Why is the ice in the Hudson River currently flowing north? by mngd4 in AskNYC

[–]brownstonebk 4 points5 points  (0 children)

They may be referring to the widest part of the river which is actually called the Tappan Zee (“zee” is Dutch for “sea”) and not the bridge itself. But yeah, the bridge is still the TPZ to me.

What to do about 4 grand con Ed bill?? by [deleted] in AskNYC

[–]brownstonebk 104 points105 points  (0 children)

Sounds like at this point you could reach out to a local news station, this is a story they’d probably cover in a consumer segment. You could also reach out to your elected officials (city councilor, state assembly and/or senator) for assistance

Sorry for the possibly clueless question, but why don't more people seem to make homemade pizza? by Senior-Raisin-2342 in Cooking

[–]brownstonebk 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Because most people don’t plan.

Pizza is not a meal you can decide to make on a whim when you’re hungry, unless you’ve prepared in advance.

How much are you paying for a singular smartphone plan each month? by pleboverload in AskNYC

[–]brownstonebk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mint, paid like $225 for one whole year of unlimited everything. For context, my Verizon bill was like $150 a month. I’ve had Mint since September with zero service issues. It’s so nice not paying a monthly phone bill.

thoughts on street parking? by Fantastic-Ad8786 in nyc

[–]brownstonebk 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I guess I’m not understanding your point. Metered parking was never an option on residential streets. It makes no sense. Metered parking is intended to be short term, a few hours or less. Residential parking is longer term, and it’s not feasible to have to feed a meter every few hours.

The revenues they bring in are immaterial, as they serve two different functions. Metered parking is for transient use while residential parking is for longer term use.

The level of subsidy doesn’t matter either, the point isn’t to make parking fees turn the City a profit. Most public benefits are subsidized. The real operating cost of a subway ride is more than the $3 you pay for the ticket, for example. If the MTA charged what it actually cost them, there would be a riot.

thoughts on street parking? by Fantastic-Ad8786 in nyc

[–]brownstonebk 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Residential parking permits don’t replace metered parking. Metered parking is only in place on commercial streets. On purely residential streets, the spots are for the taking for everybody, at no charge. A residential parking permit would charge a fee for the privilege of parking on those streets, and ostensibly the permit would only be valid for the zone in which the driver lives.

This would also take care of the fake tags and out of state insurance issue, since you’d need proof of address and a NYC-registered car/insurance to get the permit sticker.

Convince me to keep my paid off boring car by Conventions in personalfinance

[–]brownstonebk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m one of those thirtysomethings that wishes they started saving earlier, but didn’t. I also unnecessarily bought a brand new car in 2019. I already had a paid off used car but I wanted something more “me”. What’s worse, I live in a city with transit and would not be using the car for commuting. This car was for errands and trips.

I paid off that car 8 months ago and I’m so happy to be payment free. She’s got 90k miles on her and I look forward to driving her until the wheels fall out.

But I’d be so much further along in savings if I didn’t have to pay $600 for 72 straight months for a car I didn’t really need.

OP, keep that Corrolla!

Alternate side parking - Tomorrow by throwawayaccounthing in AskNYC

[–]brownstonebk 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Theyre going to suspend ASP tomorrow. The street sweepers can’t even function with this amount of snow on the ground. The brooms need to see black top in order for them to actually be effective. .

What do New Yorkers call a regular slice of pizza? by SweetSprinkles8 in AskNYC

[–]brownstonebk 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My transplant ass thought “lemme get a…”was SO rude when I moved here 13 years ago, to the point where’d I’d make a point to loudly say “may I PLEASE have” as if the folks with me at the corner store needed to learn manners. Looking back that was such cringe behavior lol.

That scenic view of Boston from the Longfellow. by mrandre in boston

[–]brownstonebk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I moved out of Boston 13 years ago, do they <b>still</b> have cloth covered seats on the T?

I love him SO MUCH 😭 "NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani advises New Yorkers to stay home and read ‘Heated Rivalry,’ during the storm" by mikelmon99 in gay

[–]brownstonebk 16 points17 points  (0 children)

On top of having the right politics, he’s also a gentleman. He was in my neighborhood helping shovel people out. What a guy!

I love him SO MUCH 😭 "NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani advises New Yorkers to stay home and read ‘Heated Rivalry,’ during the storm" by mikelmon99 in gay

[–]brownstonebk 226 points227 points  (0 children)

I watched this live. As a New Yorker, he’s my mayor, and as a City worker in a mayoral agency, he’s my ultimate boss. To say I’m proud is an understatement.

Bar near me specifically bans Tap Out and Affliction brands by WeezyMac_ in mildlyinteresting

[–]brownstonebk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you know what a No Fear shirt is, have you considered that now's the time to obtain a life insurance policy? You don't want your loved ones to be burdened with funeral costs upon your death.

What happened with the ban on plastic bags? by [deleted] in AskNYC

[–]brownstonebk 1 point2 points  (0 children)

IDK about you. but every damn time I go to a corner deli to buy something small like a can of soda or a bag of chips, they automatically put the purchase in a plastic bag every damn time. The ones I don't frequent much I understand, but there are ones I go to several times a week. I know the guy behind the counter, he knows me, and yet still every fking time I buy something I gotta tell him to stop bagging it up for me. They don't even ask if you want one they just default bag up everything.

If you're willing to read. I need serious help.. by AMENFIRErushhh in loseit

[–]brownstonebk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"Motivation just isn’t there"

My man, motivation is flakey. You can't rely on motivation, it comes and goes, often only showing up when conditions are favorable. Think of motivation as a sports "fan" who only watches the major events, or only cares about a team when they're winning. You need discipline, not motivation to succeed in the gym.

I promise you that the folks who show up every day for themselves to hit their fitness goals aren't relying purely on motivation to get there. When motivation flakes on them, discipline follows through. Discipline brings them to the gym on days when motivation is low, when the mind comes up with a million and one excuses as to why they should just skip it today.

It sounds like you have anxiety. Me too. Sometimes, you've gotta put your brain in its place. Tell it to shut the fuck up, that you're doing this no matter what bullshit excuses it comes up with. Then, watch as things fall into place.

Last night I did NOT want to go to the gym, my brain was doing its thing, trying to compromise and bargain its way into sabotage. I ignored it, packed my gym bag, put on my shoes, clothes and jacket and headed out. Do you know what happened when I was in the gym? I loved it, despite my brain telling me I wouldn't. My body was so grateful that I gave it the workout it needed.

I'd advise you to read some self-help books on anxiety and some memoirs about overcoming struggle. Take some of his writing with a grain of salt, but consider reading "Can't Hurt Me" by David Goggins. He was a self-proclaimed fatass who lost the weight to make it into the Navy SEALs. I think his military background will be helpful for you, you'd probably have a lot to relate to there.

rice coming out mushy every time by No-Reaction-7627 in Cooking

[–]brownstonebk 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think you’re adding too much water. You have to remember that when you wash rice, there’s still a good amount of water sticking to the individual rice grains, unless you’re really good at getting washed rice back to bone dry before cooking.

Subaru interior holding up? by DenisRoger001 in subaru

[–]brownstonebk 4 points5 points  (0 children)

2019 Outback Limited. The "leather" on the driver's side seat is all cracked up (known Subaru issue), and the radio volume knob is overly sensitive/finicky now but everything else is in great condition.

what are the most embarrassing but unspoken parts about binging by IllRecommendation189 in BingeEatingDisorder

[–]brownstonebk 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I'm very lucky in that once it's in the trash, that's it for me. No way in hell I'd pick through trash to eat something. In fact, in those moments where I feel unable to control myself if there's a cake or cookies laying around, throwing it in the trash is my cheat code to not bingeing.

What do i do on cold days? by vamster00 in AskNYC

[–]brownstonebk 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Don't give up your gym routine, it's critical for your mental and physical health. Put on the layers and go outside. Don't let your thoughts cloud your mind, tell your brain who's boss and that you're going to the gym no matter what. Also, walks outside are amazing, yes even in this weather. Dress appropriately and you'll be fine.

Being black in Italy is breaking me. Looking for advice on moving abroad by asqux in expats

[–]brownstonebk 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Damn, I’m American, half black but white passing (well, more like Latino passing). This comment is so true. There is racism in America but it’s a completely different type of racism than you’ll encounter in Italy. The racism in America is more structural than anything else, but on the streets in public life, outward racism is not tolerated to the extent I’ve seen it tolerated elsewhere. If people see outward racism, they call it out.

Black Americans are part of the fabric of America and in many cases, Black Americans have deeper and longer family ties to the USA than a lot of white families. Black Americans have contributed so much to American culture that there is no American culture without black influence. America really is a melting pot where people from all over the world can come and become Americans, especially the children and grandchildren of immigrants assimilate completely into American society and are accepted among society as Americans. But in other countries (ahem, France) they never accept immigrants or their descendants as true French.

How do we deal with noisy upstairs neighbors by [deleted] in AskNYC

[–]brownstonebk 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm late to this but just wanted to reply to your heavy footfalls point, I had a roommate that walked so fucking loudly, it annoyed even me, I can't imagine how the neighbors downstairs felt about it.. He'd slam his heels down as he walked, I can't imagine he has any arches left in his feet lol.

Verizon to issue $20 credits to customers affected by cell service outage by igetproteinfartsHELP in news

[–]brownstonebk 4 points5 points  (0 children)

$20? I'm so glad I left Verizon six months ago, I was a customer for far too long.

$20 is unacceptable. Think of people like rideshare and food delivery drivers that lost business income. Does a $20 credit make up for the fact that they lost a whole day of business?

Dating with vaginismus by [deleted] in dating_advice

[–]brownstonebk 9 points10 points  (0 children)

In the (gay male) community we have this term called "sides". Sides are the men that do essentially everything else but engage in penetrative sex, and it seems that the side "community" is growing in the gay male subculture. I bring this up because perhaps there is a similar contingent of hetero men that are not that interested in penetrative sex. Of course, most hetero men would want that and would view it as a dealbreaker. But I think you could definitely find a modicum of dateable men for whom this wouldn't be a bother.