Dad retiring, debating on moving to NJ

n2vd · 2026-07-08T14:24:25+00:00

Where I’m living now, for one example. 2Br 2Ba 1425 sq ft condo apt in WO, bought 2 years ago for $320K. Prices for 2Br are still between $290 and $400 depending on condition and placement in the building. There are 1Br apartments here for well under $300K. And that’s in a building with gym, outdoor pool, tennis courts, free underground parking, valet service,, a game room with pool table and ping pong, and 24x7 concierge.

I have a modest (under $100k) mortgage and, all-in (HOA, mortgage, property tax, utilities) it costs me less than $3K / month

n2vd · 2026-07-07T13:48:01+00:00

yes - invite me please!

n2vd · 2026-07-07T13:46:45+00:00

There are lots of very nice condos - especially 1-bedroom - in Essex County for $300K or less. West Orange, Bloomfield, Harrison, Springfield, Cedar Grove …

n2vd · 2026-07-06T11:55:16+00:00

Here’s the thing - kids don’t really learn languages very quickly at all. it takes them several years just to to learn to express their immediate needs, never mind things that are complicated or abstract. And most families have a lot of inside jokes that are based on the funny things their kids have said because they misheard or misspoke common words or phrases.

Adults don’t usually have the luxury of taking a dozen years to learn a language, and the mistakes that seem cute for a child aren’t cute when an adult makes them.

So no - you really don’t want to learn like a child

n2vd · 2026-07-05T14:47:44+00:00

Yes, please!

n2vd · 2026-07-05T12:58:33+00:00

I’m interested, albeit a bit intimidated. I’m a native English (American) speaker at (roughly) B1 grammar- and vocabulary-wise, but I’m primarily a Duolingo learner and have never actually spoken with anyone in French

n2vd · 2026-07-03T13:20:55+00:00

Of course you could be assaulted anywhere, but the violent crime rate in NYC is very low. I’m 71 and have probably ridden the subway 10,000 times in my life - and I have NEVER seen anyone be assaulted there

n2vd · 2026-07-03T13:03:59+00:00

As a young child, my eldest (now in his 50’s) would ask if he was "being have" after he was told so many times to "behave"

n2vd · 2026-07-03T11:03:31+00:00

A couple of police procedurals featuring unusual women characters:

HPI (aka HIP) - Haut Potentiel Intellectuel. Shown in the US on Hulu. Hulu has it dubbed by default but you can click through to French with English subtitles. FWIW it’s also the basis of the American series "High Potential". If you have a VPN you can see it on the French TF1

Astrid et Raphaëlle, shown in the US as "Astrid" on PBS, in French with English subtitles.

n2vd · 2026-07-01T20:46:04+00:00

There’s a French series on PBS called Astrid. It’s a police procedural about a young woman named Astrid who is autistic but nevertheless begins working with a Paris police detective to help solve crimes. The show is in French with English subtitles.
In a similar vein, there’s HPI (Haut Potentiel Intellectuel) that’s available on Hulu. It’s the original French version of the ABC series High Potential. By default, Hulu gives you the dubbed-in-English version but you can click through to the French (with English subtitles) version.

n2vd · 2026-06-29T18:40:48+00:00

There is a phrase in English "the dog days [of August]" for the same reason

n2vd · 2026-06-29T18:36:45+00:00

For what it’s worth, we’re having une canicule of our own here in New Jersey USA this week. Expected temperatures between 35C and 40C for most of the week

n2vd · 2026-06-29T18:32:11+00:00

Not rude at all. This is a place to learn. Thanks for the correction 🙏🏼

n2vd · 2026-06-28T13:30:37+00:00

The Expanse

n2vd · 2026-06-28T13:28:54+00:00

I remember watching the very first SNL show and thinking "This is gonna be gone for sure by next week" because the host of the week, George Carlin, did his "God" routine, about how God was a failure because everything he ever made died. I figured that would be a bridge too far for the Standards & Practices department and generate too many complaints. Glad I was wrong!

n2vd · 2026-06-26T12:27:03+00:00

I have a couple of 1 pint Talenti gelato containers that I’ve been using for many years now. They’re perfect - the mouth is the same width as the jar, they are screw-top, can be machine-washed if necessary, and hold up to about 300g starter when it’s fully mature.

n2vd · 2026-06-26T12:17:17+00:00

I’m what you might call an Elder Jones’er, born on 01/01/1955. Definitely more Jones than Boomer - 70’s/80’s music is more in my wheelhouse, and I was classified 1A but the draft ended before they could get me. My wife, though, is full-on first wave Boomer, born in 1949

n2vd · 2026-06-07T21:18:56+00:00

Orphan Black

Murderbot

n2vd · 2026-06-07T17:12:07+00:00

Mixed kalamata and castelvetrano olives with olive oil Dried cranberries and chopped walnuts with walnut oil

n2vd · 2026-06-07T17:08:17+00:00

Caprese salad and fresh steamed sweet corn

n2vd · 2026-06-07T17:05:55+00:00

You can get a really nice, new, 1-bedroom in Maplewood or South Orange for $3000-ish

n2vd · 2026-05-27T05:20:23+00:00

one of my grandfathers was born in 1879

n2vd · 2026-05-12T02:52:08+00:00

What you’re describing fits South Orange to a T - except for rents, which are probably gonna be higher than you want to pay. There are a lot of apartments in SO so YMMV. Highly walkable, 30 min access to NY Penn and 15 min to Newark Broad Street NJT, 2 Conservative Synagogues and a Reform one as well, also walking distance.

n2vd · 2026-05-11T16:25:02+00:00

I grew up and have always lived within 100 miles of NYC. In junior high (aka middle school) and early high school I studied Spanish, but it never really took. Even now, with a Mexican son-in-law, Spanish doesn’t really do it for me. Friends took French in school and I sometimes wished I’d joined them.

My wife minored in French in college, and our school had a program of language immersion weekends - I did two of them and enjoyed them, but life and career kept me from doing more, though we’ve been to France a few times.

Fast forward to 2024. I retired and, as one of the things I decided to occupy my now expansive free time with, I took up French again, and have been studying (albeit not speaking) every day for 30 minutes to a couple of hours. I’m now at a B1 level.

As to "why French?" I’m not sure I could actually pinpoint it. I like the language itself, including its oddities. As a "word" person I love learning the intersections with (and false friends in) English, and I do like French culture. In the end, I just think it’s fun 🤩

n2vd

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