u/Lani_19

Hello

I enjoy winter and stark beaches and am nearly impervious to cold wet air. I just moved to the greater Boston area and I keep hearing about the cape, specifically the outer cape. I do not like hot sun beaches because it destroys my fungal form. For this reason I am looking for a good week this year to visit outside of the summer months. I hear everything is closed in winter, which is mostly OK by me except that I would need a place to stay and also food, I also don't want to miss out on experiencing the culture or going to a pub and I am not sure how closed everything is...I am also trying to figure out what places to go but most tourism information is for folks trying to go in the summer with a very different idea of fun at the beach from me.

Also is surfing big here or diving? I have a wet suit for arctic waters I will bring if so.

Thank you!

Hi all,

Context I am the lead environmental engineer at a company that is both operational and building new facilities across the country simultaneously. There is very little if any historical environmental program but they really wanted to get back on track so they hired someone with more experience from the outside world (me) to do it. Since there was no previous environmental program, group, etc I am the only one and the only one with any background much at all with all things permitting (both for active operations and for construction), operational (SDS management, RCRA, accident response, spill response etc), or with air/water monitoring results and testing. I am doing my best but some days I feel a little bit over my head and question if I am enough to do this (despite having almost 15 years experience in this world) and I think partly it is imposter syndrome due to perhaps the nature of this specific role.

Just looking to see if anyone else around the 15 year mark, when leading something of this scale on their own, had similar feelings and if it's just a matter of maturing as a professional leader in the field. (Taking on a hard project vs living in the comfort of an existing EMS). To be clear I do feel I am doing solidly so far, I just second guess a lot of my stuff and feel more timid than I ever felt trying to "get it right".

Seems like now a days everyone says to check meetup or some online repository. How did you find out about a club or hangout or group back in the day if you moved to a brand new place and didn’t know anyone?

Hi all,

I am looking for a good personal trainer in the Harvard Massachusetts area. I saw Ross up north of Devens with Kyle but it is 40s and 50s only (I am in my mid 30s)

If anyone has any suggestions of people that would be great! So many times personal trainers can be iffy and I would want to get things right. I’m also open to gyms and groups. I used to be very fit and play competitive roller derby but since I’ve stopped playing Ive become a bit of a lump besides jogging. Any suggestions for sports as well would be nice. I’m thinking Jiu Jitsu. Let me know!

Hi all,

As it says in the title I should get a scan soon apparently (in my 30s) but I don’t know how to get one without a PCP…I’m in a new area and apparently some waitlists are a year long or more. Going to keep trying but part of me wants to just pay out of pocket. I used a website that searched for them and I found one for what looks like $2000 ish. Is there any problem with this? Will they still ask me for a script? Also how is everyone just getting GI doctors and PcPs lol. It feels like everywhere near me is a wait (I’m in eastern Massachusetts right now but had this problem in PA too trying to get in anywhere)

Thanks.

Hi all,

Im a renter so can’t modify the apartment, I used to be a zero water girly before they got kinda bad. I’m used to that type of filter because it’s easy for me to pour (the water drop has that weird cage around it where you can’t pour the filtered water and can’t fit something like a large pot or even kettle under the stream but I know RO is king.

I want to reduce the PFAS levels in the water in my new unit and since the building is from 1800 Who knows what lead etc the pipes have going on haha. What advice would anyone have. I would love to keep the fluoride and I can have a little PFAS as a treat if the filter helps with it as well as the other contaminants in a way that’s functional for my lifestyle and pour requirements.

Thanks!

Edit: I bought the AquaTru Carafe Table Top RO filter.

https://preview.redd.it/t44yzy961ieh1.png?width=250&format=png&auto=webp&s=98ddbdd28df9e34555db11540a8bf54880444cd7

Most of the colors on the web portal are light in tone so I wasn't sure? I was thinking Royal Blue, Navy, Black and Charcoal gray??? Any thoughts? Doesn't have to be exact but I am trying to achieve something similar.

Garment: 100% Linen Kirtle unbleached so the natural linen color.

Hi all,

I am in my early-mid 30s and work a job field that pays pretty well and I as I am entering into that mid career space I am having more trouble deciding what to do with my money to effectively plan for having to take care of myself entirely in my old age. Most financial advice seems to be targeted for people with two incomes or who might have kids all of which you should never plan to rely on but in reality those extra family members add a lot of stability to someone's life regardless of how much money a single person can make. (i.e. if one partner loses a job you lose half the income possibly, if I lose my job I lose 100% of it so those factors really play into making choices like how much to put down on a house, or what risks are viable).

For the sake of specificity the below are really what I am trying to solve right now.

* I can max out my 401k each year (I believe it is around 26k a year right now) but this leaves me with extra money I don't know what to do with, I do not qualify for a ROTH but I keep hearing about backdoors and mega backdoors and its all a little crazy but I know for sure I shouldn't just be putting that 26k in and calling it, I just dont think with inflation that will be sufficient because it means I am not making the milestones I hear about (i.e. 1x salary by 30 etc, I will need to put away more to make those metrics, I am a little below them at the moment which stresses me out).

* Housing ownership is a problem and I am not sure what the wisdom should be on this. First I have moved around a lot (every 3-4 years) to gain higher education in one instance but also to job hop to increase my salary. Second as a single person it feels super risky and I need to get the mortgage down enough that if I lost my job it wouldn't completely screw me over in a short time...so massive down payment but that can sometimes be a carrot on a stick problem. I keep hearing to buy, and I agree I am very concerned about not having a stable place to just land when I retire without the fear of rent increases making it impossible for me to survive but I also don't know what to do about it with the above issues...is there an alternative I should be doing?

*HSA, I suck at them....I went with a HDHP and put money into the HSA and still haven't touched it as its invested but I had to go to the ER twice once in 2025 and once this year 2026 so....yeah I did not make money off that exchange, they were freak accidents that were not avoidable on my end (animal attack in one) but it makes me nervous that the HSA is a bad deal because I really did NOT break even on that, prior to doing the HSA I had a PPO and I felt like I made more money just paying for that so I could actually go to a doctor without fear. But I have no prescriptions etc so it seems like that should have worked....but maybe I am just getting older and crap happens so maybe my window of making that work has passed.

* Any other advice for someone in my situation!

About me:

I am pretty minimalist (no furniture except soft stuff, it all fits into my car, I try and keep my car for as long as possible, etc) however I do spend too much on certain food products because I reallllly love good food....so it probably evens out lol

No debt (on car or otherwise)

I'm less worried about someone stealing it and more worried it is going to get rained on...there is a porch at the new location but it is for the unit below me....any recourse or do I just have to accept a soggy spectrum.

Thanks!

Maybe I am really dumb but I am super confused. I understand why gas prices went down when we thought the Iran conflict would be ending but then it didn't end and it got worse, we didn't get any more gas from that moment of lull so shouldn't gas prices be higher than they were at their height back when the war started/was predicted to drag on.

Why is it only creeping up slightly? Am I missing some key factor? Shouldn't we have less gas to go around right now which should drive prices higher than before?

Thanks

Hi all,

Big Dental Fears from childhood, being yelled at etc, and despite brushing flossing and being obsessed with dental care I still get cavities. The only time I managed to avoid them largely was when I went years without eating any bread, rice, added sugar, or carbs except maybe once a month only then did my mouth decide to act right. So I know I have some weirdness going on in there.

However my issue despite all of that with the dentist is the stupidly painful shots they give you to do cavities. Its bad enough I pinch my hand and sometimes cause it to bleed to try and distract from the pain. I have also had it where it feels like lightning of pain shoots up my face. I will say my last dentist gave the shots in a way that it was much less painful than in the past but unfortunately I have had to move away and now will need to find a new dentist. I don't really know what makes the difference in these shots or what I can do to try and prevent that pain besides go into a mantra that pain is an illusion LOL.

Any advice on what to tell a new dentist or what to look for to avoid that...I will not have a positive dental visit unless I go full pseudo "keto" again, which honestly maybe I should because man is this stressful.

Thanks

Should add after the shots I feel pretty OK although I did have a few incidents as a kid where the pain suddenly shot through my tooth during drilling so I do have a constant fear from that, but I try not to think about that too much. If I could just solve this one issue the dentist wouldn't be nearly as bad for me. : (

Hi all!

I am moving from SE PA area to Harvard MA and I am looking for CSAs people recommend from local farms : ). I LOVE the CSA I have here enough that I am picking my last one up the day I am leaving so I have it when I arrive in MA but will need to get a replacement if possible. I have always utilized CSAs and would love some recommendations for that area. I have a car so can drive to pick it up.

Also any other recommendations for things related to this/food options.

Thanks so much!

Hi all,

I have read the FAQ. I have not seen anyone explain why sometimes people get the shots in the wound and some get them in their legs. The ER gave me the shots in my legs, tetanus in arm, rabies vaccine I guess in arm and then antibiotics to take. Why wouldn’t they inject the goop into the wound spot? I was hit by a dog that I don’t know and don’t know the owner. USA.

Anyone else have that be the case?

Thanks

Hi all,

Location: Massachusetts
I was visiting Massachusetts

I was planning to stay at a hotel and another guests dog attacked me when I tried to pass them in the hallway. I was bit and bleeding (my arm) and in shock when he got the dog under control. He then proceeded to take the dog back to his hotel room but I didn’t know what to do so I went back downstairs and reported it with the hotel manager and washed it off and put antiseptic on it. I was then told to call the police and go to urgent care. urgent care sent me to the ER where I had to get rabies shots, tetanus booster, and antibiotics. I have insurance that I called before I even stepped into the ER to ask about coverage and they told me all emergencies should be completely covered and to contact them if I get sent a bill etc. However you never know how it will turn out. In saying that I also filed with the police and they were going to call the hotel back.

I was alone so I couldn’t stay and find the dude if he came back out of his room since I had to drive myself to the ER. Hotel folks were in shock. They wrote up a report but front desk person said they aren’t responsible for the dogs of the guests so they won’t be able to do anything about it. Not sure how true that is. I did proceed to tell other guests that were going up to that same floor that had small children not to go up there if they saw any dogs because that dog could have easily maimed a kids face since they are at eye level.

Tried to ask the hotel front desk if they knew who the two people on the floor with the dogs were and she would not give me any info/said she didn’t know. But I told her she should find out because she can’t let those people stay here with a dog that just attacks random guests.

I plan to call the hotel again at some point tomorrow just to see what happened. But they never called me back despite having my contact info. The police said they were going to call the hotel as well.

Any advice in this situation? Anything else I should be doing?

Thanks, what a rough day!

Hi all,

Title says it all. Looking to see what my options are for a rental unit that is currently on water delivery (which I am thankful for!) but would like to add a filter of my own either on the counter or under the sink or something so long as I don't do any permanent changes to the unit. I used to use Zero water filters but I don't see anyone mentioning those here...maybe they were kinda fake? Are there any on the counter reverse osmosis options? Also what about showering and laundry....is my stuff going to be insane contaminated?

Thanks!

Korra vs Ozai. 🔥🔥☄️I just feel like it’ll be absolutely rad. I really hope he’s just as in your face as she is. My BodY is Ready. GIVE IT TO ME!!!

Anything else you all are excited for in full release?

edit: For people fighting Korra and struggling Ill give away a tip as someone who plays her. Defense is your friend, break her root as the immortal Iroh once said. I’m too track minded for all that, but every game I lose I lose because of that. Toph, Sokka, etc.

Hi all,

I have read the FAQ. I was wondering if the appropriate move in the future would have been to get rabies shots for the above described interaction?

It was morning so not normal bat time and the bat was laying on the ground and chittered at us when we got close. we just wanted to move it off the trail so it wouldn’t get crushed. Used two sticks and picked it up/sorta pushed it off the trail and then it suddenly took flight and flew away. It’s been a little over a year since the interaction but not sure if I should have or should still get the rabies vaccine shots for something like that.

Thanks

Hi all.

Been sleeping on the floor for a while since I was backpacking on a thru hike. On the thru I had very little in the way of padding and didn’t get any neck or back issues. Since I’ve been home I’ve had a lot more trouble even though I’m still sleeping on the floor. Mainly between my shoulder blades on my upper back and also on my neck when I tilt it back or sometimes it’s so stiff I have trouble moving it in any direction when I wake up. At first it was intermittent but now it’s almost every morning… any advice?

set up is a takaokaya futon, I have pillows but I have also tried sleeping flat with no pillows at all and it doesn’t seem to help the neck issue. Am I missing something? Any maybe pillow advice if someone else had this problem.

Its odd it’s happening off trail after two months now which makes me wonder if it’s something like more sitting time or strain from somewhere else but it doesn’t seem to happen when I sleep in hotel beds.

No discomfort anywhere while I am sleeping and I sleep through the night. It’s just the aftermath.

Thanks!

Hey all maybe I’m stoopid but I can’t find where to pre download on steam deck???

Thanks!

Title says it all. On UPS it seems you have to submit your request for refund, I didn’t see that on the FedEx site. Large tariffs on a musical instrument from Europe back in November of 2025. I’m the importer. Not sure if I’m in Phase 1 or liquidated but I thought liquidation was almost a year after with a 180 day waiting period so I should be in the window. Just wondering if I have to call FedEx or what…?

Thanks