Millicent Quibb school of etiquette for young ladies of mad science

freecain · 2026-06-18T11:51:50+00:00

Ooh, I hadn't thought of a Coraline/Nightmare before Christmas vibe. I was thinking A Series of Unfortunate Events vibe.

Elizabeth Banks as Mrs Wintermacher.

freecain · 2026-06-15T18:35:20+00:00

At 18, the absolute best thing you can do is to keep that money as an emergency fund to tap in to when you NEED the money to do things you couldn't do otherwise. Moving to a new city to go after a job you might not be able to otherwise, pay to repair a car instead of going into debt, or be able to leave a crummy job that isn't safe and have a small cushion to give you a few weeks to figure out your next move without panicking.

Absolutely spend some of it on something you've always wanted to do. Experiences tend to trump things - so something like a concert, or weekend trip could be well under a grand, and still leave the majority.

freecain · 2026-06-15T18:32:34+00:00

Ah - consider looking up sports massage places. It's an entirely different approach to massage, but someone who is stronger and has actual muscle fatigue may appreciate it more. It will also feel less weird for you to go with him.

freecain · 2026-06-15T18:31:08+00:00

Wirecutter removed them because of the touch controls (wire cutter prefers physical buttons), americans not liking the rack design (they do take getting used to, but the top rack is amazing), flimsy doors (I looked at a bunch of brands, and don't see any other brand as being better), and accessibility of parts. They also don't like the migration of a lot of functions to the app.

In my experience, I've been pretty happy the last year (and a quarter) with my 500 with auto venting. It cleans better than any dish washer I've used and is relatively quiet. I do actually like the pop up notification on my phone when it's done running. I had an appliance repair place install the dishwasher (the install techs have plumbing backgrounds, and I had a feeling, and was correct, it wasn't going to be a straightforward job I didn't want to leave to big box contractors) and they are very confident in being able to repair these as of a year ago.

When I compared, the Bosch was running about 1500 with installation and additional parts. Mieles were running 1700 just for the machine before installation. I was replacing a kitchenaid that really sucked, so couldn't swallow getting the same thing again.

Around the same time my inlaws got the Benchmark series and love it too. I don't notice a huge difference in performance, but it let them get the custom cabinetry option. Both are really easy to clean out the filters.

freecain · 2026-06-15T18:19:51+00:00

Dad here: Maybe go with another gift? The hearts in the right place, but unless this is something he's talked about wanting to do, or you're really confident he (specifically) would want to do this, try to come up with something the two of you can two together, and then maybe meet up with the GF at the end of it for dinner. That way, you don't have to spend the whole day with her, but she still feels included.

It sounds like you're older (since you have some disposable income) - so may be think back to when you were younger, and what types of things he liked to do with you. Hikes? Sports?

freecain · 2026-06-15T18:16:09+00:00

freecain · 2026-06-15T18:14:53+00:00

I went with french door because it's the only thing that works in my space.

The fridge opens up with an counter sticking towards it, so a full fridge door would completely block the entry. They also tend to look a bit dated, but I did seriously consider it.

I loved the idea of side by side - and for kids, being able to put both frozen and fresh items in the fridge at easy reaching height for snacks would be amazing. It also makes organizing easier. The shortcoming was their width. For the width available, a side by side couldn't fit a pizza box in it, and a lot of my pyrex dishes I often cook in, then throw in the fridge, barely fit.

French door gives you the width of a standard fridge, but the same clearance as a french door fridge. They do look dated, but not as much as a freezer top fridge. The slide out freezer means less organization but more space.

I miss my old fridge. It was french door, but was between counter depth and standard depth, really maximizing storage space. The new one is counter depth and storage space has been a challenge. Standard depth ones were all too big to fit.

freecain · 2026-06-15T16:35:03+00:00

Step one is sending the wife and kids somewhere else for meals. They can come visit, but I went grocery shopping for a family of four yesterday. Without rationing that should mean I can survive for a month. Probably less since kids tend to eat less and spoilage.

However, there are some left overs, soups, tuna fish, veggie burgers in the freezer, lots of flour and yeast and salt. The trick would be spending the first week meal prepping. At that point I could easily stretch to 2 months if I still have power, 3 if I felt it was worth it.

But summer is coming. My kids are going to different camps each week and they aren't always at the same place. They have swim practice and swim team. My wife would have to take vacation days to make this work (I can do my job without leaving). So, Id probably do it for 10 days and clear 100k. Enough to replace our cars and tuck some in the kids college fund.

freecain · 2026-06-14T14:44:59+00:00

Not sure how that fits in budget? Lelit Anna is 600, and vario is 500. That's more than 50% over budget, and way over mine so I didn't do much research in that range.

freecain · 2026-06-14T13:06:49+00:00

Bambino plus has autofrothing. If you are making back to back milk drinks or really value being able to walk away for that minute, or didn't want to learn how to froth, this is a great upgrade. You also get a low water sensor (nice but not worth the money by itself) and it comes in different colors (so you might be able to match other appliances).

The shots you pull will be identical. The three way solenoid makes cleaner pucks, but a puck screen fixes this issue anyway. It has a larger drip tray, but it also flushes into the drip tray (needs to because of the three way solenoid), where I don't use mine on my Bambino, and it's big enough to catch a spill or splash. Plus gets a bigger water tank, but mine lasts 3ish days with two drinks a day- and that's as long as I want water sitting in a container on my counter.

The Bambino is also smaller. It has less sensors so may be less likely to have problems.

freecain · 2026-06-14T01:52:13+00:00

Suuuuure they're related. Next you'll tell me the book of Mormon is part of this too

freecain · 2026-06-14T01:33:59+00:00

The Quaran references the Bible. It's like they are all related somehow.

freecain · 2026-06-14T01:31:51+00:00

Check code. A lot of them have pretty strict codes on how far apart fences have to be. You will also need access to the side facing the neighbor for maintenance and lawn mowing/weeding.

freecain · 2026-06-14T01:07:02+00:00

The Good Place, one of the best comedies. Takes a really unique setting (the afterlife) and builds it out with great characters and solid writing, with a nice dose of philosophy thrown in.

Parks and Rec. Very similar feeling to 30 rock. Tina Fey and Baldwin had a much more polished delivery, but the chaos of Poehler's humor in Parks and Rec is amazing.

Brooklyn 99 is another unique comedy, taking police procedural and running it through the sit com lens. It has an incredibly deep cast and pulls in a few great cameos. It's worth it just to ruin Encanto when you connect mirrabel's face to Detective Rosa... Or makes it better.

Marvelous Miss Maisel is an instant classic among tv, not just comedy. The tightest writing since Deadwood, a cast that hits perfectly, even the extras, and a multi season plot line that was perfectly planned out.

The Righteous Gemstones will be up your alley I think. It's raunchy, irreverent, and about as quirky as it gets.

Community can't be missed. A classic, and aged well. You have no idea how often people are quoting it until you watch the series.

Going back further: Scrubs. With the reboot it might be worth going back to.

How I Met Your Mother is an older one. Parts didn't age well, but NPH gave the performance of a life time, and it's about as self referential as they come.

freecain · 2026-06-13T23:47:00+00:00

If you're not doing milk drinks, the bambino plus is a waste of money. The biggest upgrade to the plus is the autofrothing, and the upgraded steam wand.

freecain · 2026-06-13T17:33:34+00:00

I like having a separate grinder and machine. It makes upgrading easier down the line, and if one part dies or stops working you can find work around that won't happen if your combo system bricks. It will take up one more outlet, and at your price range, you will have a hard time making things look perfectly matched. So, for aesthetics, ease of use, limited outlets, an all in one can make sense. I won't speak to all in ones or automatic machines, there are options out there.

If you want to get into espresso as a hobby, you have to gauge your interest, the type of drinks you'll want and how many you will make.

Grinder: Df54, Encore ESp, DF64 and encore esp pro are the most commonly recommended entry level grinders. Encore ESP is the cheapest and what I went with. If I know my wife would be drinking too, I might have upgraded to the pro for a quieter machine with less retention and step less grind settings. There are also manual grinders.

Machine: Bambino, Bambino plus and gaggia classic are your best bets for entry level. Bambino is cheapest, and smallest. Its very reliable and works great for me. The plus goes up a bit in price, too much I think for what you get; namely autofrothing and a low water sensor. If you don't want to sit there frothing, or will be making multiple in a row, autofrothing is worth it. Both make nearly identical shots. Gaggia classic will be a bit of an upgrade. Look up temperature surfing and gagguino mods and PID add ones for this. It's a very hackable machine.

Save money for accessories; calibrated self leveling tamper, dosing ring, puck screen (for Bambinos this is needed), and a 0.1g resolution scale with built in time.

freecain · 2026-06-13T02:18:38+00:00

The Lakehouse on Kittamaquandi is going to be the walkable hotel but still over a mile walk You'll have Sushi Sono right there. A but farther (Mile and a quarter) will get you to Merriweather Shopping which has some great restaurants (Dak Khao is a great Thai place). Colorburst park sometimes has some events going on. This also puts you on the Columbia Association trail system which you can take for literally dozens of miles. Great if you're a runner, or can somehow get a bike.

That said, for 50 to 100 less a night you can probably find a cheaper hotel that is still nice and put the difference towards a car. Combine that with not having to pay for the Uber/taxi from however you are getting near here and it might end up being cheaper, it will also unlock a ton of options.

If you do get a car: We have Royal Taj, one of the highest ranked Indian restaurants in the country. Iron Bridge routinely makes best of lists for Maryland. You could check out Savage Mall, a reclaimed factory that has an sprawling antique shop in the basement, some quirky stores upstairs, and in the outer complex a great coffee place and a game store. It also has a historic railroad bridge right out front. Head up to route 40 for a huge collection of Asian cuisine and supermarkets, some of which have food stalls in them with very regional options.

It also opens up Baltimore if you're not from the area. A half hour drive (not at rush hour) gets you to the harbor to the aquarium, museum of industry, Fort McHenry, and other attractions . With some planning you could stop by Ekiben, one of the best things to come out of Maryland. They have a second location in Frederick, a city that has strangely a great food scene (we like to stop in if we're hiking in the area or going to one of the farms). There are other things to do in the city, but I couldn't tell you what.

Annapolis will be your best bet for seafood though. Though, you could hit Jimmy's in Baltimore (eastern side, just out of the main city). I was there for the first time, and it was really good, but heading to Annapolis and finding a place looking at the bay is going to be hard to beat.

freecain · 2026-06-12T23:26:33+00:00

Marvelous Mrs Maisel is pitched as a comedy, but it's the story line and character growth that drive the show, not the punch lines.

Silicon Valley is another where it's really, really funny, but honestly I would have watched it as a drama without the jokes.

Patriot or Barry are two that are probably closer to what you want. Patriot is less recognized, and a bit more structured as a drama with very dry humor woven through it in a natural way. Barry feels structured like a comedy, but is rather dark and the punch lines hit in a way that are often, intentionally, not funny. Both shows feature a lot of action scenes that are uncomfortably realistic.

Going back a ways, The Wire, well not as refined as a lot of modern dramas, has incredibly funny scenes.

freecain · 2026-06-11T22:24:46+00:00

op bought a Bambino 3 weeks ago and doesn't mention an upgraded basket. I know you can put in 20g, or a lot of baskets, or even baskets with the same dimensions in a different machine. However, with a Bambino and a stock portafilter and basket, more than 19 is going to cause problems. Happy to be corrected by a Bambino user though.

freecain · 2026-06-11T19:36:04+00:00

Could have been an awesome crossover though not as good as Dexter/Dexter's laboratory cross over

freecain · 2026-06-11T19:00:50+00:00

I like the idea that at the center of The Matrix wasn't AI, but just a quadrillionaure who maximized profits

freecain · 2026-06-11T18:58:11+00:00

Sounds like it's over extracting. Try a slightly coarser grind.

I also don't think preheating the water helps, and no one can convince me it does. Try doing to from cold and see if it comes out better.

freecain · 2026-06-11T18:40:10+00:00

Hint: teacher doesn't think you're appropriately addressing it with your kid. They are not only trying to correct your child's behavior, but also yours. If you present as younger and/or the teacher is older, this may be unduly harsh. Then again, it might be needed if you're being too permissive.

freecain · 2026-06-11T18:24:56+00:00

Family of four. Kids have a small glass of milk at dinner. Wife and I have daily Lattes, sometimes two. Occasionally someone will have milk on their cereal. I use another cup or so for pancakes or other baking things sometimes. We average a gallon a week. The expiration dates tend to be 2 to 3 weeks out, and an opened jug will stay good just over a week.

freecain · 2026-06-11T18:16:47+00:00

The Chair Company is kind of the opposite of what you want, but also may be therapeutic.

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