I got a preapproval right away because I knew I was going to move fast. Also, renewing it was no big deal - just gave my banker a call and he emailed me a new one with the updated date and amount.

I went with Quicken Loans because it was easy. Also my Mom is an accountant at a relocation company and she said they were good and reliable. Worked for me…. Had Citibank for my previous mortgage because my employer banked with Citibank and that gave us a break on closing costs.

When you compare lenders, don’t just think about rates but also closing costs. I also pay extra principal every month to save on interest m. Even extra $100 per month makes a noticeable difference in the long run…

Tickets like this are money makers for the entities that issue them. They are very happy to change it to a non-moving violation with a hefty fine. Which may still be more cost effective than paying the ticket and having your insurance go up.

Yup. I’ve been there with my Dad, he entered hospice when his cancer got to the point where the surgeon walked out of the OR crying (same surgeon working on him for ten years) saying “I am so sorry, there is nothing more I can do”. Well, because other than cancer my Dad is as absolutely healthy, even after 10 years of treatments, it took him over three weeks to die, essentially starving to death because that was the only option and it was awful. I would never wish another family to go through it. If you are literally just waiting to die, why drag it out and make it very miserable physically and emotionally for the dying and their families?

Not in Massachusetts, but the coldest temperature I have ever personally experienced is -53 Fahrenheit. But I never thought coastal areas would experience such rapid and dramatic temperature fluctuations as we are seeing now.

Highly unlikely to be the same species. Reforestation, unless very specifically and actively managed, is “junk trees” first and it will take a few centuries to become and “old growth” forest. Still won’t be exactly the same as “before” - a different mix of animals is living there now and different environment surrounds it and there are all kinds of introduced plant species, etc. though constant change is the only constant in nature. After all, 17,000 years ago this area was just a solid sheet of ice.

CVS and Walgreens have consistently been cutting help while increasing workload for the twenty years I have been in the retail pharmacy world. It was good in the early 2000s but has been going downhill since late 2000s and I absolute free fall since mid-2010s. Not a new issue at all. And no one gives a fuck. And customers want Saks service and Walmart prices.

Best bet is small wealthy towns. They are always staffed better than other locations.

Yep, that’s what it was like for me a couple months ago. “Do you have appointment? Check in over here and then sit over there. Good luck.”

This. Can't recommend it enough. There is no substitute for actual experience...

That's why I decided not to get on 95/Turnpike and take local roads instead. I knew that the likelihood of encountering a moron who believes themselves immortal is the highest on the interstate. And there is one ramp that I don't like even in dry weather, so no way was I testing it in this slippery mess.

The drive that normally takes me 30 minutes took 80 tonight. Seemed like every major east-west road was blocked by accidents. And when I went around, my ABS lights were coming on all the frigging time, and on one tiny hill, not even steep, my car barely made it. I decided to play it safe and went on major roads the rest of the way... I don't think it's accumulation, I think it's slippery underneath, and I think lots of people were caught unawares. I didn't expect snow, only saw the forecast when I was already out the door this morning, and no one in class knew about it either. Wonder if road maintenance people were equally caught with their pants down... Only one stretch of road was in good shape, about 2 miles out of 20.

On the upside, I didn't observe anyone doing anything stupid on the road... everyone was going slowly though most didn't maintain good distance (it's Massachusetts after all!).

What makes fruit ripen is ethylene gas. You want to trap it around the fruit - plastic is generally less permeable than paper thus they will ripen faster that way. Sunlight usually damages the peel more than it affects the outside though it can make ripening less even - but its effects are far less than that of ethylene.

I love Wegmans, but I mostly shop at Price Chopper which also happens to be the closest grocery store to me. I do occasionally stop by Hannaford's, Shaw's, Stop & Shop if they are on my way already (prefer Shaw's out of the three of them, the one on the Watertown/Cambridge border is great), but I found Market Basket disappointing on my first and only visit there. Trader Joe's and Aldi's are more for something specific only they carry. Whole Foods only if a friend who is a big fan drags me in there.

I tend to shop by what I like instead of going by price, though...

As I learned with very green bananas from Aldi's, when they are brought out too early - green-green instead of white-green - it can take 2-3 weeks to ripen. Wrap them up in a plastic bag to speed up the process.

It took me forever to make the appointment online but I was able to do it. Try first thing in the morning, you may have more luck than if you try to do it in the afternoon. I scored one a month away, but at a location I wanted, and it actually went swimmingly (I was in and out in 10 minutes). Never managed to figure out the phone (unlike 2 years ago), and my e-mail just produced a response of 'new slots are added daily, keep trying' basically.