The continuity with friends is a big thing. I'm in my mid 30s, and we have been hopping around the world for over 15 years. My friends are scattered across 2 continents. Family is scattered too. Sure, alot of this is the pandemic situation, but I miss having friends nearby. Nearly everyone is thousands of miles away, and it stinks (we are living in the Midwest now, most are on one of the coasts or in Europe). And it is hard to make nearby friends once you are older and set in your ways. Plus covid.

Added 2nd number

Yes. It was DoD. And overseas, so my options were limited. At times I miss the job, but other times I remember how annoyed I got. Honestly better pay would have gone a long way towards making up for it. GS 13 or 14 and enough staff would have been perfect.

Industry? Which level?

I was with the federal government last, and while the hours were good, we were underpaid and we were understaffed. So the hour cap (no authorized it even at crunch time) was actually stressful, and I had to keep defending my department's headcount. They wanted to knock us down to one (just me) when I had evidence we really needed 3 or 4.

I actually love accounting. The work keeps me absorbed. But I want a good work life balance as well.

Is there a good way to search for a bottle from a specific year?

This is my fear too... I personally and selfishly just hope we see it coming soon enough to isolate totally. Or to get kids vaccinated first. That won't be soon enough.

As far as "central", we're you thinking time zone perhaps?

Remember, nothing says you can't have a nice anniversary party in a few years. Do the legal, ceremonial, and traditional stuff like the toasts and first dance now, and a more "fun" party with all the dancing and mingling later, finances permitting. Plus, this type of party can be much lower stress later on too aside from the whole covid situation.

Congratulations, and thank you for doing your part with the precautions. Wishing you all the best.

Full truth. This outfit from head to toe is amazing.

Eradour 10. I had just a dram, and my thoughts were pretty much, "meh, it's fine... Probably wouldn't pay money for it again, and I would rather drink something different." So "dislike" might have been rather strong, but since my alcohol tolerance is pretty much 1 drink a night (and I don't drink every night) life feels to short for a "meh" option.

Ardbeg 10. I started getting really into scotch, and then found this sub. I was working my way around the malt map, and I wanted to try peat. I was trying to decide between ardbeg 10, talisker 10, and laphroaig 10. Honestly ardbeg 10 was the only one with tasting notes that sounded at all ok. I loved it! Moved onto ardbeg uggie after that. I recently went to a Scottish themed restaurant with a fantastic selection and tried both laphroaig 10 CS and talisker 10 DE... And loved both of those too.

Honestly though, I am loving the variety I've tried across the malt map. I've only tried 18 so far so I'm still at the beginning of my journey. I've only disliked one thing so far, so I'm probably not that picky. Or I've just gotten lucky.

They like putting their bums someplace comfy to when they puke. Makes perfect sense.

What are you doing in "learning and development"? I both loved and hated my last accounting job. Then I took some time off to have a kid, then the pandemic happened... Not sure I want to go back to accounting. Or at least not the government burocracy flavored kind.

I never liked holding bare double sided razor blades, and I don't like changing the blades on a lame either... Single sided razor blades seem to work great. Do other people not use these? Honest question, is there something I'm missing?

The slicing thing always gave me the creeps. I mean, the whole concept of lasik does, but if they could do just lasers... I kinda want it now. Even if they cant fix it all the way, not having to buy $500 lenses in addition to frames would be super.

Two Good does cottage cheese?! I'm going to have to hunt for that.

Tl:Dr - try spirits (not bottom shelf) like a nice whisky, nice tequila, etc neat or on the rocks and sip and savor in social situations instead of taking shots. Your alcohol tolerance on keto is low and carby beer and wine will make it worse.

EDIT: Also, be aware of the contraindications with metformin if you take that.

I did strict keto for awhile. Kept my carbs under 10 a day generally. I am less strict now, since I changed my limit to 50 and it is still mostly working the same (still really under 20 most days, but if my kid wants me to share an oreo with her, I don't stress much and don't pay for it for too long, and adding something like an apple is easier). I miss beer really bad. I treat myself to a nice micro brew once every couple months and I feel what you did. It is gross.

Here is a site with a "visual guide": https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/alcohol

Keep in mind, while your reaction to the beer was probably partially related to the carbs, on keto, alcohol will affect you much more strongly than before too. It is about how your body processes it.

Drinking in a social situation: while beer was always awesome, keeping strict keto means nope to the beer usually... Unless you carefully budget and limit to 1. And you will pay for it. Likewise, many cocktails are out due to added ingredients. Wine is lower, but while you might be able to have 2 glasses is you budget, the hangover might smack you. But. Many spirits are low to no carb. I actually came back to a hobby and got alot more into it. I love sampling and trying different scotches and other whiskeys. It is perfectly acceptable to order a whisky neat or on the rocks and sip and savor it instead of "taking shots". Keep it to 1 or 2 ounces a session (yes, still only one drink) which you savor over time until you get your tolerance back. Enjoy the nose and the flavors on your palate. It can be lots of fun.

I'll probably get dumped on a bit for this, but I tried a sample of total wine's shieldaig Islay NAS. They were trying to sell it to me, but I went with something else. It was the first smokey islay I ever tried, and I'm still thinking about the smoke notes that floated around my mask the rest of the time that I was in the store. Ardbeg 10 is next on my list (yes, I'm a beginner).

Total wine's shieldaig Islay NAS sells for $22 before tax around here. While it probably isn't fantastic, for that price and after that sample, I would consider buying it to give it a proper taste at home, rather than being stared at by a manager and 4 employees while I sampled it out of a tiny plastic cup (they were training).

I love this thread. My wishlist's budget section is gaining alot of ideas. My monthly scotch budget is not large, and is sadly depleted until the new year.

Those look great. Mine always end up super puffy.

I got batch 66 for $78 locally including sales tax. I was pleased with the price, and I very much like the scotch too. It is my first cask strength and my first "sherry bomb" though. My first dram of this remains a special memory since it is one of the first times I could actually identify some of the specific flavors people talk about in tasting notes. Subsequent drams have also been quite enjoyable to me.

So, whether it is a good one, probably depends on your experience, but as a relative newbie, I was quite pleased.

I just tried the Evan Williams BiB. I found the regular one just fine, so I was interested in the difference here. I wasn't a fan neat, but with a little bit of ice it was pretty good for sipping while watching The Great British Baking Show. With it being so strong, I now have ambitions to bake Yorkshire puddings, but otherwise, this was quite pleasant. Especially for the price ($16 at total wine). Thank you for the recommendation.

Edited to add: I'm now more sure than ever that I prefer scotch to bourbon. But this was fine.

As much as it makes me cringe to say it (I HATE buying clothes online) maybe try something along the lines of Amazon wardrobe (if it works in your area) to find something that fits now, but it, and also buy a size smaller. Current return period for full purchases of prime items is January 31. So you can return the one you don't end up needing after the party.

Enjoy, but stay safe!

I had the same slowing of weight-loss the second time around, after my pregnancy. What took me 6 weeks to lose the first time took me 4 months the second time.

I do take metformin (500mg twice a day) and if I take a pill on an empty stomach, it makes me super queasy. So I stopped trying IF rather than stopping the metformin. Worked better for me. Metformin is for pcos. But I also didn't try very hard to find a way to do IF since my toddler gets concerned if I don't eat meals when she does.

Which bourbons do you prefer for your main go to?