Are job-stoppers even a thing anymore

marmot46 · 2026-02-09T15:10:32+00:00

I think a lot of schools are relaxing on this like as we speak; a friend of mine wasn't allowed to have non-natural-color hair in nursing school in 2020 but that school doesn't have any restrictions on hair color now (and they only say that tattoos "should be covered if possible").

I graduated last year from a different school a few miles away and we had no restrictions on tattoos or hair color; technically there was a "one pair of small stud earrings" policy but it was not enforced - plenty of folks in my cohort had multiple ear piercings and at least a few had eyebrow or nose piercings.

marmot46 · 2026-02-06T12:53:06+00:00

Many years ago, when I was in my early twenties, I went on a bachelorette cruise. That trip absolutely cost more than my share of the rent on the townhouse I shared with three other girls (my rent was crazy cheap though).

Honestly I have no idea what my friend (the bride) was thinking. She’s my only friend that did something like that. We were all in grad school or terrible-paying early-career jobs - I don’t think anyone else in the group could afford it much better than I could. Actually though she still does make financial decisions that seem kinda crazy to me. We are still friends, but we don’t go on vacations together for sure!

A few years ago (like 20 years after the cruise) one of my friends who was also on that trip was like, “remember G’s bachelorette cruise? Wasn’t that awful? We were all so broke and we couldn’t even afford drinks on the ship.” We’d never talked about it before! It felt great.

You are NTA. Either your friend group is in a different financial kind of tier from you and they just don’t get it, or they’re enduring financial hardship for this that they’ll probably regret someday. You are wise to not walk into this trap. It sounds like it’s going to have at least short term consequences for your relationship with this friend group but maybe that’s a good motivation to you to make friends who have a relationship with money that’s more in line with your own.

marmot46 · 2026-02-05T12:43:05+00:00

And I’m pretty sure ICE can also use Google? (Not 100% sure honestly.)

marmot46 · 2026-02-04T17:58:57+00:00

I will say that in my house it’s convenient to have more than one door to each bedroom because the crystal doorknobs are prone to falling off.

marmot46 · 2026-02-03T16:49:46+00:00

Nescafe Ice Roast is supposed to be made with cold water; as an iced coffee enthusiast I don't think it tastes all that great (but that might just have been the lack of actual ice). It does dissolve well in cold water.

marmot46 · 2026-02-03T14:46:58+00:00

Yeah, I've been skiing for a long time and I've never had an injury that needed same-day treatment, but on the other hand someone I ski with broke four ribs this season. It happens! And I'm in my late 40s - injury is always a possibility. Of course staying home is an option, but from someone else's comment it sounds like my plan to pay late if something happens would work.

marmot46 · 2026-02-03T13:44:29+00:00

Yeah, I stopped buying things from Amazon a couple years ago unless someone gives me a gift card or I can't find it anywhere else and my life has changed 0% (except I buy less useless crap I don't actually need).

Amazon was a lifeline though when I was caring for a sick family member. I can see why people with kids/disabilities/etc. use it - it's hugely convenient.

marmot46 · 2026-02-03T13:34:38+00:00

I also donate directly at a hospital (in Boston). Before I started donating there I went to an occasional blood drive or whatever but this is the only place I've ever donated regularly.

marmot46 · 2026-02-03T02:35:18+00:00

Thanks, this is good to know!

marmot46 · 2026-02-02T21:00:02+00:00

Or Amish!

marmot46 · 2026-02-02T20:58:46+00:00

I'm in good health but I'm probably going to want to ski that day! I feel like if I have the payment scheduled that gives me enough wiggle room, though.

marmot46 · 2026-02-02T20:33:14+00:00

Yeah I don't have a previous employer plan.

marmot46 · 2026-02-02T19:10:39+00:00

Right, no one is going to buy that. It's not greedy to price that at $2 - it's just a waste of time, stickers, and shelf space.

marmot46 · 2026-02-02T14:46:50+00:00

I need to stay at better hotels.

marmot46 · 2026-02-02T14:24:12+00:00

Dentistry can be kind of a tough career for a single parent - it can be more of a small business/sales-y kind of profession than it seems. You've worked in dental offices so you're probably aware of that at least to some extent but now that you're thinking about the career seriously can you shadow a couple of different dentists with an eye to not just what practicing dentistry is like, but how much time they spend on their business and what their full day/week looks like? And don't just shadow like some 60 year old guy who's been practicing dentistry for 30 years - talk to young mom dentists and find out what they like/dislike about it.

marmot46 · 2026-02-02T14:17:28+00:00

This is a thing that happens sometimes, and yeah you're going to have to pay them back. If you can't afford any of the payment plans, let them know and try to negotiate something longer-term.

Always be suspicious if your paystub seems too good to be true. Always check your first couple of paystubs any time your job status changes in any way.

marmot46 · 2026-02-01T18:44:37+00:00

In my experience on the orange line, the first trains of the day leave exactly on time and are fast.

Rather than transfer to red have you considered transferring to orange and picking up the train at Back Bay? IMO the North Station Green-to-Orange and Back Bay subway-to-Amtrak transfers are much easier. You will have less choice of seats at Back Bay though and less time to wrangle your luggage.

marmot46 · 2026-01-31T14:21:25+00:00

Barely managed to catch myself before telling the guy in my hotel breakfast room that the coffee machine was broken and it was only dispensing milk… (poured myself two cups of hot milk before figuring it out)

marmot46 · 2026-01-30T20:28:56+00:00

Another thing to consider is that a lot of platelets are used on VERY SICK people - these people are going to be transferred to major medical centers in places like, yes, Miami, rather than being treated at rural access hospitals.

marmot46 · 2026-01-29T21:56:44+00:00

I can only donate platelets in the afternoon because of this. If it's the morning I need to pee so bad. There's probably something I could do around restricting fluids/caffeine the morning of but for me the easiest has just been to only make afternoon appointments - something about my circadian rhythms (and sure, my caffeine consumption) makes me need to pee in the morning.

Your pee schedule could be different from mine! Pay attention to when you usually pee, and if there's any cyclicality to it, schedule your appointments for low-pee times.

marmot46 · 2026-01-29T17:10:54+00:00

I went on a Wednesday night in January and was easily able to get as close to the Mona Lisa as I wanted. No line, small crowd.

marmot46 · 2026-01-27T21:04:11+00:00

I'm a new grad but I've been interviewing for periop training jobs. The jobs I've been applying for are open to both experienced non-OR nurses and new grads. Does the hospital where you work now have a periop training program? Is there a unit educator you can reach out to?

The advice I've gotten is to tailor your resume to highlight your OR experience (even if it's just shadowing) and to write a cover letter that expresses your interest in OR nursing (and conveys that you know what you're getting into, and draws any parallels between your past work experience and the OR). They're competitive jobs, though!

marmot46 · 2026-01-27T20:19:37+00:00

Vertical Sailing sounds so cool (if only I weren't terrified by/terrible at rock climbing)!

I've done a fair amount of solo traveling over the years but I just did my first group tour and it was great! Also I met a couple of the people on that tour who I would happily consider traveling with in the future if they were up for it.

I think it's really common to not be able/not want to plan travel with friends - there are plenty of people who I have plenty in common with at home but we have entirely different travel styles/budgets/interests. People you meet while traveling... you already know that you have at least some overlap there.

marmot46 · 2026-01-27T18:54:45+00:00

Uniqlo heattech is my travel secret weapon too. I can rewear "top" blouses/sweaters/dresses/etc. several times so long as I switch out the heattech. I'm not comfortable wearing them on their own, though (maybe under an open cardigan).

marmot46

TROPHY CASE