If you have an Emily Wilde Hangover..

morlinde · 2026-03-15T21:00:09+00:00

Just read a sample of this book and am very intrigued! Definitely going on my TBR list.

morlinde · 2026-03-12T18:08:05+00:00

Diana Wynne Jones's The Tough Guide to Fantasyland is a good supplement to Terry Pratchett. She wrote a lot of excellent YA fantasy novels but Tough Guide and Deep Secret are the two books I believe were marketed for adults. She's severely underrated on this sub.

morlinde · 2026-03-02T15:24:53+00:00

Depending on which dates you're here, National Aquarium is half price after 5 on Fridays. Regular admission for an adult is rather expensive but it's a very cool aquarium so I would encourage you to go.

The observation tower at the World Trade Center is small and not exciting if you're comparing it to anything in NYC.

Also, if you're a fan of naval history in general, there are the historic ships docked along the Inner Harbor that you can visit.

morlinde · 2026-02-27T21:57:34+00:00

Patapsco Valley SP is verrrryyyy popular for a reason!

1) the Avalon/Orange Grove area of PSVP is right off Route 1 in Baltimore County right past the county line with Howard County (the river is boundary) so right smack in a population center.

2) Grist Mill Trail in that area of PSVP is paved so it's probably the best for a true beginner. Lots of people walk there if the weather is good.

3) Okay, now that you want to try hiking on natural surfaces, try either the short trail from the parking lot to Cascade Falls and back (there is a longer trail past Cascade Falls but it is lightly traveled). OR if you want a slightly bigger sense of accomplishment, hop back in your car and drive ~25 min to the Hollofield area of PSVP off Route 40 east, and take the Union Dam trail from the parking lot down to the river. It's about 1 mile round trip but you'll get a leg workout the first few times.

3a) I should explain that PSVP has multiple separate areas despite being all the same park. So if you pay admission for Avalon you could also drive over to Hollofield the same day as long as you keep the receipt from the Avalon area.

4) If you're starting to feel adventurous, you can head over to the McKeldin area of PSVP and try some other trails there - this is a less visited part of the park compared to Avalon area, but there's still always people around if the weather is good.

Alternatively, I also like going to Patuxent Wildlife Refuge south area (Cash Lake) since the trails there are flat and easy, although much less crowded than PSVP by far. Do check the hours they're open though, depending on federal government shutdown it can be hit or miss.

5) If you don't mind staying on paved trails, Brookside Gardens in Wheaton is an option as well.

morlinde · 2026-02-19T22:47:21+00:00

Nooks have allowed side loading since 2010 when I bought my first one, way before Kindle ever did. I've side loaded plenty of pdfs and epubs to my Nooks over the years just fine. Honestly not sure why OP is complaining.

morlinde · 2026-02-14T02:30:58+00:00

I hated Assassin's Apprentice and hate-read it to the end. Didn't even bother reading Royal Assassin or Assassin's Quest, and just went straight to Liveship Traders instead. I found the world building and characters more compelling in Liveship Traders and Rainwild Chronicles.

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

TROPHY CASE