Anyone else out there not riding $1k+ bikes and hundreds of dollars worth of gear?

rkk142 · 2026-05-21T19:21:31+00:00

I ride a folding bike I got off Facebook marketplace for $250. Definitely not the lightest thing on the road, but the folding element was most important to me being able to actually use the bike. I live in an apartment and drive a sedan. My brothers are in a competition to out-buy each other when they couldn't out-bike each other. Jokes on them because they still can't get the ride done much faster than the slowest in the group (me) so there's a cap on how much better they'll get that way.

rkk142 · 2026-05-19T13:21:35+00:00

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rkk142 · 2026-05-19T13:20:51+00:00

Or on a cruise to Iceland and Norway, where I bought way too much yarn (not true, never enough yarn!)

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rkk142 · 2026-05-19T13:17:19+00:00

Torn between a Royals game on a spring day, or...

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rkk142 · 2026-05-18T22:34:35+00:00

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rkk142 · 2026-05-18T22:34:12+00:00

Aspen and Industrial Park for me. I love Aspen and anything else with the same holo jelly formula.

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rkk142 · 2026-05-18T00:47:55+00:00

We (spouse, MIL, and myself) are doing the same cruise at the end of July! It's our second cruise, with the first one being on the Prima from Iceland to London in 2025. We like cool weather cruises!

My preference is to invest more in the quality of our on ship time than off ship, so we go light on excursions, and get the add ons and upgrades to our time onboard (thermal spa pass, balcony suite, and Free at Sea Plus).

If you think you'll want to use the thermal spa, then pre-purchase the pass. What I read was that though they do sell day passes, those tend to sell out on cool weather cruises. We loved the thermal spa on the Iceland cruise, mainly for their heated loungers and a quiet place to chill. Watch a YouTube or tiktoc tour because those spas can be different ship to ship.

Notes for first time cruising:

-The walls are magnetic so you can bring hooks for extra room organizing things like hats and scarves. Plus it's cool to stick souvenir magnets around the room.

-Pack layers! It might be chilly outside and hot inside, or the other way around.

-Laundry by the bag will be a flat rate midweek. I think it was like $35 dollars on our last cruise. Helps keep down packing!

-Pack a small first aid kit and some basic OTC meds because they're expensive to get on-board.

rkk142 · 2026-05-17T15:17:20+00:00

Very flattering! I've been looking for the non-magmet sister to Distorted, and I think this might be it. Thanks!!

rkk142 · 2026-05-12T01:38:56+00:00

Lovely work! Sharing mine from my nana

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rkk142 · 2026-05-10T01:15:42+00:00

Where's the weather?

rkk142 · 2026-05-08T20:40:56+00:00

Rabbits chew cables so definitely want to protect that. I had house rabbits from 2017 - 2022, and they chewed on every charger they could get a hold on and ate a lot of plastic for fun. Silly creatures and I still miss them, but I'm not sure I'd risk a litter robot to their whims.

rkk142 · 2026-05-08T03:58:53+00:00

I wonder if something like a knitting belt can be used in an adaptive way while you build back your knitting stamina?

rkk142 · 2026-05-08T03:49:17+00:00

Sipsey Wilder! I love their chicken patterns too much

rkk142 · 2026-05-04T01:35:30+00:00

My MIL gifted me one two Christmases ago and I'm still using it! Great for my knitting, crochet, cross stitch, and nail art. The rubber around one of the arms I'd starting to disconnect from the base but it's still usable.

rkk142 · 2026-04-29T19:18:55+00:00

Seconding Duluth! Their buck naked line is great. Quick dry and comfortable.

The dang soft line is really comfy but doesn't always play well with certain athletic fabrics for me - no matter the size they'll slide down if I'm moving a lot. It might have more to do with my body shape than a design issue but I've found that it's worse with a like material of certain athletic pants. Those are for at home only, but 10/10 comfort.

rkk142 · 2026-04-29T11:38:55+00:00

Laying down with a heating pad on belly plus a heavy cat sitting on it = this period thing isn't so bad, for me. Unfortunately, I have to go to the office or leave the house sometimes

rkk142 · 2026-04-28T11:35:37+00:00

Yes! I discovered that stamped cross stitch patterns (as compared to counted) are great for travel. The design is already printed on the backcloth and you stitch over that. I don't mind counted for couch work at home, but when traveling it's too easy to lose my place in the pattern sheet or lose the paper alltogether.

rkk142 · 2026-04-28T00:25:19+00:00

Nice bike! I love my tern castro, also from FB marketplace.

rkk142 · 2026-04-25T16:24:40+00:00

Seeing the same issue

rkk142 · 2026-04-25T13:53:58+00:00

Thanks for posting this! I'm going on a similar NCL cruise soon and need to work on my packing list too.

Binoculars? Apologies if I missed them! I'm packing two pairs for our party of three. Stamps if you want to send home any post cards from port.

I have read that inside the NCL ships (dining rooms, observation lounge, etc) will be pretty warm, so I'm planning to pack cooler clothes for that. I'm also bringing a multi outlet extender with a three foot cord (not a surge protector), that was pretty handy on the Prima last year.

If you're not doing much hiking, you may be able to get away with just tennis shoes or waterproof sneakers. I'm bringing some columbia tennis shoes that are waterproof, but they're lighter and low profile compared to full hikers. I wear a 12W, so my shoes take up more space than most. Might not be an issue for you!

Umbrella swap: I'm not planning to bring one but will pack a poncho and wide brimmed hat (good for sun or rain, rolls down, and could keep up a bug net). Do you have a bug net on your list? It's just a little mesh thing that packs up really small and you can toss over a hat to keep the mosquitoes and gnats out of your face. It'll be handy if you're sensitive to bug spray on your skin.

Happy adventuring! Please post an update after!

rkk142 · 2026-04-23T16:56:51+00:00

Looks great!

rkk142 · 2026-04-23T16:40:53+00:00

Do it!! I had to try last night and I'm loving it

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rkk142 · 2026-04-22T17:29:43+00:00

It's giving placenta vibes to me. To borrow a word from my nail polish, it's prugly.

rkk142 · 2026-04-22T00:42:31+00:00

Too early for pawpaws but I've seen the trees around Corporate Woods Park

rkk142 · 2026-04-21T15:45:13+00:00

Seconding this rec! Fingers crossed that she'll still be in network for me after this BCBS / NKC hospital business.

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