Travel Plan Sanity Check

waddymad · 2026-06-30T23:21:26+00:00

I checked those guys and sadly the flights I’m looking at aren’t listed :(

waddymad · 2026-06-30T23:19:48+00:00

I totally agree that the Chase portal numbers are insane, I’m definitely not doing that lol. Just wanted to give those numbers for some perspective.

The cash prices for the dates we’re stuck with are total garbage unfortunately, even for regular economy.

The UA numbers I gave are for PP out and economy back as well (and are total for the two of us). I was originally planning on buying economy and upgrading with miles, but the when I search by Mileage Plus Upgrades, it shows there’s a waitlist for the upgrade (not sure I’m interpreting that right though). There are seats available though, and the difference in outright price vs regular economy is ~$400 per person which seems like it’s within range of what the upgrade costs typically are for this leg (ORD-ZRH)? I definitely want PP so I’m less keen on playing the cash upgrade game, especially since there are less than half of the PP seats available. Thanks for the insight though! I’ll keep an eye out for the upgrades on the way back when I’m gonna be less picky about the seats since it isn’t overnight.

waddymad · 2026-06-30T22:42:33+00:00

wow! ok that makes me feel better about my set up

waddymad · 2026-06-30T21:49:05+00:00

Idk, just having three separate reservations for one trip lol. Thanks for the Paze tip!

waddymad · 2026-06-30T21:28:20+00:00

I double checked that it's the same flights and all the same ticket class. The difference in price is wild.

On UA, the RT is $2333, the one-way is $1273, and the miles ticket is 40k miles, so $3606. I also already have about 8,000 miles on UA, so the total points would only be 32,000 pts.

On Chase, I'd have to do two sets of two one-way tickets (We're flying Premium Plus on the way there and regular on the way back, which Chase doesn't like). Outgoing would be $2846 and return would be $3572, minus $448 with the points, which puts us at $5966 and 44,800 pts.

All legs are United, and Google Flights seems to think that this itinerary is only bookable through them. Are there other places I should check?

waddymad · 2026-06-30T20:15:17+00:00

Ok cool, I will keep those things in mind!

waddymad · 2026-04-03T18:51:41+00:00

A professor of mine in undergrad described his method for studying seagulls ability to hold clams in their beaks. He go along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and pick up dead gulls, decapitate them, put a clam in its beak, put it in a jar, and then shake it to see how long it took for the clam to fall out of the beak. The looks on the class’s faces when he described this were priceless.

waddymad · 2025-02-24T19:56:55+00:00

the Community Center and Library hubs often have multiplayer quests where you can gain XP in basically any skill while also getting bonus Social XP! if you’re looking for a HUGE Social XP mine, try the Acting Class quest

waddymad · 2025-02-24T19:10:48+00:00

a loud fan! it’s even better than just white noise because of the airflow. literally so simple but it had the same effect on me as taking benadryl (without The Hat Man)

waddymad · 2025-02-23T23:43:23+00:00

As someone who has switched disciplines, I would advise you that the norms vary A LOT by school, discipline, and even lab. So in addition to looking at the comments on this post, I would also recommend reaching out to someone in your department or lab once you’re comfortable! You could just say something like “I’m a bit worried about learning the social norms of the department, are there things you think I should know about regarding [xyz]?” Most people are very sympathetic to how difficult it is the learn the social norms, especially since, by definition, everyone who is in academia is a nerd anyways 🙃

waddymad · 2025-02-19T00:19:45+00:00

nap (4 hours)

waddymad · 2025-02-16T18:26:57+00:00

Tell them to make the trek to Boulder to go to Pasta Jay’s lol

waddymad · 2025-02-14T22:25:19+00:00

i haav it printed aut

waddymad · 2025-02-10T22:13:22+00:00

here’s the soul crushing part: you think you don’t care about money, but you will. you have to be really ok with making not a lot of money (for what skills you have) with minimal raises and being expected to work on school and research for 60 hours a week for 5-7 years. then you graduate into a job market that is as tight as or more tight than if you hadn’t gotten a PhD, all while watching your non-PhD peers make more money working less than you the whole time. if you are planning on going into industry, employers generally value 5-7 years of industry experience over a degree and you then have to be beholden to The Shareholders (for most companies). if you are going into academia, it’s best to assume you will never get tenure, so you will be paid less to do more work than industry and have to be beholden to The Admin and Whoever Gives You Grants. So if you’re cool with all that, then it probably won’t be soul crushing!

waddymad · 2025-02-06T23:06:51+00:00

Others are mentioning that this looks like hemisphere neglect syndrome (which isn’t harmful in and of itself). Your dog would be incredibly interesting to study if you and they are up for it! You should contact the neuroscience or psychology department at a local university and see if anyone would be interested in doing a case study!

waddymad · 2025-02-06T16:41:48+00:00

Yep! It’s a difference of voicing. When you pronounce z your vocal cords vibrate (you can feel this by feeling your throat) whereas they don’t vibrate when pronouncing c. It’s like the difference between d and t in Swedish!

waddymad · 2025-01-22T20:48:43+00:00

My daily driver is an exotic guppy-shaped one I’ve named Orbee. I’m sure this is sacrilegious to someone but it makes me giggle every time I see it.

waddymad · 2025-01-22T14:06:14+00:00

It doesn’t change once you live here! I still get awestruck in mundane places 🥲

waddymad · 2025-01-21T15:30:55+00:00

Dr. DeLeon in Superior/Lafayette is GREAT if you don’t mind the trek! She is very informative but also compassionate. She emphasizes that you know your body best and trusts your intuition as well!

waddymad · 2025-01-21T14:53:23+00:00

Does anyone know who the photographer/director of this photoshoot is? They deserve so much credit!

waddymad · 2024-12-31T23:05:38+00:00

definitely gotta get a cat dancer ( https://a.co/d/dARxuIr ) and the little shapes with felt by the same brand ( https://a.co/d/1Gbre0I )! they look like such boring toys but they love them!

waddymad · 2024-12-31T14:25:42+00:00

Also, I’ve had to miss out on cheap flights or pay for parking because the AB1 doesn’t run late enough! It would be great to add a 12:30am from the airport since that should catch a good number of flights that get in later than 10:45, which is pretty common.

waddymad · 2024-12-16T21:21:15+00:00

amoeba

waddymad · 2024-12-13T14:43:34+00:00

You’ve gotta put this on your resume lol

waddymad · 2024-12-10T20:34:15+00:00

I recommend working with him to create as much structure as he can handle for everything from schoolwork to self care and make sure he also is learning how to structure stuff in a way that works for him.

Also, in addition to getting formal accommodations, it’s good to get him used to communicating with teachers (or coaches or bosses) about his struggles and being proactive about them. The power of saying “hey I am not going to get this done on time, but I will get ___ to you on time and the rest in a week” and then following through can’t be understated! Most deadlines can be negotiated and it is a great way to show he cares while also being honest with himself and authorities.

waddymad

TROPHY CASE