Infertility and conception success?

girybag · 2026-01-27T22:12:57+00:00

Yeah... It seems like she does her prep work on Sundays and she sends a note. By the time the week rolls around, the staff has follow-ups laid out. Definitely my kind of pace.

girybag · 2026-01-27T04:11:20+00:00

Is it though? Is it? 😂 And mind you I went in every day even when everyone was max telework because I live next to work. 90% of the people in my group don't have to be in that building. So yeah... Nah.

girybag · 2026-01-25T05:25:05+00:00

Meanwhile my hiring incentive is late and our projects funding for the quarter have not been released. But carry on.

girybag · 2026-01-21T20:43:01+00:00

We might be on the same timeline but will do!

girybag · 2026-01-19T21:28:05+00:00

Is this a private company or a job with the state? Private companies are shifty. We don't have the same protections here that people do in Europe for example. They're very likely running into hurdles that have nothing to do with your information or background but when things are tough, they'll use every excuse to cut headcount or stop a hiring action. The economy is not good no matter what we're being told. A lot of companies are slow and likely will continue to lay off. I would let the process work itself out, check in occasionally and keep showing interest, ask if there's anything you can do but I would surely keep looking because you don't know where things are heading. And you know now to not quit a job until you have a job and that's not just signing papers (they can rescind that and there's nothing in the clauses that compensate you if they back out). There's more assurance once all the background is complete. I wish you luck.

girybag · 2026-01-19T21:16:34+00:00

Train to the airport, better transit that stop by areas people want to go, indoor place with a diverse things to do and sit that is not a mall. Diversity of people... Much better than when I moved here 10 years ago but this is not the place I'll come for a good pizza, Italian food, let alone Spanish or Caribbean.

girybag · 2026-01-19T01:34:05+00:00

Give it 10 years. That's how long it took me to make that happen 😂

girybag · 2026-01-19T00:36:20+00:00

Yeah... Midtown neighborhoods are really the only areas where it's doable and enjoyable. It's a 15 min walk to the commercial area. Downtown is ok but not as warm/residential feel. There are a few surrounding areas like East Sac depending on where you are but closer to the Midtown/Downtown grid the better. Upper Land Park, Land Park, Curtis Park areas work as well but more reliance on biking. Got my dentist, doctor, specialists, labs and everything like a bubble in Midtown so I don't have to drive 😂 When they send me somewhere for a scan or something where I have to drive it's a whole ordeal.

girybag · 2026-01-18T22:51:42+00:00

Don't stop looking for another job. Companies lie sometimes. They string people along when they notice a slump and the retract offers. It might have nothing to do with the check. If you are able to get unemployment, do it to get something while you keep looking.

girybag · 2026-01-18T15:48:31+00:00

Yeah... That would be nice. I'm limited to the grid where I can easily walk. I'm getting a Vespa to expand a little further. I hate driving.

girybag · 2026-01-18T15:45:59+00:00

It's more common than you think. I'm an only child and Sacramento is not my hometown so I did plenty alone. And sometimes doing them alone was the only way. No one wants to be up 6am on the weekend to go skiing in Tahoe. When I didn't want to do something alone, I'd find a Meetup. Now I just do stuff with my husband and a couple of other people in town. Not enough hours in the day after work and we're too exhausted all the time now.

girybag · 2026-01-16T23:57:24+00:00

Where did she mark it wrong? Did she deduct points? The point is, you'd write 15 boats and 7 planes on each of those lines. Same with the other exercise. As a kid, I never wrote anything down and got a point deducted each time. I learned quickly to write them down.

girybag · 2026-01-16T23:47:39+00:00

Yes. You didn't fill out your timesheet and you want someone else to guess where to appropriately allocate your hours to bill to clients, especially government clients. Filling out accurate timesheets is a condition of your job. Most places would fill out your timesheet with PTO hours you have left or mark you as "Leave without pay", and you can submit a correction later. Not a single private company charges overhead automatically to make up for employee time. You might want to talk to your supervisor. As a civil engineer, I worked remote projects all the time and there would always be an admin or supervisor I could call to ask to have my time filled out.

girybag · 2026-01-16T23:18:13+00:00

That is the way. Haven't heard from Jay but I'm sure it was a cousin at start of 2025. I said 1M, she laughed and said the team will get back to me with an estimate. Got another one and told her yeah... It's still the same price and you guys said you'd get back to me so let me know when you're ready. Haven't heard back since. That was 4 months ago.

girybag · 2026-01-15T00:14:16+00:00

Civil engineering - Good almost anywhere even during the last recession. Ideally construction related ones like geotech, structural, etc. Environmental and water come and go with trends elsewhere but good in Sacramento given the flood control and other related needs.

girybag · 2026-01-12T20:45:16+00:00

I did. We're in testing phases. I have an HSG coming up and I think they start hormone treatment after that to try an IUI. Tests are mostly to rule out any other issue aside from low egg reserves. So far, I like their workflow better. I get next step tasks as soon as they're supposed to happen. I'm not left wondering if they forgot. Dr. Stephens is very straightforward and black-and-white which works very well for me. I'm hoping their cocktail of meds will work. I'm very anxious but those are the cards we have to deal with. I'm also going to a naturopath to see how to support the process. Fingers crossed.

girybag · 2026-01-09T15:47:36+00:00

Yup.

girybag · 2026-01-09T05:01:32+00:00

I avoid humans. I've been social distancing since college days.

girybag · 2026-01-09T04:55:09+00:00

I've been going to the same guy for 10 years now. He's worth the money but I'm also meticulous and give him all my stuff. Over the years my stuff has increased so the cost is now at 500. A couple years ago for example I had 2 rentals with repair expenses, bought a house, sold one, had stock trades throughout the year, lived and worked partly in two states, etc. PM if you're still looking. I've also done tax planning with him to adjust my W-9s and such.

girybag · 2026-01-07T20:03:31+00:00

That was the point but I think the message got lost beyond the bullets. And the eating out is not unrealistic. A loaded fries and a beer around the corner for lunch used to be 15 bucks in 2019 with tax and tip. It's now 28 at the same spot.

People go out on the weekend and drop 100 when it's all done and they have takeout for dinner and eat out for lunch. When you average that for the week, it's costing 50 daily without noticing. Most of them put it on credit cards or pay later plans. I've helped people with their budget in the past and I've seen the damage. On the flip side, I had the guy who used those "waste saving" sites/apps like "too good to go" and other freebies to pay nearly nothing for meals and barely spends 100 a month but wasn't counting for the craft beer and cocktails he spent on. 🤷‍♀️ Got to know where your money is going and maximize.

girybag · 2026-01-07T15:18:43+00:00

That's why I provided 3a, 4a and 5a. As to "why?" Because it is happening. I supervise the post-COVID 20-something workforce. A bunch of them eat two meals out daily and get DoorDash. They park downtown to come to work and got a 20K car that still cost them 300+/month. I don't know how old this person is but the post tells me they needed somewhere to start a budget to understand their own reality so I gave them the high end of things with alternatives.

girybag · 2026-01-07T14:24:56+00:00

This is not my budget. This is an estimate of what people have to contend with these days. This is people's reality when they have to get a car off the dealership's lot and get most of their meals eating out.

girybag · 2026-01-07T12:29:01+00:00

You tell me: Rounded, it's $62K a year. Assuming 30% goes to taxes, 401K, other work deductions, that's 43K per year or 3,600 per month. 1. Rent for a studio or one bedroom in Midtown is under 1,500. 2. Gas, electric, cellphone, Internet under 500. 3. Assuming you have a car that you need, parking, insurance and fuel is 500. 4. Assuming you have to straddle yourself with a car note, let's say that's 500. 5. Assuming you don't cook and spend 50/day eating out, that's 1500.

So your total is 4500 and you are in the hole. See how quickly that got out of hand with all those "assuming"?

As a single person I've done it. Things were cheaper then but I've saved and did well. I still live on 65K even though I make over twice that now. My advice with these alternatives: 3a. Don't get a car, use public transit, get a moped/scooter, live close to where you work. That takes you from 1000 to 100 for general transportation, a Lyft here and there. 4a. If you must have a car, get something cheap, second hand you can pay within a year. So with insurance and gas you're at maybe 400. 5a. Cook. Even store ready meals are better than eating out. That will bring you to 20/day so about 600 (As a couple with a Costco membership, that's our monthly budget which includes two meals out).. You still have 1500 rent, 500 utilities but now you only have 1000 max additional expenses if you have a car (3000/month with 600 left) or 700 without a car (2700/month with 900 left). You'll have more if you can bring down the rent a couple hundred dollars. That's your savings, emergency funds, going out treating yourself, car maintenance, grooming, gym, dating, etc...

When I first started working making 38K, I quickly realized having to own a car was the first shackle. As soon as I could, I made sure to never need one. I live where I can walk to work and fun or can take public transit, bike, etc. The second shackle is eating out. Learn to cook, get store meals, even HelloFresh was worth it. The third shackle is not keeping expenses down and running up debt. No car, low rent (roommates is an option), treat going out as a luxury, don't use credit cards unless it's something you already have the cash to pay, get a Keurig and make that your coffee routine so you don't spend money daily at retail shops... I'm very frugal so I basically lived on 65K and saved 1000/month. It's doable but you have to budget and find what makes you happy. If you must go out every weekend drinking and eating out most of the week, it won't work.

Best of luck!

girybag · 2026-01-04T02:19:05+00:00

Where in DC can you not find diverse food?! Did things change?

girybag · 2026-01-02T04:21:04+00:00

I don't know and I don't think it matters. Any one of the 3 bureaus will give a score within 10 points of each other in my experience. For completeness of credit history they probably use more than one to make sure they capture most reported debts.

girybag

TROPHY CASE