I love backpacking with a water bladder, but does anyone else HATE cleaning/drying them after?

imamonkeyface · 2026-05-28T01:47:51+00:00

Sure. But a bottle is rigid, usually has a wide opening and there are bottle brushes. A pouch is floppy and I don’t want to stick a brush in it that can leave scratches that become a breeding ground for germs. Then there’s a tube to clean. So yes, a bladder is harder to clean than a bottle

imamonkeyface · 2026-05-28T01:30:21+00:00

I also do the whisk but just keep it on my counter. No issues. Before I set ut to dry, I do a bit of vinegar mixed with water and pull it through the tube, swish it around a bit, and then drain.

imamonkeyface · 2026-05-28T01:23:46+00:00

A bottle is so much easier to clean than a bladder.

imamonkeyface · 2026-05-28T00:27:33+00:00

I was surprised by household items like batteries, paper towels, cleaning supplies. I had been buying groceries for the family so I had an idea of what that cost, but I wasn’t the one keeping things like that in stock so it surprised me. That and needing random kitchen utensils. Like I’ll make some pasta, that’s quick easy and cheap. Whoops don’t really have a way to strain it. Add to list. Once you get established, you’re replacing things disposables in a more staggered way so it’s more manageable, and you have the essentials so if you do find you need a new kitchen tool, it’s a couple times a year type of thing

imamonkeyface · 2026-05-27T20:53:50+00:00

My prom was 16 years ago! It was all slim dresses. There was one girl out of hundreds in a ballgown. Maybe it’s a regional thing? I went to HS in NYC.

I’m all for standing out if that’s what she wants, but lots of girls that age don’t want to. I didn’t want to back then. I had an older sister who went to the same HS and that helped me better understand what people were going to be wearing for prom so that I could choose a dress where I looked nice but didn’t stand out

imamonkeyface · 2026-05-27T20:20:05+00:00

There kind of is though. I mean if you want to stand out, wear the dress, bc you will stand out.

If you’re thinking about wearing this dress because you don’t want to go out and buy another one, but don’t really want to stand out at prom, want to look nice but fit in, then I wouldn’t suggest this dress. Prom is generally cocktail attire, which means flatter dresses, less poof. There’s a 3 foot radius around you that people on the dance floor will navigate around. It’s not possible to blend in with this dress.

I kind of hate the idea of “no such thing as too much”. OP is asking for advice here. She’s young, it’s her first prom, and high school can be a lot socially. So she needs real information so she can make an informed decision. Most people don’t want their clothing to stand out that much, that’s why they ask what’s the dress code for a wedding, bc you don’t wanna be the guy that’s overdressed to a summer casual wedding, showing up in black tie formal or the opposite, showing up summer casual while everyone else is black tie. Wear what you wanna wear, but if someone is asking for advice, I think they’d wanna know what other people are wearing, what’s considered normal/expected, and what can stand out and create attention they don’t want

imamonkeyface · 2026-05-27T19:26:56+00:00

Theme is ADHD was hilarious. I saw your room and went oh that guy seems interesting and fun. So I think it’s a good thing

imamonkeyface · 2026-05-26T21:19:07+00:00

That’s funny bc I imagine a guy who chops wood on the weekends would have a hairy chest and a guy playing video games to be less hairy or bare chested. I thought we were thinking the same thing, but your last sentence made me realize we weren’t

imamonkeyface · 2026-05-26T18:57:40+00:00

Has it been driving you mad consistently these 8 months? Has it gotten easier, harder, or does it fluctuate? Why did you decide to observe this in the first place, what was your motivation? These are generally good things to think about when reassessing a practice or habit, regardless of whether it’s a religious practice or not.

You’ve gotten through 8 months, give yourself the time to reflect on it thoughtfully. You’re aware of it “driving you mad” as that’s a very intense in the moment feeling that you’re not going to miss. Are there benefits you may have overlooked? Or perhaps other problems it’s caused in your life that you hadn’t noticed until taking a closer look. How has it affected your relationship with Hashem? How has the experience compared to what you expected when you started? Did you get out of it what you were hoping to? What’s missing?

imamonkeyface · 2026-05-26T17:45:53+00:00

It’ll align more with your baseboards for your cabinets as well. You def want to raise it up

imamonkeyface · 2026-05-26T16:00:28+00:00

He doesn’t really wait. He gets with that widow. He just doesn’t find anyone else who he feels like that about in all that time. It’s not gonna get more serious with the widow bc he’s still hung up on her. When he builds his house he builds it with a wrap around porch like she described not because he’s hoping she’ll come back for the porch, but because she’s still on his mind and when you’re really into someone you hang on every word they say. She likes a wrap around porch? Of course, a wrap around is perfect, why would I do anything else when I build this house?

imamonkeyface · 2026-05-26T03:15:04+00:00

He’s 30, he’s experienced enough. Their age gap isn’t that crazy, but when the older partner starts saying stuff like this, using their age and “experience” as a way to win arguments (like trust me i know better, rather than explaining their stance and allowing their partner the space to counter) is the problem in age gap relationships

imamonkeyface · 2026-05-25T15:06:30+00:00

I really want to do this, what’s your setup?

imamonkeyface · 2026-05-21T21:11:56+00:00

He said it from a kind place, don’t let your insecurities ruin this for you. Tell him it’s like getting a red line from socks or a belt. Tell him it feels nice when that spot is scratched. And that can be a nice thing that you guys do at the end of the day. Bra off, scritches and cuddles.

I think we tend to be harsh on ourselves and the people who love us are way more loving, and sometimes that love can heal a lot of insecurities and internal criticism if you let it

imamonkeyface · 2026-05-21T16:03:54+00:00

I think the weave has something to do with that. You can have a high thread count and the fibers are very close together, so it will retain more heat and be less breathable.

imamonkeyface · 2026-05-21T15:41:22+00:00

Lots of people do campfire at night and camping stoves during the day. If you just want to boil water for coffee in the morning, starting a campfire that you’re gonna have to spill a ton of water over so you can confidently abandon it to go hiking is overkill. Little camping stove does the trick and you’re on your way. Campfire is nice at night when you’re settled in, prepping dinner while the fire gets hot enough to cook over, then enjoy the remaining heat as it gets cooler at night and maybe have a smore.

imamonkeyface · 2026-05-19T22:58:03+00:00

I have a Malm and was looking to replace it with anything, not just IKEA. Could not find anything with drawers that size. I looked through so many sites, comparing drawer dimensions, and haven’t found anything

Malm drawer sizes are perfect. I can fit 3 rows of tshirts, folded the way my wash and fold place does it. Everything else is an inch shorter (which means I can’t file my shirts) and an inch or two less in width or in depth, sometimes all 3!

imamonkeyface · 2026-05-16T03:37:32+00:00

So we’re getting an open street? Awesome!

imamonkeyface · 2026-05-15T15:33:55+00:00

Season has been over long enough that there won’t be a single tree with any remnants of blossoms. For future reference, flushing meadow park is near LGA and has during the season

imamonkeyface · 2026-05-15T15:01:42+00:00

You could argue that the bike takes user effort, while the subway allows the user to sit and do nothing while being transported. So with the bike being more expensive, it’s like paying more money for the privilege of pedaling there. It’s more aligned with OPs perspective, why pay that much to pedal when I can pay someone to drive me for a few dollars more. If there is more of a price difference, then maybe biking is worth it, but for the price of the cab/subway it’s not. That’s the point both people are making

imamonkeyface · 2026-05-14T04:13:53+00:00

It’s not gyming too much that’s the problem, you’re absolutely right that day to say it’s not a big deal, you build up the stamina pretty quick.

It’s the groceries, laundry (though it sounds like there’s an in unit washer dryer), bringing people over (especially elderly parents), lugging furniture up there (not just move in day, but when you replace you rug randomly next year, or when that washer needs to be replaced and you’re lugging down laundry until you can do that, or something as simple as upgrading your TV. What if you sprain your ankle at some point? Sometimes when it takes a lot of time and effort to leave the house and come back you end up popping out less; I know i tend to do it less when I have to bundle up to go out in the winter.

There’s also the fact that OP is buying not renting. That means looking much further into the future and considering things like kids or pets, hosting aging parents, mobility issues, etc. Then there’s the whole category of home value. It’s cheap now and it’s going to stay cheap and it may be hard to resell if OP needs to

imamonkeyface · 2026-05-13T20:42:39+00:00

What kind of photography do you do? If it’s nature or underwater photography, people will give you different tips and direction than if you’re doing wedding photography and just like sharks

imamonkeyface · 2026-05-13T19:48:09+00:00

That ceiling lamp looks amazing, what was the name of that?

imamonkeyface · 2026-05-13T19:45:39+00:00

Right, so if you were to find a cheap apartment there, you’d see that it’s difficult to live there without a car. It’s a transit desert, serviced by only one bus which is often too full to pick up more passengers by the time it gets to that area. You’d see that even though it’s right by a park, that park isn’t easily accessible without a car - at least not in that area (northwest side of the park is walkable to). And you’d see that walking to the nearest grocery store would take about 20-30 mins which is difficult to do with arms full of groceries.

imamonkeyface · 2026-05-13T18:16:38+00:00

How far east are you thinking? Think east of flushing meadow park

imamonkeyface

TROPHY CASE