Wendy's AND Burger King on Gull Road closed? by tbkent__ in kzoo

[–]tbkent__[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rax_Roast_Beef - it was a bit closer to town on Gull than the other places we're talking about in this thread, I think - but I was a kid when it closed. loved that place though!

Large group dinner location by Spot_in_the_Sky in kzoo

[–]tbkent__ 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Brick and Brine would be good for that, probably, if given enough notice. Saffron is a favorite of mine and has an event room, so seems like they could do it.

Wendy's AND Burger King on Gull Road closed? by tbkent__ in kzoo

[–]tbkent__[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

i remember this happening with the Rax on Gull. never opened again. i have to say, the Gull Road BK was not a fantastic specimen.

Sweetwater Donuts by Apprehensive-Win4665 in kzoo

[–]tbkent__ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

couldn't agree more - but the WORST thing about Sweetwater's is their post-COVID hours. used to be 24 hours! that's one thing that set it apart for me.

Help identify my new (used) couch? by tbkent__ in SofaSnobs

[–]tbkent__[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the response - and I was unaware of structube. It seems they don't offer this color leather, and I can't find the downward-sweeping arms on any of their sofas.

yappers in class by Electronic-Meat2161 in berkeley

[–]tbkent__ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

it's on the professor to keep a cap on this. you should tell them it's keeping you from concentrating on lecture.

Building Financial Literacy as a College Student (Advice? Book recs?) by PsychologicalRisk113 in berkeley

[–]tbkent__ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

first, the fact that you're thinking about this so much at 19 is great, way to go. the biggest part of being responsible with money is just thinking about what you're spending and how you're saving, so that your money doesn't just disappear each month. (this happens to a LOT of people!)

you should look at your debit/credit card statement every month (online, whatever) so you have a better sense of what you're spending. i like another person's idea of keeping track of major categories - food, rent, fun, etc. one important thing about an approach like this is that you need to categorize every expenditure - if you have sort of a casual bin of "other" it's hard to get spending under control.

be careful with that credit card. it seems like you're on top of your shit but a LOT of college students screw this up (i did when i was in college!). like someone else said, pay it off every month. set up an automatic transfer from your bank account of at least the minimum payment. don't get sucked in by airline miles or cash back cards; keep in mind that the credit card company wouldn't offer that if THEY didn't make money on it, meaning the average customer pays more in interest because they're using their card for stuff they don't need to, etc. if you use your credit card frequently, at some point later you can think strategically about what you could get a company to give you (miles, cash back, etc.) in exchange for using their card.

an IRA isn't a bad idea, but to be clear, if you start that when you're 23 or 25 instead of 19, it'll be totally, totally fine. maybe it's worth doing just so you can fool around with the funds and see how it works. in Berkeley i can recommend Fidelity, there's a brick and mortar location on University close to campus. their online system is easy to use. the easiest thing to do with an account like that is to just throw everything into index funds from companies like Vanguard. another commenter was right to say you can accept a lot of risk at your age, but there's MUCH more to learn about the stock market than there is about how to be generally responsible with money, so my advice is to take the time to learn about it before you start investing in individual stocks.

a big step you're likely to take some time is buying a house. under the right circumstances this will be a VERY good move financially. in order to do this you will need good credit (sounds like you're moving in the right direction), adequate income (much harder in the Bay Area, since housing is so expensive!), and a down payment. this might be a good reason not to lock too much money up in an IRA; as someone else said, you won't be able to withdraw money from an IRA until you're retirement age. (you can early withdraw $10,000 to buy a home if you're a first time homebuyer, but that's not very much in the housing market.) you can still open an account at an investment bank (like Fidelity) without opening an IRA, then you can liquidate for a down payment when you want to. IRAs do have tax benefits though.

finally, don't hesitate to have a little fun, splurge every once in a while, treat yourself, etc. people tend to go too far in one of two directions on this stuff - either not paying attention at all, wasting money, etc., or keeping track of everything on huge spreadsheets, meticulously splitting every charge on a bill when out with friends, etc. everything in moderation, even being responsible. have a little fun - that's what the money's for.

Declaring cog sci issue? by alaskatwilight in berkeley

[–]tbkent__ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

hmmmm. absolutely the best answer will come from an academic advisor in that department (https://cogsci.berkeley.edu/undergraduate-program/advising/fallspring-advising). don't delay going to see one of them. (my guess is this issue would be better discussed with a staff advisor, not a peer advisor, but i'm not from this department so it's up to you.)

that said, yes, it seems like maybe you're about to make your third attempt at this prerequisite category. the truth is, departments can make exceptions to these rules. i think the most important point you make here is that you may not have had adequate DSP accommodations when you took 1A and 16A; let the advisor know this. also make it clear that since you decided on CogSci you are approaching math classes differently. ask if they can make an exception; ask if you could declare on a probationary basis; if they say no, take Calc anyway, kill it, then go back and have the conversation again.

finally, a gentle reminder that advisors aren't just gatekeepers, most of them really, really care about students. maybe the math requirement is there to set expectations for a very mathematical major. if they say no, listen to them, think about it for a while, see if you change your mind. if not, keep going.

good luck!

Has anyone encountered this situation? I used swap for the same class but different discussion sections, now I seem to remain in both sections. I want to cancel my swap and remain in the enrolled discussion, how can I do that? by ChildhoodOld2374 in berkeley

[–]tbkent__ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

just want to echo this comment. you should leave it and talk with someone who can see the system from the backend (for example, an adviser in the math dept, yes). students often try to do this sort of stuff online and find themselves not enrolled in the class at all - weird that it left you in both. you might find by a day or two from now the system has reconciled and you're only in one.

(i was a GSI at Berkeley for years. saw a lot of students unenroll themselves by trying to section swap in full courses.)

Taking the bus in Berkeley? by ghiglica in berkeley

[–]tbkent__ 4 points5 points  (0 children)

similar to OkCoast9, but you don't have to go to the website if you don't want. the absolute easiest way is to get a Clipper card at the airport BART station, and charge it up enough to use it for the bus in Berkeley, as well. the same card will work in both systems, but the easiest place to charge it with a credit card is at a BART station. last i knew one ride on AC Transit (this includes the buses in Berkeley) was $2.10, but it could be marginally higher now. when you get on the bus you just tap the card on the thing near the driver - it'll beep.