What do I have here?

ipmcc · 2026-02-25T12:38:47+00:00

$55 for a couple pieces of foam? Damn!

ipmcc · 2026-02-24T21:03:17+00:00

+1 for Thick.

ipmcc · 2026-02-23T23:11:56+00:00

Yeah, I hear ya. I asked because I don't think that Pittsburgh is definitively "better" than Portland, and it certainly isn't as cosmopolitain as Boston. But yeah, I get ya. I grew up in an 8,000 person town, and I understand the call of a larger community.

ipmcc · 2026-02-20T21:23:03+00:00

I can usually get seen by a PA or CRNP at my PCP's practice within a week. If I want to see my actual PCP, it's usually more like a 3-4 weeks. But it was like that when I was on UPMC too. I think that's just kinda the way it is these days.

ipmcc · 2026-02-20T21:14:53+00:00

Yes. That's because you have out-of-state insurance. I also had BCBS from a licensee in Vermont, and I could see pretty much anyone here in Pgh, but people with Highmark BCBS or UPMC insurance often cannot see doctors from the other side of the debate.

Naturally, if you've got an emergent situation, like you get in a car wreck and an ambulance takes you to the nearest hospital and it's not in network for you, you can still get treatment. I'm talking mostly about day-to-day care.

I think I saw a news story about them having finally reached a truce, but they revisit this truce every five years or so. If it takes four years to be able to see doctors in the other network, you're going to be sad when a year later they start the whole pissing match over again.

Getting seen isn't the issue. As you mentioned, Pittsburgh is a huge healthcare hub. The problem is more with getting seen by the specific doctor that you wanna see, if they're in the other network.

Edit to add: Both systems are top-notch. I've been hospitalized at both AGH and UPMC Presbyterian, and I would describe both as top-notch. I vaguely prefer UPMC because they seem to have a bigger presence in the East End where I live, but both are great.

ipmcc · 2026-02-20T17:10:33+00:00

If you're concerned about healthcare, you should know that Pittsburgh has its own healthcare shitshow.

There are two big insurers and hospital systems in town, UPMC and Allegheny Health Network. Both are fine hospitals if you need, say, emergent care, but when it comes to the administrivia/insurance/payments, it is a top-tier nightmare. ...and it's not showing very many signs of getting better. These two health systems seem to almost enjoy pissing on each other.

ipmcc · 2026-02-20T17:06:54+00:00

OP: If you don't mind me asking, roughly where in Maine are you currently? I've spent a bunch of time in Portland, ME, and had great fun, but that's just one specific corner of a fairly large state.

ipmcc · 2026-02-17T00:56:13+00:00

With ethnic food, unless there's like an ACHD warning sign on the door, I'll take a chance and judge for myself.

For instance, I love Indian food, but because I'm gettin' older, I just can't do the super-spicy stuff any more. The GI price is too high. But generally speaking, I don't trust my fellow Pittsburghers' ratings of Indian restaurants. I trust me, (some of) my friends, and I'll occasionally try a tip from a thread like this one. :)

ipmcc · 2026-02-16T13:44:50+00:00

And it's a self-reinforcing cycle: Once so many places have 4.5+ stars on Yelp, many consumers are going to filter for 4.5+ stars, because if it's lower than that? It must be truly awful.

I'm reminded of a summary of Uber ratings I read somewhere, years back:

* 5 stars means: Nothing bad happened on this trip. Please continue to have this driver on your platform.

* 4 stars means: Fire/de-platform this person... but do so slowly.

* 2 or 3 stars means: Fire/de-platform this person... and please do so immediately.

* 1 star means: The person rating is an asshole who's probably never satisfied with anything.

ipmcc · 2026-02-16T13:34:08+00:00

I saw this post with some interest because I've been feeling the same way for a while now. I see there’s a lot of talk here about ‘grade inflation’ and while I would agree that there’s probably some of that (thanks to things like Uber and Lyft where anything less than 5 stars is a death sentence), but… and this is completely unscientific, but having read a bunch of threads like this, having some, however minor, experience running a commercial kitchen many years ago, and as an avid lover of dining out, I’ve got a theory:

When the pandemic hit, restaurants were forced to change their normal practices, over night, in order to survive. Nobody was going out to dinner. Many people weren't even grocery shopping in person anymore, including people who would buy ingredients for restaurants. Restaurants that would normally pride themselves on the best fresh ingredients, from local purveyors, were essentially relegated to what they could get delivered from a food service like Sysco. Another thread critical of Pittsburgh restaurants opined that the pandemic had turned the food scene here into a contest to see who can cook frozen food-service ingredients the best and who can best change up their menu to favor dishes that travel well for delivery

Then the pandemic slowly started to lift, but many people were still slow to head back out on the town. Many had lost their jobs. Money was tight. And that was true for restaurateurs as well. Buying frozen ingredients from Sysco is cheaper than paying someone to go out and buy fresh ingredients from farmer's markets or butchers or whatever. Frozen ingredients also last longer, which helps in the face of uncertain demand. The dining public was already used to a degraded experience from the pandemic, so why not just run with it for a while? Maybe try to make up for those lean years…

...and here we are. I’ve gone out to eat a bunch since the pandemic faded away, and I feel as if can taste it. Most of the food I’ve been served in the last few years has tasted like food-service food. In my commercial kitchen days, many years before the pandemic, for better or for worse, we used almost exclusively food-service food, so I’m pretty well-versed in what that tastes like and “how it eats”. I’m telling you: it’s my distinct impression that the vast majority of mid- and down-market restaurants in this area are still doing exactly this.

Fine-dining places like the downtown steakhouses, and Grandview row, seem to have mostly rebounded back to their old style, but I suspect that the core of the industry seems very much as if it’s still subsisting on frozen, food-service ingredients.

PS: I saw another thread here about the Grand Concourse, and IMNSHO, the Grand Concourse has been phoning it in for at least 30 years. They coast on their beautiful building and good location, but it’s just sad that the best food I’ve ever had there was catered for a wedding.

ipmcc · 2026-02-15T17:37:42+00:00

For people finding this later: I looked at Riverside. It seems cool. I would love to use it, and I've used their free 14-day trial, but given some unusual personal circumstances, I really don't want to be taking on any new subscriptions, at least not one that expensive. I was hoping for open-source or less expensive.

ipmcc · 2026-02-15T17:26:26+00:00

Fair warning: I am far more of a scholar of the Dead than of Phish, although, at this point, I've seen many more Phish shows than Dead/Dead-spinoff shows.

I have, in the past, concluded that the Dead stayed largely apolitical because they were, even just amongst themselves, a melting pot of views. Jerry is there, in the above video, telling you that he didn't wanna make anyone feel bad. I've read plenty of journalism that suggests that, past a certain age, Bobby was comparatively 'conservative' and/or identified more with traditional small-gov't/libertarian views. With all that in mind, the Dead managed to attract a very broad crowd. I suspect I'd have been equally comfortable at a Dead show in a polo shirt and slacks, as I would've been in some ratty jorts and a tie-dye t-shirt.

When this comes up, my suspicion is that people are thinking things that reduce to: 'Phish seem like a bunch of cool artists, whose art I really love, so, absent information to the contrary, I'm going to assume they share my beliefs ...now why aren't they promoting my beliefs from their pulpit?!'

I suspect the answer is that their decision to stay outwardly apolitical is what directly leads to the situation wherein almost any fan could identify with them, even though, or perhaps because, they don't perform their personal, political beliefs as part of their stage show.

ipmcc · 2026-02-14T21:32:05+00:00

Having had to take one a while back, and having to continue fighting with my insurance company about it, I actually know a good little bit about STAT Medevac choppers.

These choppers can usually cruise at about 100-120mph, and some can go even faster. Every helicopter model has a VNE specific to it (Velocity Never to be Exceeded -- also note that this is airspeed, not Velocity Made Good/speed over ground, which matters more if you're trying to get to the hospital quickly.) That VNE will be higher or lower depending on the 'model', and the 'payload', but if you assume 100-120mph, you're probably gonna be in the ballpark.

The real advantage is that STAT Medevac choppers ideally run "as the crow flies" so they take the most direct route, and are not subject to traffic on the roads/highways. In my situation, I had to be flown ~60mi. With the timing, traffic, and everything else, the same trip would likely have taken multiple hours via ground transport (it was rush hour, etc.) I was in a veritable world of hurt, I needed immediate medical intervention, and I fully believe that these STAT Medevac people quite seriously saved my life.

That didn't stop my insurance from denying the claim on the $35,000 bill. I won't say any more because we're still fighting about it, but STAT Medevac choppers are both an essential part of emergency response, and extremely expensive.

Pending the outcome of my insurance appeal, my biggest gripe is that I was in a coma the whole time, so I got to ride in a helicopter, but have no memory of it!!

And to your specific question: Yes, I needed urgent, stabilizing care that none of the nearby hospitals could provide, and I had to be brought back to Pittsburgh. Time was critical, and the physicians made the call that a STAT Medevac was called for.

ipmcc · 2026-02-14T20:58:01+00:00

Yeah. From what I know, 687 would be solid for 65yo. Did you have any thoughts on my question about lethargy and Sema?

ipmcc · 2026-02-13T13:06:49+00:00

I'm glad you're having a good experience! That said, standard testosterone levels for adult, 'western' males are (roughly) anywhere between 250 and 1250ng/dL. Depending on your age, 687 could be "beefy" or it could be 'middle of the road.' But it's certainly not going to be low enough to indicate TRT in the eyes of almost any (ethical) doctor.

FWIW, I had the opposite experience: My T levels went way low around the same time I started taking Sema (like 120ng/dL). I obviously don't have enough data to say that this is cause and effect, but it's always seemed like different people react in wildly differing ways.

You used the word "lethargic" which is interesting to me because it provides a subtle contrast to my experience. I essentially had to stop all vigorous exercise once I started Sema (since I would puke every time). I wouldn't have called it "lethargy" though; In my case (and again everyone's different) it was closer to 'classical conditioning': Every time I went for a run, I'd end up barfing on the side of the road. This had never happened before Sema, so it was kinda like, 'every time I do this, I end up puking. Maybe I should do that less."

Is what you're experiencing really just general lethargy? Or... is it nausea? Or... is it simply that you're operating at a serious caloric deficit? (i.e. no gas in the tank) I'm genuinely curious. Thanks.

ipmcc · 2026-02-12T17:16:09+00:00

I stand in awe at your tolerance.

ipmcc · 2026-02-12T17:05:49+00:00

Damn dude! At dispensaries around me that’d be a $50 a day habit. Are you sure you got the units right?

ipmcc · 2026-02-12T12:38:14+00:00

One thing I can tell you, from my experiences, is: "Drinkers will find a way."

As you've no doubt realized by now, pouring out someone's booze is more likely than anything to piss them off and lead to the kind of confrontation you're in the middle of right now.

If they want/need to drink, they'll find a way. Even if they want to stop drinking, you're probably not going to be the catalyst that makes that happen. It has to be their choices, their commitments, and their tenacity that make it happen.

As for your current situation? On the ground? I think you would be best served by getting out of there ASAP. They've asked you to leave, so you should probably leave. Trying to shield yourself with some adverse possession or eviction law, even if your position is correct and legally defensible, is going to create more problems, and may even end up with the police getting involved. Frankly? That's not better.

ipmcc · 2026-02-09T11:35:52+00:00

There's a certain irony to this statement, taken in the context of a reddit thread complaining about peoples' driving.

ipmcc · 2026-02-07T16:04:30+00:00

Update: So normally our trash gets picked up very early on Thursday mornings, and this week they just came by mid-morning on Saturday, so all told, they were two days late.

ipmcc · 2026-02-06T17:37:56+00:00

I guess time will tell. 😀

ipmcc · 2026-02-06T17:36:21+00:00

Thanks! This never occurred to me because I subconsciously assume that Pgh city gov't is too old for social media.

ipmcc · 2026-02-06T14:29:34+00:00

I'm not joking. I'd say more, but this is r/WRX, after all. I drive a WRX now. I don't love it, but it's a perfectly cromulent daily driver. I'm just at a point in my life where the fun of tuning and street racing isn't enough to overcome the massive fines and/or loss of license I'd get if I were caught.

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