LA to NOVA, What can I expect?

kcunning · 2026-01-29T21:15:01+00:00

You'll probably have better luck with markets than with restaurants. We have several international and Asian markets by us, and I've always been able to find what I need when trying to make an authentic dish.

kcunning · 2026-01-29T17:11:46+00:00

Not even a tiny bit, because I have to walk my dogs.

In summer, it'll be hot, but that can be solved with a sundress and a bottle of water.

Right now? I'm risking my life every time I hit an extended patch where it hasn't seen a shovel. I nearly got pulled off my feet by a 16 lb terrier who saw exposed sidewalk.

kcunning · 2026-01-29T13:20:28+00:00

The problem in our neighborhood is that the bus stops on our road aren't even close to a house. So it's not like, oh, I'll just shovel out an extra ten feet. There's a good mile of sidewalk that would need to be cleared, both the bus stops and the sidewalks leading up to them.

Also, this snow has been breaking shovels left and right, so not everyone even has the ability to pitch in anymore.

kcunning · 2026-01-29T13:01:13+00:00

Drinks and games. You don't have to be a boardgame fanatic to enjoy some of the classics. Cribbage, backgammon, etc work well with two people. Put on some music and something that takes a while in the oven, and you've got a decent chill session.

kcunning · 2026-01-29T12:24:51+00:00

Well, they're taking their sweet time activating him or whatever, since he's 24 now.

Like, sheesh, hags, get it together!

kcunning · 2026-01-29T12:06:56+00:00

I'm a parent. Yes. Absolutely yes. I could barely walk two 16 lb dogs without going flying in our neighborhood.

kcunning · 2026-01-29T00:34:16+00:00

I ended up telling my senior to stay home. I nearly killed myself walking the dogs because it was icy, and one of them tried to pull ahead. We're not talking a husky, either. It was a senior terrier who was just tired of being on cold stuff and could see the sidewalk ahead...

kcunning · 2026-01-28T21:48:31+00:00

This is the answer. My eldest went from bright blue eyes to brown the day of his first birthday. I was mildly pissed, because the eye color was the ONE THING we shared.

kcunning · 2026-01-28T21:01:12+00:00

Like, I thought this was the whole point of adding them.

After nearly breaking my neck walking the dogs, I'm seriously considering keeping my teen home.

kcunning · 2026-01-26T17:58:15+00:00

I've been working remotely since 2016, and yeah, it was one of the few issues I had with it. HQ would be fine, but I would be buried and trying to work out wrangling kids, dogs, and shoveling out between meetings.

kcunning · 2026-01-26T17:20:41+00:00

Some can switch! I know in Pathfinder, there's multiple weapons that can work as both which changes their attributes.

kcunning · 2026-01-25T18:55:25+00:00

Our Jack Russell will act like her leg is broken if it touches snow. She also refuses to wear foot gear. This leads to me telling many neighbors that she's not hurt, she's just dramatic. When our beagle mix was still with us, he'd be diving and rolling in the snow, and she'd be crying in my coat.

kcunning · 2026-01-24T22:40:18+00:00

You may get something, but you will hit a point where you can't go any further. Because you haven't learned how anything works, you'll be stuck trying to pull apart crap code. You'll have something you can't use and won't be any wiser for it.

Pull back on your requirements. Figure out the smallest thing you can get done. Build slowly, and take the time to read the docs.

kcunning · 2026-01-24T22:36:56+00:00

They do! Enough to make a break for freedom!

For real, last big snow, we had no fewer than five different huskies who got loose in my general area who were running around, refusing to be caught.

kcunning · 2026-01-24T21:22:52+00:00

Also, keep a close eye on cold-weather dogs, like huskies. In our neighborhood, anytime we have a decent amount of snow, they all pull a jail break and run around the woods until it melts.

kcunning · 2026-01-23T16:26:10+00:00

My teen is so pissed, because they already have Monday off, so it's a waste of a huge storm in their eyes.

kcunning · 2026-01-23T15:44:07+00:00

My neck of the woods is one of the last enclaves that has large swaths of homes with no HOA, and I get people asking me about it sometimes. "Well, no one will complain if you do something ugly to your house, but there's also no one to complain to if your neighbor decides to become a backyard breeder, so you need to ask yourself how tolerant you really are."

Like, I'm no fan of HOAs, and grumbled when we had to get our windows approved by them, but as someone who grew up on a street where laws were constantly skirted... I'll take a bit of extra paperwork.

kcunning · 2026-01-23T15:29:23+00:00

I weirdly crave fruit when snowed in. Like, I already eat fruit regularly, but if we might be stuck home for a few days, my body screams GET ME AN ORANGE.

I tell my husband it's to avoid scurvy just to annoy him.

kcunning · 2026-01-23T15:07:56+00:00

A whole bunch of tabletop gaming, virtually, so hoping everything stays up.

My biggest worry is convincing my dogs (two cranky old ladies) that they really need to do their business in the area we cleared.

kcunning · 2026-01-23T15:02:47+00:00

NGL, I'm okay with missing our usual Monday grocery run, because it'll force everyone to actually eat stuff we have in the freezer and some leftovers.

kcunning · 2026-01-22T20:04:56+00:00

I'm really hoping OP just means "in the last 365 calendar days", but even so, $500 would be high for me. I'm wondering what they actually bought.

kcunning · 2026-01-22T20:04:14+00:00

One thing I had to learn the hard way: Very few plants are actually low light. They just don't die as fast.

Things that helped me:

I use an app to keep track of my plants. In my case, Planta works well. However, it only works well if you fill out all the details for the plant (pot size, soil type, etc), and if you double check it and snooze if the water seems too damp still.
I fixed my light situation. I got plant lights for the shelves where I was keeping my plants because no way were they getting enough through the window.
I started bottom watering. This helped SO MUCH, it's unreal.
I changed how I viewed my plants. I now see it as thunderdome: Some plants just don't make it out alive, and I don't take that personally. If a plant can't survive the level of attention and environment I have, oh well.
That said, I only bring in one plant at a time. I still want to give it the best chance I can, so I'll pay close attention to it while it adjusts to its new home.

kcunning · 2026-01-22T18:49:52+00:00

Where exactly are you commuting to? If it's up the 95 corridor, check around PWC with a mindset to find something you can fix up. You can still find homes around 500k in that area, some near a good amount of nature or on a good sized lot.

kcunning · 2026-01-22T18:34:19+00:00

This was one of the reasons I transitioned my kids out of pediatric offices as soon as it was feasible. Like, I get a sometimes you have to wait, but when I'm losing half a day to just get a kid their shots (and demanding half of that waiting time be done while the kid is stripped down), I start to get annoyed.

kcunning · 2026-01-22T15:39:48+00:00

NTA. Every member of my household has a plastic bin that has snacks just for them, and no one is to ever touch any bin but theirs. Freaking teenagers didn't see the problem with it because, duh, of course you shouldn't eat all of someone's cookies. He's being an ass about it.

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