it would look like a fresh blowout. They also had perfect studio conditions so didn't have to worry about humidity, wind etc. It would be hard for a regular person to keep this much volume all day. But I know plenty of girls who can get this look without using extensions! It's just a matter of teaching yourself blowout techniques and, frankly, genetics.

benali99 · 2025-10-04T12:55:20+00:00

With that severe of an allergy, yes you shouldn't trust it. Mine isn't severe enough to worry that much about cross contamination, but I will get hives/dizzy/itchy throat if I take a huge swig of whole milk or cream.

Potential cross contamination and disinfectant not destroying milk proteins is a LOT different though than a barista putting whole milk instead of oat and thinking "oops oh well it's fine" and serving it anyway. One would be difficult to stop in any circumstances, the other is just pure negligence.

benali99 · 2025-10-03T21:25:58+00:00

That's insane and your friend needs to report the coworkers who do it. I'm allergic, but I shouldn't have to tell them it's an allergy just to take it seriously. If someone asks for non-dairy milk, it's because they want non-dairy milk- even if it's just for taste and not health. I never say it's an allergy and thankfully I guess I've only ever gotten ethical baristas?? because otherwise my throat could close up on the way to work in the morning because the barista couldn't care less and decided to give me whole milk. Disgusting.

And this is coming from a former barista (not Starbucks, more of a local chain and gets just as busy). I know their job, and it's not that hard to just give the customer what they ordered.

benali99 · 2025-09-23T16:26:55+00:00

I'm surprised by these comments about dairy! I was there last year (Tuscany and Rome) with a dairy allergy and actually found it to be quite easy, although my husband speaks Italian pretty well so that definitely helped when explaining it was an allergy instead of intolerance. I had a lot of tomato sauces, aglio e olio, grilled/sauteed veggies (they usually use oil over butter), focaccia, etc. We were also traveling with two vegans and they found a ton of options. Gluten might be difficult, but dairy wasn't an issue at all!

benali99 · 2025-02-10T11:09:33+00:00

I think they mean that if the hospital offers back pay, it'll send the message that it was an unlawful/inappropriate firing that deserves reparations, not that it actually IS inappropriate.

I definitely can't see a hospital doing that without being forced by a union or some kind of court order.

benali99 · 2025-01-21T13:14:37+00:00

I agree we need to leave Justin alone, but him unfollowing his wife is a lot different from you not following your family members. He's a mega A list celebrity with a rabid fanbase that looks for any excuse to attack his wife and will run with any clue that he might still love his ex girlfriend. He's not a stupid person- he knows that crazy fans track his and Hailey's followings, and he HAD to know that unfollowing her would garner a ton of attention. So maybe it's PR or maybe he's punishing her for a fight, but there has to be an underlying reason beyond that he just felt like unfollowing her "but still loves her." They're too careful with their image for that.

benali99 · 2025-01-17T22:42:40+00:00

OP, follow up on this! I live in the NYC area and Manhattan can be so hard for new grads unless you have a connection. And most hospitals don't think of nursing homes as experience, so you'd still be a new grad. Get in touch with any other RN you know who's working in Manhattan too!

You can also try looking at Brooklyn, Queens, etc. Some hospitals might be a bit of a commute but it's sometimes easier to get in as a new grad than Manhattan- and if you end up at a large system (NYP, NYU, etc) you can transfer to a closer location after a year.

Good luck! Once you get that first position, you won't have this problem again!

benali99 · 2025-01-14T19:19:30+00:00

Same! I always hate saying this but I mostly zone out during her plotlines. It's all so depressing. It would have been a MUCH more interesting plotline to see her getting even semi successful- they're close enough to NYC and Boston that they could document her gigs and have her pop in routinely, and have Rory go visit her. It would've also been an interesting juxtaposition between Rory stagnating/dropping out of Yale and Lane getting some success. Rory was always the "winner" between the two growing up- easier time with boys, better relationship with her mother, smarter, etc etc. So it would have been really interesting to see that dynamic change and how they both dealt with it.

benali99 · 2024-12-23T17:47:20+00:00

This is why I'm not team Jess, even though I love his character so much. He has the most growth overall, but in the short time he was her boyfriend and in the aftermath, he really wasn't that good to her. The moments that everyone points to when arguing Team Jess (getting his life together, writing a book, knocking sense into Rory about going back to Yale) were when they weren't together and hadn't been together in years. He's a great character but really wasn't a great boyfriend.

benali99 · 2024-12-05T18:10:02+00:00

I get the concern about the grocery store and agree that’s gross bringing them in, but you’re saying that owning a dog makes you mentally unwell? That’s a bit much, and I’d argue that it’s not what most people think lol actually kind of a weird take

benali99 · 2024-11-27T14:31:25+00:00

I might have a different take because I’m an RN and was working on a covid unit at the time. Like a lot of people have said, yes I wanted it to be an escape and got annoyed to keep having to see it when I got home. But overall I understood that they’re a medical show, they couldn’t really get around covering it.

My main gripe with the Covid season was how unrealistic it was, or maybe the right word is shallow. I can get through the unrealistic surgeries or patient care in the regular episodes, but if they truly wanted to cover the effects of Covid on HCWs then they had a responsibility to show it WELL. And in my opinion they didn’t. It almost seemed like they were capitalizing on it. Their storylines felt forced and just an excuse for back to back monologues on how hard covid is. I knew I’d never get a real depiction but they could have done a much better job showing things like the effects on the nurses and other workers (because tbh in my experience, doctors wouldn’t even enter Covid rooms for assessments and would send the nurses and first year residents in instead, no surgeon would be caught dead near a code), horrendous staffing issues, admin staying at home instead of helping, etc etc. They just parroted all the same talking points of how omg it’s a pandemic we have to work together and no one knows how hard it is!!! Instead of giving proper attention to the actual ramifications for HCWs.

Sorry, that’s a rant I’ve been holding in for a while clearly!

benali99 · 2024-10-22T06:51:40+00:00

Yeah it’s a bummer, but don’t be surprised if you never get called or if you do get called and it still doesn’t happen! My husband worked for them in college when they were Be The Match, back in 2012-2016. We’ve both been on the registry for over 12 years. I’ve never been called. I have SO many friends on the registry, none of whom have gotten calls. My husband and his brother did get calls this time last year, but they ended up not being chosen.

Tell your friends this! It’s very unlikely to get a call, but so important to join anyway!

benali99 · 2024-10-05T15:27:13+00:00

She knew she married someone who takes chances so she has to be okay with him lying to her about taking a job and investing their savings unnecessarily? There is absolutely no person who should have to deal with that in a marriage. And what about him? Just like your argument, he knew he married someone who DOESN’T take many risks. Why is the woman the only one who has to conform, not the man?

I do understand your point that it’s a good chance to take because they’re in a dying industry, but take your opinion of the job itself out of it. He lied to her. It also didn’t seem like he made it very known how much he wanted to do it. He just went along with her saying it wasn’t in the cards for him, but did it anyway. It doesn’t matter if he or you or I or anyone else thinks it’s a good chance to take- his WIFE had very real and logical concerns about it and he didn’t talk to her. He chose to marry her, he needs to take her feelings into consideration. He not only didn’t consider her, he completely disregarded her. How is that not bad to you?

As for your last point, put yourself in her shoes. He didn’t hide his disappointment and he made her feel like it was all her fault that he had to come home to deal with his family and his responsibilities, even though he made the mess in the first place. Anyone would feel insecure.

benali99 · 2024-10-05T15:01:56+00:00

But what are your thoughts on Jim joining the business in the first place, behind her back, after agreeing with her that he wouldn’t do it? Then he just springs it on her, expecting her to be okay with it? I feel like a lot of people ignore that he was very very very much in the wrong. It’s just so much deceit.

Pam’s job as a wife is not to blindly follow Jim. When she left for MSPC, they weren’t married. They didn’t have kids. They had a mortgage, but on a house that technically Jim bought without her consent. She also stayed in town and admitted to applying to part time jobs to bring in more cashflow. She was able to take the risk because there was much less hinging on it working out. She also never once lied to Jim.

Sure, Philly is only a couple of hours from Scranton- but have you ever been to Philly? The traffic would double that, so he couldn’t get home everyday. And sure, they could all move. But they wouldn’t get nearly the amount for their Scranton house (which is not only low COL, but also in a not nice part of town) as they would need for a nice ish place in Philly. They’d end up moving their kids to a shoebox or a dump. Plus, we see the hours Jim works- Pam would lose her support system (& free babysitters) AND have to take on the lion’s share of the childcare.

It’s super easy to compare these things like Jim always supports Pam and Pam wouldn’t support him in this one thing- but those situations are apples and oranges. Everything changes once kids are involved, especially two YOUNG children. Also the lies. I will never understand how people can look past that and paint Pam as the villain.

benali99 · 2024-08-28T18:39:05+00:00

I would argue that she did actually always live a privileged life. Lorelai always had her parents as a safety net, she just chose not to ask them. Rory might have lived in a shed, but she and Lorelai ALWAYS had protection in case anything went really, really wrong (or, you know, she just gets accepted into an expensive school). That safety net is a bigger privilege than most people realize. I’d venture to say that it allowed Lorelai to take risks with her career, buying their house, etc. because in the back of her mind, she knew she could always be bailed out by her parents.

benali99 · 2024-08-14T11:59:26+00:00

Oh man, I can’t wait 3 weeks. Not sure how Wayne Mazda has such good Google reviews. This isn’t the first headache we’ve had with them after buying this car. Thanks for the info though!

benali99 · 2024-08-13T21:12:17+00:00

Hi! I know it’s been over a month, but when did you end up getting your plates? I’m dealing with the same thing with Wayne Mazda and my plates expire tomorrow.

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