u/novicepooldude

I used to make incredible sauteed onions, letting them cook slowly over 1.5-2 hours, they were sweet, soft, delicious. I was using a crappy non adherent pan that I had carried over from ever but since switching to stainless steel, I can't seem to get sweet onions anywhere close. They are more stringy, they don't get nearly as soft, and there's almost a bitter flavor to them. I use olive oil an a bit of butter with a sprinkle of salt. I have never had to add additional brown sugar but now I am finding that if I don't do that towards the end with a bit of water, I just don't enjoy them at all. Any ideas as to what else I may need to change to get these to that same lovely texture and taste with these new "fancy" pans? All my other meals have certainly improved, but onions remain my Achilles

I'm trying to get a LAX > MNL redemption on PAL business (I know, likely a suboptimal use of points, but I don't see a better way to get to Philippines on business, do send me any other ideas) and I am seeing 110K Avios points per person on Qatar Airways. But because I don't have the points there, it won't let me click the fare to see the taxes/fees I would have to pay in cash. The problem is that when I run the exact same search with cash, the non-stop flight that I'm seeing with points does not appear, so is there another way to see how much it'd cost in cash? I notice sometimes Avios redemptions (especially via BA) com with > 1000$ in taxes and fees, which would absolutely defeat the purpose, especially already paying a hefty amount of miles for a shitty business class. Thank you!

Edit to add: I am going through Qatar because I don't have Bilt to transfer to Atmos. Only Amex MR and Chase points.

Hi all - I hope this is the right place to ask this question. We have a big wall we need to cover and a 60" x 60" art piece would fit perfectly. We'd like to DIY but we're struggling to 1) find a stretched canvas of that size anywhere, and 2) find a way to predict what framing something like that would cost? None of the "ready to frame" online services go past ~36 or ~48 and even at those prices it's already looking so expensive. I refuse to believe it would cost us north of 1000$ to put a 60x60 framed canvas on our wall but maybe I've been living in a world of delusions? I will take any pointers, tips, etc. on how to make this happen. Also more than welcome an approximate cost for how much it would cost to frame something like this professionally. Thank you so much!

Hi all - I hope this is the right place to ask this question. We have a big wall we need to cover and a 60" x 60" art piece would fit perfectly. We'd like to DIY but we're struggling to 1) find a stretched canvas of that size anywhere, and 2) find a way to predict what framing something like that would cost? None of the "ready to frame" online services go past ~36 or ~48 and even at those prices it's already looking so expensive. I refuse to believe it would cost us north of 1000$ to put a 60x60 framed canvas on our wall but maybe I've been living in a world of delusions? I will take any pointers, tips, etc. on how to make this happen. Thank you so much!

Is it worth favoring flights leaving from SHA (on my way to Xi'An) given its proximity? Or in practice with the high speed train to PVG it truly doesn't make a difference. I'll be leaving from the Conrad Shanghai area, if that matters.

We'll have 2.5 days in HKG and I know there's a lot to do in the city, but we love diving in other countries when able. HKG is surrounded by water and islands, so it made me wonder if there is any diving worth doing ("worth" here meaning giving up losing half day of city exploring to go diving, on a short visit). We'd of course try to do it on the first full day so we have enough time before our departing flight.

I'm trying to do semi-chubby travel in China so shelling out some money but without being excessive. I'm getting such conflicting messages from online reviews about some of these properties, that I'm hoping to get feedback from some more recent experiences. Any recent trips with stays at these properties, all of which are Amex THC/FHR?

Shanghai:

- The Regent Shanghai Pudong is only 558.84 for 3 nights with all the FHR benefits. The property looks great but online reviews say Pudong kinda sucks? Does it really? We just want to be able to walk around during the day, be close to a metro, get some great food at night, we don't really need party life. I'm IHG Platinum Elite, so maybe higher chances for an upgrade between the two.

- On the other side of the river, The Conrad Shanghai is 687.48 for 3 nights. I get it most people say it feels like a 4-star hotel, but is it that bad? For this price, it almost feels silly spending more for another nicer hotel in a worse location (Jiang looks nice, but not sure it's ideal for us on a first visit being so far from the Bund?). I'm Hilton Diamond

Other hotels that are at a good value seem to be on the "wrong side of the river"? e.g. the Pudong Shangri-La, the Grand Hyatt, the St Regis

Xi'An:

I was ecstatic to see a Ritz Carlton at 424.82 for 2 nights plus all the FHR benefits, but it seems to be outside the old city and not sure it's worth staying out in this location? The W XIAN is THC but has same benefits as FHR right now (minus guaranteed late check out, which I won't need) for 449.02. Should I choose either? Or forego and choose a crappier UrCove or equivalent right in the tourist area (I can totally survive a Chinese version of Holiday Inn Express btw :D)

Chengdu:

- The St. Regis is only 372.62 for 2 nights with FHR and the Waldorf Astoria 487.34, but again I'm getting mixed reviews and it feels silly to pay 855.46 for the Upper House on this trip for me, even if the latter gets much more consistent positive reviews. Would St Regis be a good choice?

Beijing:

Overwhelmed with so many good options but the The St. Regis Beijing is 708.03 for 3 nights and the China World Summit Wing is 679.26 for 3 nights, but the location for both looks... meh? The Grand Hyatt Beijing seems much better located but at 734.28 it's THC and not FHR, and although it comes with $100 credit, it doesn't come with breakfast (and I'm a lowly Discoverest and don't know that I can find a GOH). The Conrad Beijing is similarly priced as THC but we're Diamond so we would get breakfast, but again, location maybe less optimal?

Thanks for any help!!

We certainly are paying a fortune in electricity, it's a big house, so I would not mind someone coming and making recommendations. Has anyone done this? And is there ever a scenario in which it could hurt because they find something that somehow makes your bill higher / etc?

https://preview.redd.it/zexfqhk9elgh1.png?width=1442&format=png&auto=webp&s=c7bdd8b3f578c56f8913cab5adb87f14302b7536

I am so confused by this Nest. Moved to a new house and primary bedroom has a Nest (dedicated HVAC for the room). Unfortunately the prior owner didn't release it and now doesn't remember his account, so we can't connect to it. But AFAICT, there is no schedule. And yet, often we will come to the room and it will be simply not working, typically going from our 74 usual to 78 or higher if we don't catch it on time. The problem is I find myself having to turn it off and then restart it on cool to make it kick in. Any help? I hate it!

I've been here for 3 years and I don't remember a month without construction along Briarcliff Rd. Always the same spots. It's a nightmare and it has to be either money laundering or someone getting kickbacks. It's not possible to take 3 years to fix whatever needs to be fixed. They'll be gone for a few weeks, then back with the bulldozers again in the same spots, backing up traffic. Is anyone investigating? I'm so serious!

Edit: I am specifically talking about the portion of Briarcliff Rd that intersects with Lavista Rd.

Hope this fits in r/whitecoatinvestor, I’m not sure where else to ask.

I work in academic medicine and have to go through a formal “External Activity” approval process for consulting and serving as paid faculty for industry. I used to be skeptical of industry work because of some admittedly naive academic idealism, but I’ve since become much more open to it. All of my external activities have been approved through the official channels, usually with standard reminders that I need to make additional disclosures if I conduct research involving those companies, and that I cannot participate in marketing activities.

One provision keeps catching my attention: I must report within 30 days if I receive more than $5,000 from a single approved entity. When I read the policy, it says this threshold qualifies the relationship as a “Significant Financial Interest” or SFI.

My question is: does crossing that threshold have any practical consequences?

I’ve now received more than $5,000 from at least two companies through consulting work, so I assume I need to report it. Should I expect anything to change after I do and move these external activities into SFI status? I'm disclosing them either way any time I give a talk, if I write any papers remotely related to them, etc. The policy explains the reporting requirement and the SFI designation, but does not clearly describe what happens next. Any insight or experience with this?

I'm with StateFarm where I bundle home and auto and I've been stuck with this group of agents that seem to be part of a "main agent" but working with each person on different interaction is the equivalent of just choosing radio buttons on a form online in that I get no guidance or feedback. I just request something, get sent a form to sign new policy, done. So r/Insurance peeps, allow me to abuse your kindness to get some guidance.

I recently realized we were massively underinsured on our 2 auto policies, especially for a high HHI with a very expensive property to protect. I asked the agent to increase our auto policies to 250/500/100 and to explore an umbrella policy.

I got "Okay will do" and got sent prices for the umbrella and a form to sign updating the premium for the auto part, but also this form below. Now I am left wondering if I should request to change this coverage too? Or is this Coverage U a fairly standard choice?

>State Farm® offers two types of Uninsured Motor Vehicle Coverage:

>(1) Coverage UE (Added To At-Fault Liability Limits) provides limits that apply in addition to the limits of the at-fault party's liability coverage; and

>(2) Coverage U (Reduced By At-Fault Liability Limits) provides limits that are reduced by the limits of the at-fault party's liability coverage.

>I acknowledge that I have been given the opportunity to purchase Uninsured Motor Vehicle Coverage (Added To At-Fault Liability Limits) with limits equal to my Liability Coverage limits and I reject that option, and instead: (select only one)

>○ I select Coverage UE (Added To At-Fault Liability Limits) with lower limits of: $____________ / $____________ / $____________
Each person    Each accident    Property damage

>◉ I select Coverage U (Reduced By At-Fault Liability Limits) with limits of: $ 25,000 / $ 50,000 / $ 25,000
Each person    Each accident    Property damage

>○ I reject both Coverage UE and Coverage U in their entirety. (By choosing this option I understand that my policy will not have any Uninsured Motor Vehicle Coverage.)

On a related note, the StateFarm umbrella for 1M is ~82$ a month, which seems kind of pricey compared to others I've seen online and it doesn't seem to include any UM/UIM rider, should I explore one that does?