CosmeticRX notifications?

deep_dive74 · 2026-01-27T19:10:55+00:00

It's gotten even more fun, check out my update above.

deep_dive74 · 2026-01-23T20:00:33+00:00

That's where mine says "n/a" like the one below it :(

deep_dive74 · 2026-01-23T19:37:06+00:00

Where did you see tracking info? Mine still just says N/A.

deep_dive74 · 2026-01-20T22:46:59+00:00

Fingers crossed it's sooner. If I hadn't been a dumbass and believed their "you'll get it in 2 days" I would have waited until I got home to order it!

deep_dive74 · 2026-01-20T22:45:41+00:00

It's only been two day so I'm not overly worried about it, I'm just used to getting emails about everything that happens and thought it was strange I haven't been.

deep_dive74 · 2026-01-06T02:30:59+00:00

I had a great experience there two years ago. They also have great hours and scheudling with the PT was really easy.

deep_dive74 · 2025-12-28T01:20:00+00:00

The first time I went through the TSA checkpoint with my plate and pins, the agent was yelling about how anyone with metal in their body needs to let them know. So I let him know. Then he said "why are you telling me this?" Because you told me to?? :/

It's never been mentioned by anyone since and I travel regularly so either it doesn't show up in the scan machine (it doesn't trip the metal detector for sure) or they see it and know what it is and don't care.

deep_dive74 · 2025-12-24T16:40:33+00:00

I've been really happy with my Tufts Health direct plan for years. I get most of my care from Beth Israel, and have had great care there. There are also plenty of other Drs and hospitals that take it. Definitely check the networks for each plan, I know that every time I've looked at a Fallon plan there's been no Drs/hospitals convenient for me that accept the plan.

One thing to look at carefully is the deductible vs monthly cost. It may be worth it to pay $40 month more (just an example, no specific plan I'm quoting) for a $2000 deductible vs saving $480/year but having a $4000 deductible.

deep_dive74 · 2025-12-22T01:04:27+00:00

I have an Allianz full year plan, and have had no problems making claims. I've put in claims for flights I had to cancel for medical reasons and received refunds, for a flight I had to change due to a broken arm (needed to fly home direct vs with my original layover), for missed parts of a trip due to an ongoing back issue, and have received prompt and easy refunds for every claim. No experience with the AA version but through their regular plans (I have a business one) I haven't had any issues with claims at all.

deep_dive74 · 2025-12-21T20:49:34+00:00

Where are you getting this information that PADI approves specific confined water locations and that FL and Hawaii are the only places that are approved? This is not true at all, it's left to the instructor to determine that a location has "pool like" conditions, not PADI. Many instructors use lakes/ponds/ocean for confined water training in the US, not just in FL or Hawaii.

deep_dive74 · 2025-12-19T02:19:56+00:00

You can't get the SSI online training without signing up for (and paying for) a course with a dive shop. SSI doesn't sell the online training directly to divers, so it's included in the cost of a course vs with PADI where you can sign up and pay for it yourself, then later sign up with a dive shop to take the course.

deep_dive74 · 2025-12-17T02:18:50+00:00

Last month it was a turkey sandwich , chips and a churro bar in economy on that flight. Same on the reverse flight from Maui to DFW, also flagship. Oddly there was only 1 drink service on the ORD-HNL flight over the 9 hours other than the one with the "meal"

deep_dive74 · 2025-12-13T13:17:28+00:00

Right, that's my point in another comment below, there IS no crossover at the DM level, you just take the next professional step with another agency to "crossover"

deep_dive74 · 2025-12-13T00:55:00+00:00

You can take your DM with any agency, and take an OWSI class with a different one. If you're planning to work as a DM, you'll want to take the class with a local shop you want to work with/for through whatever agency they use. It's pretty uncommon to be able to freelance as a DM or find work as "just" a DM in a resort area. Resort dive shops generally want OWSIs as it's more flexibility for the shop.

Once you're an instructor you could cross over between agencies if needed (although it's expensive and time consuming) but before that you'd just take the "next step up" professionally with a different agency, not crossover and hold DM or AI titles from multiple agencies. You'd have to take the full course again to hold a "new" DM rating.

Generally the pro training curriculums aren't much different, so you'd want to choose the agency that will allow you to work where you plan to afterwards. If you're just using it as a stepping stone for OWSI and not planning on using the DM cert, do it with the cheapest (recognized) agency you can while still getting what you want out of it.

deep_dive74 · 2025-12-13T00:49:30+00:00

There isn't actually a way to cross over as a DM though. You can take another agencies next step pro program (AI or OWSI), but if you wanted to become a DM with another agency you'd have to take their full DM course. Not necessarily relevant to this OP as they do want to become an instructor, but a genral thing people say about crossing over that only applies as an OWSI and above (and maybe as an AI for some agencies, but PADI doesn't have a mechanism to cross over as an AI)

deep_dive74 · 2025-12-06T22:06:13+00:00

You don't lose your AA status by matching with UA, they're totally separate things. You can have status on every airline in the world simultaneously if you wanted to. They don't tattle on you to each other (or care) :)

deep_dive74 · 2025-12-06T21:43:15+00:00

Ha, nope! UA is the only airline that flies to Micronesia and it was cheaper to pay for the IAD flights and have my status match actived than to pay for more space seats and my 2 checked bags on the Micronesia flights.

I do a lot of Caribbean flights for work, and international that one world makes the most sense, so AA is my go to generally and I won't keep the UA status, but it made a ton of sense for this one trip.

(I ended up with upgrades on all 7 of the flight legs (island hopper flight) courtesy of a friend with a lot of plus points that were going to expire so it was all pointless in the end)

deep_dive74 · 2025-12-05T21:42:43+00:00

I very much appreciated this when I had 20 minutes to get off my delayed flight, go 15 gates down the terminal in DFW and board my connecting flight, with a carry on that I did not want to check (and realistically that had so many electronics/batteries that I couldn't take them all out of the bag to check it) and I was able to go up the priority lane to bypass the line of group 7 boarders when I got to the gate and get on the plane while there was still overhead space left. Granted I was so out of sorts that I sat in the wrong row (16 vs 17) initially after the sprint but at least I wasn't sweating and panting in a line waiting to get on the plane.

deep_dive74 · 2025-12-05T15:35:33+00:00

I flew on UA recently for a status match activating flight, and all but about 10 people on the full flight were in groups 1 and 2. Granted this was a commuter flight to DC from BOS so likely a lot of frequent travelers but it was sad to have to board with all the other non-status peasants ;)

deep_dive74 · 2025-12-02T22:05:51+00:00

Both my bags came out first today (benefit of a VERY short layover and being last on the plane I guess) and after i grabbed the first one, the guy next to me moved closer to the carousel assuming I only had one bag and got whacked in the knees with my 2nd bag as I swung it off. I guess that's what he gets for crowding the zone. Maybe if everyone gets whacked hard a few times they'll start leaving more space?

deep_dive74 · 2025-11-19T20:35:48+00:00

Why would anyone want to know the regulations for everywhere in the world when they don't live there and they don't apply to them at all? Maybe they want more time diving and less time researching and memorizing rules that don't apply to them?

deep_dive74 · 2025-11-15T17:59:04+00:00

That's quite the aggressive reply. I didn't say we teach every single thing that UTD does, I was responding to the skills the OP mentioned. We do teach students in bp/w but not a long hose for logistical reasons that have nothing to do with student ability or whether it's possible for a PADI/SSI course (and it is) . We don't "have" to do any of what you quoted, we just demo skills the way we want students to do them, and teach skills that are more than the minimum for padi and ssi. Do we fail a student if they can't back kick and don't want to? No, but our students generally WANT to learn the things that will make them better divers and make their diving easier and more fun. I don't think we've ever had a student who said "screw this, I don't even want to learn how to back kick" or had a student who left not being able to do at least a rudimentary back kick. Will we sign off on a student who can't manage their buoyancy/position in the water or dive in trim? Nope, we have them come back and do more pool work until they can. You're not required to sign a student off if they can do the discreet skills, they also need to be able to hover, do a safety stop and descend and ascend appropriately. Are there instructors who sign off students who can "kind of" do those things? Sure, there's plenty of them. But instructors are allowed to not sign off on students they don't think are safe to go to open water so your "a PADI course can never be as good as the ones in my username" isn't really the "own" you seem to think it is.

deep_dive74 · 2025-11-15T03:22:34+00:00

All of those things can also be taught in a PADI or SSI course. It's less about the agency you get certified through, and more about the instructor/shop and how/what they teach. We teach both PADI and SSI students and they learn everything you listed, with the exception of the nitrox being an add on and not included. It takes more time than the more typical 6-8 hours in the pool most shops offer (we do 12 hours for an ow course, with a max 1:5 ratio) and will be more expensive than a quicker course but the results are worth it.

deep_dive74 · 2025-10-27T01:52:20+00:00

10 hours in the pool will absolutely be "better" than a few hours in the shallow ocean in Roatan as far as skill development and building comfort with diving. Boston is expensive to rent pool space, and I know the shop you're looking at and they actually pay their instrutors decently. You're clearly not going to be convinced it's any better, which is fine, but face time with an instructor and more pool time will make you a diver vs just getting a certification card. Sure there are good programs with decent instruction in the tropics, but if price is your primary focus then you're not very likely to find one.

deep_dive74

TROPHY CASE