I do see this. Since I am in the soup, I am very aware of how much *more* college costs now than it did when I went. Reform is something I support 100%, as well as limited debt forgiveness in cases where people were truly taken advantage of and changes to the bankruptcy laws. But there is still a great deal of personal choice in play here. I think some people are making unwise decisions about where/how they attend and *I* don't want to pay for that, especially after paying my own loans and limiting my own dd's choices in order to do the "responsible thing." While college costs are grossly out of control there is still a wide spectrum of options that vary in cost by magnitudes. I know that it is unlikely to happen anyway but it keeps getting carted out as some great thing our current administration can do. It just rankles me every time and I am really surprised I don't hear more widespread grumbling about it. I mean people freak out if someone uses food stamps to buy junk food. I would expect more outrage. Either way, it appears I am not the only one here who is bothered so maybe it is not as popular as it seemed.

I am about as liberal as they come and I completely understand that a lot of student loans are the result of predatory lending practices and/or shady for-profit schools that don't deliver what they promise. I get how difficult it is too crawl out from under mountains of debt taken on before one even has a decent income. I have a college student so I am in the soup. But something bugs me about this and I just can't shake it. I completely see the point for people who were truly taken advantage of. But it seems super unfair to me that everyone would get their debt erased, essentially punishing the people that *did* pay off their loans. As you can guess I am one of those people. Dh and I graduated with the maximum amount of unsubsidized student debt. At that time, it seemed like a staggering amount. It made me sick to even think about the number. (this is going to sound very bootstrappy, do forgive me) We decided the best course of action was to continue to live like college students and devote all of our extra income to paying off the loans. We continued to drive our ancient cars, did not vacation, lived in a cheap apartment furnished with hand-me-down furniture, delayed starting a family, etc..... and paid them all off within two years. Then started to live like proper working adults. I know many MANY people who make far more than we do that are still paying on their student loans (25+ years later) but have plenty of discretionary cash to spend on non-essentials. It bugs me that they might get to walk away from their debt. And it also bugs me that dd limited her college choices based on what she/we could afford to minimize student debt while watching some of her friends go to their dream schools, taking on unfathomable amounts of debt, that might just be erased. I would love to understand this better and feel less resentful about it.

I have a group of friends that I play with daily and we all use the NYT site. Today, one of my friends had a different word from everyone else. No idea why! We know about the alternate links so weeks ago we shared the same link in a group email and have been using it ever since. Odd. Anyone else?

We are empty-nesters but our house was smallish to begin with at 1200 sq. ft. It is not at all suitable for anyone with mobility issues so it is likely not our forever house unless we committed to a lot of modifications. But we are still pretty young and everything about it is fine for our current lives. In practicality, I see us staying here for up to 20 more years then moving to a condo when stairs and yard work are no longer easy. But, for the last ten years, I have cooked up elaborate "dream plans" for a custom built house. It will likely never happen due to finances and the fact that what I want does not mesh well with most zoning ordinances. I have even sketched some of these up in AutoCAD. If money were no object we would love a very small and efficient purpose-built house right in our small city. We currently live in the city and want to maintain that, but there are often lots for sale that are in the city but back up to trails and/or waterfront. It would be single level with a finished basement. The finished basement would have a guest room, second bathroom, gear prep/storage area for skis, camping equipment, and other outdoor gear, and a sauna. This whole area could be taken out of use if we both became unable to handle stairs. The upstairs would be an open-concept plan for entertaining (and ease of mobility should that be needed) with a single bedroom and bath. Attached garage (very uncommon here) and LOTS of easy accessible storage/pantry/laundry/mudroom. This will never happen but it is fun to dream. Having spent the last 17 years in a house with no closets I am content to ponder on storage options alone for hours. All that said, I would not consider maintaining a large house for occasional hosting. Most families I know are happy to dog pile for the once-or-twice-a-year holiday gathering. The cost and waste of heating extra house is just too much for me. If I were in that situation, I would handle overflow with a rented RV in the driveway or even renting a whole vacation house for people to spread out.

That is good to know and makes it much more likely that I will try it.

When you say "recyclable ice pack," what does that mean? I have seen these and the only way to recycle them is to cut the bags, dispose of the goo inside, and find someone that can recycle the bag. We have nowhere we can recycle the bag. And that goo is HEAVY. I try to avoid getting these at all. I keep a few because they are handy to use in coolers. Our shipping shop used to take them for reuse too. But really, I feel like they are an environmental burden overall. This is my beef with the meal kit services as well. I spend more time trying to responsibly dispose of all of the packaging than I would just menu planning myself.

I have done CSAs for 20+ years. The experience has varied widely by farmer but overall, I have been very happy. I prioritize local and fresh so it makes sense and I don't mind having to be creative. I rather like getting things I would not normally select as it helps keep me nimble in the kitchen and adds variety to our nutrients. Even for a family of three, we usually have to get a double share. Ours is seasonal but we do usually get bulk storage items at the end of the season. As far as health and environmental impact, a CSA and/or farmers market is likely going to win. I have not tried Misfits. I am concerned about the environmental impact of shipping and packaging. I see that the packaging is "minimal" and "eco-friendly." What does that mean? Is it all recyclable? Grocery store produce also involves a lot of packaging and shipping resources so it might be a wash once you factor in that Misfits is supposed to be items that likely would have been landfilled anyway.

This has promise! Thanks!

We don't have a CVS. We are pretty rural and geographically isolated, which has made all things Covid easier and harder depending on the situation. The normal things I would tell any college student to do for a health issue are not always available here. I had to drive them two hours each way to have orthodontic work done a few years ago if that gives you any idea of the situation. LOL!

This campus does not have a health clinic but the closest clinic is where they went and was told they could not do a mono test and to go to the ER if one was wanted. Covid rapid test was negative as recently as this morning. Accessing a PCR is a bit more difficult as they "don't qualify" at this time. Although I think a test could be accessed with enough effort. The only part that has me questioning the mono possibility is that the clinic said they are seeing a lot of this across the population. I don't think that is common for mono. But if this does not improve or gets worse, we will do whatever it takes to get one.

Can anyone tell me if there is a reason it is hard for us to access a mono test? Is it expensive, complicated, etc.....? I just made some phone calls and even my own doctor's office said we have to go to the ER. I do not understand. It seems ridiculous to show up at the ER, wait forever while being exposed to everyone else waiting forever, and paying the ER fees.

I would just call the city/town/village clerk and talk it over. They will be able to tell you (or tell you who can tell you) if there is a pertinent ordinance and will also likely be able to recommend a surveyor if needed. I wouldn't assume anything until you have all the info.

That is advice I've never seen! Thanks! They have started gargling with cayenne, which is helping with pain relief. They cannot come home at the moment because they are in the middle of a heavy-exam week and we still have 3 feet of snow, but they can do the salty chips and bourbon (after they are done for the day). They are also taking a shot of fire cider every few hours which is heavy on garlic and turmeric.

College student in communal housing.

Check your city ordinances. In all likelihood, they are online. Despite still living mostly in the dark ages, even my small city has these online if you know where to look. Ours requires an 18" set-back from the property line. And we are required to make the back side of our fence as attractive as the front side if it is visible from a neighboring property. I'd start with knowing the rules. They can still apply for a variance so again, being up on the rules will be important.

They only did a rapid strep. They did not test for mono. I don't know much about mono testing but the clinic said they cannot do it, only the ER can in our area. This matches what others have shared with us. But that seems odd. In either case, it seems the clinic has "seen a lot of this" which does not really fit the profile for mono as I understand it. This was all after a 4 hour wait (in a waiting room in which no one was masking) to even be seen so going back for a strep culture is not an attractive option. Ugh. I don't know what to do. Their regular doctor is scheduling out over a week from now.

We are trying to determine if a mystery illness is Covid-related and what can be done. Person had Covid in mid-January despite being fully vaccinated and boosted. It was a "mild" case that presented as a mild flu with another week of being tired. Then back to normal. Fast forward to now. About 10 days ago, person started complaining of being tired and feeling "off." At 7 days ago, also started to complain of feverish aches. Temp was only one degree higher than normal. At the time a "sore throat that does not feel like a normal sore throat" also appeared. Very mild at first and getting increasingly worse with each day. Pain does not respond to OTC pain relief meds. Yesterday, the sore throat started to feel unbearable. Lymph nodes are huge. Throat is red with white spots. Strep was suspected so they went to the clinic. Strep test was negative. Clinic says they have "seen a lot of this and they don't know what it is." They suggested gargling then swallowing diluted children's tylenol, which is something I have never heard of before. This has had no affect thus far. Person is now miserable and has started to lose sleep. Person is already highly stressed and overtired, without being sick. Any ideas? Suggestions for relief? Is this a long Covid thing? Is it possible to have strep that tests negative? Would there be any point in trying to get a Covid test? The clinic would not do a Covid test because last case of Covid was so recent. Has anyone else "seen a lot of this?"

The cat is 18yo and deaf. This was the most exciting day of her recent world. LOL! We have seen no sign of the chippie. I took the vent cover off of a lower level register (where we last could hear it) and put a live trap outside of it with peanut butter. No bite. And we can't hear anything anymore. Hopefully it got out and went back out whatever hole in our foundation it came in. I guess time (and my nose) will tell.

Anyone know what happens to a rodent that goes into the forced air heating system? This cat just chased a chipmunk into that heating vent. Might be time for some more modern vent covers......

I was thinking similar thoughts. I am all for reusable cups at Starbucks. That is great. But a whole year's worth of paper coffee cups is surpassed by just one or two styrofoam-encased take-out meals as far as environmental damage is concerned. At some point we are going to have a reckoning and reusable cups are going to be the least of our inconveniences. We are one of the only families I know that sits down together for all meals. Whoever is home eats together sitting down. Even during a work day, if dh can swing it, he comes home for lunch. He works within walking distance of our home and I work from home. And until dd left for college, she was homeschooled so also home. All of my friends claim I am a great cook. This has perplexed me as most of them actually cook far tastier and more elaborate foods. My go-to meals are very simple like rice-and-beans or one-pot wonders. But cooking for them is a special occasion whereas we eat some sort of home-cooked food three times each day. Pre-pandemic, friends would often materialize around dinnertime and eagerly accept an invitation to sit with us and eat, then rave about whatever simple meal I prepared. After pondering on your post, I realized that it is not that I am some sort of exceptional cook but rather that people enjoy the act of sitting and eating a meal. No phones. No TV. No getting up (except to shoo a cat off the counter). Food is so much more than fuel. Or at least it should be. However, I do love my water bottle.....no going back on that one!

My dd recently got upset because she forgot her water bottle on a short hike. As we were hiking and chatting, I mentioned that I did not even own a water bottle until I was in college. She was flabbergasted. I confess that I always have my water bottle (or coffee mug) within reach most of the day whether I am in the house or out, but I assured her she would not DIE without hers on a 4 mile hike. It would be ok.

I think it's great and hope it works. I started bringing my own mug back in the 1990s. I got strange looks in the McDonalds drive-thru but I want my coffee to stay hot! I don't get coffee outside of the house often, usually just when traveling, but it really is not a big deal. It is also quite possible to wash a mug, with soap, in a hotel sink. I have done it a million times. The fact of the matter is that we are going to have to do a whole LOT more to curb the consumption of resources and reduce waste. Starbucks cups and bring-your-own-bag are hardly the tip of the iceberg as far as the "inconvenience" we are going to have to get used to. People might go kicking and screaming but someday, we will look back and be shocked at what we thought was a "big deal."

I really hope this happens. I do not care which way it goes but the twice-a-year change is terrible! It was bad when I had a little kid and even worse with my pets! I live where it does not matter. Our days are very short in the winter either way so people go to school/work in the dark no matter what. When I worked in an office with no windows, I would arrive and leave work in darkness for parts of the year either way, not actually seeing the sun until the weekends. So JUST PICK ONE and let's stick with it!

I just did my weekly shopping at our co-op. Everything in stock and all looks normal. The only thing on my list that they didn't have is the type of Oat Milk we like, but that has been hit or miss for years.

I feel your pain. Ours comes before we are normally out of bed so I *have* to remember the night before to set a different alarm time. We too have animals so we cannot just put it out the night before. It takes us 4-6 weeks to fill up a bag so at least it is not every week. But because it is not every week, that makes it even harder to remember!