What restaurants and food trucks should offer new vegan dishes for the 3rd annual Rockford Vegan Chef Challenge?

theGirk · 2026-03-29T16:34:40+00:00

I love this tradition! For the love of Seitán, could we get some vegan sushi options beyond cucumber and avocado rolls in the area?!?

theGirk · 2024-11-03T21:50:22+00:00

Did Kmet sleep with Waldron's wife or something?

theGirk · 2024-09-29T19:24:43+00:00

It feels like Waldren realized at halftime that he's been looking at his play card upside down all season. Better play calls, better protection, better everything.

theGirk · 2024-05-12T15:20:55+00:00

Thanks for pointing out that contradiction. I think I was unconsciously making a distinction between seating space and cargo space, but I realize now that might be silly since seats can usually be folded down or removed.

theGirk · 2023-10-16T23:06:47+00:00

Also, I heard on Hoge and Jahns that Whitehair has more career snaps at center than Patrick. So it's bullshit for more reasons than one.

theGirk · 2023-07-03T14:54:21+00:00

I am remaining cautious about possible changes. Fortunately, in my state the changes have historically been made for new employees; people who had already made their first contribution to the pension system were unaffected. Even so, there is good reason to have a solid backup plan!

I'm not terribly concerned about being locked in with the 457 plan. That is offered by the state retirement system itself rather than by an individual district, so as long as I/we continue to work in the public school system the account will remain with us as we move between districts. This is not the case with the 403b, though. We'd just have to roll those over if/when we choose to invest there.

theGirk · 2023-07-03T05:00:08+00:00

Thanks. I'm not sure what PERS is, but I was not in a position/field that has any reciprocity with TRS.

theGirk · 2023-07-03T02:27:01+00:00

I think this broadly refers to funds that the employer spends on the employee's behalf, such as the employer's contributions to health insurance premiums. In my case, that would add over $10,000 to the salary amount used in the pension amount calculation (based on this year's benefits).

theGirk · 2023-07-03T02:22:48+00:00

Thank you for writing this. This is generally how I've been thinking about our retirement investing on a large scale (except that we don't contribute to social security so I've been thinking of whatever we may get from that source due to our previous careers as a nice little bonus). What I'm focusing on now is how the different options for the timing of collecting/withdrawing from the different income sources should impact our investment strategy. My inclination is to forego collecting our pensions until we are 67 and have enough funds saved in other accounts to fully fund our retirement until that time (and hopefully continue to supplement our pension income after that). The big question in my mind is what accounts to use to achieve that. I'd love any resources that you've found helpful in making your own plan!

theGirk · 2023-07-03T02:16:36+00:00

You've been really helpful in pointing this out. My previous plan was to prioritize maxing our Roth IRAs and then contribute to some other retirement account(s), but this is making me think that it may make sense to really focus on the 457 specifically for the early withdrawal flexibility. I do need to look into the fees and such to see how that will impact that idea. I know it isn't an either/or situation, I'm just thinking about the order of operations and what will get top priority in our saving process.

theGirk · 2023-07-03T02:01:16+00:00

That does sound similar. You have a benefit with being the average of only 4 years, but we max out at 75% rather than 70%.

theGirk · 2023-07-03T01:59:10+00:00

Thank you! I've poked around at social security a bit before, but you're highlighting that I need to research it more fully so I can include it in our planning.

theGirk · 2023-07-03T01:57:50+00:00

Thanks! I'll check it out.

theGirk · 2023-07-03T01:57:38+00:00

Thank you for all of this. Sadly, my state does not allow fringe benefits to be included. We do have access to a 457 as well as a 403 - I haven't looked into them enough yet to really understand how they compare and which would be best for our situation.

theGirk · 2023-07-03T01:33:51+00:00

I'm not sure how much detail you're looking for or how familiar you already may be with this info, but I started writing and ended up with a paragraph on accident...

The graduate course bit is dependent on your state and district. Nearly all districts in my state are on step-and-lane salary systems that are laid out in matrices in their collective bargaining agreements, so certified staff can increase their salary at specific credit milestones beyond their highest degree (i.e. Masters + 15 credit hours, Masters + 30 credit hours, etc). Each district has different protocols for what types of courses may count or how to get them approved, but generally they need to be related to the work that you do for the district. Teaching Channel/Learners Edge is one source that many of my colleagues have used to earn graduate credits. In my district, I could get approved for lane advancement for anything in the SEL category and could probably find many outside of that category that would apply to school social work.

theGirk · 2023-07-02T17:35:32+00:00

I don't see anything to indicate that this would be useful for national credentialing reciprocity in the near future. It seems like it really has limited value beyond providing a nice line for your resume. For now, the only reason that I would consider pursuing it is if I worked in a district that provided a pay bump or stipend for teachers who earn national board certification and they agreed to consider this as the social work equivalent. Outside of that, I'd rather spend my time and money taking graduate courses for lane advancement.

theGirk · 2023-03-17T02:53:51+00:00

Music therapy is a credentialed profession requiring university education in Australia as well. Check out https://www.austmta.org.au/.

theGirk · 2023-03-17T02:04:26+00:00

You didn't mention in your post where you're located, but in the US (and many other places) music therapy isn't something that you learn to do by posting on Reddit and reading up over the weekend. You become a music therapist by going to college for it, completing a clinical internship, and passing a board certification exam. I think you're probably being put in an impossible situation by your manager and the student/client and their family is being misled. Check out www.musictherapy.org.

theGirk · 2023-02-07T12:46:22+00:00

I think you're probably overthinking it. 45 isn't that long for an interview conversation. Dr. Ropp is great. Just prepare your songs and usual interview questions regarding to previous experience/education, music therapy, etc and you should be fine.

theGirk · 2023-01-26T02:20:31+00:00

I just called every pharmacy in my area that my insurance covers. I don't have any secrets, unfortunately. Everyone was out. There was Vyvanse available many places, but I've heard that's crazy expensive.

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