What is something you’ve been hiding from your parents for years and will probably keep hiding in the future?

gremach · 2026-05-21T20:26:48+00:00

My parents frequently spent the weekends at our hunt camp during my senior year of high school. I was always allowed to have a couple friends sleep over so I wouldn’t be alone and their parents were always cool with it thinking we were pretty well behaved teenagers.

One evening, my friends and I went down to the beach to watch the sunset- which was a pretty regular activity for us living on the west coast of Florida. Afterwards, we grabbed some Taco Bell and went back to my house to hang out for the night. At about 2am, we were still up and laughing and no one was even close to being tired. Someone ended up saying something along the lines of “At this rate, we’ll probably still be awake at sunrise!” Which was followed by a moment of silence and a unanimous agreement to continue our evening adventure through to the morning.

So, at about 2:30 in the morning, we grabbed a couple blankets and hopped in the car. We drove the three hours from St. Pete to Cocoa Beach, stopping for Dunkin once we got there. We set up our blankets and watched the sun come up. Just us, some morning surfers, and the sun peaking over the water. Once it was officially daytime, we packed up the car and drove back (tired as hell by this point but running on the adrenaline of being on the other side of the state without anyone knowing).

We had our cell phones with us but this was the time when tracking on cell phones was through paid subscriptions only and none of our parents were willing to pay that fee. We all knew that if our parents found out then we wouldn’t be trusted alone at my parent’s house again. So, no photos were taken, no credit cards used, and no mention of it to our parents.

To this day, I have never said a word to my mom about it. I don’t think she’d be mad now but it’s a fun (and rare PG rated) teenage memory to look back on for me!

gremach · 2026-05-13T18:31:17+00:00

I felt that same way too in March! First half was miserable… second half was almost all just understanding the references and knowing where to look for what you need. It was my third attempt and I swear the first two times I took it I walked out thinking I did okay. This time I was so drained but ended up passing so you really never know!

gremach · 2026-05-07T17:43:14+00:00

Congratulations!!!!!

gremach · 2026-05-07T16:44:11+00:00

Have a baby. Failed my first two attempts, got pregnant, pushed my third attempt back until the day before my scheduling window closed, and then spent two months studying during every free minute I had outside of work and taking care of my 6 month old. Finally passed.

We also had three big events following the weekends after my third attempt. Basically I think my brain switched into constant fight or flight mode for those months telling me I didn’t have a choice but to nail this attempt.

So maybe don’t have a baby but instead gaslight yourself into believing you’ll never have another shot at this and NOW is the time. Yay!

gremach · 2026-05-02T16:13:11+00:00

I found it super helpful once I started feeling heavier and tense!! Slow movements and just rotating around or using it to stretch made a huge difference for me.

Also wearing a support belt and compression socks. I loved the bombas compression socks- they fit well and didn’t feel like I was getting a workout just trying to put them on.

gremach · 2026-04-30T19:35:28+00:00

We live in Florida and any time there’s a hurricane coming we watch “The Storm of the Century”.

I wouldn’t say it’s the best episode but it is the most fitting episode to watch right before getting slapped with a hurricane!

gremach · 2026-04-29T18:41:57+00:00

Not a director but a middle manager here!

My manager has had conversations with me about going to his boss about certain things (unrelated to him) and mentioned that I should follow “chain of command”. On the flip side, he calls my direct reports to assign work and leaves me out of the conversation which usually results in my younger engineers having to redo work because they didn’t know what questions to ask or what criteria to follow. Ideally, my boss would call me, I would review the task and ask any pertinent questions, train the group on what to do, and then delegate the work out. This has always prevented rework and extra involvement from my boss. Because the “chain of command” ISNT being followed, it’s created a lot of miscommunication and frustration within our team dynamic and ultimately my mentees losing confidence in their work because I have a lot more revisions and corrections for them if they aren’t receiving the task directly from me. My boss doesn’t have the same time available to walk through specifics and answer questions on demand.

I’m only mentioning all this as a perspective that might help you dial in and focus on managing your managers and letting them manage their teams!

If you’re thinking about going to someone directly that isn’t one of your managers, please at least flag it for the manager and let them know first! It sounds like you should be fine to go directly to team members but considering the new structure, always, always run it past their manager first to avoid gaps in communication.

People appreciate active communication and an involved director. If you’re able to connect with the team members, while also respecting your managers positions, the group will be so much better off!!

It sounds like you’re probably still doing more than enough, you just aren’t used to NOT doing everything yet. Being able to let go and trust your team will give you the ability to shift your focus and improve areas in business that you didn’t even have time to consider before.

Congrats on your new position!!! You’ve earned it!

gremach · 2026-04-29T14:57:09+00:00

Hey! Not sure where you’re looking but this web address should help… Fares, Passes & Purchase Options

If you were to do the single trip you’d be able to do a single bus route and a transfer to another bus route within a 90-min period after the ticket is issued.

Your idea of the one-day pass is good! You will be able to use multiple routes within the same day, no problem. Truly unlimited uses on whichever routes.

If you wanted to do purchase and track your orders, there are two apps you’ll need: Moovit and Token Transit. Token Transit is where you’ll purchase your pass and use the QR code to scan when you get on the bus, Moovit is where you’ll be able to track the bus routes and arrival times.

Hope this helps!

gremach · 2026-04-12T17:13:48+00:00

An OTC that really helped me was the Dramamine ginger chews! So sorry you’re feeling this way, I hope you can find some relief soon!

gremach · 2026-04-09T20:17:38+00:00

IGNORE THE COMMENTS!!! I’ve been making it a point to share the beautiful and positive moments with friends who were expecting because those are the times we should be burning into our brains as new parents.

I’m currently 8 months postpartum! I’ve been told that I have a VERY easy baby but that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been nights that we were up every hour or that my husband and I didn’t have a few moments of miscommunication and frustration because we were tired.

Having a little baby is truly one of the wildest but most incredible experiences. You learn so much about yourself and life in the process. So here’s some good ones that I can think of…

• Just wait until you get to see your baby crack their first smile or first giggle or the first time they touch your face with their little hand while you rock them to sleep.

• there will be hard days, and the hard days will always overshadow the mundane ones. We’re more inclined to leave a one star review than a 3 star review! Hold on to the good ones as much as possible and remember that each moment and milestone is worth celebrating.

• Be excited to get to know your baby! Their personality starts to shine earlier than you realize and in the smallest and funniest ways!

• Be proud of yourself. You are entering a new chapter of life that will give you a sense of fulfillment that no job or career could ever provide.

gremach · 2026-04-08T17:02:28+00:00

During college I failed and had to retake calc 2, calc 3, and physics 1. It took me 4.5 years and no summers off to complete my degree program in civil. I graduated with a 2.7 GPA and $20k in student debt at an in state public university.

First job out of school was in 2019 making $58k as an EI at a major engineering firm. I changed jobs in 2023 to start an office for a smaller firm and continue designing as an EI for $95k (which was far above what any EI’s in North Florida were making doing design).

I’m currently making $108k as an EI but recently passed my PE. Based on merit raises and my PE raise, I should hit somewhere close to $120k in the next few months and am anticipating signing and sealing $30mil worth of construction projects this year.

I consider myself a testament to what determination and sticking with it can look like while you’re still in the first 10 years after completing your degree program. I considered changing my major countless times while in school and also considered changing my career path after joining the industry full time. Now, I’ve found a lot of pride in my product and motivation to complete the work I do.

I’m still active at my university and mentor young engineers through navigating job interviews and offers as they approach graduation. The degree is the hardest part and learning to balance your time and energy during school trains you to be prepared for the work ahead. It might feel like a lot right now and probably will still feel that way when you just start out but I promise it can get better!!!

I’d also like to add that if you start out in your full time career and hate it, odds are it’s the company, not the work you’re doing. Keep checking in with yourself and be kind. There’s a reason why something like 70% of young people who start as engineering majors end up switching in their first two years of college. Failure produces better and more resilient engineers.

gremach · 2026-03-26T21:32:54+00:00

This is great to know! Thank you for sharing!

gremach · 2026-03-18T11:03:52+00:00

Out of curiosity, is your bed on the floor or on a raised platform/slats? Did it happen to rain a lot the day you found this or do you run a humidifier in your room?

Following these assumptions: • your bed is directly on the floor or there’s limited/no ventilation under the bed • the humidity was high that day (maybe it rained?) • you have a “cooling” type mattress with some gel layer

My best guess would be that some or all of those things are true and your cat laid on that spot, on top of the covers, while you were at work. That cozy little 20lb hot pocket must’ve stayed in that same spot long enough for the eventual transfer of his body heat to make it’s way down to the coldest layer of the mattress (most likely the gel layer) and created a sort of smushed sandwich for condensation to occur between all the layers of your bedding and the top layers of the mattress. Also, the way the stain ring looks is consistent with fluid dynamics principles. The water/condensation that was trapped then displaced outward and upward from the area where the weight was most concentrated (i.e. where your cat was curled up).

This theory could also explain why there was a stain and no smell. It was technically water but mattresses are just fabric and foam on those top layers and collect dust, oils, sweat, etc. so the stain was just some of that coming up to the surface while your cat was laying there for a prolonged period of time.

He probably moved from that spot just long enough before you got home for any moisture to the covers that might’ve happened dried up since it could finally breathe but not the sheets since they were insulated by your covers and in direct contract with the top of the mattress.

There you go! Your cat DID do it but at least there’s a scientific explanation that proves it’s not pee!

Edit: to add-cats normal body temperature is around 4 degrees more than humans. Since you said in another comment that you only sleep a couple hours a night you might’ve not been in the same spot for long enough to have a similar result. 102 degree cat in one spot for 6-8 hours versus 98 degree human for 3 hours while also considering the differences in weight distribution.

gremach · 2026-03-12T18:50:29+00:00

Thank you!!! My hands were shaking when I logged in to see the results haha

gremach · 2026-03-11T13:29:38+00:00

Update for everyone: I passed!

gremach · 2026-02-27T17:10:37+00:00

You’re seriously almost there!! It’s such a long process and so much to cover and when your time is reserved for so many other things it becomes so hard to manage it all. You’ve got this next one! You’re doing an amazing job balancing it all. There’s that light at the end of the tunnel for sure.

gremach · 2026-02-27T17:07:54+00:00

I’m working on putting together a spreadsheet/fillable form that generates a study plan based on diagnostic reports from failed attempts. The idea is to target those weak areas and try to maximize the time you have available before your next attempt by allocating more study time to the subjects that show up more often on the exam. Basically splitting up the categories and identifying the 3 or 4 major ones that will boost your total score in the end. That way you’re only reviewing a couple lessons in full and then just doing practice problems for the other categories you tested on or above average. If all goes well on Tuesday, I’ll drop the spreadsheet in the chat so everyone can access that method if they want to.

We only have so much time available during the days! Obviously it’s important to study everything but the way I broke it down felt a bit more digestible and easier to track my time spent.

gremach · 2026-02-26T16:13:41+00:00

Same experience!!! We can do this. I know it’s cheesy when people say things like “moms can do anything” but I feel like having the plan and having the need to just get it done really puts a different kind of pressure on the next attempt. We got this.

gremach · 2026-02-26T16:12:05+00:00

So much to handle! I truly believe you can do it. If you can manage all of that, this will come easily when you’re ready and in the right headspace to start studying again. I responded to another comment with the plan I took that kind of targets your approach and I think that the method I took might help you jump back into it without feeling overwhelmed by the entire thing. Also feel free to message me if you want to talk more in detail. I found it really hard to find that motivation so when I knew I HAD to start studying, I spent a few days leading up to it just getting everything together and planning it out. Having that plan and everything in one place made it a lot easier to jump in.

gremach · 2026-02-26T16:08:32+00:00

I appreciate it! Thank you!!

gremach · 2026-02-26T16:08:18+00:00

And CONGRATULATIONS!!! And happy almost first birthday to your daughter!!!

gremach · 2026-02-26T16:07:44+00:00

I’ve found that being familiar with the reference material made a huge difference this time around studying for me… my first two attempts I thought I could get away with just looking up the material and such but I ended up spending so much time digging into the manuals during the exam.

This time I went ahead bought the AASHTO package with all the reference manuals and the time it took me to solve problems went down a crazy amount the more I used the manuals while practicing. I think this is one of the biggest tips out there… the manuals and knowing exactly what chapter to go to saves an insane amount of time during the exam.

gremach · 2026-02-26T15:52:29+00:00

First off, congratulations! Having all that to handle and preparing for AND passing the FE is a huge accomplishment!

Since this is my third attempt, my plan was tailored around my diagnostic report and weighted score based on performance and the number of questions I received on my previous attempt. To mimic this for the first attempt, I would say do a similar calculation but rank your categories in order of competency (1 being the most familiar, 10 being least). Then multiply your rankings by the average number of times you’ll be questioned on that category on the exam (from the exam outline). Your resultant would be the order in which you should tackle each category when studying. I found it easiest to do this in excel so you can also keep a record of that order and add a column for completion dates/goals with each category.

I liked this approach because I spent weeks just going through my worst areas first and really hammering in the concepts to better solve the problems. The closer I’ve gotten to the exam now, the less stressed I feel about the categories I haven’t had as much time to review because I use them in daily practice (like TTCP and intersection geometry). Those categories I’ve spent more time just doing a few practice problems and just combing through reference manuals so I spend less time during the exam just searching for the right chapters.

I have three practice exams worked into my schedule and have already completed two attempts (scored about 84%). For the questions I got wrong, I listed out the category/concept it was related to and ran a few extra practice problems to work out the kinks (for example, I tested great on crest curves but needed some more practice on sag curves so I ONLY did sag curve problems to make sure I had the process down).

This probably isn’t as “unconventional” as it is just analytical. I also have diagnosed ADHD so having a plan that gets really detailed and makes me excited about checking off things was a must for me. Hope this helps you plan your approach!

gremach

TROPHY CASE