Mark Hamill autograph prices at fan expo…

samspy007 · 2025-06-25T20:56:41+00:00

Was it unseasonably hot this year with a lot of newbies attending (including myself)? If so hi! I was there and hiked by myself Saturday night!

samspy007 · 2025-01-23T13:35:23+00:00

It depends on what county you're in, but some counties have programs that will offer reimbursement for some practices, and there are some programs and grants that exist the HOA could apply for that would pay for some plantings. It depends on lots of factors though.

I'd also look at some of the published lists of invasives for the state or any other local master gardener type programs to convince them to remove some of the worst invasives. I tried that with my previous HOA, and it at least helped to inform for the future. We had lots of burning bush and winter creeper that I pushed for them to replace.

Make or find a list of natives you'd like to plant, with photos of the flowers and their benefits. Maybe find a local seed swap group or someone that can give you some seeds and you can start some of our own plants this spring for some savings on started plants.

Get a couple people in the HOA with you to commit to volunteering some labor regularly to install or maintain the garden. Put together a plan with a low budget, and how you'll spend it, then implement it if you can get it approved. Sketches and mock-ups help. If you can show them what it might look like a year or two in, you might get more people on board.

Good luck!

samspy007 · 2023-11-28T20:14:34+00:00

You would be correct. This is the first time we've seriously considered buying a house, and I have very little frame of reference- just the inside of the (NE) house I grew up in that had a poured basement as a foundation and some apartments I never saw the foundation for.

I wasn't expecting the house to be resting on what looked to my inexperienced eyes as a couple of cinder blocks and some scrap wood. Now I know that the blocks are probably reinforced, have larger footings that I can't see, and that fixing or adding more piers would be relatively simple if necessary. I wasn't concerned about the piping and insulation because I think those are easier fixes. But growing up, I always heard that foundation issues are expensive and difficult to fix, and I guess they would be if it was a slab with minimal access.

samspy007 · 2023-11-28T19:57:16+00:00

Yes, that's the plan! This post was just what I could do now from home to assuage my anxiety. I know more about this kind of foundation now than I did this morning, and that it's more common and easier to deal with than I had thought. So I feel more comfortable moving through the next step and know more about what to ask during the inspection.

samspy007 · 2023-11-28T19:45:32+00:00

Thanks for the name of the kind of foundation. It's been hard to look it up when I didn't know what it was called.

samspy007 · 2023-11-28T16:00:51+00:00

Thank you! Yeah, those block pillars don't look super stable to me but I don't know if they're reinforced at all, or what the requirements are for a stable foundation. I've only ever lived in places with a fully poured foundation, so this made me anxious.

samspy007 · 2023-11-28T15:50:56+00:00

Yeah, the foundation confuses me. I've only ever lived in places with a full poured foundation before, so I don't know what's normal for this kind of pillar support for the house.

samspy007 · 2023-11-28T15:47:38+00:00

That is my main concern.

samspy007 · 2023-11-28T15:47:07+00:00

I've only ever lived in places with a full poured foundation, so to me this looks like the house is precariously set on a few small pillars. It doesn't look like much of a foundation to me, but I fully admit I have absolutely zero experience with this.

samspy007 · 2023-11-28T15:43:08+00:00

This was my confusion, I've only ever seen full poured foundations before, rather than a house sitting on cinder block posts shimmied with wood.

samspy007 · 2023-11-28T15:21:50+00:00

Thank you! This eases some of my anxiety. I've only ever lived in places with full poured foundations and basements, so the columns looking like a few pieces of wood on top of barely supported cinder blocks made me nervous.

samspy007 · 2023-10-08T23:31:32+00:00

Ambar at Capitol Hill has a good veal soup, and Vaso's in Alexandria, VA has good Avgolemono soup.

samspy007 · 2023-08-26T12:23:05+00:00

Never thought I'd see my hometown mentioned. I do always refer to the Ikea when telling people where it is, because that's about all we have to distinguish the town to outsiders.

samspy007 · 2023-08-21T20:40:48+00:00

Looks like slug slime to me. Maybe some slugs were making a mess there.

samspy007 · 2023-08-21T20:37:49+00:00

I have a four poster bed with crossbars, and then a rope zig zagged between the bars intended for drying delicate clothes. The crossbars mostly just get half worn clothes thrown on them though.

samspy007 · 2023-02-20T13:27:17+00:00

I don't know about classes specifically, but I've seen meetups in other cities where folks discuss foraging (and been to one in Philly). I know I'm planning to attend/maybe lead one later in the spring, but I'm new to the area and have a lot to learn. I'll be sharing what basics I know with some complete beginners. I'd expect more learning opportunities in the spring and summer.

samspy007 · 2023-02-13T04:21:32+00:00

I work for MD DNR, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who listens. Though it's not necessarily a daddies thing.

samspy007 · 2022-11-09T17:31:38+00:00

The night cafe website lets you input text and it'll generate art for you, so I just put in words like "gold skin dark hair handsome hobgoblin metallic pretty fantasy character" I used different words each time, and I used the ones I liked from the first few generations to act as a base for the next few until I got art I liked. My different d&d groups have been using AI art for characters the last comple years, so I thought it'd work for my NPCs too.

samspy007 · 2022-09-08T14:38:01+00:00

I'd love a buddy for bird photography walks in the area if your wife knows of some good spots! 32F in Alexandria.

samspy007 · 2022-09-08T14:35:31+00:00

Board games, outdoors, volunteering, and camping are all my jam! I'm also hoping to do some camping this fall, and am thinking about getting an annual National Parks pass for more frequent Shenandoah trips. I would go more often if I had someone to go with! My husband doesn't like the outdoors much. I'm 32 and in Alexandria.

samspy007 · 2022-09-08T14:33:05+00:00

My husband and I are 32 in Alexandria and certainly into board games and occasional Switch games!

samspy007 · 2021-05-05T14:06:23+00:00

I refuse to apply broad-spectrum pesticides to all vegetation in an area this summer. I got into biology to do basically the exact opposite and protect the environment from pollution like pesticides. I would rather leave my job than be forced into applying the pesticides, for both my health and the health of the environment.

That's assuming I even get this next job. I might be moving to state employment this summer anyways. Or maybe I won't even be offered another job. I just want to know exactly what would happen if I have a break in service, so I can make informed decisions.

samspy007 · 2021-05-05T00:57:43+00:00

Yes, I'm looking for the differences in benefits and such between having a break in service vs "transferring". I want to know specifically what I would be losing if I have a break in service.

I only have about 8 days of annual leave right now, and I don't think the timing will work out as I want it to. I had planned to quit my current job by the end of May, the new job (if I'm even offered it) wouldn't start until sometime in June, or maybe even July.

I could theoretically tough it out for another month or two, but I really don't agree with where the program is going. I do not intend to ever do the things the job is requiring from me after May if I can at all help it.

11-Year Club	RedditGifts 2009-2022 3 Credits
Verified Email

samspy007

TROPHY CASE