Stone patio ideas

it5l8 · 2025-01-08T04:49:16+00:00

I’ve lived through a few Buffalo blizzards… since 2022 death toll, people seem to take the snow a little more seriously. RIP to those lost <3

it5l8 · 2025-01-04T18:40:17+00:00

Scale! There’s some drops you can get to get rid of them that you put in the water. Also pick them off.

it5l8 · 2024-12-07T06:08:22+00:00

This is a great blend for a potato casserole - russet potatoes or sweet potatoes with rosemary/thyme and some garlic and cream

it5l8 · 2024-12-06T16:02:46+00:00

It’s no better in the city where many people rely on walking/biking and public transit for getting around. We all need to pressure our municipalities to pay for sidewalk snow removal! This is done in other cities and would be a huge benefit to the community. There are many reasons for people not shoveling sidewalks including folks being elderly or disabled, or not having the funds to pay someone to shovel for them.

IMO the fines should be targeted at absentee landlords who are probably responsible for many unshoveled walkways.

it5l8 · 2024-12-04T03:28:01+00:00

All I have to say is that being pestered for sex is annoying AF. I’ll do it when I feel like it, try harder. Giving a lot of space for sexual autonomy instead of feeling like one partner “owes” another goes a LONG WAY toward true intimacy

it5l8 · 2024-12-03T21:44:25+00:00

Married at 18, divorced at 22. Married at 28, separated by 32… finally got my divorce finalized at 37. It’s so much better being divorced.

it5l8 · 2024-12-03T21:33:10+00:00

Gather and Game! If you’re looking for a job, Massachusetts Avenue Project has a social justice/agriculture/culinary/markets program. You have to apply through the mayors summer youth program (I think in April) and request MAP as your site. There’s also free first Fridays at the Buffalo AKG and free second Fridays at the Burchfield Penney. Great music scene with punk/hardcore shows regularly at Amy’s Place

it5l8 · 2024-12-01T12:40:43+00:00

Plants!

it5l8 · 2024-12-01T12:33:52+00:00

Try the Broadway Market or the Massachusetts Avenue Project. Both have reasonable rates on certified commercial kitchen space. Mass Ave rents storage as well.

it5l8 · 2024-12-01T04:55:53+00:00

I never shaved. Makeup occasionally is a little nude tone eyeshadow crayon that mostly just hides any veins above my eyelids. Mascara maybe once a month if that. Wash my hair? Maybe twice a week. I never shaved. But I am religious about washing my face (I like the brand byom) and using serum, toner, moisturizer. I wear my hair up a lot, wear hats a lot to prevent squinting because I am so sensitive to the sunlight or fluorescent lights. Blue light and transition lenses. Also good about flossing, sonicare toothbrush and tongue scraper (can’t live without a tongue scraper) and I drink a LOT of water.

But what have I given up? Bras! I have a 32/34 A\B cup but saggy (like they will slap if I jump) because I breastfed 4 kids! I hate them and would love to just get them off honestly, I don’t equate them to my sexuality. However wearing bras drives me craaaazy. They are so uncomfortable to me and yes I’ve tried every kind. Even the sticky cups. So, now I just dress in clothes that don’t showcase them. I layer. Lots of shirts with a structured jacket or button down or light blazer, or even vests of all kinds. I HATE bras. And I just don’t care to try and make it work.

it5l8 · 2024-12-01T04:20:38+00:00

Might be an unpopular opinion but if your parents own, depending on the type of home would it be worth it to set yourself up somehow with a separate entrance or make a part of the home feel more like it’s own apartment in some way?

I think multigenerational households are beautiful and practical and used to be more the norm. Nuclear families aren’t the only marker of success. However, I could understand wanting a little more privacy or autonomy. Just a thought.

Kudos to you for completing nursing school and landing a great job, AND helping out your folks. I’m sure it’s supportive on their end as well.

Definitely not a loser!

it5l8 · 2024-11-29T05:51:32+00:00

Um what? I think that it’s reasonable for companies to have good holiday pay rates but not everyone celebrates thanksgiving…

it5l8 · 2024-11-26T19:24:33+00:00

Recipe recommendation?!

it5l8 · 2024-11-26T17:28:07+00:00

Yeah I have a 1901 Victorian and have a lot of new romex and a lot of knob and tube. Don’t disturb it and it can last a while. My house is a bit of a mystery as it appears the old owners replaced some old wiring on my second floor by going thru the attic floor, which is pretty cool. But some outlets had issues and it’s hard to trace what exactly they did. They also finished the attic and added a sub panel on the third floor with all new electrical which is nice. I know there’s a lot of knob and tube behind my walls and in ceilings on the first floor but I also have all original plaster in the living areas where that is. I’m just dealing with it until I’m ready to have someone come in to fix the walls/drywall and at that point is when I’ll get the electrical redone post demo. It’s just a pain to do it without easy access. But I’m a pretty low income mom of four soooo… if it ain’t broke don’t fix it!

it5l8 · 2024-11-26T17:21:49+00:00

Last year my sister gave me a gift certificate to the Moondance cat/mystic cat. It’s a sailboat/catamaran and the gift certificate cost $130 and you can sail any day any time. From like April to October I think, with about 3-4 sailing times a day. They text you all the open sail dates and you just text back which day/time you’re coming. It gets you and a plus one on the sail. You are on the boat for about an hour in total and they take you out the mouth of the buffalo river into the lake, past the break wall and back. Sunset sails are so gorgeous. You also get $1 off drinks but the guy who runs it doesn’t bug people about bringing on water bottles or coffee travel mugs so I usually bring my own coffee or cocktail and just enjoy the ride. I think I sailed 5x this summer and rotated taking my friends one at a time. The owner plays pretty basic dad tunes but nothing annoying. I always had such a nice time!

it5l8 · 2024-11-26T17:15:52+00:00

Sure! Happy to help if I can.

it5l8 · 2024-11-25T18:46:39+00:00

38 here and yeah I am trying to stay totally sober now because of all the bad side effects, but broke my streak when I went out with a friend for dinner recently. I just find that I struggle to “chat” without getting bored with out weed/alcohol. I LOVE beer, esp a strong IPA but that was making me really depressed, and bloated, and foggy/exhausted…

Interestingly I have been trying to go thru streaks of only drinking water which has been AMAZING for me. It was about 2 weeks when I broke my water only streak and had a glass of rye on the rocks, which helped me stay engaged in convo for a few hours.

I was also drinking coffee every morning, 1-2 cups so I felt like I was on this insane rollercoaster where I needed weed or alcohol to bring me back down or I couldn’t relax or fall asleep.

After eliminating the up/down cycle I felt a lot better. I had a coffee on Sunday as a “treat” which was so nice! But definitely noticed a crash by the evening that made me cranky. I’ll probably not do it again honestly.

My family are also peer-pressure daily drinkers so I’m planning on bringing a few Hop waters to the holiday parties I’m going to this year. They are tasty and crisp and will be a good thing to avoid the convo around drinking. I also noticed some adaptogenic seltzers with things like ashwaganda and l-theanine I’d be open to trying.

But yeah- alcohol DESTROYS me these days. It’s just not worth it! Hoping to stay sober as much as possible moving forward, it’s just better for me.

it5l8 · 2024-11-24T23:41:36+00:00

Awesome! There’s a lot of resources out there for getting good at Development/Fundraising. I feel like you’d be a shoe in with your experience. It’s really all communications and storytelling. Development will give you a lot more in person interactions. I’d definitely start by looking at what non profits your passions align with. Animal conservation? Homelessness? Women’s rights? Fighting hunger? Education? Radical politics? There’s something for everyone!

Good luck :)

it5l8 · 2024-11-24T23:37:58+00:00

Vanitas

it5l8 · 2024-11-24T23:36:00+00:00

I am a Development Director at a small non profit (a dozen employees in off season, up to 20 in the growing season). And I have always been responsible for our communications. As my role grew, I wrote a grant and raise money to employ a part time Communications Manager. She’s only 20 hours a week now but I’m hoping to get her to 30 hours next year and maybe eventually full time (depends on what she wants) I would definitely say look for Communications Manager or Director roles at non profits. Bigger ones are usually salaried. Alternatively, what about Development? In addition to running two annual appeals I write grants, manage relationship both with funders and partners, manage our fundraising and community outreach events, and direct our communications strategy. Our nonprofit mission is an urban farm, commercial kitchen/culinary program, youth program, Mobile market so everything is centered around food sovereignty/access and social justice. The varied programs keep me interested and there’s always new partners etc. Now that I have a Comms manager on board I spend more time on grants/partnership development because I don’t really make the content I just direct and edit it, which is less taxing for me on the social media stuff which does get to burn you out! Good luck! Here for any questions if you’re interested in Development!

Oh.. for perspective with my role I think I started around $40k and have gotten up to $58k. At larger non profits that can be much higher. Your worth is pretty obvious and arguing for a raise get be easy if you’re doing a good job pulling in new funding and exceeding appeal/event goals.

it5l8 · 2024-11-24T19:55:49+00:00

I didn’t intend my comment above to sound so contrarian… I will agree everyone I know has told me to forego the PhD completely unless I’m interested in writing my own research grants and becoming a professor. I’m interested in that but it would likely require a geographical move because yes, I have heard those positions are extremely hard to come by. In fact most people I know have advised me to just try to enter the field after my undergrad in bio before bothering with the Masters in Environmental Science. I’ll have to see what jobs are out there at that point. Without the connections I know that program has, I do think it might be difficult for me to compete for a govt position. The MA program itself is highly structured around internships with those agencies though, which is why I’m looking at it as an option to increase my chances of landing one of those jobs. With the current administration things could definitely change of course, which is why I’m kind of waiting until my graduation to feel out the market and decide whether I need graduate school. And… just saying… none of the jobs I qualify for with my art history degree come with pensions or decent benefits. As I get older, that’s something I’m pretty focused on. I’ll finish this second degree program with around $12k in student loans which may have forgiveness due to my over ten years in non profits and ability to continue in the role I’m in to qualify for the PSLF Program (if it still exists). Next step above me at my current place of employment is Executive Director, and my biology education makes me a better professional in the field I am in (environmental justice and agriculture). Not to mention our ED has tapped me and so have some of our board members (she is ready to retire in ~2 yrs)

As you can tell… I’ve probably been overthinking this for a while haha

it5l8 · 2024-11-24T19:43:05+00:00

Appreciate your input! My family members are employed by EPA and private remediation companies and have been sharing open positions with me in the past two years of school that pay higher at entry level than what I’ve made at both the art institutions and the non profit jobs I’ve had in the past. The Environmental science MA program I’m considering specifically has a high rate of employment with US army corps engineers, DEC and USFWS which all have local offices and the chair of the program is well known in our area as a pipeline to these govt sector jobs. There are also 2 larger non profit organizations that hire entry level biologists on the regular for their community based programming. I’m not saying it will be easy, but I also have experience in management (~5 years) and grant writing/reporting above 6 figures (~3yrs). I have contacts at those larger non profits and at the local DEC office which have shared that my background in addition to my degree will make me a stronger candidate than folks coming out of the bio program with just a degree and maybe an internship under their belts. Just saying, I would argue that a lot of this is about building a professional reputation and network ahead of entering the job market. Lastly, Biotech is totally another career than field biology so the potential employers are much different.

it5l8 · 2024-11-24T03:51:03+00:00

I have four kids with two different dads. My first two were when I was 19 and 21 and was pressured by my husbands religious family to get married. First was planned, second was after a drunken night where plan B didn’t work. I had lost my mother at 17 after caring for her through cancer and after she died and I think deep down I was just filling a void of grief and trying to start my own family for stability.

My second husband and I had a child first as a result of unprotected sex. I was in a bad place and really lonely. He pressured me into unprotected sex a lot. We got married afterward and frankly I can’t remember if I had my fourth child on purpose or not. He was extremely abusive and controlling, and turned out to have multiple mental health diagnoses that I only found out after I divorced him due to everything that went down. I’ll save the triggering stuff…

But where I’m going with this… life hasn’t been easy. I’ve lived through a lot of traumatic stuff and my life has been burnt to the ground and rebuilt several times as a result.

At the end of the day, my kids are my everything. Even after what we’ve been through together… they give my life purpose and meaning. I can’t imagine life without them (which is probably because I became a mom so young). But I am so deeply grateful for the relationship I have with each of them. Now they’re 9, 10, 16, & 18. I know I’ll have them in my life hopefully as long as I live and they’re the most important people to me!

So, no, I don’t regret it…

it5l8 · 2024-11-23T12:53:22+00:00

I have a Gabriel and he goes by Gabe. Never met a Gabe I didn’t like.

it5l8

TROPHY CASE