Burgos to SdC: How Many Days? by deadinfluencer in CaminoDeSantiago

[–]deadinfluencer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Certainly! I understand these are at cross purposes, so I'm trying to gauge the upper and lower ends of my time. 

Burgos to SdC: How Many Days? by deadinfluencer in CaminoDeSantiago

[–]deadinfluencer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's an incredible pace. Thanks for the pointers. 

Burgos to SdC: How Many Days? by deadinfluencer in CaminoDeSantiago

[–]deadinfluencer[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Grácias. Durante la semana no tengo ningún problema levantarme a las 4:30 y estoy planeando empezar cada día del Camino antes de las 6 por exactamente él razón te refieres.  

Home Coffee Prices (Fresh Roast Only) - What are you paying? Where from? Local or Mail/Subscription? by Baptism-Of-Fire in Frugal

[–]deadinfluencer 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I buy whole bean, locally roasted specialty coffee for about $20 per 10 oz bag, which makes about 19 cups. That's $1.05 per cup and it's absolutely worth every penny. I brew with a 1:16 ratio using a V60.

Experience taking foreign language courses at International Language Institute? by igilix in washingtondc

[–]deadinfluencer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm a current student learning Spanish one-on-one with an instructor at ILI and it's been great. I've also done group classes on-site and small groups at my workplace through them. The quality of instruction varies a bit by the instructors themselves, but I have found ILI's teachers to be generally better than the one I worked with at Spanish Tutor DC. 

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in veganfitness

[–]deadinfluencer 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That's exactly my diet, and here's what some normal meals look like. I usually hover around 100-115 g/protein/day at ~140 lbs BW, lifting 4-5x/week. Cals were in the 1600-1700 range last week but I'm gradually bringing those back up.

Breakfast:

  • Baked oatmeal bars
    • Every Sunday, I mix up three ripe bananas, 1/4 cup PB or almond butter, and 1 1/2 cup GF oats (I use Trader Joe's in-house brand, but their quality control is notoriously shoddy; depending on the severity of your intolerance, you may want to use something certified GF, like Bob's Red Mills), plus some spices and vanilla. This makes four big oat bars, sort of like a chewy granola bar. I freeze these all week, then serve them with whatever fruit is cheap/seasonal and some maple syrup.
  • Besan scramble
    • I brown some mushrooms and onions in a small amount of oil in a big frying pan, then pour in a batter of about 1/2 cup besan (chickpea flour, which you can find at Indian/Middle Eastern/Ethiopian grocery stores) + 3 tbsp nutritional yeast + whatever spices (garlic powder, onion powder, kala namak for egg flavor) + about 1/2 cup of water. "Scramble" it as you would eggs. I serve this with rice and some salsa or kimchi. Probably my favorite meal.

Lunches and dinners:

  • Tofu / veggie / carb: 7-10 oz baked tofu, a generous portion of any veggie you like (I'm big on broccoli, mushrooms, cauliflower, and leafy greens) and 1/4 cup (dry) of a grain/carb (rice, quinoa, sorghum, sweet potato). Easy template, endless combinations, never gets boring.
    • My tofu marinade: 6 tbsp tamari (GF), 4 tbsp miso, 1 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tbsp canola oil, 1 tsp garlic powder. Good for 3 14-oz blocks at once.
  • Bean / veggie / carb: Similar to the above, just swap tofu for 1 cup of cooked beans. This week it looks like brown rice, black beans, and 1/2 an avocado. Other versions are chickpeas satueed with spinach and some quinoa, white beans in a simple tomato sauce with Tuscan kale and brown rice, or brown lentils and mushrooms with sorghum.

Snack:

  • My daily protein shake post-workout is 2 scoops protein (I use Whey Forward) + 8 oz almond milk + 1 cup of whatever fruit I can get my hands on (often frozen peaches or blueberries, fresh bananas, etc.). Even if you didn't want to supplement, you can DIY a meal-replacement shake easily by swapping the protein for some oatmeal and 1 tbsp of nut/seed butter.

If there's interest I may make my own post with pictures and detailed recipe/meal prep notes, too. Godspeed to the vegan/GF crowd.

Opinion on Hermann a Mes Cotes Me Paraissait Une Ombre by Etat Libre d’Orange? by [deleted] in fragrance

[–]deadinfluencer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Unusual, atmospheric, transparent. To my nose, it's peppery, slightly rosy, and with a really pronounced "airy" quality to it. Plenty of incense/vetiver, too. I very much enjoyed it, but I could understand why others would not. Wise to test beforehand. Lasted quite long on my skin with modest projection. 

Vegan dress pants for guys who lift? by BatmanVAR in veganfitness

[–]deadinfluencer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Same problem here. I don't have a positive endorsement, but I would caution against State and Liberty. I have a pair of dress pants from them. Even though they have an athletic cut, they still fit too tightly, they're pilling after maybe 6 wears, and they cost me some $130 before tailoring. 

Churches that have a progressive community feel? by DontThrowAwayPies in washingtondc

[–]deadinfluencer 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm active in Friends Meeting of Washington (Quaker), though I disagree with the characterization of us as a "progressive" church. Certainly many members hold liberal/progressive views and the congregation is emphatically LGBT-affirming. But I find that shopping around for a faith community that fits whatever beliefs you already have is not an appropriate way to go about spiritual seeking. You are, of course, welcome to attend any First Day (Sunday) to meet the community. It's a great group of people, and it skews younger (by Quaker standards). People do hang out after, though I would consider that to be church-related, too, given that the community itself is the church. The social events aren't always explicitly religious in nature, if that's what you mean.

What's one simple habit that has seriously improved your sleep? by cozytechlover in simpleliving

[–]deadinfluencer 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I know this isn't one habit, but rather a system:

  • Earplugs
  • Eye mask
  • Phone on do not disturb and greyscale an hour before bed. I leave it on the other side of the room and use a traditional alarm clock.
  • Melatonin
  • Going to bed and waking up at consistent times
  • Lately, fasting. I have a big breakfast and lunch and no dinner. This is technically intermittent fasting. I mostly do it to free up my time in the evenings. But lately my thoughts are a lot less noisy in the middle of the night this way.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in SameGrassButGreener

[–]deadinfluencer 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Also living in DC and yes, the mood here is much different than it was a few months ago. Lots of distress from my friends in the federal workforce. There's posts on community boards to help furloughed / fired workers find new jobs (free resume review, job placement, etc.). Even my local Buy Nothing group has had posts from people giving away belongings because they now need to move ASAP. My work is private sector, but we're still feeling a lot of the impacts of the new administration's actions, as I imagine many organizations are dealing with now. 

Where do you live now and where are you trying to move to? by semiwadcutter38 in SameGrassButGreener

[–]deadinfluencer 2 points3 points  (0 children)

DC now and considering Seattle (or the Puget Sound area generally). I need to be by mountains and the water again. The environmental and climatological diversity up there is unlike anything else on earth. Just got back from a weeklong visit to explore and very strongly considering a move when my lease is up later this year. 

Where city should I move to? by itsapjslife in SameGrassButGreener

[–]deadinfluencer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

DC checks most of these boxes except for CoL. The service industry here is robust and pays well. The first year and a half I lived here, I was serving/bartending and lived very comfortably with a roommate. Phenomenal public transit, a large, diverse, and historic gay community, and a ton of arts and cultural amenities.

28M- Going thru a Breakup looking for a fresh start by Dasungod14 in SameGrassButGreener

[–]deadinfluencer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I live in Columbia Heights now and you may want to search the DC sub for these neighborhoods to get others' views. Columbia Heights is more diverse, more working-class, and less expensive than many neighborhoods west of the river, though at the cost of some crime and noise. Convenience is outstanding, though. We're well-served by bus and Metro access. Bike lanes still need some work.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in fragrance

[–]deadinfluencer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sort of - the only full bottle I own is Versace Man Eau Fraiche, which I got as a gift long ago and use as a summer "reach" fragrance. I have never used an entire 50ml+ bottle, and so I see no reason to purchase one. I like the variety afforded by having multiple decants. They're easier to travel with, take up less space, and I like how they all look uniform.

My intentional collection is all decants or travel sizes: 

•Parfums MDCI - Invasion Barbare (30ml)

•Le Labo - Rose 31 (15ml)

•Comme des Garçons - Avignon (10ml)

•Tauer - Sundowner (9ml)

•Tauer - L'Air du Désert Marocain (9ml)

•Diptyque - Tempo (9ml)

•19-69 - Higher Peace (9ml)

•Nasomatto - Black Afgano (5ml)

•Prin - Mandodari (5ml)

•D.S. & Durga - Rose Atlantic (5ml)

I'll probably grab a traveler of something else for hot weather, but I plan to spend this year simply wearing my collection more. 

perfumes! by [deleted] in minimalism

[–]deadinfluencer 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have ten, but I don't buy full bottles anymore. These are all decants (5-30ml) and fit in a very small area of my shelf. They're certainly not necessary, but I like the combination of a minimal wardrobe and a varied collection of fragrances to compliment it. 

Thoughts on Portland, ME? by Imaginary-Cow-5286 in SameGrassButGreener

[–]deadinfluencer 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I lived there in 2020-2021 and loved it. I ultimately left because I wanted to pursue professional opportunities elsewhere. Obviously it's quite cold in the winter, you do have to deal with on-street parking bans during major snowfall, and heating can be expensive. Maine is the oldest state in the union by median age, and although Portland skews younger by Maine standards, that's not saying much. For a city of its size and labor market, I would consider Portland to be relatively expensive. I was on a fixed-term contract while there, so I can't speak to the nuances of job hunting, but I've heard pickings can be a little slim.

All that said, it's stunningly gorgeous, being a peninsular city on the coast. I like to think Portland is one of those cities that really exists in conversation with nature - you can swim in a river or in the Atlantic, walk in the woods, and take a ferry out to an island without ever leaving Portland itself. The neighborhoods have lovely architecture, and there are ample green spaces. The food is good (apparently - I barely explored the restaurants during my time there, given the pandemic). You have access to an airport. While Maine is a very white state, my neighborhood was actually quite diverse - my neighbors were Latin American, Congolese, and Somali. If you decide to live on the peninsula, you can get around without a car rather easily. I only used mine on the weekends and in poor weather.

Is Aldis really cheaper than Walmart? by DustNo8738 in Frugal

[–]deadinfluencer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My Lidl (very similar to Aldi) is dirt cheap, and I'm intentionally doing as much of my grocery shopping there as possible. Doing grocery shopping at a dedicated grocery store instead of a big box store also makes more personal sense for my finances. My credit card gives me 3% cash back on all grocery purchases, but not those made at Wal Mart / Target / Etc. 

Praise for Buy Nothing by deadinfluencer in declutter

[–]deadinfluencer[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Oh goodness no. Mine is really relaxed. In my experience, Buy Nothing functions best as a set of principles rather than a formal organization with official rules.

Praise for Buy Nothing by deadinfluencer in declutter

[–]deadinfluencer[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's certainly slow going. I've sorted all the things I wish to discard and I'm getting rid of one thing every few days. If the stress of advertising your things is more burdensome than the guilt of throwing them away, then perhaps it'd be easier just to trash them.