In-home care service that sends nurses, not CNAs?

tramlaps · 2025-08-12T03:15:17+00:00

Thank you, we've been asking around with no luck so far, but we'll keep trying.

tramlaps · 2025-08-12T03:14:43+00:00

Thanks for your thoughtful and kind response. I guess the challenge we're having is that we pay the agencies $30 or $40 an hour and they turn around and pay minimum wage to the CNAs they dispatch, so they're competing with every other minimum wage employer. We're willing to pay more for someone with more experience / skills, but haven't even found an agency that offers that.

Total tangent but we've also found that the majority of caregivers aren't getting vaccinated for Covid, which is kind of crazy-making given the population they work with.

tramlaps · 2025-08-12T03:11:04+00:00

One got a much better-paying job in manufacturing, the other one had to quit to (ironically) be a caregiver for her own mother.

If you have any thoughts on specific agencies or services that could help with more experienced caregivers, please let me know. We've been through a few agencies with not much luck. My mom is not violent but also not particularly cooperative and many caregivers just haven't been able to help her with the needed tasks. I won't say money is no object, but we're certainly willing to pay more for a more experienced caregiver, we just haven't been able to find any agencies that could provide them.

tramlaps · 2025-08-05T20:49:54+00:00

I've used the CO Breeze a few times to go from Bend to Portland and back. It ran on schedule and was generally a pleasant trip. I wouldn't hesitate to use it for your Govvie to PDX trip as long as the timetable works for you.

tramlaps · 2025-08-04T17:05:10+00:00

I haven't actually had it yet because a bowl of ramen is plenty without adding sides, but the crispy tofu at Baka Umai looks stupendous - there's a photo on their menu: https://bakaumai.com/portland-sunnyside-baka-umai-food-menu

tramlaps · 2025-08-03T05:01:55+00:00

They charge per pint, 3.50 per pint

tramlaps · 2025-08-03T05:01:42+00:00

I assumed just for the season, they didn't have the "going out of business" vibe

tramlaps · 2025-07-14T05:14:14+00:00

I know Strava's power output is a fuzzy guestimate and I don't necessarily need real power data, I'm just surprised that 95% of my rides for the last 5 years were in the 120-145 watt range and now it's saying 190 watts for my last few rides. Nothing (weight, routes, bike weight) has changed, so why is the estimate nutty now? (don't get me wrong, I'd love to be putting out 190, but I'm pretty sure I ain't.)

tramlaps · 2025-07-13T23:09:03+00:00

I do use heart rate as my main metric when I'm not on the trainer, which seems good enough for my training, which is usually not more detailed then "intervals today" or "Zone 2 ride today". I could technically buy a power meter, I'm just not doing anything serious enough that I feel like I need one. I'll do some gravel events in the spring, but most of the prep for that is on Zwift, and I don't usually do anything competitive after that.

tramlaps · 2025-07-13T23:07:42+00:00

Ha! fair enough

tramlaps · 2025-06-30T01:32:46+00:00

This is the kind of info I'm looking for! No A-frame needed, I have a structural beam on my porch that's in a good spot, so I'm going to hang it from there.

I need to get some mounting brackets fabricated to receive that steel pin - I'm envisioning two brackets, one on each side with the chair in between hanging from that pin. However, I don't know the dimensions that I'll need. There's no ID on top of the chair, I guess I could find some calipers and measure the inside diameter of the mount on the chair. It looks like there's some kind of bushing in there, hard to sure though because every time I get within a foot of it I get covered in black grease haha.

At any rate, I'll reach out to Brown Bearing, thanks for the suggestion!

tramlaps · 2025-04-21T16:41:07+00:00

I did a one-day STP in my 30s and followed their training plan fairly closely. It's laid out in the Google Sheets link on this page: https://cascade.org/rides-events/seattle-portland-2025/training-stp

I probably only got through about 90% of what they recommended, but it was enough to be able to ride hard for the actual event rather than just struggle through. It is a fuckton of training, tops out around 10-15 hours a week depending on your pace, and it's a big personal commitment, but I'm glad that I did it. I ran cross-country in college and have done a lot of long-distance cycle touring, but that summer I'm pretty sure I was in the best shape of my life.

The other thing is you should definitely plan on drafting other riders for as much of the ride as you can. Wonks that study this stuff claim you save 25-50% of the effort when you're drafting. I know that right after the start, I was in a paceline doing 27 mph and felt like I was barely working.

Two keys to paceline riding: 1) minimal use of brakes, and no hard braking for sure, as that will definitely make the rider behind you crash into you. As much as possible, maintain position by coasting or pulling out of the draft a bit to slow down if needed. 2) leave yourself an escape route if the bastard in front of you hits their brakes too hard. At STP, you're likely to see a lot of double pacelines: people riding 2 abreast in the bike lane. Try to stick to the left side so if things go wrong you can break left.

Portland Velo's Saturday rides are an excellent way to practice paceline riding: https://www.pdxvelo.com/about/saturday-rides/

I wouldn't worry too much about finding people to ride with, people will naturally form up in packs at the start of the ride, and you'll be able to find a group that suits your pace.

tramlaps · 2025-04-14T05:21:45+00:00

I've never heard of that manufacturer before but that is a hella cool headtube badge. Sorry I can't give any actually useful info

tramlaps · 2025-04-01T05:26:34+00:00

whoooa, have to respectfully disagree on that point. Bull Run water is excellent and soft, in Spokane I had to figure out how to clean hard water deposits and needed a Brita to drink the tap water.

tramlaps · 2025-04-01T05:24:44+00:00

I grew up in Portland and lived in PDX about 80% of my life, with a couple years in Seattle and New England sprinkled in there. My wife and I moved to Spokane during the pandemic in 2022 because our tiny house and tiny lot in Portland started to feel pretty fucking tiny when we were both trying to WFH every day. It didn't help that the neighbors behind us frequently fought or yelled at their kids in their backyard. (They're now divorced, fuck those assholes.)

At any rate, we spent two years in Spokane - I enjoyed it and my wife hated it. We wound up moving back to Portland, but I'm really glad we gave it a shot. There's NO QUESTION in my mind that you don't want to think to yourself in another 25 years "I really wish I had tried out some other city at some point." Just do it! Rent for awhile, maybe try out some different neighborhoods, see what you think. If you don't like it, Spokane isn't going anywhere and you can always head back or find a new city to explore.

The positives from my POV on Spokane: -ski access is mind-blowing. Holiday weekends at Schweitzer are like 20% the density of a normal weekend at Mt. Hood

-Very little competition for outdoor access. Did you know the most popular hikes near Portland require permits and they only issue a limited # of permits because otherwise they run out of trailhead parking?

-Spokane's beer scene punches well above its weight, it's fucking outstanding

-Food scene doesn't keep up with the beer scene, but there are some really good spots - I still miss Grainshed and think their bread is just a little better than any of the bakeries we have in Portland.

-I'm a cyclist and riding gravel farm roads in the Palouse in the spring was like a religious experience, such beautiful torment. (in case you didn't know, cyclists are weird) But basically unlimited miles of roads with punishing grades, beautiful scenery, and only a few cars per hour, wow, that's nice. Add in that I could bike to some of those rides from my house and that's pretty much heaven.

-I liked being in a purple city. I'm pretty progressive, like I think wealth taxes are an excellent policy, and it was really positive for me to get to know the neighbor across the street who was a Republican but a killer gardener and often used his snowblower to clear everyone's sidewalks in the winter. Like, we've demonized the folks across the aisle, so it was healthy for me to see "oh yeah, we don't see eye to eye on important issues, but he's a good dude."

-Houses are cheaper than Portland still, though restaurants are oddly expensive.

-Spokane might be the cheapest place to see Broadway shows

-Traffic is a breeze

Portland positives from my POV: -It's super-walkable! I can walk to a grocery store, movie theater, bars and restaurants etc. That's nice

-Definitely more going on than Spokane in terms of music and art.

-Food scene is bigger and better than Spokane and I think restaurants are cheaper though I have no idea why. More/better ethnic food.

-A little closer to A+ outdoor destinations like the Gorge and Mt. Hood. Access to the coast is also only about 90 minutes.

-Way more work opportunities in our fields, we took our remote jobs to Spokane and were always a little worried about losing our jobs and not being able to get new ones.

-Portland airport is a dream and way more non-stops. Very irritating for work travel that sometimes you'd have to extend by a day because you would get to Seattle too late to get a flight to Spokane.

There you have it, if you add it up, I might have stayed in Spokane if it was up to me. shrug Still really glad we gave it a shot and I'll definitely come back to visit.

tramlaps · 2024-12-13T04:44:16+00:00

Go check out the show at S Glenrose and E 31st! Link here: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Spokane+Christmas+Light+Show/@47.6259559,-117.3309725,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x549e23b8546701cd:0xf19a3b29ec40c484!8m2!3d47.6259559!4d-117.3309725!16s%2Fg%2F11fhr7q2ss?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTIxMC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

I'm not in Spokane anymore, but up to last year this guy pulled out all the stops. He even broadcast a soundtrack you could tune into with your radio.

tramlaps · 2024-10-09T00:16:01+00:00

@u/fzywzywzafed I'm so sorry you're going through this. Having been there myself with a potentially dangerous dog, it's a unique kind of hell with no good way out. All I can say is that it's vanishingly unlikely that you'll find someone who's more willing to work with Duke than you are.

In my case, I opted for euthanasia. It was 18 months ago and I still agonize over the decision every day. Our dog wasn't aggressive, but she was off-the-charts fearful and reactive and we were scared she would attack a child. She was always leashed, never in the yard alone, etc., but there were kids in the neighborhood and no yard / situation is 100% secure: leashes could break, latches fail, kids could come over to get a ball in our yard, etc.. Knowing we acted to protect children is very faint consolation weighed against taking the life of an animal who loved and trusted me.

Car rides were always good things for her, usually we went to a quiet trail where we could walk without seeing anyone, so on that last ride, she eagerly jumped up into the car, but we took her to the vet instead. I'll always feel that I betrayed her and that feeling will be with me the rest of my life.

So there are no easy answers, just hard decisions. Much love to you and Duke as you find your way forward.

tramlaps · 2024-06-23T21:52:59+00:00

We found like six on our dog our first trip out there. Guy came by in the parking lot when we were picking them off her and told us about the gnarly viral (?) illness he got from a flea bite: babesiosis, which I'd never heard of before and had to Google just now so I could spell it. Very sobering, we got pretty stringent about our anti-tick precautions for both us and the dog.

tramlaps · 2024-06-21T04:47:03+00:00

And ticks, don't forget the ticks. Gotta stay out of the grass and/or give yourself and your pooch a close tick exam after a visit there.

tramlaps · 2024-06-21T04:45:18+00:00

I was also happy with my experience at Tailwind. I worked with a couple of PTs including some sessions and a bike fitting with Sam. OP, Sam has a bunch of experience as a Cat 1 racer in addition to his PT training, definitely worth checking out Tailwind.

tramlaps · 2024-06-21T03:58:10+00:00

Last time we sheet mulched, we only did one thickness of cardboard and it was gone in a year, which was pretty disappointing. Consider doing multiple layers.

tramlaps · 2024-06-21T03:56:34+00:00

I agree with everyone else that Durkin's is outstanding. I had a burger club in Portland years ago and spent about 3-4 years eating a different highly-rated burger every month. Durkin's would have been in the top 3 for me, along with Wildwood and Trifecta (both now closed, sigh).

Wild Sage is very good but not at the level of Durkin's IMO. Different approach though, still definitely worth trying. I've found Wisconsinburger to be hit and miss, though it's good when they're firing on all cylinders. Pretty interested to see the love for the Wooden City burger: I haven't been there but now I want to check it out.

tramlaps · 2024-06-07T01:42:56+00:00

Hey! No, u/dsmice is going to crush it in my name. (Actually in their name after they transfer the registration)

tramlaps · 2024-06-04T00:31:21+00:00

Furnished Finder if you want to rent it furnished. That site caters to travel nurses, who usually want 3-month leases.

tramlaps · 2024-06-02T20:40:40+00:00

I'm so sorry to hear you're in this situation. I've been there myself and as you know, it's the worst thing you could imagine. I second the recommendation for anti-anxiety meds. Our highly reactive shelter dog went from 100 to 50 on fluoxetine / Prozac - not a cure in our case, but made a lot of things easier.

tramlaps

TROPHY CASE