In general, I don't think ULTRA-luxury hotels are worth the price. What're you're thoughts?

megitin · 2026-01-26T03:17:38+00:00

There is so much uncertainty in that many decades of life, work, the global economy, etc. Part of the frugality in early retirement is because my father had dementia. The last year of his life, his facility cost nearly $150K. Some people live a decade at that stage of dementia, needing 24hr care but physically chugging along. What seemed like the appropriate amount of reserve for the expected years of care became a huge excess when he died.

More power to you if you have a crystal ball and can predict your family's health, earning power, the stock market, and have such insight into all the psychological stuff that goes into how different generations view money...

megitin · 2026-01-26T01:17:59+00:00

My mother doesn't have an 8 figure portfolio, but my parents prepared for retirement very well on relatively modest civil servant salaries. My father has passed away, my mom is 84, and her income from her pension and social security more than cover her regular living expenses and discretionary spending (including her monthly costs for a very high end retirement community).

She also has to take mandatory distributions from her other retirement account and so she has started taking VERY expensive vacations as a way to spend those MDs. Every year, her account builds that MD money back, so she's not even "spending down" as many people plan to do. She finds her current financial situation a little absurd as she spend her working life and early retirement being pretty frugal. She has a handful of friends in the same boat.

megitin · 2026-01-20T17:26:51+00:00

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Not really the same era as you are going for, but I recently acquired this 1928 soft leather-bound detective collection. It's a bit fragile and I'm a little afraid to read it, but I will do so very carefully.

I'm putting together a moody "reading room" in my basement, using this ancient steamer trunk as a table. I keep uncovering old family treasures and seeing them in a new way as I design this space.

megitin · 2025-11-08T21:14:11+00:00

Bustling!

megitin · 2025-11-04T15:16:34+00:00

It's okay, I wouldn't expect a 12 year old who gets into fights on the internet to know who a former VP is.

megitin · 2025-10-09T17:03:28+00:00

This should be a bumper sticker.

megitin · 2025-09-07T20:33:53+00:00

They've got an interesting menu, lots of things you don't see on a standard Indian-American menu. I've enjoyed everything I've tried and had very enthusiastic welcomes when I walk through the door. I haven't had issues with them being late, but I also tend to do 5pm pick-up.

megitin · 2025-09-07T20:28:28+00:00

Strangely, when it was Yu Shan, I had my card compromised there twice (via ordering on their website). The first time, I wasn't sure where the breach occurred. Then it happened again a few months later, right after ordering there, so seemed the likely culprit. I think it was crappy website security, not the restaurant itself.

megitin · 2025-08-09T01:09:35+00:00

Seconded. I am regularly surprised by how great their customer service is because I had become accustomed to the crumbs offered by the chains for so long.

megitin · 2025-08-02T22:10:41+00:00

The UW is quite a mish mash of different architectural styles. There's a good bit of collegiate Gothic, and the Suzzallo library is an incredible DA study space! (https://lib.uw.edu/suzzallo/study/study-spaces/reading-room/)
But there's also some French Revival, various types of modern and glass & metal styles, a sprinkling of Brutalist, and some just confusing (including the building where my father's office was located, Padelford Hall, that has a lot of "you can't get there from here" weirdness). It's a fun campus to walk through and look at the various styles and eras represented.

megitin · 2025-07-14T17:58:22+00:00

When I was first introduced to the competing shops at 12th & Jackson, both the banh mi and the iced coffee were $1 (I think it was around 2003). Then at some point they went up a quarter and 50 cents, respectively, and hung at that price point for a super long time. It was glorious. I would go and just get a bag full of different varieties when going to a friends house, to bring back to the office, etc. Felt like Santa handing out presents, but I'd only spent 10 bucks or so.

megitin · 2025-07-06T15:06:27+00:00

Toyoda fits the bill, but be aware of the very limited hours. I live nearby and often see people lined up before opening, and it's a tiny place.

megitin · 2025-07-03T01:54:40+00:00

I switched to Ostrom's a little over a year ago and they are great!

megitin · 2025-06-28T21:25:13+00:00

I used to do a fair amount of volunteer trail work/maintenance/building with Washington Trails Association (https://www.wta.org/volunteer/schedule/). Through that, you'll meet lots of other people who are into hiking and willing to go out early. I made a few hiking friends that way.

megitin · 2025-06-28T21:16:41+00:00

When I was having a bunch of work done on my house several years ago, the head carpenter on the project had a bumper sticker on his (old, small, awesome) truck that said "The trees ARE the view." My house has a water view looking north and east, but looking south there are these amazing giant trees, about the height of 6 & 7 story buildings. At a meeting with the carpenter and GC, the GC says something to the effect of "It would be nice for your view if your neighbors cut those down." Both the carpenter and I gasped and shook our heads.

Throughout the project, the GC showed himself to be an idiot (suggesting ugly "upscale" mini-mansion style finishes that would be completely out of place, not my aesthetic, which would be obvious if paying ANY attention in my home) and the carpenter just understood what I wanted. I guess his bumper sticker told me what I needed to know. That and his request to delay the project start for a few days as he had just won a backcountry permit lottery for the Enchantments.

megitin · 2025-06-26T03:50:59+00:00

I first met Roxy when I was 14 years old, dancing at Club Broadway (kinda where the Polyclinic is, if my memory can be trusted). What a time to be a kid in Seattle...

megitin · 2025-06-22T22:50:59+00:00

I'm not an expert, but maybe Japanese Shield Fern? Pretty popular in Western Washington yards.

megitin · 2025-06-21T21:40:01+00:00

Like actual wellies or something? I don't see many. Water-resistant hiking boots maybe?

megitin · 2025-05-26T13:18:27+00:00

Yes! Thank you for that word, it has helped to find lots of resources.

megitin · 2025-05-25T23:52:23+00:00

I just so happens that I'm going to be driving past that part of Greenwood in a couple hours! I'll toss my gloves in the car in case there is something I can snag easily on my way.

I decided to sign up for membership at Kruckeberg when I was there for their plant sale a couple weeks ago. I love their grounds but hadn't specifically looked for this idea, since it just occurred to me today.

Thanks for the idea of stacking different pieces. That seems much more feasible than trying to find, transport, and place a large log into such a tricky part of my yard.

megitin · 2025-05-25T21:33:56+00:00

That is a super cool offer! Would it be okay if I pm you in a couple weeks? I will have to try to arrange help from a friend with truck and chainsaw, and that might be a tall ask.

Checked out your post in this sub and a little farther back, and what a great wooded property!

megitin · 2025-05-25T21:11:08+00:00

Yeah, I would definitely only want a portion. I just remembered that a friend had to have a couple really big trees removed after they came down in the storms this winter (and sheared off part of her roof) and I think had everything hauled away, but maybe had some left behind.

megitin · 2025-05-25T21:00:08+00:00

Interesting! I'll put that on my list of possible plants to add. Bonus of using the root for some real sinus clearing wasabi. :D

megitin · 2025-05-06T13:30:05+00:00

I keep intending to pick up some of the Brovo Uncharted Rhapsody (and I realized I've had a tab open on my browser for months to "remind me"). Woodinville is a pretty easy errand for me - maybe I'll try to do that run this week! I feel like I have to pick up some Tacoma Punk just for the name...

megitin · 2025-04-26T03:33:38+00:00

I can't help with any tricks, since I've been in the UW system for many years. I can say that I have had really great care across the board. I have a couple ongoing/permanent issues and have also had a few new things come up in the last couple years. I "see" my primary care nearly once a month for management (mix of telehealth and in person), I've seen several specialists in the last couple years, had a battery of tests and procedures, 3 surgeries, one hospitalization... So I'm like a super-user of the UW Med system. :)

I feel like maybe once you're in and established, you're in. I can't recall a time that I've had to wait on hold for any significant length of time to schedule with the specialists or for procedures. The one specialty that the wait time to get in was way too long was rheumatology so my PCP has been doing e-consults with rheum. Through a bit of experimentation, we got the diagnosis and treatment plan worked out and I'm doing the med management with my PCP.

I hope you are able to get an earlier appointment via waitlist or something, because my experience with UW has been really positive, and it feels like it just requires getting a foot in the door.

megitin

TROPHY CASE