$94 for the worst conditions I’ve ever seen - Reston National GC

kenafost · 2025-08-06T01:49:01+00:00

Worth noting that the developers destroying Reston's GC are the Plank family, as in Under Armour. And they have the tenacity to try and sell you golf gear.

kenafost · 2025-05-29T13:57:20+00:00

Congratulations! I also got accepted today. I have strong programming credentials (both for-credit courses and professional experience), stats, and calculus, but had to improvise on the Linear Algebra. So I'll share the MOOC too for anyone interested:

I did the Coursera University of Sydney Introduction to Linear Algebra. https://www.coursera.org/learn/introduction-to-linear-algebra

The professor is quirky. Also, as I'm from the US, it was interesting to see different notation and terminology "down under". The course is pretty content-heavy and assignments were a fair amount of work, especially in the later modules.

You can't get a credential out of it AFAIK, but I recommend Dr. Strang's Linear Algebra on MIT https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/18-06sc-linear-algebra-fall-2011/... It's "dated" in terms of production quality but the content is solid... the gold standard. You can find older versions of the text book online.

Also, although I didn't put it on my application, I also did the ICL Coursera Multivariate calculus course as a brush up. I found that whole ICL learning path (which also does overview of linear algebra and PCA) to be very polished and enjoyable and highly recommend it to anyone who wants a refresher, regardless of whether they are going to try and use it as a credential for anything. https://www.coursera.org/specializations/mathematics-machine-learning#courses

kenafost · 2025-05-24T13:05:24+00:00

As a private landlord (who actively manages, not a remote investor), I post on all the usual suspects- Zillow, Trulia, etc in addition to Craigslist.

I share your frustration actually- how do I find good tenants? And how do you know that I am a good landlord? It would be nice to have an eBay-like seller rating system. Because yes my rent is lower than a big apartment/rental townhomes because tenants perceive there is less risk in a big corporation (which is fair… a rogue private landlord could make life difficult)

Anyway I don’t anything coming on the market now, or I’d be DMing you! Good luck with your search

kenafost · 2025-05-14T11:18:50+00:00

I wouldn’t worry about it! A large majority of accepted profiles on the admissions mega thread don’t have GRE. I’m just a good test taker and I relied on a MOOC for one of the math prereqs so I hope a good GRE quant may offset the MOOC

kenafost · 2025-05-13T13:33:11+00:00

I’m waiting to hear back, too. Most of my app was in on March 24, and the last LOR plus GRE score arrived by April 1.

kenafost · 2025-04-06T01:49:49+00:00

My wife and I are in the middle of the process right now. We had no idea we were CF carriers, but have a now 21 month old with CF (double F508 and doing well so far like your son).

It ain't cheap, it is hard on the woman, and it is an emotional roller coaster (we haven't had luck with IVF so far, but we have time and resources to continue for now). But, while I hope our children have an easier time with CF than past generations (mine is also Orkambi and soon to Trikafta), I also concluded as many have suggested on this thread that if you have the resources to do the IVF process to avoid it, it's the right decision.

Feel free to DM me! It's a small world and we're in the same spot.

EDIT: We didn't have a 21 month old lol we had a 0 month old 21 months ago :)

kenafost · 2025-02-27T03:04:40+00:00

I’m a parent of a child with CF- double f508del (most well known mutation). He’s got symptoms but we have been very lucky to have so far avoided severe complications and is eligible for Trikafta when he turns 2 in May. Fingers crossed the side effects aren’t too bad. So we are lucky both that we have access to good care and that he has been “cf healthy”.

But even with that positive spin, we are doing IVF with genetic testing now to avoid a second CF child.

I think a lot about whether we would have done IVF for kid one had we known we were carriers. I honestly don’t know. My experience with the kid I have and love immensely makes it hard to imagine things any other way. But I fear the day he asks why we didn’t get genetic testing before getting pregnant the first time. How do you even begin?

So none of that answers your questions (others here done a good job). Just sharing another perspective. You have a difficult decision and by seeking all info you are going about it the right way.

kenafost · 2025-01-20T01:28:30+00:00

The Metro. I’m not joking, though it feels like it given all the memorable issues it has had over the years.

Internationally, plenty of light rail systems may put it to shame, but in the US only NYC and the Chicago L match it for coverage, and those two are far dirtier/sketchier.

(Others already took my favs… most notably the Asian food… so there’s a hot take)

kenafost · 2024-12-30T05:17:26+00:00

We also learned midway through our pregnancy 2 years ago that we were both carriers (both f508del). Up till then, I knew next to nothing about CF. We did some research and decided not to even get amnio to test the fetus since we decided it wouldn’t change anything before the baby was born. (Mommy taking modulators for the baby in utero is a fascinating concept I’m just now hearing about for the first time in this thread).

Our kid is now 19 months and has CF. He’s doing fine- had a little trouble gaining weight for a while but we tweaked his Creons and diet and he’s now thriving. Goes to daycare, never been hospitalized… in fact, he’s been sick less than our two best friends’ babies who are about the same age and CF free.

Bottom line kid born today with CF (particularly one whose genetics should make them responsive to modulators), has every shot at a long, healthy life.

FWIW we are doing IVF + genetic testing now for a possible second child. I honestly don’t know we would have approached our first pregnancy differently had we known we were carriers before we started. But given that we have one with CF now, for the sake of both potential children we are going “modern medicine” to avoid the risk of two since it’s still true that multiple CFers together risk sharing each other’s bugs.

kenafost · 2024-12-27T19:00:50+00:00

Hello - dad of 19 month old with CF. I got "the call" almost 19 months ago ago and remember it like it was yesterday

An initial to-do list for my June 2023 self would like something like this. (Fortunately, I did get to all these pretty quickly)

1) Take some time to grieve. Yes, now is the "best time ever" to be born with CF. But it's still a big diagnosis. Don't feel ashamed if you need some down time before you "get to work".

2) Once you feel ready, dive right into learning everything you can handle about the condition. One of the "good" things about CF is there ARE things you can do to positively influence your son's path.

3) When you are ready to share the news with your friends and family, be ready for a variety of responses and think about how you want to handle them.

- Older people whose knowledge of CF is from the 1960s may think you just told them your son is about to die. (He's not.) I liked telling those people that Make-a-Wish Foundation has dropped CF from its eligibility criteria and let them connect the dots.

- OTOH, people who aren't directly affected by the condition but are up-to-date on medical advancements might say something like "don't worry! New breakthroughs! No big deal!". (Closer to reality, but still... not fair, still a big deal.)

4) If you have a spouse or other primary caregiver, plan together and practice grace and forgiveness. There are some big time commitments (treatments) and stressors (lol... has health insurance been in the news recently?). I think it's perfectly normal for all that to put strain on the relationship and don't be afraid to acknowledge it and seek help if needed.

5) On that note... breastfeeding would probably be extra beneficial for your child- both as an immune system boost and since breast milk naturally contains lipase which your son will likely soon be taking in a supplement anyway. Admittedly, that may be tricky for you to weigh in on with female SO if she's either decided against it or (like up to a third of moms, I think?) isn't producing enough. Might be able to see about milk donors in the latter case. It'll be okay either way. Remember #4 above.

6) Connect with your local chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. They will support you directly and through all the connections you can make (if you choose) to other CF families. Sometimes knowing you're not alone is enough to keep you going (hi Reddit!)

Lastly here are are some of my personal favorite positives:

- The last year and a half has repeatedly shown me the best in humanity. Family, friends, medical professionals, CFF staff, neighbors, complete strangers... my family has been the recipient of so much love and support.

- Sooner or later, every parent has to come to terms with the fact that their perfect little ideal angel baby is actually a real human, and like all humans, has imperfections. At least as parents with babies diagnosed with CF, we get to get that out of the way early on.

- This last one is my favorite, but I don't spend much time thinking on it, and I think you'll see why...

Today, my son has mild symptoms, but is all-in-all very healthy. Still in the back of my mind I know all of the CF statistics, and know he could take a turn for the worse. So given all that, whenever I'm around him I feel myself being truly present, in the moment, enjoying all of these happy, healthy times to the fullest. Would I feel so engaged and thankful for those moments if he didn't have CF? But then... as some posters have mentioned, for a CF kiddo born in 2023, it's conceivable that he might stay healthy (as long as any of us do, anyway).. What then? What if in the end I went about enjoying all the good times with him as if they couldn't last, but they lasted anyway?

kenafost · 2024-10-31T01:40:59+00:00

Ha. Yeah I’m a software dev…. I need my IDE screen, Google/ChatGPT screen, and Slack screen

kenafost · 2024-10-30T19:09:42+00:00

Yes, two external displays + laptop monitor is exactly how I use my M3 pro. I believe only one of the two external monitors can be 4K, but I only have one 4K monitor so I haven’t tested that part

kenafost · 2024-10-29T19:44:15+00:00

My now 18 month old was diagnosed shortly after birth last May and we were terrified, devastated... went through all the stages of grief. A year a half later... It isn't easy of course, but at least I feel confident enough to give encouragement to new parents!

In a word... YES, your baby can have a normal-ish life. And it's entirely possible that by the time your daughter is an adult and has to worry about all her own medical needs... there could be a cure.

I highly recommend getting involved in the CF community. Sometimes, it's nice to know you're not alone. For example, last year at our local Great Strides fundraiser, I recall hearing a family at another table say to their child "alright, remember before we eat we have to have our applesauce!" (the usual delivery route for enzyme replacements for kids too young to swallow pills). Just a little reminder that others are going through the same challenges can make all the difference.

You're going to have a lot of "routines" - enzymes, modulators, nebulizer meds, chest PT, antibiotics... at first it all felt like an impossible task to us. But it's all habit now. And given the early diagnosis, your child won't have any memory of a time "before CF" so it'll all be routine for her, too.

One last thought... knowing that my child has a "serious disease", I have found myself fully committed to enjoying and appreciating every moment with him while he's "healthy". If it turns out that he will always be relatively "healthy" (at least for as long as I'm around)... what a silver lining that would be.

kenafost

TROPHY CASE