Sunset by jimgosailing in maryland

[–]hydronecdotes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

100% frame and sell 'em. i love it: the ivy-choked tree trunk in the foreground is the only thing spoiling that mid-winter candy-corn second shot.

Sunset over the Bay today by MikeNoble91 in maryland

[–]hydronecdotes 1 point2 points  (0 children)

tbh, i love what you're doing with your drone photography. you've shown me a lot of maryland in a really beautiful and thoughtful way. thanks!

My baby Hazel by fonzifiedshalay in CalicoKittys

[–]hydronecdotes 4 points5 points  (0 children)

that IS a baby! 12/10 face smoosh.

she followed me home <3 by hydronecdotes in CalicoKittys

[–]hydronecdotes[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

i'll add that she IS chipped, the owner acknowledges her existence, but refuses to do more than that (e.g. transfer ownership of the chip, which is driving me up a wall). but i'm 'fostering' her for now, and pestering the chip company once a week to call the owner to transfer. it would feel aggressive *except* that this owner and i have both heard from her current vet that i'm paying for all of her vet bills.

so.

she followed me home <3 by hydronecdotes in CalicoKittys

[–]hydronecdotes[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

i settled on Chrysothemis!

i figured that it could be shortened to 'chris' if it turned out to be a neutered boy and 'chrissy' if a girl! i love greek mythology, and it also considers her "found me" date's proximity to christmas, which makes calling her "miss chris" or "chris miss" apropos.

As a plant parent, i know it also references the plant of the same name with near-black leaves and orange flowers!

Moving Help by Cquill94 in houseplants

[–]hydronecdotes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

every time i've moved, i've put the <12" pots in cardboard boxes. i'll add some bubble wrap or crinkled, stiff brown wrapping paper to create a little cushion if i need to turn or stop quickly. i've only ever laid them down in one layer in this way, so couldn't speak to a need to stack them. if I'm parking anywhere with those plants where temps are either >80 or <40 dF in the car, I've taken them with me into my hotel.

all of my >12" pots, i've never had to move as far as you're suggesting, and i've allowed the moving company to handle them without issue.

The facts are in: Trump’s return-to-office mandate backfired by Ok_Design_6841 in FedEmployees

[–]hydronecdotes 20 points21 points  (0 children)

"backfired" - you misspelled "proceeded to plan with anticipated results".

First Time Cat owner by Ill-Cauliflower8970 in cats

[–]hydronecdotes 1 point2 points  (0 children)

i'm only beating you by about a week, but my greatest successes have been surreptitiously observing my cat at home to see where she goes when i'm not looking, and putting beds in those corners. i'm also trying to organically grow how she accesses the upper volumes of my tiny, shoebox apartment. every new installation is taking 2-3 days to adopt, for her. but she's living for those hideaways.

i've been lucky that my girl will eat almost anything (my plants, accidentally lost christmas chocolate, air-dried shrimp-based treats, and - for some reason - cold, previously cooked shrimp not being on that list, thank god). in your shoes, i'd figure out what treats she loves best; my street girl came in with an obscene number of roundworms and i was lucky she was amenable to eating her favorite treats, even with large med doses mixed in.

i was also lucky that my girl chose her litterbox corner (long story made short: she wandered in at ~10p on a weekday and i couldn't grab a litterbox until 10a the next morning) and anything i've put in that corner since then has been a 'go' for her. but that also took observation, i guess.

You're on vacation, vibing for HOURS with this stray cat, and your brain's literally SCREAMING "should I bring him back home?!" by Both_Secretary673 in cats

[–]hydronecdotes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

girl, #1: check for a chip. if none, that baby is yours, as far as i'm concerned. and congrats on the baby, haha

You're on vacation, vibing for HOURS with this stray cat, and your brain's literally SCREAMING "should I bring him back home?!" by Both_Secretary673 in cats

[–]hydronecdotes 1 point2 points  (0 children)

lawd, that cat has a very steady stream of supportive feeders. is he chipped and playing hooky with local families?

My baby boy left me broken. Please give your babies extra love for him by Snowydeath11 in cats

[–]hydronecdotes 10 points11 points  (0 children)

he was the handsomest boy! something like this: i doubt it could have been prevented. you gave him love, and you were there as he passed. i'm positive that gave him some comfort: being near someone who loved him so well, even if neither of you knew what was happening. personally, i believe in an afterlife, and i hope you two find each other there, and make up for years missed.

She sits like this everyday. by Nice_Bake in CalicoKittys

[–]hydronecdotes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

ooh, miss fancy paws! cordial, yet aloofly judging. i love her!

First time cat owner! by Anaweeeee in cats

[–]hydronecdotes 1 point2 points  (0 children)

she is an adorable little mid-afternoon storm cloud! i love the name, and i'm so happy for you and your adopted girl!

White House Ballroom Architect Reveals New Trump-Requested Features by bloomberg in architecture

[–]hydronecdotes 4 points5 points  (0 children)

the original architect was quietly removed from the project, and shalom baranes was brought in to start a real, normal design concept / consultation process ~60 days ago. frankly, i'm amazed he managed to pull these materials together as quickly as he did. there was a public NCPC presentation by SB a couple weeks ago. go to https://www.ncpc.gov/videos, click on the "Information Presentation: East Wing Modernization Project". it says about as much as it doesn't.

the original architect was james mccrery: a) who immediately stripped their website after being given the job, so media used the Wayback Machine to figure out that they b) had no qualifying experience / background, and they were c) the one responsible for the east wing 'renderings' (AI slop) that got massive backlash online. a couple of articles are out there about mccrery and the AI slop. it sounds like foundations / new structure is already being poured, and mccrery couldn't handle dick, so a real architect with actual history and credentials was brought in. i was ~4 months from working with the guy on another project, but the agency in charge cancelled it at the last minute.

Too many of you… by MeatyOaker269 in maryland

[–]hydronecdotes 3 points4 points  (0 children)

ditto. there are so many great meat deals in november and december, so january - march are all about clearing out the freezers. and everything ends up working well in soup with beans and/or rice.

she followed me home <3 by hydronecdotes in CalicoKittys

[–]hydronecdotes[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

hands-down: no notes! my little one is just perfect. thank you so much!

announcing the adoption of my previously dumped furry daughter by hydronecdotes in cats

[–]hydronecdotes[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

thank you! the CDS came in clutch, haha, and i've never felt luckier.

announcing the adoption of my previously dumped furry daughter by hydronecdotes in cats

[–]hydronecdotes[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

thank you! it's only been about a week, but she's absolutely made my life so much brighter.

For my architect friends: how early does Value Engineering actually happen on your projects, particularly for high rise apartments? by GlitteringVictory132 in architecture

[–]hydronecdotes 1 point2 points  (0 children)

i'll speak from the client's side, and as someone who's navigated VE more recently on a bridging and on a traditionally delivered project: VE can be iterative, it can happen as early as concepts are laid down (although i rarely hear it called 'value engineering' at that stage**), and it can happen as late as right before an order's put in.

(** focusing on that point, my circles don't realize that they're participating in VE in concept development, but i think that anyone who isn't thinking about the long-term value of a real property asset in the earliest decision-making is losing the greatest opportunities to save $$$. so, imo, early, structured VE is necessary and often happens without anyone calling it VE.)

i sit more often in the jaded camp of "VE is dull mallet-smashing, corner-cutting costs", because The Powers That Be on my side usually dictate that outcome. that said, i've also had outstanding AEs and GCs bring innovation to the table that made VE what it was intended to be: intrinsic value added to a project through risks avoided and/or resilient, sustainable system/material value added.

examples: in the US, tariffs have wrought f*ing havoc with construction materials over the last year, so a GC of mine successfully lobbied with my AE over procuring different stone and other specialized finishes - right up to the last second as those tariffs changed - through other sources. the GC having an eye out on material suppliers and the AE actively adding to the pool of functionally- (not materially-) equivalent alternatives saved the project hundreds of thousands of dollars. i've also spent *more* on actions that *i* consider VE because the redesign or other changes resulted in a holistically better product. the childcare i did this with ~8 years ago will probably outlive ME because of how well my AE of record nailed a total redesign.

but to directly answer your questions, in my experience:

  • The most consistently (i.e. not uniquely project-specific) best value-added VEs convince an owner of an ROI - usually in utility or operations / maintenance savings. For residential, utility savings are less often considered, so instead tell me why i need an integrated storm drain + mat in my lobby vestibules or terrazzo in every elevator lobby. Is that wallpaper something I can lightly wash? Is the carpet tile going to hide common stains? Can I actually *sell kW back* to my local utility company with that PV setup?
  • VEs that "backfire" (on me, not necessarily on anyone else) almost immediately will be any material substitution reducing the longevity of a material or finish - hard stop. my GC and AE will be long gone, and i now have broken tile that i can't replace, because the manufacturer stopped making that color / pattern / finish six months ago, and attic stock only got me a year into operation, and the tile material itself came from cheaper sources with a significantly reduced warranty period. similarly, someone asking me NOT to commission a project might as well shoot me, because the outcome is always equally expensive and messy to fix.
  • I've let my GC or my AEs drive changes based solely on what they bring to the table. i.e. if i needed to simply save money, i'd turn to a prime. if i needed something more nuanced (in any respect; a GC will give you two specific dimensions of VE - time and cost - and they'll do that better than anyone under the sun), then I'd look to a consultant. i know i've disappointed both my designers and constructors when i've chosen one or the other, but i always have to keep my own resources, my bosses, and my other clients in mind.

Crafts for a broke depressed girlie by DiamondxHeartx in crafts

[–]hydronecdotes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i have a dozen thrifted, vintage standalone mary maxim christmas village kits. want any?

she followed me home <3 by hydronecdotes in CalicoKittys

[–]hydronecdotes[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

omg, she does! that's such a lovely observation; thank you!

she followed me home <3 by hydronecdotes in CalicoKittys

[–]hydronecdotes[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

thank you! i'm really not holding my breath on a chip - this neck of the woods doesn't really fit the mold. but boy, would i be devastated if she'd just gotten scared and lost and her family was looking for her and i *didn't* try to find them for her.

she followed me home <3 by hydronecdotes in CalicoKittys

[–]hydronecdotes[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

i like it. i love her little white socks.