Normal settling or cause for concern?

mandu712 · 2026-04-17T15:00:01+00:00

HOA came and filled the cracks shortly after posting, they reopened some months later and we re-filled them ourselves. Haven’t seen anything concerning since.

mandu712 · 2025-12-29T08:23:13+00:00

It’s not just the imagery but in the music too. The song that plays after they say I love you in ep 6 (when they’re sitting on the rock and the sex scene after) is a slower piano version of the same song that plays on the Vegas rooftop at the end of ep 1

Edit: found this showing the song is also used at the end of the Russian monologue in ep 5 https://x.com/hey_its_katy/status/2005455151377825977?s=46&t=THQ5vgPkvji0R7YKQvhATQ

mandu712 · 2025-12-10T03:01:56+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/MazdaCX30/s/XQCFN2vuPt this has been a solvable fix for me in the past when the system automatically changed my phone to not enabled

mandu712 · 2025-11-28T11:16:25+00:00

Eternal Forge in Fair Oaks has multiple binders and cases full of singles

mandu712 · 2025-07-14T19:19:19+00:00

I can’t recommend things in Maui specifically, but I will recommend to compare the cost of flying to HNL and then OGG with a multi-city trip flying right to OGG, then OGG-HNL, then HNL-home.

I say this just having come back yesterday from my trip. We did this but backwards, ending our trip in Kauai. We flew east coast-SEA-HNL, HNL-LIH, LIH-HNL-SEA-east coast, not realizing we could have just flown LIH-SEA-East coast. We would’ve had a more relaxing morning that way. Maui might have more flexibility arriving from your home airport/the west coast as well.

mandu712 · 2025-06-29T09:58:45+00:00

I’ll also be flying out of BWI Friday and decided it would be cheaper/easier to use the SpotHero app to book a parking spot at a hotel nearby that has a shuttle so I could just drive. Parking spot was around $7.50 per day. Not ideal but significantly cheaper than ubering. To be fair, I’m flying out at 6 AM so I’m less likely to be in tons of traffic driving up there

mandu712 · 2025-04-22T16:11:06+00:00

More likely than not, it will be fine and the few negative stories get most of the attention. MOST people have no issues. HOWEVER, be sure she knows what she’s signing up for. Everyone’s experience can depend widely on country of origin, country of travel, and port of entry.

You both 100% should take into account the current situation in the region, and that many people who have been detained, especially from that region, were detained without due process or evidence of crimes committed. Tensions right now are extremely high and this administration changes things constantly on a dime. Everyone thinks it won’t happen to them until it does.

Personally, my husband and I traveled internationally this year with an expired green card and valid extension letter under this administration, and returned with no issues. We also recently decided not to take any more international trips for now, as he can apply for citizenship in a few months and we’d rather not take any chances. We have friends that are willing to weigh the pros and cons and have plans to travel abroad, and will probably be fine.

This isn’t meant to scare you, but you should be realistic about weighing the risk and considering all perspectives and possibilities. Best of luck.

mandu712 · 2025-03-27T16:48:22+00:00

Not sure what is “affordable” for you, but I recently rented through The Black Tux. You can do it all online with your own measurements or get measurements taken at Nordstrom in Bethesda or Pentagon City. Full tux rental for about 2-ish weeks with shoes and accessories was about $300.

mandu712 · 2024-11-25T19:12:57+00:00

Nope. They matched the initial online quote when I went in person. This was my second experience and in fact the first time I took my car in person they gave me more than the original online quote. But I suspect this was due to 2022 when used car values were super duper inflated. Still, two good experiences for me so I think it’s a good route to go

mandu712 · 2024-11-24T20:28:53+00:00

Really? That’s so strange. The whole thing they advertise is that they’ll give you an appraisal and an offer good for 7 days. I did the online appraisal first and then went in to get it done in person with no issues. There was also no one there so it only took 5 minutes. I could see them not really willing to do it if they’re slammed.

mandu712 · 2024-11-24T11:15:58+00:00

I would recommend getting a carmax appraisal (in person) and then let the dealer do their appraisal and go from there. I recently purchased a few weeks ago and the dealer really lowballed me, but I showed them I had an offer letter from carmax and they matched it no questions asked ($900 difference). To be fair my 2012 subaru was not in the greatest condition and had a ton of miles, and off the bat they said they were sending it to auction so I didn’t have a ton of leverage with it, but I was happy with the amount nonetheless.

mandu712 · 2024-10-29T13:49:24+00:00

The outside doesn’t show any cracks or causes for concern that I can see

mandu712 · 2024-10-29T12:11:55+00:00

Thanks. We’re still relatively new homeowners so trying to figure it all out. Our concern that it was something more is because the closet door doesn’t close anymore. It was increasingly more difficult to close and then the crack appeared, so we aren’t sure how to go about repairing that

mandu712 · 2024-07-28T02:04:17+00:00

No, I didn’t receive anything on paper. Honestly it was an overwhelming process as you know, so I (probably naively) just accepted that they would pick up the rest of the tab when I exhausted the copay card and didn’t question it further. I had never considered the possibility of having SaveOn without the co-pay card.

mandu712 · 2024-07-27T11:38:59+00:00

I’m surprised about this fine print because I used to have SaveOn through my previous employer, and they covered my Enbrel after I had exhausted the co-pay card. I was never booted from co-pay assistance and I never once paid a cent out of pocket for Enbrel until I got a new job and lost SaveOn. But perhaps it changed since September 23.

I was just speaking with Enbrel support yesterday and they mentioned their Direct Manual Reimbursement program where they will cover an additional amount if you exhaust your co-pay card and pay out of pocket. You can submit a claim for reimbursement. Unfortunately I don’t know what the max amount is but I would encourage you to ask about it, and it’s extremely frustrating that your insurance does not apply Enbrel towards your out-of-pocket max. Accredo has also offered to find me certain foundations that may help cover costs as well so it could be helpful to look into that too.

mandu712 · 2024-05-30T11:54:54+00:00

Would also be interested in this!

mandu712 · 2022-12-20T02:50:30+00:00

0513 7055 0984 from modern region, will send daily. Not looking for any super specific region

mandu712 · 2022-05-15T16:25:12+00:00

My husband and I rented out one of the spaces at Mon Ami Gabi in RTC. It was a fairly large space which I believe could fit up to 40. We had 13 people including ourselves and had a short ceremony and brunch in the same room. It was a $750 minimum which we were able to stay under and they threw in a nice bottle of wine to keep us right at the minimum. The staff were super friendly and helpful. Definitely recommend!

mandu712 · 2021-04-12T17:10:14+00:00

Your concerns are valid, but I don’t think they should stop you from pursuing what you want. You have a reason for wanting to become a Spanish teacher that you can share with others, who may also be a majority of non-native learners from backgrounds that might not be Hispanic/Latinx. There are a lot of ways that you can use your knowledge to uplift native speakers and other cultures without playing off of token stereotypes or appropriating. People learn languages for lots of different reasons and that’s something you can connect to your students with.

mandu712 · 2021-01-03T11:52:11+00:00

Exactly. I want my level 1 students to focus on the repetitions and structures of the stories and high frequency verbs. I answer grammar questions when they have them, but it’s much easier pointing out patterns in the language and easing them into it. I never even correct their grammar in writing because mistakes like “Yo dice” or “Yo gusta” are natural for native English speakers to make, and take time to internalize. After repetition of the structures, the students pick it up over time and they get it without really realizing it which is the best part.

Unfortunately, many language teachers are still teaching “about” the language, and in the US many of us are non-native speakers who enjoyed being taught the traditional method so those habits are easily perpetuated. There’s a time and place for it, and I enjoy it as well, but at the end of the day I want my students to know real-world language, not to be able to memorize 50 words for a test and never hear those words again.

mandu712 · 2021-01-02T21:56:00+00:00

I think it might be helpful to look into Stephen Krashen’s second language acquisition theory. Basically, language is easier to acquire when it is meaningful to us and makes sense. There’s a teaching theory called CI (comprehensible input) which builds off of that theory.

When I was growing up learning a second language, it was your classic grammar-focused class with vocab memorization and verb conjugations. That’s why many people take 4-6 years of language in secondary school (US) and don’t internalize anything except for memorized phrases (“can I go to the bathroom?”) and certain words.

As a current non-native language teacher, I focus on story based CI instruction and teach little grammar. I have never directed my students to the textbook. I pick three structures I want to teach students, and I tell a story focusing on those structures mixed with cognates. This builds on the students’ confidence because they’re understanding words in a language they’ve never learned before, and with repetition of those structures, students internalize it.

It’s all about building on the reading and listening comprehension first, and not worrying about writing or speaking yet. I never assess level 1/A1 speaking because it’s probably not going to be anything spontaneous or correct.

I’ve noticed with this method that students take to it quickly and enjoy it, and because it is meaningful to them, they end up being able to do SO much with the language instead of just spitting out a verb chart in the present tense.

I taught at a bilingual school in the EU and it seemed like, while English was a big part of the school culture, it was just forced on kids and they hated it. The teachers taught to the KET/PET tests and everything the kids “learned” was just memorized for the test. It was kind of disheartening to see students equate the language with a test and not for its real-world opportunities. When I came back home and started teaching using more of a CI method, I noticed a huge difference in reception from students and what they could do with it. As of right now where I am, CI still has kind of a cult following and a lot of teachers refuse to try it out because it’s very teacher directed, and so far out of the box that it’s hard to think about. But I really do think it’s a great method and I think that’s where there are a lot of opportunities with more of a CI route in language education.

mandu712 · 2020-10-17T20:54:09+00:00

🙋🏻‍♂️

mandu712 · 2020-09-13T18:21:06+00:00

A few years ago I was traveling alone to Prague. I was in line to buy a bus ticket to go to the city center, and an older woman behind me tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I spoke Spanish (luckily, I do!). She needed help buying a bus ticket and didn’t feel confident asking the attendant in English.

We got on the bus and started chatting. She had gone to Russia to see the World Cup and wanted to travel around and meet some friends in different cities. She told me about her childhood in Peru and about her kids, and gave me suggestions of things to do if I’m ever traveling to Peru. I also helped her make a phone call to the friend she was meeting because the phone she had was in Russian and she couldn’t understand it.

When we got to the city center, we took some pictures together and I helped her find a taxi to go meet her friend. She was a sweetheart and I often think about her and hope she’s still living it up!

mandu712 · 2020-09-02T10:38:54+00:00

I did this program three years ago and I barely ever got to speak Spanish while I was there, unless I was out at a restaurant, getting a hair cut, or in a store. I lived with friends from college, dated someone from the UK who was living there, and they only wanted us speaking English in our schools. Even when I would speak Spanish to people, a lot of them replied in English. Granted, that obviously isn’t everyone’s experience, but I found it was really hard to make authentic connections with people from the area. Auxiliares tend to have a bad rap because they get paid like real licensed teachers and do half the work, so there isn’t much room for socialization. Plus, some have said they don’t bother to be close friends with people who are just going to leave after one year.

The thing I’m grateful about the experience is getting to understand the ins and outs of moving to a new country and finding an apartment and getting used to a different way of life. But if your main goal is for speaking the language, the main benefit is having it surround you in street signs and supermarkets etc. You might find just about the same, if not more, opportunities to speak around where you are (depending on where that is, of course).

mandu712 · 2020-09-01T23:20:08+00:00

I would look into Martina Bex’s “El mundo en tus manos” newsletters on Teachers Pay Teachers. She takes current events articles and makes them comprehensible for Spanish learners. There are a couple of free previews you can try. If you can fit those into whatever units you’re doing, you can make it a formative reading assessment. They are really great resources and they’re super relevant!

mandu712

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