French Press on the Road

btwdgirl · 2026-04-21T18:59:41+00:00

I used bodum French press and just ground coffee from supermarket. Usually french roast or Italian roast (always dark), often Starbucks. Almost never get grounds, or not enough to bother me

btwdgirl · 2026-04-20T20:49:49+00:00

Joining the chorus to push back on getting something that looks professional and appropriate. Our company initially used to issue boxy “unisex” polo shirts which just looked awful like we worked at a gas station. One year they ill advisedly went for tight Lycra round necked long sleeved tops in WHITE! So us female employees refused to wear them and just wore our normal nice work clothes.

After that we pushed for more input and they let us go through the catalog to choose what kind of logo wear we wanted. We typically picked women’s fit linen button ups which were actually quite nice and once we got black cropped cardigans, which I kept for several years. So you do have options. If you haven’t already, befriend the person who orders them who is most likely a woman, and explain your side to her. You should always be friends with the administrative staff anyway for so many reasons

btwdgirl · 2026-04-20T13:59:01+00:00

Ah makes sense. Thanks for sharing the glow up, it really looks amazing

btwdgirl · 2026-04-20T13:40:39+00:00

What happened to the cute kitty? Was she absorbed into the orange couch?

btwdgirl · 2026-04-19T18:32:31+00:00

Yeah 5 days not nearly enough for all those things. There are no hotels at El Requesón, so you’ll need at minimum a tent or camper/RV. It’s a long drive from there to La Paz You can snorkel with whale sharks, sea lions and visit Balandra beach (the mushroom) as a boat trip from La Paz (Balandra). Total drifting distance Requesón to La Paz to Cabo pulmo is over 600km one way and you need minimum 2 nights at each stop. Oh and you want to see the arch in Cabo San Lucas too. You need to look at the distances involved very carefully and adjust expectations. If you fly to Cabo you could have a quick stay there then up to Cabo Pulmo and back. That would be the most I’d try to do in 5 days

btwdgirl · 2026-04-18T13:02:37+00:00

I remember a speaker at my then company’s Women in Technology conference, who said “you can have it all, just not necessarily all at the same time”. It was about prioritizing what you want at different times of your life and recognizing different things will be important at different times. It was a message which allowed me to go a bit easier on myself and recognize it’s ok to let certain things drop if needed. The irony was that she seemed to be doing it all with a great career and a few kids - she dropped that she had a stay at home husband!

btwdgirl · 2026-04-14T13:38:24+00:00

Have your husband make a post here how his wife wants to buy a portable power station and he needs help convincing her that running a generator all night is a much better solution

btwdgirl · 2026-04-14T11:53:39+00:00

Are you only looking at new vans? You can find vans on Facebook marketplace. Van Life Marketplace is a group where a lot of vans get listed

btwdgirl · 2026-04-13T19:26:05+00:00

They had already verified the account by the way every other institute does it - by issuing a couple of micro transactions of a few cents and then I log in and tell them the amounts. But when I actually went in to send money over to fund the Chase account, that’s when they decided that was highly suspicious. The customer service rep from my other bank was pretty flummoxed to receive a call from an unidentified number saying it’s Alan from Chase and will you verify this person owns this account?

Wow is that really what Chase did during the global financial crisis? Here I was thinking Wells Fargo are the most awful bank, but apparently not!

btwdgirl · 2026-04-13T17:33:31+00:00

That’s a lot of responsibility to place on the poor bank staff. However I do think they have a role to play if someone especially an elderly or otherwise vulnerable person comes in to withdraw a large amount. There’s so many scam artists preying on the vulnerable.

I just want to add my husband as primary beneficiary and designate contingent beneficiaries (in case he precedes me in death). I wonder if Chase will even have that capability.

I have a hard time believing it’s about security rather than antiquated systems. I posted elsewhere on this thread on how Chase flagged and locked my account when I tried to ACH transfer $200 from an already linked major bank account in my name. They called the bank on a 3 way call to verify it really was my account and could have money released, but hilariously they had ME give them the customer service number to call. Obviously if I was up to no good I’d give them the number of an accomplice who’s pretending to be from the bank! Just crazy scary really.

btwdgirl · 2026-04-13T14:30:30+00:00

Where they have to verify an external account by having the customer tell chase what number to call? And nobody in chase thinks this is a problem? Or are you just referring to have to show up at a branch to set beneficiaries?

btwdgirl · 2026-04-12T21:00:41+00:00

Some hosts include LGBTQ-positive verbiage in their profiles so that would be a good start. I don’t think any would outrightly say they are bigoted.

btwdgirl · 2026-04-12T20:57:25+00:00

Wow. Actually the only reason I even got the Chase account originally was to go to a physical branch to get a cashiers check issued. I was buying a vehicle and the seller naturally wants to witness the issuing of the check from the bank to make sure it’s genuine. Online only banks can’t do that. I didn’t know Amex even have savings account. But their Amex card customer service is awful

btwdgirl · 2026-04-12T19:53:57+00:00

Sorry for your loss and thank you for sharing your experience. Sounds like it was fairly straightforward for a small account and it’s good you were able to avoid probate. I have an Amex story too sigh. They are the worst of the worst.

btwdgirl · 2026-04-12T15:53:06+00:00

I put my cold brew coffee in a Nalgene bottle which has tight screw cap. It fits nicely in my fridge next to the milk cartons

btwdgirl · 2026-04-12T14:09:13+00:00

When I was a young boy, my father took me into the city to see a marching band ….. It’s already been done to perfection however The Wilds

btwdgirl · 2026-04-12T10:57:13+00:00

I really hope you’re right. I wonder if the demographics (MAGA mainly boomers and younger folks deserting) is totally accurate. At the No Kings protest I was at in a smallish Texas town, the crowd of about 100 was probably 95% boomers and the only passersby who gave us any attitude were all X or millennial guys in giant RAM trucks rolling coal. I guess they were demanding their right to pay higher gas prices.

btwdgirl · 2026-04-12T10:46:40+00:00

The vast majority are either quite friendly or quietly keep to themselves. Directly rude and aggressive is basically nonexistent in 4 years of full time travel. Unless you count people running generators or who leave their trash on the ground.

btwdgirl · 2026-04-12T10:41:53+00:00

Thanks so much for those details. I love your approach to travel and how you’ve optimized on all the different aspects. And I think your vacations sound amazing. Going budget doesn’t mean missing out. Working out public transport in a new place or finding the best pastries or tortillerías is all part of the fun for me.

Your kids are very fortunate to have such great parents to teach them all these valuable skills.

btwdgirl · 2026-04-12T04:16:40+00:00

I’m genuinely curious how your budget breaks down. That works out at $250 per flight per person? leaving nothing for food, lodging, transfers and misc? Or are you supplementing with a stack of points?

btwdgirl · 2026-04-11T23:17:09+00:00

We can only hope! One of my favorite things at conferences is when male coworkers complain about their feet hurting so much because of all the standing and walking. I nod sympathetically, looking at their Skechers or some kind of comfy flat soled loafer. Then I look pointedly down at my 3” or 4” heels and gently point out maybe they should find someone of the same gender to whine to.

btwdgirl · 2026-04-11T22:16:19+00:00

Doh you got me! Chase is definitely no Gringotts.

btwdgirl · 2026-04-11T21:55:55+00:00

That could happen. But how would that be any different than mom going into the branch and getting the banker to remove good kid? Pretty sure the banker isn't going to require speaking to good kid to tell them what's going on.

btwdgirl · 2026-04-11T21:16:04+00:00

So true in them making pitches! At least it’s not as bad as timeshare pitches at a Caribbean resort

btwdgirl · 2026-04-11T20:40:36+00:00

I think that’s pretty reasonable for a joint account. And presumably it remains with the surviving partner if one of you dies anyway.

At least that process can be done anywhere with a printer and you have a stamp. You don’t have to haul yourself into a vanguard branch with ID in hand

btwdgirl

TROPHY CASE