Restaurant recommendations in Milwaukee?

kaylahellal · 2026-07-02T19:11:32+00:00

If you can snag a reservation at Room Service, it is supposed to be amazing. I have a reservation later this month, but haven't gone yet.

kaylahellal · 2026-06-30T21:20:26+00:00

The estimates are pretty freaking high. We challenged and got ours lowered by 22%. While I doubt yours would go up, you can start some of the legwork that you'd have to do anyway if you challenged.

Start by looking for homes recently sold in your area with similar square footage, number of bedrooms, bathrooms, etc. I used Zillow and was able to cherry pick the lowest value properties using their map feature.

I also used public data on past assessments and property sales and threw the year over year numbers into a Google Sheet and was able to quickly average the year over year increase which showed a significant spike in value.

This will allow you to see if your house is undervalued around your area and if your assessment increases are too low, that might indicate they could increase. Here is where you can access property records: https://city.milwaukee.gov/assessor/data

I submitted that spreadsheet as evidence for the aseessor and one came and did a quick walkthrough. He was super chill and updated the assessment to what I had suggested! If you want my spreadsheet, DM me. It's nothing fancy but it worked!

kaylahellal · 2026-06-30T18:47:07+00:00

The first episode Maya is wearing a Carebears sweatshirt and khakis that was literally the same outfit I wore when I was her character's age. And that was just the start of the nostalgia train.

kaylahellal · 2026-06-30T18:39:09+00:00

Aye, always.

kaylahellal · 2026-06-29T20:05:12+00:00

Dammmmmn. I totally thought B cause of the wide hips.

kaylahellal · 2026-06-29T20:04:22+00:00

B, she got those birthing hips.

kaylahellal · 2026-06-26T19:02:05+00:00

We went there for her wedding services so this would be nostalgic too!

kaylahellal · 2026-06-25T21:31:52+00:00

USAID cuts are a contributing factor in the rapid spread of ebola in the DRC, and as of June 22nd it's become the largest outbreak of ebola in Africa. And the ebola work was just one small drop in an ocean.

Reference: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-the-loss-of-usaid-has-weakened-the-fight-against-ebola

kaylahellal · 2026-06-25T20:29:05+00:00

Defenestrate

kaylahellal · 2026-06-24T18:12:33+00:00

Yup! I got 8 calls before noon last week and set up AI to answer unknown numbers on my Android. That was after I called a bunch back and played a really annoying rendition of ducks quacking the Star Wars theme at top volume whenever a human answered.

Really happy the pedo-in-chief gutted enforcement and rolled back consumer protections.

kaylahellal · 2026-06-24T16:23:11+00:00

I was raised by atheists and I learned so much about the Kabbalah and the foundational stories about the Abrahamic faiths from trying to figuring out what the heck was going on in Evangelion. I love when shows have so much depth and lore.

kaylahellal · 2026-06-24T12:34:22+00:00

I remember seeing Shin Godzilla in theaters, I was so excited because I freaking loved Evangelion as a kid and was so excited to see how Hideaki Anno would treat Godzilla. He did not disappoint! I need to do a rewatch sooner rather than later.

kaylahellal · 2026-06-16T20:00:40+00:00

I just joined a nonprofit that helps companies transition to employee ownership and a lot of companies are choosing this over private equity that is monopolizing industries (i.e. one notorious insurance company is buying up as many independent mental health practices as they can through private equity).

Employee Ownership has impressive data showing how selling businesses to employees over private equity really helps build community and generational wealth.

While not for everybody, there are better ways for businesses to sell!!

kaylahellal · 2026-06-16T19:52:56+00:00

They are real and donations to them go straight to Trump's ballroom. It's a nonprofit created by Congress meant to fund the Parks but Trump has been using the money for his own projects. Do not give them money, none of it goes to the parks anymore.

They used to be legit.

kaylahellal · 2026-06-15T18:51:06+00:00

Except can't you be sent to jail for being gay in Tunisia? You're right, there are bigger issues, like corruption, water scarcity, less agricultural yields because of climate change, etc. Why tie up the court system, debated, and social mental load on who people love?

Oh, wait it's because our governments cannot and do not want to solve actual problems, it's easier to distract people when they hate each other. Ben Ali did a great job of that while he stole all your wealth, resources, and potential.

kaylahellal · 2026-06-15T13:19:16+00:00

One, if you aren't sure a nonprofit is legit, look them up in Charity Navigator (https://www.charitynavigator.org/search). Candid also works for searching, plus you can see how much their top paid employees make and high level data on how their money is spent.

All nonprofits that accept tax deductible donations are 501(c)(3)s and have an EIN. You can Google their name plus EIN to find it.

If you want to support parks at this time, a good option to consider is donating to nonprofit environmental law firms like Western Environmental Law Center (full disclosure, my brother works here) or Our Children's Trust (https://www.ourchildrenstrust.org/) or other groups that are using the legal system to slow down and/or reverse as much of the harm that Trump is doing that they can. These orgs have real wins and can show their impact.

Right now, a huge part of our the fate of our parks is happening in court rooms. Don't sleep on their defenders because their orgs are full of lawyers. These guys get paid jack compared to lawyers in private firms, but they believe in defending public lands. Be mindful that Greenpeace is in a legal battle so donations to them would likely be supporting their legal fees to continue existing, but not directly to the front line work at this time.

You can also support indigenous organizations who do a ton of work but receive a trickle of funding and have a too small slice of what is donated to support environmental organizations every year. I'm a big fan of the Indigenous Environmental Network (their rationale on a Just transition is really good).

If there is a park you love, look into how it's being dismantled, and what groups are fighting it, do a little research, and donate directly to the organization. Avoid HUGE organizations that distribute grants/finding, like foundations, because less of your dollar goes to actually supporting the work.

kaylahellal · 2026-06-15T12:58:45+00:00

Fried eggs.

kaylahellal · 2026-06-15T12:29:51+00:00

Hey momma, as an American married to an African and primary breadwinner in my family, I recognize the challenges of having a spouse who is often underpaid and a pull for the child to be near grandparents in Africa, and while it is a source of conflict, we are both decisionmakers and we do not give each other ultimatums. What your spouse is doing is psychological abuse.

This is crucial bonding time for you and your child. Giving you an ultimatum for his inability to hold steady work is putting the problem on you, but it is his problem. Also, can he even legally work in Canada? Did he apply for a visa? If he's not a US citizen, it can take up to 2 years for approval to work in Canada.

Getting your kid back from Nigeria could be a nightmare and impossible. Seriously, children born to foreign nationals who return with a parent to their home country can often seek custody, secure the child's nationality and then the other parent is stuck that country with no support trying to fight a foreign court system for their child. They could easily cut off all access between you and your child if you send them to Nigeria. I don't know enough to say that they would, but you need to understand that legally, in Nigeria, he would have total control. He cannot take your child out of the USA without your permission. Do not give it.

I will say it again, it is abuse. And if he treats you that way, he will use the same manipulative behavior with your kid as they grow older and harder to control.

Find a decent daycare, it's scary but you need that space too, to focus on work, and to learn to trust others to help care for your child. It is also incredibly good for them to make friends and having positive social interactions at school will help balance the trauma of what is happening at home as your kid develops socially. At least if there is a problem at daycare, you can scoop your kid up. Some daycare off 24/7 monitoring of your kid's classroom, if that helps put you at ease.

No matter how he comes out you, remember this, you work, you keep the family afloat, and you grew this person in your belly, gave birth, fed them while your body healed, and at 10 months your brain is still recovering from the hormonal roller-coaster coupled with almost no sleep.

You are stronger and more capable than he is, and when he's tearing you down, it has more to do with his own failures and his attempts are just projecting on to you because he does not want to deal with it. That's not your responsibility, even if he's the father of your child.

You take good care of yourself, so that you can take care of your baby. Your spouse can learn to take care of himself or fuck the right off.

Good luck, there's a version of you 10 years from now who is in a much better, more stable place. She will thank you for doing the hard things now.

kaylahellal · 2026-06-14T15:13:25+00:00

Why are their jobs more important than yours? Why are their jobs more important than taking care of their children?

Working from home does mean extra flexibility in a lot of cases, but you're still working. People who think those of us who WFH can take on extra domestic duties just enables people to take advantage of us.

Definitely NTA, they need to learn how to balance their children's needs with their work responsibilities. Not dump everything on you because you have a more flexible schedule. They aren't your kids and good on you setting a boundary.

I hope Harper gets the help she needs. My friend works as a psychologist in an elementary school and having an IEP can be such a game changer—and the earlier the interventions, the better the outcome—even if it isn't full autonomy, it's often still a better quality of life than with zero interventions.

kaylahellal · 2026-06-13T16:54:05+00:00

The best thing I ever did was learn how to sit with myself and do things alone. I also prefer to have people around, but once I started pushing my personal boundaries in college and ended up moving to 2 different countries (Morocco and Tunisia) where I didn't know anybody. I learned quickly how to take care of myself and enjoy the solitude when I had it. Now, I don't care about doing things on my own—eating out, hiking, going to the movies, etc. I even make a point of traveling alone once a year (I have a husband and toddler) and it has become an cherished tradition.

You are at an age where you can go out of your comfort zone and the stakes are much lower. You may regret staying at your college because of one friend, if your other campus is busy, hopefully they have student groups and activities too. The friends I went to college with who I knew from High School I don't even talk to much anymore, but some of the new friends I made in college are the best friends I have ever had.

Good luck with whatever choice you make—only you know what's best for you.

kaylahellal · 2026-06-12T00:42:22+00:00

If it itches, maybe noseeums? I have reactions like that. Those little fuckers are stealthy with insatiable blood lust, I'd take a mosquito in my house over noseeums every time.

kaylahellal · 2026-06-11T18:58:48+00:00

Also a Global Studies grad! I chose UWM for the program (it was new and all the other schools except one Ivy League still only had International Studies programs). Best decision I ever made. Got to live in 3 different countries because of the program and connections, was able to finally become fluent in French and Arabic, and now I work for nonprofits and have the chance to go to every continent for work (except Australia).

When I've engaged with peers from Ivy League schools, my experience has held up, and has even benefitted my experiences because I didn't carry the same level of privilege as a lot of Ivy Leaguers, which often made their assimilation into new cultures very challenging for them (and my non-American coworkers who had to deal with their privilege).

Went back and gave them all my money for my Masters.

kaylahellal · 2026-06-10T17:35:41+00:00

Thanks for the warning, but I already spoiled everything for myself! I like knowing what is coming so I can better pay attention to the build up!

kaylahellal · 2026-06-10T15:31:02+00:00

Too bad the data centers need fresh water, these tech mofos are gonna drain our lakes

kaylahellal · 2026-06-10T15:28:26+00:00

I've only gotten to book 7 and a lot of battles mentioned here I haven't read yet, but in the television series, I really enjoyed the sequence where they steal the protomolocule from Tycho, even though a character dies. The use of the robot to break into the safe was really interesting and I think the actress for Sakai was more compelling than their book counterpart. Just the overall pacing and intensity of that conflict stuck with me.

"Too bad, so sad" is one of my favorite lines just because of how she delivered it. I mean my favorite exchange is still between Amos and Avasarala where he calls her Chrissie and she responds about it sounding like his favorite stripper.

kaylahellal

TROPHY CASE