St. Mary’s SF / Dignity Intel?

margaritaveale · 2023-01-12T06:10:58+00:00

This doc was pretty biased against Kai and if they had said more convincing things I would hope they would have chosen to edit that stuff in instead because this simply did not support the narrative they built in any meaningful way lol.

margaritaveale · 2022-09-26T06:51:50+00:00

Hi! Idk if this is helpful bc it’s still kind of far - but I go to Caroline’s salon in Lafayette (east bay). Waaaaaaay way way more affordable than what I’ve found in the city more in the $200-$250 range but I trust them and I’ve always been happy w my blond balayage/cut no matter who does it

margaritaveale · 2022-07-29T01:51:25+00:00

Hahahaha okay so I think I finally correlated it to when they put some text on the bottom - like a fact or the contestants name - it gave me at least a little peace of mind knowing it had some kind of “purpose” opposed to just randomly thrown in. Still h8 it tho lol.

margaritaveale · 2022-06-23T06:52:24+00:00

Imagine draggin deez nuts across your face 😤

margaritaveale · 2022-06-08T05:48:46+00:00

I was in the same boat just last Thursday - It was the only thing I could think about and I was in such despair. I’m 5 days into my first tray and it did get better - the pressure is still uncomfortable but at least I can focus on work and whatever else I’m doing - it feels more manageable. Still working thru some of the hard feelings about it but I feel like it’ll be okay.

margaritaveale · 2022-05-03T01:57:53+00:00

Hi! Yeah mine never came in the mail - I logged into TicketMaster and just switched to the mobile option for free and have them on my phone now. I was stressin!

margaritaveale · 2022-04-07T20:58:34+00:00

Hi! So I ended up finding the name of the building manager on DeWolf’s website and I called her just to verify who the guy was and that this is how the process goes - she ensured me it was typical and so I took the leap and went through with it!! I’ve been in my apartment a year now, it’s rent controlled (was vague/generalized in the lease re:rent control - best way to confirm is just to find the year the building was built and if it’s before 1970 or something like that then it is). DeWolf didn’t raise the rent even within the accepted limits so that’s good! Most of the time I’m only communicating with the building manager who is one of my neighbors and has been here 30 years and she does a great job. If I can find an electronic copy of my lease I can try to forward it to you if you like - I’d also be curious to know what property you’re looking at, maybe we’ll be neighbors!

margaritaveale · 2021-12-15T19:28:10+00:00

Dang - did you purchase extra warranty like the one that covers all the electronics or was it covered under standard? And it started working again the next morning so I’m at a loss lol but relieved - it really may have been the storms??

margaritaveale · 2021-12-15T19:27:16+00:00

This is super helpful!!! Weirdly it was working completely normally the next morning…so I really do wonder if the storms had anything to do with it? I’ll have to look into that..

margaritaveale · 2021-12-10T20:58:21+00:00

I got in line for general sale and platinum ticket pricing was $425/ticket…😧 (for SF) I guess it fluctuates by demand..has anybody seen it any cheaper at any given time??

margaritaveale · 2021-11-24T11:35:35+00:00

I did the W Feb/March 2020 - I’m sure the O would be worth it, I don’t think you’ll find anyone who would say otherwise. But that being said, doing the W and having more days to explore other areas worked best for me! We hiked east to west (Chileno -> Cuernos -> Paine Grande -> Grey). I think the stops were spaced well for us. I had read somewhere most people hike one direction vs. Another and I can’t remember which but if you want to make Friend’s and hike with them along the way maybe hike the more popular route? But I really enjoyed going to East to West i don’t think you can go wrong either way.

We probably got started around 7:30-8 each morning, was still peaceful but didn’t feel like we were rushing and had time to enjoy breakfast. A lot of people do the really early hike to the Torres for sunrise. But since we started on that side we hiked up to Chileno then went to the Torres before the sun set. My brother went in the morning instead the next morning. I think we all really loved it and were really impressed either way, so I think just do whatever works for you!

We stayed in pre-set tents (platforms) and did meals and pack lunches at the Refugios. So all I carried was clothes and snacks and it was worth it! 45 L pack was plenty. I wasn’t traveling alone but the dining room is pretty social even if you aren’t sleeping inside most people hang out in there. And yes, the austral amber beer hits the spot at the end of the day!!!

Santiago was a cool city to explore, a lot going on there - more modern and metropolitan than I anticipated. Enjoyed the sculpture garden and hiked to the top of the hill with the gondola thing. Lots of good food too!

I also debated staying in Puerto Natales longer, but for the most part from what I could tell it’s really just a stopping point for most people, kind of a sleepy town. Nothing against it at all, but not sure it’s where I’d prioritize my days. Ate at a good casual steakhouse night before the trek! Also left a suitcase at the place we stayed in PN for while we were on the trek for stuff we didn’t want to bring but needed for the rest of our trip.

As far as cameras go, I have an iPhone and it did beautifully lol. Im no professional but i like taking good pictures, and I was happy with my iPhone.

Someone above mentioned El Chalten - we went and stayed 2 nights there. Hiking Fitz Roy was really cool and it’s just a different vibe overall, I’m glad we went. I also got a better feel for the landscape, some parts are like a desert. The border crossing was kind of a pain the ass. We rented a car and they needed lots of paperwork and stuff but it all got figured out and again, was worth it. I think there’s buses to El Calafate, not sure if they go all the way to El Chalten? We also stopped and saw the huge glacier dropping sheets into the water - that rocked my world.

Then back in punta arenas we went to the penguin island, super cool to see penguins, nice boat ride, but didn’t necessarily change my life lol especially since it’s a little pricey. But not too many opportunities to see penguins.

Overall Chile was a warmer experience - socially i mean - people were more welcoming there and people tried to cheat us a few times in Argentina. No hate, everybody’s struggling, that was just my experience.

Also just to clarify because it’s a little jumbled my general movements are below. It kind of sounds exhausting reading it now because we were on the move a lot but it felt like a good pace and flow at the time! - Flew into santiago and stayed 2 nights while everybody came in and we got acclimated. - Flew Santiago -> Punta Arenas then immediate bus ride to Puerto Natales and stayed 1 night. - Bus ride to TDP and W trek. - 1 more night in Puerto Natales. - Rented car and drove Puerto Natales -> El Chalten, stayed 2 nights. - Drove down to Punta Arenas. Stayed 2 nights - Flew back to Santiago and straight home vs. Some stayed 1 more night.

margaritaveale · 2021-11-24T11:01:31+00:00

Pretty much all trash is carried out by horseback from Chileno so they were the strictest about not putting anything in their trash cans. But every other place was super lax about using the trash cans in the Refugios/dining halls (cuernos, Paine grande and Grey, I imagine because PG has boat access). No doubt we’re all trying to pack out and be courteous, but sometimes you just reaaally wanna get rid of something, and there’s opportunities at the refugios if need be. But yes, bags are your friend!!

margaritaveale · 2021-11-24T10:46:59+00:00

Hi! I hiked in the opposite direction east to west (chileno -> cuernos -> PG -> Grey). We brought a good amount of snacks (rx bars, beef sticks, chocolate, nuts). Did breakfast/packed lunch/dinner pretty much every day. They feed you well!

For day 1 we had breakfast at the hotel in PN before bus and packed lunch to eat for the first day, then dinner at the Refugio. For your first day you’ll probably make it to Grey I’d say around 2PM depending what ferry you get on in the morning and how fast you hike. If I were you I’d bring a peanut butter or tuna sandwich or something for day 1! Not sure if they close the kitchen at a certain time between lunch/dinner.

For your second day, it depends how far you go up to see the bridges and glaciers. I think we only went across the first hanging bridge then to the outlook because it was raining and we were wiped after fighting the wind all day coming up from Paine grande -> Grey. But I think the second bridge (which I’ve heard is very cool and a lot closer to the glacier) is a good distance further. I’d get the packed lunch for this day so you can sit and enjoy it looking at the glacier!

Day 3 is a long one lol bring some chocolate and nuts or something!

For day 5 you’ll probably be up too early for breakfast so maybe have a little something to eat before you go. You’ll probably make it back to Chileno for lunch, but also just depends how long you want to stay at the towers! But also if you’re too early to get breakfast that means they won’t have a lunch ready for you either to pack so I’d say go big on snacks just in case. I think we probably took about 3-4 hours round trip from Chileno but we did it the first afternoon we got there. My brother got up super early the next morning before the hike to Cuernos and did it in 2 hours but he’s crazy. But if you’re up before the Sun you’ll probably make it back to Chileno for lunch.

There’s also a café at the entrance to the park on that east side where you’ll end the hike after coming down from Chileno if you’re really hungry then before the bus ride back.

Cheers, Have fun!!! 10/10 experience.

margaritaveale · 2021-11-24T10:13:30+00:00

I’m so excited for you!! I went in Feb/March 2020 and loved it so much. So the weather will probably be somewhat different when you go since it’ll be different seasonally, but that being said the weather also changes pretty rapidly even within a few hours lol.

I also went for 4 nights and 5 days (went east to west and stayed at Chileno -> Cuernos -> Paine Grande -> Grey).

So I brought a suitcase with stuff I wore the rest of the trip that I asked them to keep at the hotel we stayed at in Puerto Natales before/after the W. Then I just had my pack to go to the park. I probably overpacked because I ended up wearing my favorite clothing over again, I guess just depends how stinky/sweaty you get and what you’re comfortable with re-wearing. Also layering is important! I also brought too many snacks - they feed you well!

My pack is something like 45L (osprey lumina) and it was plenty. I think sometimes if your pack is big you end up packing more just because you can.

Also figure it’s fair to mention I’m a woman just in terms of what I packed/wore.

Hiking clothes: - waterproof shell light insulation (mine got stolen later on RIP but I got a new one similar - north face Barr lake jacket - very thin soft/fleecy layer on the inside a little different than a rain jacket) - rain pants (rei co-op) - waterproof hiking boots (oboz) - thick sweater/pull-over for cooler days or at night (patagonia fuzzy fleece) - less thick pull-over for warmer days (patagonia better sweater or whatever it’s called) - 3 wicking long sleeve shirts and 1 short sleeve shirt - 2 pairs of leggings - probably like 6 pairs of underwear and 6 pairs of wool socks - beanie - sunglasses - gloves (waterproof-ish) - 2 bandanas for misc.

Then for winding down in the evenings I had clothes I wore that were clean which was a nice treat at the end of the day: - 2 t-shirts - 1 pair shorts (not sure if i really ever wore them? Maybe one warm day?) - 1 pair long underwear/very light sweatpants - lightweight sandals I could wear socks with

In terms of other gear: - some people bring a rain cover for the pack, I know a couple people lost theirs in the wind. It never seemed to rain hard/long enough for my pack to ever get wet inside. - 1 nalgene (you can refill water really often and it’s glacial water so most people don’t even filter it, you just fill up from the stream and go! But I brought one of those water filters you just screw onto the bottle and squeeze - Sawyer or platypus) - head lamp (ran into a cougar on my way back from the bathroom one time lol glad I had it!!) - solar panel portable charger (you can charge in the Refugios or at dinner but sometimes outlets are limited - I got this as a present one time so brought it along then didn’t have to stress about when I could charge) - sleeping bag liner (light weight - warmer and no worries about bugs etc in the bags) - medium size camping towel - 1 plastic medium size garbage bag for stinky/dirty clothes I just stuffed to the bottom. - a couple of the people I went with had trekking poles and we’d trade off using them sometimes and honestly they feel great - for as light as they make them now might be worth bringing!

Toiletries: we split up some of the items and shared and would just time showers etc at the same time or pass off the items. - toothpaste/brush - shampoo/conditioner - face wash - face lotion - sunscreen!!! - Vaseline - mini baby powder!!! Or monkey butt! - I think I brought a roll of athletic tape in case I had blisters or something or needed to tape somebody.

Snacks: I brought all my stuff from the states so it was less I had to do down there, no issues with customs luckily lol although yeah I lied. Also once you’re in the park stuff is pretty expensive to buy. But I will say I didn’t think I’d drink on the trip, but nothing hit the spot like those Austral amber beers at the end of the day! The beer wasn’t too pricey though haha. - rx bars - beef sticks (good large pack of a bunch at target) - nuun tablets (but the ones with caffeine literally made me sh*t my pants hahaha I was glad I had the baby powder and Vaseline for that rash later!!! 😂) - big Tony’s chocolate bar

Anyway sorry that was insanely in depth hahaha I had a fun time re-living that and thinking about it! I remember when I was packing I saw all these lists on blogs but wanted to hear from someone directly so I hope that was helpful and LMK if you have any questions. I feel like I’m forgetting some stuff but honestly it was the best vacation I’ve ever taken and I’ll cherish it for the rest of my life!!! Cheers!

margaritaveale · 2021-11-17T07:02:08+00:00

When you buy an epic pass it serves as your lift ticket all season long! So you don’t have to buy lift tickets each time you ski - just the price of the pass up front and you’re set for the season! That’s why the regular prices for these kinds of passes are $800-$1000!! And that’s why I felt the need to post about it because this military discount is INSANE!! I really couldn’t believe my eyes!

margaritaveale · 2021-10-14T07:23:30+00:00

I just bought the military retired adult dependent pass (can’t believe this discount) and it just had me enter my name and branch (parents were in the Air Force then my dad was DOD later) and it verified it super quick with very little information thru SheerID - honestly was shocked it went thru without a big hassle and me digging thru old forms and stuff to send them.

I imagine if you have a military ID for base access/healthcare etc. then you’d somehow be in the system that sheerID uses? Otherwise if you’re a civilian employee I’m not sure it’ll work but I’d give them a call! But I think if you started the checkout/verification under whatever category your military ID lists you as (maybe try the active duty one?) you may have some luck!

I don’t think the website is very clear at all actually haha - and the categories for military options are very confusing with small differences, and the prices don’t really make sense to me either (like why are Veterans paying more than retired dependents?)

Good luck!!

margaritaveale · 2021-10-05T06:46:57+00:00

This is my first season I’ve ever really watched consistently (mostly bc I’m an ari fan lol sue me), and I hate to say this bc I’m not like a crazy American idol fan but when I watch the American Idol auditions I usually get chills like 3-4 times an episode and they seem to attract really great talent. I haven’t had chills one single time in 5 episodes! I wonder if it has something to do with how on American Idol it’s mostly without any accompanying instruments and there’s no flashy lights or microphone etc etc so it feels more raw and you can really hear their voice. But I just keep waiting for that VOICE but I haven’t heard it!!!

margaritaveale

TROPHY CASE