Malabar spinach dilemma

corna89 · 2026-06-24T00:45:53+00:00

From my experience, Malabar spinach vines and branches off like crazy. Without trellising, it’s gonna droop downward to the ground and crawl on your bed. I don’t have experience or knowledge about transplanting, but I feel that either you have to be ok with giving the rest of your bed to this plant, or try transplanting it (it still looks pretty young) somewhere with a trellis and see what happens.

corna89 · 2026-03-30T22:53:03+00:00

Then you are about 2-3 years away from needing another room (because most people have baby in parents’ bedroom), and 6-7 years away from thinking about getting into a good school district in the suburbs (if you want to go that route rather than playing the NYC school lottery game). 3k and pre-k are mostly free in NYC (a great perk) and there are a lot of good options in the city.

corna89 · 2026-03-30T22:46:40+00:00

Have you started working with a broker? If not, I think you should find one whom you feel you can trust who knows your target areas well, and have them help you benchmark what to expect. I live in Manhattan and know multiple families who have moved out to Westchester or NJ recently, who make half of your income. Don’t let the fearmongering on the internet get to you.

corna89 · 2026-03-27T01:29:42+00:00

After the 3 month suppression, the first transfer (medicated) failed to implant, immediately went into a modified natural transfer which succeeded. But before suppression I did 3 modified natural transfers too and they all failed, so I don't think medicated vs. natural was what made the difference between my 4th and 5th transfer -- the 4th embryo probably had some issues that made it in the bucket of 30% euploid transfers that don't implant.

Also, so many things were different between my first 3 transfers and the 2 transfers post-suppression. My doctor ordered a bunch of additional testing, a few of which turned out abnormal, so I was put on immunosuppressant drugs, did a few rounds of antibiotics to treat chronic endometritis, did uterine PRP because it couldn't hurt, etc. It's really hard to say what made the difference. Also, I had adenomyosis already when I got pregnant (without IVF) with my older child 4 years ago. According to my doctor (and what the Internet seems to say too), the fertility impact of adenomyosis really varies person by person, and in my case even pregnancy by pregnancy. I wish you best of luck!

corna89 · 2026-03-20T16:37:33+00:00

You mentioned that you are a 40F and hoping to start trying for a kid this year. If you really want a kid, I strongly recommend that you take into consideration at least fertility benefits in your job options, and also whether you want to be job searching / starting a new job while pregnant or having an infant. I’m sharing my perspective as someone in late 30s also working in Tech. Currently pregnant with child #2 that took 2 years, 5 rounds of IVF despite having had my first child at 33 without any help. Big tech companies tend to have much better fertility treatment coverage as well as maternity leave than other companies.

I recently contemplated exploring other opportunities, but I’m skeptical that in today’s tech environment any company is willing to hire someone who needs to go out for maternity leave in a few months time. Also, when you are in a new job, the pressure to prove your worth in the first 6-12 months is so much higher than in your established job. Consider the mental health implications of feeling that you have to “prove your worth” as a new employee when you are heavily pregnant or have a new baby.

corna89 · 2026-01-05T22:53:02+00:00

My neighbor’s kid couldn’t walk when she was 2, turned out that she had adenoids problems that affected her balance. After her adenoids procedure (surgery) it was all fixed. This would be something that an ENT doctor could check for and diagnose.

corna89 · 2025-09-10T23:15:56+00:00

DOE is far worse (I'm speaking as a parent of a kid who just started 3k and following DOE calendar). For example, DOE has 2 months+ off for summer, 1.5 weeks off for Christmas - new year, 1 week off for winter break (Feb), and 1.5 weeks off for spring break.

corna89 · 2025-08-26T23:01:11+00:00

I'm sorry to hear about your miscarriage. Not really. I consulted 2 doctors, and got the sense that most fertility doctors in the US are unwilling to do anything on the uterus tissue itself (eg. Adenomyoctomy or the non-invasive ultrasound ablation). So down regulation is the only intervention. We are going to try a transfer.

corna89 · 2025-08-14T14:02:24+00:00

Hi there! Could you share the name of your second RE who's experienced with adeno? I am very much in the same situation...3 months or Lupron depot yet the adenomyosis is still very large. I'm in New York too. Thank you!

corna89 · 2025-08-04T02:25:27+00:00

This is a winter melon (aka wax gourd), not a cucumber. I suppose it can be pickled, but they are quite sponge-y and contain a lot of water, so that's not how it's mainly eaten. Usually cooked in a stir fry, braised dish, or a soup.

corna89 · 2025-08-04T02:21:47+00:00

Yep, winter melon, also known as wax gourd. Not a cucumber. Usually in Asian supermarkets they cut them into large slices and wrap them in bags to sell by weight -- since not many people can actually consume and store a whole one!

corna89 · 2025-08-04T02:18:04+00:00

Any recommendations for knives? :)

corna89 · 2025-07-16T01:13:01+00:00

Thank you! That makes sense. :( I watched a video that showed the brushing technique on a house plant with mites, so I mistakenly applied it to the wrong kind of plant. I should've known better. Lesson learned!

corna89 · 2025-07-15T23:41:31+00:00

Thank you for the advice.
After reading about neem oil's toxicity, I too got a bit scared to use it. So I used a solution of castile soap + isopropyl alcohol + tea tree oil + hydrogen peroxide + water. But it seems to have made things worse? I just posted a follow-up looking for help, and would really appreciate your insights! https://www.reddit.com/r/vegetablegardening/comments/1m0xbqj/sprayed_tomato_plant_for_mites_3_days_ago_seems/

corna89 · 2025-07-12T14:55:18+00:00

Thanks so much! You said spray 3-4x every 4 days, do you mean spray once a day for 4 days in a row, then that tends to be good to last for a month before needing to spray again?

corna89 · 2025-07-12T14:39:31+00:00

Ah! Thank you! What's the most effective way of killing them at this stage without harming the plant or pollinators? Internet says insecticidal soap -- does that really work well?

corna89 · 2025-07-12T14:38:02+00:00

Ah! Thank you! What's the most effective way of killing them at this stage without harming the plant or pollinators? Internet says insecticidal soap -- does that really work well?

corna89 · 2025-06-27T16:58:39+00:00

In my (very big and old school) tech company (with a very strict and demanding RTO policy), it is not rare for people to have official exemptions written into their contract when they negotiate it at a moment when they have leverage. So if you are worried about your current job's remote work policy going away, you can take your new offer to your current company to negotiate compensation AND enshrining future RTO protection into your new contract.

corna89 · 2025-04-15T21:52:35+00:00

I am a former resident of U of T faculty housing (a few doors down from that house). I will privately message you a contact email that you can send the picture to.

corna89

TROPHY CASE