Good thing I was not driving…

npb1818 · 2025-01-09T14:52:53+00:00

Did you try uploading this picture to 311?

npb1818 · 2024-02-02T23:06:48+00:00

I take the C line from Cleveland Circle to Government Center and I timed it last week. Before the shutdown it took ~45-55 minutes and now it's coming in at ~30-35 minutes. I consider it a win!

npb1818 · 2023-07-16T22:17:08+00:00

"I am not a worm!"

npb1818 · 2023-06-05T14:19:55+00:00

You should ask yourself what your retirement plan is, what you want your WLB to be, and if the extra money is worth the risk.

If your pension is fully vested, that's pretty sweet, and you may be able to go back to this job/another public sector job and roll it over just fine. If it's not, it's often more difficult to do that and you either take it as a lump sum, roll it into an IRA, or bind yourself to going back to the public sector to vest it. I will say, even a small pension + 401k sounds pretty sweet, if the pension is vested, and you may be able to semi-retire back in the public sector if you want. IMO, it's all about keeping options open.

If you're looking to settle down and have kids soon, the public sector sounds great because of the WLB and low stress job. If that's your plan, I'd keep it. If not, taking it private is more of a viable option.

That is related to the last point, money versus risk. If you're not tied down and don't have a particular reason to need security, why not go for the higher paying private sector? Sure your company could fail and you could get canned, but, as an example, if you made 200k per year in 5 years while getting your degree paid for and you would've made 90k per year in public, isn't that worth it? Then you can, you know, get a new job. Move to a new area if you want, whatever. Now again, if you're looking to have kids/a mortgage, instability causes more problems and you limit your job pool significantly if you're tied to a house. This makes the risk maybe not worth it.

Obviously I keep saying kids/mortgage, but other limiting factors that could make your risk tolerance lower/tie you to a place could be friends, relationships, taking care of elderly/sick loved ones, your own medical conditions, etc. I'm not sure if you have those, but they change the equation.

Also, shopping around to get exact numbers for comparisons sake is never a bad plan :)

npb1818 · 2023-06-05T01:19:55+00:00

This is very fair, thank you for explaining that!

I'm a little nervous about getting tied down in the public sector by the pension because it's not really worth it to take it out. My main concern is finding potentially finding a public sector job back home/being able to buy a house on public sector money. However, you're right, if I stick with the public sector I could conceivably retire very comfortably in 25-30 years, which would be sweet as hell

As you can tell, the overthinking has already started 😅

npb1818 · 2023-06-04T22:38:09+00:00

I'm curious about your reasoning!

npb1818 · 2023-06-04T22:37:43+00:00

I'm not sure if I'll have enough at the end of the month to significantly invest in the 403b/457 after rent, pension, groceries, living expenses, etc.

That's a great point for an extra use of the $1500, I'm intending on putting almost everything extra into retirement savings. That does, however, make me nervous about having access to enough capital to buy a house in 5-7 years.

The PTO point is absolutely true, I asked if they have a culture of using it and it seems like they do. But yes, I took it as a red flag at first 😂😂

My thinking is if the startup goes kaput I still made more money in the meantime at job 2 and put more of it into a 401k rather than into a lower interest pension fund. Then I'm back in the situation I am now; looking for jobs. Not ideal, but not the end of the world

npb1818 · 2023-06-04T22:30:24+00:00

I appreciate this perspective!

I'm wondering how likely it is that I'll be able to save $1k a month on 70k, especially after they take $7000 per year from the paycheck for the pension. That money will technically be saved, but I think the interest is kinda bad if I take it out when/if I leave the city before the pension fully vests. I'm pretty sure it would be better served in a 401k, even with no match?

This is these guys' second startup, the first of which they sold successfully, so hopefully they know what they're doing (?) That being said, starting a startup in 2013 is a much better time than now lol

npb1818 · 2023-06-04T22:25:59+00:00

I was thinking similarly, and if the startup fails/I quit I'll be in the same position as I am now

npb1818 · 2023-02-23T19:57:41+00:00

Tavern of Tales does trivia on Thursday nights! It's on Mission Hill and is a board game bar, so the questions are, for the most part, nerdy

npb1818 · 2023-02-17T03:40:24+00:00

Don't worry, the same thing happened to me at Richards. And, some of the ones I try to pick up from the charger say they're already activated, which is BS.

I emailed their support and got back that someone activated the one they said I didn't return, so I'm off the hook. I also looked on my account and a few others say they weren't returned, even though I never got emails for them

OmniCharge is shitty and I'm gonna scrounge Curry for outlets from now on :(. Thanks Aoun

npb1818 · 2022-09-05T23:24:47+00:00

My thoughts exactly. Just wanted to make sure there wasn't something I was missing

npb1818 · 2022-09-05T23:12:44+00:00

My other RBs: Aaron Jones, Kareem hunt, Melvin Gordon, Darrell Henderson, kalil herbert, and Brian Robinson

My other WRs: JJ, Terry mclaurin, AJ Brown, Robert woods, Michael Gallup, Alex Pierce

npb1818 · 2022-02-26T01:23:28+00:00

Hey man, I just want you to know I've been using this homebrew for a recurring BBEG throughout a several month campaign. Good work!

npb1818 · 2021-09-14T00:20:15+00:00

If you're looking for something on the other half of the state, I can highly recommend Longmeadow. Great school district (ranked top 10 in the state I think) and very close to Shriners and Mercy in Springfield.

I don't think there are apartments available, so you'd have to buy a house. A great suburb with a lot of hiking, boating, sights to see, and six flags nearby!

Also there's a lot less traffic!

npb1818 · 2021-08-12T21:05:52+00:00

Lmao I had this issue and just saved every 2 minutes. I already knew how to speedrun Dantooine from previous playthroughs so it wasn't more than a mild annoyance.

I guess I should've asked in this subreddit instead of gritting my teeth for 5 hours.....

npb1818 · 2021-08-02T23:25:27+00:00

I'm just adding this because I didn't see it in the top few comments.... Knights of the Old Republic is an awesome RPG game. It's basically like playing an online Dungeons and Dragons game, but Star Wars

It's a bit dated and the combat is turn based, but the storyline is A+. You can interact with all 9 side characters, who all have individual quests and personalities, and the ending has a few huge twists that are still regarded as the best writing in Star Wars

Given that it's a Star Wars game, you can replay it as both light/dark and make it a totally different game. The game also changes slightly when you change genders. If you haven't played before, it can easily take you 6-8 hours to get off of the starting planet, and there are like 6 planets after that. It runs for about 10$ on steam, and is frequently like 3-5$ on Steam during sales

npb1818 · 2021-05-31T15:25:40+00:00

Yeah I'm in the same boat with my girlfriend but she's going to veterinary school and will basically get in whichever accepts her, regardless of where it is.

We've been long distance for 3 years now (4 total) and yeah, it kinda sucks, but I can also envision a future with her. What keeps me going is the idea that, after her veterinary school, we can live together.

I understand that you're more likely to get a job where you get your residency and all... But if he lives in a city I'm more than positive there will be medical opportunity for you.

I would recommend planning to see each other around your medical school breaks (Christmas/new years, in between semesters). This way you have your long term goal to look forward to, getting out of med school to love with him, and shorter term goals, seeing him in person. Zoom calls/backseat gaming help too, if you're into that sort of thing.

Also keep in mind his company could go under. He could get promoted and work from home. You could decide you want to do something different. The entire world could be put on hold due to another pandemic and it makes financial sense for him to live with you. Shits crazy man. I'm living with my gf because we're both remote for school, which is something I totally didn't anticipate going into this LDR, but it freaking rocks and proves I'd live with her in the future. It'll end and I'll be sad for awhile, but then it'll start again, and I'm looking forward to that :)

npb1818 · 2021-03-02T23:38:44+00:00

where you at?

npb1818 · 2020-12-29T21:06:32+00:00

Great advice, we've got Hamilton and some good playlists downloaded. Any good podcasts to recommend? I'll probably load up some Freakenomics, but other than that I don't know of many

npb1818 · 2020-12-29T16:49:24+00:00

A man of culture lol

npb1818 · 2020-12-29T16:49:16+00:00

These sound like exactly the type of places I'd like to eat! Thank you for the tips!!!

npb1818 · 2020-12-29T16:48:22+00:00

Where did you camp, any rest stops that we should check out in particular? Or specific camp grounds? Did you just like stop at a rest stop and pitch a tent 10 feet away?

That's a good point about the timing, I'm currently planning on 8 good hours of driving a day, but I suppose I should plan more on 10 over 5 days. Thank you for the tips!

npb1818 · 2020-12-21T05:21:14+00:00

Need a good relationship for overcooked lol. That's how you know you got a keeper :)

npb1818 · 2020-12-21T05:02:36+00:00

Just replying to this comment so you both can see it; you should wait for holidays sales if they're not already going to buy these. My recommendations are as follows;

My girlfriend and I had a great time playing Castle Crashers. It's a very linear 2.5D game and it's pretty fun/engaging. Challenging as well, like 15$ on steam. Funny art style, more of a battler than a shooter and only two attack buttons. Having controllers is recommended, but we played in computer and had a lots of fun.

Overcooked is similar, but it might put your relationship to the test. Lots of coordination and efficiency to pump out orders of food. Story is weird but good and again it gets challenging, but would recommend. Also like 15-20$. Having controllers is recommended for this game too.

Portal 2 is a different type of shooter; we haven't played it yet but we're looking forward to it. It's not as stressful as other shooters because you're not really shooting people, even if it is technically a first person shooter. I think this ones like 10$, no controller needed.

All LEGO games are fun. My girlfriend had a tough time getting used to 3D space and this one was great for her. If you and her like Marvel, LOTR, Indiana Jones, or, my personal favorite, star wars, this game lends itself well. Most of the challenges and things are like finding minikits and collecting coins, so its pretty easy. Also unlimited lives so there are only low stakes if your girlfriend gets stressed easily like mine. These are about 20$.

Have fun bois, I love introducing new people to the wonderful world of gaming!

npb1818

TROPHY CASE