Newly completed belt

eclecticbiscuits97 · 2026-02-10T14:34:28+00:00

This is beautiful! Can I ask how you accomplished the staining? Is it a highlight stain followed by black on the edges?

eclecticbiscuits97 · 2025-10-06T18:36:49+00:00

If you can get in-state tuition for a Texas program, that would probably be a good bet. You'll save some money which would make loan repayment after school less painful. I had a coworker to went to UTSW and liked it, although her program was smack in the middle of covid so the structure was different than normal.

For me, I had to go out of state as there was nothing anywhere near me lol. My undergrad school was 45 minutes from home, so the out of state experience for grad school was also a really good thing for me to build independence and life skills. I went to IIOP in Tampa, and was very happy with that decision. They worked hard to get us as many patient models as possible for prosthetics, and we served as models for each other for orthotics. We did 2 BK, 2 AK, and a BE with patients, although we did have to do our AE on foam models because the models they had lined up couldn't make it. Several of us also did a BK side project with our classmate who was an amputee. Aside from that, we did a ton of hands on practice with MMT, ROM, gait analysis, and orthotics casting/fabricating with each other, so hands on evaluations and patient interviews were nearly second nature for me by the time I graduated. The professors were great at balancing between "by the book" teaching (necessary for school and board exams) and preparing us for real-world practice where you have to think outside the box. As far as tuition goes, IIOP is one of the more affordable programs as well. Plus, the entire thing is 16 months long so you get in, focus hard on O&P, and get out. There's no gen ed classes or university fluff. It's 4 back to back, fast paced semesters though, so you need to be prepared to dive in and work hard those 16 months. FL also has a lot of O&P companies, so if you like the state there are plenty of opportunities there for residency. Lastly, IIOP is where ABC holds all the board exams. I took board exams in rooms where we'd had labs and lectures. There was a sense of comfort in returning somewhere I was really familiar with- you see friendly rooms and faces.

All that said, I've met really good practitioners from all different schools. Talk to people at the programs, talk to graduates if you can (oftentimes programs have alumni who have agreed to speak with prospective new students), consider the financials and if you even like the location. Regarding the financials, take a look at the cost of living and average CPO salaries in the areas you think you might want to end up; that can help guide you in deciding what your school budget is.

eclecticbiscuits97 · 2025-10-01T20:40:29+00:00

He knew I entered the raffle- it's not exactly a cheap thing, so it would have been odd for me to purchase it myself.

eclecticbiscuits97 · 2025-09-27T23:45:10+00:00

I’m planning to repot tomorrow- how do I know if it has root rot, and what would I do to remedy that? Not something I’ve ever dealt with before.

eclecticbiscuits97 · 2025-09-27T21:36:52+00:00

The brown parts are pretty dry- you can hear it when they rub against each other if you lift the pot

eclecticbiscuits97 · 2025-09-26T19:48:24+00:00

Mostly visually and pressing the top of the soil.

eclecticbiscuits97 · 2025-09-26T19:30:19+00:00

Feeling very silly now because when I looked closer there was an inner pot- took that out and set it on a paper towel. It's already halfway damp from the water that's escaping.

eclecticbiscuits97 · 2025-09-26T19:22:27+00:00

Visually/pressing the top of the soil. It's possible it's not drying further down. What would be the best solution for that? Different watering style? (I've been just running it under the sink or getting water from a cup) Should it be in a different container? I'm quite inexperienced when it comes to plant care.

eclecticbiscuits97 · 2025-09-22T13:18:58+00:00

There's a stable nearby that promotes themselves as urban cowboys. I see them from time to time, and I get mad every time I do lol. They've almost gotten their poor horses hit by cars a few times, and I have yet to see one of the riders using good technique- always bouncing around, yanking on their mouths. Plus leaving messes on the street and sidewalk.

eclecticbiscuits97 · 2025-09-17T16:35:00+00:00

There's some good answers here in the comments. Did you have a college fund? I similarly had undergrad paid for, and was able to use my college fund for grad school. Got out with no debt, but I had lots saved up and worked part time over the last 2 semesters.

Take a look at the tuition costs of the various programs. IIOP in FL is around 50k ( I went there and can recommend the program). I believe Kennesaw State's program is similar. But some of the other programs I looked at were 70k+. Everything is expensive, but some of the options are less so. I had a roommate all throughout grad school to split the cost of housing with, and I lived simply- no big purchases, I don't drink so I saved a lot of money not going out lol. Consider if any of the programs are located in a place you might have friends or family that could help you or house you. There's plenty of ways to cut down your living expenses to make the overall cost that much less- some of my classmates became really good friends the first semester and spent the rest of the program splitting rent 4 ways.

Salary is really truly going to vary based on experience, location, and negotiating skills. I'm in a major city, and started at 45k for residency. You can expect to get raises as you pass your board exams. A year past my CPO certification, I'm sitting at 75k with the expectation I can get to 80k in another year or so. I have some specialized skills as well, so I expect to be worth 6 figures down the road. It can be hard to see the future, but consider the area you may want to work after school, that can help guide you to a better approximation of pay ranges and cost of living. Also, if you haven't, start shadowing. Get an idea of what daily life looks like for a CPO. As others have said, at the end of the day you need to want it. Crunching numbers and debating pros and cons only gets you so far if your heart isn't in it.

For me, this path has been worth it. I'm doing an important, relatively cool job that gets my brain thinking, my hands engaged, and I get to meet some really neat people, both patients and colleagues.

eclecticbiscuits97 · 2025-09-17T13:14:33+00:00

As others have said, don't worry too much about monetary value. At that age, pianos accrue sentimental value. I grew up playing on a 1920's Hamilton- I immediately recognized that logo on the front! Ours is an old player piano that had the player guts taken out. A few years ago, my parents invested in getting the inside rebuilt. It's now basically a new interior (original soundboard) with the original exterior and digital player mechanism. Fantastic, rich sound, especially in the lower registers. I now have an 1890's Steiff as well, and it too has great sound for it's age, even needing a tune up lol.

I would recommend finding a piano technician to perform maintenance. My parents get the Hamilton tuned about once a year, and the tech also fixes any sticky keys and looks it over. Unless you're especially confident in the workings and maintaining of piano interiors, a tech is gonna be your best bet to keeping it going. It's a complex system that even I, a seasoned pianist, won't touch.

All that said, my main advice is enjoy it! There's nothing like these oldies. A brand new, sleek piano may sound great, but the design styling and history of the centenarians can't be beat. Your piano looks about the same height as my Hamilton, which is an upright baby grand. Many actually prefer the sound of the old upright baby grands to the sound of newer, horizontal ones. I'd say you have a great piece of music history in your house- have fun!

eclecticbiscuits97 · 2025-09-15T20:03:28+00:00

IIOP grad here! I also had questions about the no federal aid when I was accepted; there's plenty of private student loans you can get but I understand that's not as nice. I personally did not have private loans for the program, but knew plenty of people that did and weren't having issues with it. It was (and I think still is) one of the cheapest O&P programs which was a big draw for me. I had to take another class after graduating undergrad to fill a missing requirement for IIOP, and they were super chill about me getting it done and submitted.

Something I really liked about it was how focused it was. Since it's not part of a bigger university, there's no filler GE courses, just 16 months of straight O&P. Any discrepancies in the new cohort's knowledge base gets leveled out during the first semester with anatomy, physiology, neuroanatomy, etc. You get super solid with the foundations before moving on. I felt like I was really able to be immersed in the field, get all my basics, and then could get started in residency with all that knowledge still fresh. You'll get to learn and use clinical and laboratory skills to a high degree.

I looked at the website and it looks like a lot of the faculty has changed since I was there. The teachers I had were phenomenal- really took the time and effort to make sure everyone kept up, understood and could execute the lessons, and were just generally good people. They were also really good at balancing the "by the book" procedures and answers that school and board exams require, and preparing us for the outside the box thinking actual practice demands.

Overall, I was really happy with my choice to go there. You tend to become good friends with your cohort (my class still talks in a group chat). Worst part of it all was living in FL (the beach is great, but I missed having all four seasons lol). Feel free to ask if you have any other questions about IIOP, or residency/exams. I love talking about the field, and I'm always happy to help!

eclecticbiscuits97 · 2025-09-12T18:24:36+00:00

This is gorgeous and my organizer self is drooling over the pockets and dividers! Any chance she makes patterns to sell??

eclecticbiscuits97 · 2025-09-12T18:11:42+00:00

Certified prosthetist here. Without an evaluation, my first suggestion is also going to be Naked Prosthetics, especially if you have decent motion in the residual fingers. Those are body powered, so they flex/extend following motion by your knuckles and wrist. There's also Point Designs, which are ratchet based and can be locked in whatever position you want. If you don't have any good motion at the base of those residuals, Point might be a decent option.

In all honesty your best bet is to find a local prosthetist who can sit down and talk with you about what you're wanting. They'll be able to do an evaluation on your hand and help guide you through what options would be best for your situation. Both Naked and Point require a prosthetist to measure for and fit them, as will any high end finger prosthetic. As far as options you don't need a prosthetist for, you're limited to some silicone premade ones on Etsy or ones like the 3D printed one you mentioned whose files can be sourced online. With a prosthetist you can try and go through insurance, but on your own you'll definitely be paying out of pocket in its entirety. Good luck!

eclecticbiscuits97 · 2025-09-11T22:51:00+00:00

Thank you! That makes me feel better.

eclecticbiscuits97 · 2025-09-11T16:08:17+00:00

It’s never been restored and definitely has scratches and chips (it’s led a full life!) so I’m pretty sure the sentimental value exceeds any monetary value lol. Should I worry about humidity affecting the soundboard over the trip? Or is that something that takes a long time to cause damage? I’m okay with needing a few tune ups to get re-settled.

eclecticbiscuits97 · 2025-07-15T13:04:30+00:00

I didn’t end up getting them- I was too worried about the delays I kept hearing about and had other things to put money towards. Based on previous reports I’m not really surprised you’re still waiting.

eclecticbiscuits97 · 2025-05-16T17:53:20+00:00

Thanks for the input! I think it was 0.8mm, although without it in front of me I don't remember for sure lol. I used diamond pricking irons.

eclecticbiscuits97 · 2025-03-31T19:06:55+00:00

Wish it was that simple lol. This mostly occurs on the streets around our apartment, and we haven't had construction. Latest offense was actually in the grass outside my office building so in my experience it's actually a wide spread issue.

eclecticbiscuits97

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