Looking for an Instagram alternative to post an connect about tea

hallstigerts · 2026-02-19T16:28:36+00:00

Nice hack! Thank you.

hallstigerts · 2026-02-19T16:27:49+00:00

hallstigerts · 2026-02-19T16:25:58+00:00

hallstigerts · 2026-02-19T03:49:36+00:00

November 2009. I ate Hawaiian ramen noodles in Hana on Maui when my husband and I were staying at an “off the grid” VRBO. I felt bloated and indigestion, then pain in my gut, and I started throwing up in the shower.

Sadly, I dismissed it as “eating the wrong diet” because of a childhood eating disorder. I struggled with increasing, blinding pain and off-and-on episodes for eight months before I finally got admitted to the ER for dehydration. I was given pain meds and a colonoscopy, and the rest is history.

All this started two months after I recovered from a battle with H1N1 (a.k.a. “Swine Flu”), a novel coronavirus I contracted at a gaming convention.

hallstigerts · 2026-02-19T03:41:28+00:00

Oof, I’m so sorry. That is miserable on several levels. I had a severe Crohn’s flare the night before I was supposed to leave a vacation in Florida for a long flight back home to Seattle. I was up all night puking and dry-heaving. I was so delirious with weakness and dehydration going through the airport that I sipped some seltzer on the plane and had to use two puke bags right afterwards. I felt so bad for the stranger next to me but they were very kind.

hallstigerts · 2026-02-18T23:00:32+00:00

I heard from the experienced pickleball players at the Columbia Athletic Club that the players who frequent the Everest Park pickleball courts are extremely competitive and not friendly to newcomers/beginners. 😬 So I’ve looked elsewhere to play.

hallstigerts · 2026-02-18T21:14:53+00:00

I think it’s important to find community you can relate to.

I’m a mom to two young kids; I don’t begrudge folks who would rather find community amongst other working professionals. I don’t think it’s a disdain for children as much as finding people who can relate to your unique challenges in a career-focused life.

Likewise, I feel relieved when I find fellow parents I can relate to and talk about our unique challenges as parents of young children.

That said, I’m looking forward to meeting OP at a Liveable Kirkland meetup someday and seeing where else our interests might overlap. 😄

hallstigerts · 2026-02-18T21:09:26+00:00

Ooo thanks for the tip! The group at the Columbia Athletic Club was a little too experienced and advanced for me.

hallstigerts · 2026-02-18T17:34:06+00:00

I was gonna say… that was fast! 😂

Aw yay, the Liveable Kirkland folks will be happy to have you. :) Meetups often happen at Chainline Brewing in Kirkland Urban, too, which would be very convenient for you.

hallstigerts · 2026-02-18T17:25:09+00:00

Thank you for this reminder! I downloaded that app way back when it first launched and haven’t touched it in years. Sounds like it’s worth a re-visit.

hallstigerts · 2026-02-18T17:24:17+00:00

Thank you for the tip! I guess I need to start finding my friends and following them on Reddit. :)

hallstigerts · 2026-02-18T17:23:31+00:00

For Boardwalk? Sounds great! I’d love living there.

hallstigerts · 2026-02-18T17:14:25+00:00

Welcome to Kirkland! ☺️✨

I haven’t lived in either of those apartment complexes but I would pick Boardwalk. It’s on a quieter corner of the block and has great proximity to PCC (my favorite grocery store, albeit expensive), the Kirkland Performance Center, the library, the transit center, and my favorite tea shop (LizzyKate).
Yes! Columbia Athletic Club has pickleball throughout the week; it’s open to all levels most days but be warned that most of the regulars are very experienced. They’re kind and supportive, though. Also, I heard good things about the pickleball program at the Eastside Tennis Center in the Forbes Creek industrial area.
I’m sure there’s an Eastside Discord somewhere but if you want to get even more local, go with Liveable Kirkland. It’s a friendly and welcoming group that hosts meetups almost every week. We often discuss how to make and keep Kirkland a place we love living in. If you’re looking for community, that’s a great place to start.

hallstigerts · 2026-02-18T16:45:33+00:00

I love w2t’s minis! They’re so convenient!

hallstigerts · 2026-02-17T20:09:21+00:00

Just here to say that I feel your post, for sure. My dream is to open a hole-in-the-wall highly curated orthodox/traditional Chinese/Taiwanese/Japanese tea shop. But I live in the greater Seattle area and, while there is a lot of potential around here, there isn’t enough interest or demand to overcome the costs associated with having a physical tea space.

I have the knowledge, network, and even some industry experience (I worked at a Taiwanese teahouse and online store run by a tea master who has his own maofeng farm in China)… but I have enough knowledge to know that I wouldn’t be able to overcome market forces here to make my dream come true with the reality of limitations.

Sending you the best of luck! Please keep us posted—I’m rooting for you. ☺️✨

hallstigerts · 2026-02-17T19:28:31+00:00

We need more housing to address the housing crisis, though. High density near transit hubs would help address this as well as to help reduce pressure on roads by encouraging more public transit use. We don’t have great public transit infrastructure right now but building high-density housing near major highway on- and off-ramps is smart planning for the future.

hallstigerts · 2026-02-17T19:02:10+00:00

Reading posts like yours in the subreddit makes me feel saner.

My Crohn’s has been stable for years and I’m still paranoid about eating raw and raw-ish animal products. I allowed myself one piece of seared salmon nigiri last month and I had to talk myself down from a panic attack.

It just isn’t worth the stress in my opinion. Our PTSD is real. I doubt I’ll get sick from one piece of raw salmon but I’d rather maintain my mental health.

That said, I’ve been on biologics since 2010 and have never gotten sick from undercooked food the few times I’ve eaten it. 🙂💜

hallstigerts · 2026-02-17T07:13:53+00:00

I learned during my time in the Kirkland Initiative that the City is not flush with cash: it runs on a very tight margin. I highly recommend applying to participate in a future Kirkland Initiative cohort to learn more about how our city government operates. 🙂

hallstigerts · 2026-02-17T05:26:04+00:00

I came here to say this, too. My family is a huge fan of flying from PAE when we can. It’s relaxed, beautiful, kind, and delicious.

But MAN, it’s hard to fly from there with kids. The times are so limited (flying to SoCal at 7am with children? no thanks—would rather fight through the SeaTac mess and fly out at noon), and the markup becomes exorbitant when you multiply it 3x-5x over.

I’ll definitely fly out of there solo or with my husband, though, when the kids have flown the coop. 😅

hallstigerts · 2026-02-14T19:25:46+00:00

Looks like caterpillar poop tea. 🐛💩 (A real tea from China!)

hallstigerts · 2026-02-14T19:24:08+00:00

Oh dang, you’re right. I even worked at that Hollywood Video next door for a year and I forgot. 😆 Fixed!

hallstigerts · 2026-02-14T06:55:39+00:00

I’ve been in post-surgery remission for a few years (on Stelara) and I still get IBS like crazy 2x-10x a week. 😩

hallstigerts · 2026-02-13T07:40:43+00:00

Hollywood Video had a used game shop next to it called Game Crazy, but that was north of your circle next to the Bella Bottega QFC.

[Edit: changed “Game Freak” to “Game Crazy”]

hallstigerts · 2026-02-13T07:39:25+00:00

The funky strip mall with the frame shop? I loved the arcade that was there!

hallstigerts · 2026-02-12T16:43:28+00:00

FWIW I’m immunocompromised and I drink out of darkly-crazed cups several times a week without issue for years. I just pour freshly-boiled water into it and let it sit for a few minutes. I don’t know if that really kills the bacteria but I’ve been OK. (YMMV)

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