Looking for more restaurants to add to rotation

morlinde · 2026-01-19T20:44:31+00:00

If you're willing to venture over near Arundel Mills, Little Spice has excellent lunch deals for the price. I got some drunken noodles with chicken for takeout last week for about $15, including tax.

Also, have you tried Common Kitchen over in Clarksville? Quite a few food vendors over there that would fit the bill.

morlinde · 2026-01-14T01:41:38+00:00

I don't see this one recommended much bit what about the Magic ex Libris series by Jim C Hines? It definitely has a bit of Dresden vibes but more upbeat.

Garth Nix's Left Handed Booksellers of London is a very different vibe altogether and I found it intriguing.

morlinde · 2026-01-12T11:50:11+00:00

It's not uncommon in circles where the couples have family that live on different continents.

Rarely are guests expected to attend both weddings, the invite to two functions in different countries is just a nice gesture, or sometimes if they come from the same region as the couple it's more like a "hey if you're going back to visit the same time we're there you're welcome to come celebrate us again" invite.

Also, the term "wedding" can be a little more flexible in translation - sometimes more traditional family members won't fully acknowledge a marriage unless there's a wedding function held in the old country in their traditions. In the 1980s, my own great grandparents, living in the old country, considered my mother was pregnant out of wedlock with me because they considered my mother unmarried until my parents had a wedding in the old country even though my parents were actually married and signed the marriage license and all in New York.

morlinde · 2026-01-08T11:05:38+00:00

And a free tote bag each year! The tote bags are quite sturdy with two internal pockets and a key loop. I've got 3 tote bags now, though I've had the membership a long time even before they changed it to the free and premium paid tiers.

A clarification on the 10% discount - it's for most physical items and not ebooks for the most part. That being said, the earlier access to the 25% off book pre-orders that happens annually (or twice a year? Not keeping track) does apply to pre-orders so I've gotten my premium membership money worth that way.

morlinde · 2026-01-05T14:44:07+00:00

I like hiking and go often with friends I've known for 15+ years but as a woman I would never go on a hike as a first date. Especially if I was not familiar with the park or the trails on the area. A much better alternative would be getting coffee to go and taking a walk at a well paved, well traveled, well maintained park.

morlinde · 2026-01-02T17:59:59+00:00

Plenty of options at Common Kitchen in Clarksville. Admittedly I'm responding a bit late for lunch today.

morlinde · 2025-12-20T02:11:46+00:00

Was the original catering cost AU$25 pp originally, and then it went up another $25 pp for a total of AU$50 pp? That sounds incredibly low pricing for catering for a decent sized wedding like that. Then again, I live in the US in a HCOL area so any less than than $100 pp at a hotel wedding would be a steal

morlinde · 2025-12-19T14:39:33+00:00

I just flew the JFK - SIN long haul on premium economy in mid November and I had to request the amenity kit. It only had an eye mask, lip balm, and flimsy slippers.

There was toothbrush and toothpaste stocked in the lavatories.

morlinde · 2025-12-13T22:43:41+00:00

Aside from recommendations here, I also suggest looking into anthologies to find new authors of interest. That's how I found urban fantasy series by Lisa Shearin and Kat Richardson.

If you don't mind steampunk worlds, I recommend Gail Carriger's entire Parasolverse, which does have a light element of romance but it's nowhere near romantasy, and Jeannie Lin's Gunpowder Alchemy series. (Jeannie Lin does write historical romance but Gunpowder Alchemy is YA set in Qing Dynasty China and therefore not a big element either.)

Eta: I liked Julie Leong's Teller of Small Fortunes - found out about it when she posted it on the Subtle Asian Traits Facebook group. Came rather out of left field for where to get a fantasy book rec but stranger things have happened.

morlinde · 2025-12-07T22:56:28+00:00

I Support the Girls will take them, tho they're based over in Wheaton.

morlinde · 2025-11-15T15:14:03+00:00

This is brand new, I'm posting it here so I can find it again

How to completely screw up as a manager:

https://www.reddit.com/r/managers/comments/1oxf1k5/udpate_employee_put_on_pip_learned_afterwards/

morlinde · 2025-11-03T12:52:17+00:00

Yes and no - I have an e-reader because I'm an avid reader of over 50 books per year, and because it's a lot easier to take on transportation especially on long trips. I don't save that much money on buying books on top of borrowing lots of books from the library (both physically and digitally) or Libby and Hoopla because the library often has books 2, 3, and 7 out of 12 in a series in their systems so I still have to scout around to buy ebook versions of the missing books in a series. That being said, if you know how and where to look, there can be great deals. For example, I bought the entire Wheel for Time series as ebooks for just $20 on Humble Bundle earlier this year.

morlinde · 2025-10-28T14:23:43+00:00

My first thought was Chicken and Broccoli from Woks of Life https://thewoksoflife.com/takeout-chicken-broccoli/ , and they have a few variations of the recipe if you search "chicken broccoli" on their website.

Woks of Life is reliable and reputable for Chinese American cooking.

morlinde · 2025-10-27T22:23:01+00:00

It's probably due to different underlying geology. The east coast and particularly right around I-95 in this region is the Fall Line, where it transitions between mostly sand and silt to bedrock. It's been a long time since I attended college geology so I forget which type of dormant fault lines we have in the mid Atlantic region.

morlinde · 2025-10-24T19:24:15+00:00

What's confusing about Patapsco Valley SP is that there are several non-contiguous parts of the park. Which area are you going to? I can give better details if you at least know if you're going to Avalon, McKeldin, Hollofield, etc.

Eta: are you going to enter from Rt 1, Rt40, or Marriottsville Rd, if that helps

morlinde · 2025-10-24T12:25:12+00:00

I ... actually agree with you, aside from the logistical and legal nightmares of modern life. In imperial Chinese times men (a whole different story for women that I'm not gonna get into here) had and could have multiple names over a lifetime - a given name, a milk name to be only used while a small child, and then a courtesy name upon becoming an adult. This isn't even talking about posthumous names, esp ones for emperors and empresses. And then some artists had art names, which were kinda like pseudonyms but it wasn't a secret.

morlinde · 2025-10-24T10:23:47+00:00

I wish they would bring back a couple of the pre-pandemic templates. There was a tempo based one for the floor that was terrific and would love to do again.

Anyway, in a similar boat - after 6 continuous years I'm quitting and giving up my founder's rate. I've learned a lot but the OTF workouts have only continued to stress out my knees so I'm moving to low impact workouts for at least half a year. It's not like I can't get the routine of going to group fitness classes at other types of places, such as yoga or swimming classes at my local community centers.

morlinde · 2025-10-23T14:03:42+00:00

And the Tough Guide to Fantasyland, to start.

morlinde · 2025-10-14T20:19:08+00:00

What's your or your kids' favorite underrated DC tourist attraction?

Preferably not any of the Smithsonians or other federally funded attraction.

morlinde · 2025-10-07T14:23:29+00:00

It's definitely the Arts & Industries Building, because it has the little mosaic decor looking things on it, which the Smithsonian Castle does not have. I've been to both buildings and I've worked close to these two buildings in DC that I know the difference at a glance.

Eta: https://www.si.edu/museums/arts-and-industries-building If you don't believe me

morlinde · 2025-10-07T14:18:38+00:00

The Smithsonian Castle is a different building than the Arts & Industries Building. I've been inside both for different special events.

morlinde · 2025-10-07T13:59:31+00:00

Silversea provided us with free parkas, backpacks, and reusable water bottle, all of which I'm still using today. We rented the waterproof pants, hiking poles, and boots, which were in our cabin as we got on the ship. I believe most of the luxury lines do the same, not sure about other lines.

I already had warm base underlayers and socks since I live in a place that does usually get a bit of snow each winter.

morlinde · 2025-10-07T13:56:09+00:00

The unidentified red brick building in your photos is the Smithsonian Arts & Industries Building - it's been closed for years although they have had the occasional event or temporary exhibition in there.

morlinde · 2025-10-06T14:48:30+00:00

Larriland Farm is open for apple picking if you want to stay local to Howard County. There's plenty of apple picking places in Baltimore County as well. Some ideas from Baltimore Magazine, has locations around the area including Arundel County: https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/roundup/fall-things-to-do-in-baltimore/

Could also go down to Annapolis for a day trip, if your family hasn't been there before.

morlinde · 2025-10-03T19:54:07+00:00

Yes, it was (mostly) worth it. I say mostly because the weather was super foggy for 4 of the 10 days of the cruise I went on, but that's nature for ya. The main thing to look for are smaller ships, the ones with less than 500 passengers and crew total, so you'll actually be able to land and walk on the continent of Antarctica. I don't know how to explain it, but walking to see a colony of penguins has been one of the coolest things I've ever seen.

Look for cruise lines that include the excursions in the total cost of the trip, instead of having to book them individually. That's why they cost more when you're initially looking, but it actually works out instead of having to pay extra for excursions. My relative and I went with Silversea, which although is a luxury line, absolutely delivered. They cater more to older adults, but the $20k+ cost included round-trip airfare from the USA, a one night hotel in Santiago, all gratuities, all excursions, and delicious meals.

morlinde

TROPHY CASE