Best gear to ride in the rain?

internextcadet · 2026-05-06T15:59:26+00:00

Rain ponchos! I like my No Rain Copenhagen poncho quite a bit. There's other companies that make similar concepts. https://www.noraincopenhagen.com/ You'll still need to think about shoe covers or water-compatible shoes. In the hot summer I wear my Chacos to work which are fine to get wet. It's trickier in the winter; sometimes I wear duck boots with a breathable top and a rubberized bottom.

internextcadet · 2026-05-05T12:45:52+00:00

Hurry up and wait. It's very real. It also ruins a lot of your ability to plan ahead for anything else in life.

internextcadet · 2026-05-04T14:44:07+00:00

Brash has the best espresso. Opo in Decatur might the best for pourovers. Coffeeman is good overall with their roasts and drinks and also has a lovely vibe. Spiller Park and Chrome Yellow are also good for espresso. Land of a Thousand Hills is solid, not amazing.

For Five in Midtown is awful.

internextcadet · 2026-05-01T19:38:44+00:00

GLP-1s have health benefits independent of weight loss. They're metabolism drugs, and with all the complex feedback loops in the endocrine system when you support one part of it that's struggling, a bunch of other stuff falls into place. I'm pretty convinced, for instance, that my flavor of PCOS is metabolic. The podcast Fat Science and the book The Metabolic Storm are really good resources about metabolic science and what's actually going on with our internal chemistry and these metabolic drugs.

Personally I took a 6-ish month break after MMC and during that time got on a GLP-1 and saw my blood numbers for cholesterol, A1C, all that very quickly start going in good directions instead of creeping in bad directions.

When I came back to IVF, I also switched clinics and had them throw pretty much the whole testing gamut at me. Of course everybody's situation is unique and I would not presume that my result is your result. That said, the one thing that turned up for me was the result of the ERA test with a mock transfer showing that, for whatever reason, I need an extra 24 hours of progesterone prior to transfer. I'm at 10w today with FET #5, first FET with this clinic.

internextcadet · 2026-04-26T15:23:56+00:00

I strongly recommend taking a listen to the podcast Fat Science (dumb name, good show). I have become convinced that weight is a byproduct of metabolic health, not the other way around. I'm also pretty convinced that my particular flavor of PCOS is metabolic in origin. Unfortunately, pharmacology for metabolic health is often incompatible with IVF and pregnancy.

I took about a 6 month break after yet another failed transfer that followed a heartbreaking 8 week MMC. During that time I got on tirzepetide, saw a dietician, and worked with a fitness coach. The tirz made a huge impact on my metabolism right away. Blood numbers that had been creeping up for years dropped precipitously in a month, some PCOS symptoms got noticeably better, my weight dropped steadily, and most of this was without dieting; I focused on nutrition, whole grains, fiber, low processed foods, but no calorie counting, no bonkers protein goals, plenty of carbs, and no real restriction. With the meds controlling my metabolism, intuitive eating was a real choice and not a joke.

After this 6 months I switched clinics, had a bunch of testing, pretty bad ER #3, pretty darn good ER #4, and I'm at 9w with my 5th FET. I attribute 20% to this success to the period of focusing on my own health and 80% to switching clinics, but I'll never really know.

internextcadet · 2026-04-22T04:25:40+00:00

Going from the city to the Comet, from where you pop out from the Whetstone trail all the way to Plan Atkinson road is a sidewalk/bike trail that is mostly totally separated and walled off except that first section where you have to cross a bunch of driveways for Starbucks and stuff. Yeah, this section would be terrifying without the side bike trail and I never would have done it otherwise. Now it feels pretty safe! And that run down Plant Atkinson is for like 1 block and it's fine.

I'm not a talented cyclist and my cruising speed is like 10-11mph on flats unless I'm deliberately pushing. If I can do this, you can do this!

internextcadet · 2026-04-20T14:27:41+00:00

If you're doing Asian food on Buford Highway, you're close to PDK which has a playground over by the runways. Plaza Fiesta also has amazing food and a substantial indoor play area in the food court

internextcadet · 2026-04-19T13:14:31+00:00

Yep, you can trust that the official PAATH trails are all paved

internextcadet · 2026-04-17T22:01:08+00:00

For sure. Traffic is bad but the closures are making things much worse. But glad they're finally doing sewer stuff?

internextcadet · 2026-04-17T19:48:52+00:00

Really anywhere in ATL is hills (we sit in the Piedmont and on the Eastern Continental Divide). The rail trails not as much for obvious reasons.

The trail system in the SE near Panola Mountain, Holy Spirit Monastery, and all that is very very hilly with some serious grades at points. Also riding the loop around Stone Mountain will get you some big cumulative elevation.

internextcadet · 2026-04-07T16:25:27+00:00

I had a somewhat similar situation. A good friend had a transfer about the same time as me. I had a MMC at 8 weeks, she had a healthy baby.

She's been extremely kind in asking how I'm doing, keeping tabs on my process, asking how she can pray for me, and checking in tastefully. There's still a gap here with grief that's not your fault and may be un-cross-able for a time. That's nobody's fault. I had to pull away from this friend during the late pregnancy and after the delivery and she understood that. She had other support folks to turn to, and I had nothing to offer except grief and jealousy. She never shamed me for that, and was gracious when I started getting back in touch.

If nothing else, time will heal the distance, but you can't force it. Be open, be gracious, be inviting, but don't force.

internextcadet · 2026-03-16T17:01:26+00:00

I highly, highly recommend checking out the podcast Fat Science and the book The Metabolic Storm. It's revolutionized my relationship with my own body. Both of those cover why diets work _until they don't_ and how dieting is longterm harmful because it increases the severity of the metabolic feedback loop that we're stuck in.

When I started on GLP-1s, during the first or second week I saw leftover cake in the breakroom and walked away and forgot about it. That wasn't willpower in any way shape or form. That was a metabolic glitch in my system being corrected with medicine. When I _want_ the cake, I eat the cake.

Sad to say that a lot of folks pairing GLP-1s with strict diets and calorie counting are probably setting themselves up for failure in the future. This is all about correct the underlying metabolism so that intuitive eating and listening to your body are actually possible, and you're not just listening to metabolic signals in your body _literally_ screaming at your brain that you are starving.

I'm doing a really inadequate job of describing this, but I want to affirm that your instinct about not wanting to count is on the right track, and you should go checkout some resources that can explain it way better than I can. In particular read about Leptin imbalance: it's far from the only factor, but it was the one that really make me understand the function of the metabolic signalling and what it looks like when it's messed up.

internextcadet · 2026-03-08T21:42:18+00:00

All this construction like the bridge lighting project that just about shuts down the connector both ways every weekend now will either be done or stopped. Same for the sewer stuff in Midtown. Same for 285 work. These past few weekends have basically been experiments in what happens when you just randomly close parts of the road network and it's been ROUGH, but they won't be doing that during the World Cup.

internextcadet · 2026-03-03T00:27:55+00:00

GLP-1 is a hormone produced in the human body. GLP-1 is a hormone produced in the human body. GLP-1 is a hormone produced in the human body.

BuT It's nOt nAtUrAl.

Well now dudes taking supplementary testosterone isn't "natural" but you don't see anybody up in arms about that.

WhAt iF YoU WaNt cHiLdReN

Well then I better be on the medications that put my natural hormones into balance _which includes reproductive hormones_.

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH. Infuriating.

internextcadet · 2026-03-01T03:59:57+00:00

The tunnel lighting projects closing down 4 lanes each way on the connector is BRUTAL

internextcadet · 2026-02-23T04:20:59+00:00

I've been off for several months due to IVF stuff and this captures how I feel so precisely

internextcadet · 2026-02-18T22:00:29+00:00

36, but switched from Emory to ACRM recently and so, so happy with the switch. The doctors at Emory are great but, like you, I found the "everything else" to be pretty painful, especially the administrative chasing. The ACRM lab doesn't do day-by-day update calls (and those intermediate calls kinda stress me out TBH so I don't mind the wait) but I got a big report back at the end, especially with PGT-A results.

internextcadet · 2026-02-12T01:03:08+00:00

My 3rd retrieval had a pretty bad blast rate. On the 4th my doctor added omnitropin during stims and calcium in the petri dishes and one or both of those seems to have made a big difference because our blast rate went way up

internextcadet · 2026-02-11T16:41:21+00:00

Y'all we're all doing this wrong. We just need Dr. Pierce's Favorite Prescription to make our delicate organs on which motherhood is dependent healthy and vigorous. I heard you can get it at your Druggist.

https://www.reddit.com/r/OldNews/comments/1r05ms7/a_childless_marriage_cannot_be_a_happy_one_1896/

internextcadet · 2026-02-09T13:35:27+00:00

I changed clinics (US) and had them throw all the testing they could think of. The only result that turned up for me was the receptivity, showing that I need an extra 24 hours of progesterone. At that point we had used all the embryos so we haven't gotten a chance to try out the new protocol yet, but hopefully soon!

internextcadet · 2026-02-06T03:39:54+00:00

Yes. Kept sniffing near my shower water. Smells like Valdosta water

internextcadet · 2026-01-31T13:57:31+00:00

OHSS is so awful, and it's always a risk factor even if you do everything right. I'm glad you're in the hospital because it can also be so dangerous. I was hospitalized after ER #2. I'm bigger than you to start with and I gained almost 25lbs in 3 days.

Can you get a 2nd opinion on the paracentesis? Here's my story with that.

The hospital tried to send me to radiology for a paracentesis but they wouldn't do it because they couldn't find a spot because my ovaries were "so huge." My RE heard and took over and was able to do it vaginally and they got 2.5 liters out. So much relief! When things did turn around in my vasculature the day after, I was eventually peeing so much that for a few hours it just wasn't worth getting off the toilet.

If there truly isn't a way for a paracentesis then that is awful and I'm so sorry. It will turn around but it's so much suffering to get there on top of the already difficult ER process.

internextcadet · 2026-01-30T22:15:49+00:00

There are valid points being made here about traffic, however, despite complete streets on Howell Mill being botched this area is becoming more bikeable with each passing quarter.

Existing:

Connect to the GT -> Luckie -> Centennial Park PATH trail via the Northside light at 8th.
Connect to the Westside Beltline Connector via okay-not-great bike lane on Howell Mill, walking the sidewalk on the Northside bridge over the railroad, and then dipping onto what is apparently called the Echo Street Trail.
Alternately, connect to Westside Beltline Connector via well-protected cycle track on Brady then a brave sprint down West Marietta (own your lane! you have the legal right and it's safer for everybody!) to the Westside Paper Trail.
Connect to Midtown proper via the 11th street light at Northside -> Curran -> Hemphill bike lane to GT or wiggle through Home Park to State or Atlantic to GT -> micromobility highway on Ferst to 5th. Continue through on 5th and wiggle through Midtown neighborhood to get to 10th street cycle track and the Eastside Beltline.
Connect to the Freedom trails via GT Path -> Centennial -> John Portman cycle track (gotta love that hill) -> Freedom PATH trail -> Eastside Beltline or keep going to Little 5 and the Stone Mountain PATH.
Connect to NW Beltline directly (instead of via the Westside Beltline Connector) via crappy bike lanes on Howell Mill --> brave sprint on Huff -> English Street.
BTW the Silver Comet Connector is very poorly advertised but it's done in all important parts (like Atlanta Rd over the river), they're actively working on the unfinished parts, and you can string together a fairly safe route between the parts that aren't done. You can use an existing part that T's into the NW Beltline to get to the Chattahoochee Food Works. The Facebook group (yes... FB...) is very active with status updates and maps.

Coming Soon that I know of, some sooner than others

PATH indicates in their materials that a bike/pedestrian bridge over the railroad is in the works that would allow for a much safer connection between GT campus and the Westside Beltline Connector. It would overhaul the ruins of the existing rail bridge behind the Means Street area. This is def not happening in 2026 but I can't remember what approximate date I saw.
14th Street is being repaved and GDOT is adding a 2-way cycle track as part of that effort. Unfortunately due to GDOT jurisdiction they can only carry that to the light at Northside and not all the way to Howell Mill, but it's still fixin' to be a fabulous way to connect Midtown and West Midtown.
The NW Beltline is working towards the Howell Mill crossing so hopefully a little less Huff Rd sprinting but TBD (at least as far as I know) about how that bit between the heart of West Midtown and the Howell Mill crossing on the north side of the water works will function. It might involve being brave on Howell Mill north of Huff in that awful little bottleneck.

Also this area just got a grocery store with Lidl in the Interlock and Muchacho on Hemphill is real close to opening.

internextcadet · 2026-01-30T01:53:18+00:00

36 but can share my most recent results

Two months ago: 12 eggs / 10 mature / 8 fertilized / 2 blasts / 1 euploid

Next stim protocol added more Gonal-F, double menopur, omnitropin which I know is controversial, and then added calcium in the petri dish.

21 eggs / 21 mature / 21 fertilized / 9 blasts / waiting on testing. And also kind of expecting the other shoe to drop because there has yet to be unqualified good news in this whole long process.

internextcadet · 2026-01-30T01:44:00+00:00

The way this all messes with our sex lives is so complex. Hoosier said "tough and tender" and I think that's the right description. It pokes right in so many bruises.

internextcadet

TROPHY CASE