“You don’t want to start and realize it isn’t for you, and then end up stuck with tens of thousands of dollars in debt for a degree you can’t benefit from.”

I’d add: get out of the French Quarter a little, at the very least to the Marigny area or the Garden District. But if you have more time, check out Uptown and the area around Audubon Park and Tulane University. It’s a great place for a walk. (Also, if you travel with dogs, uptown is a nice, quiet area to leave them…

We stayed near Tulane once and it was cool to be near the Audubon Park. Nice little area.

My tips are all based on being a tourist who has been to the area several times for work and pleasure. I’m an Old, so I can’t tell you where to get blackout drunk, but...

My wife thinks it’s hilarious, so I guess we’ll get divorced and... marry each other?

Yes it does. She stays with us two weeks with no problem. Oh, and as soon as she’s had a few glasses of wine, all bets are off. She’s full of shit, as are the majority of people who have gluten “allergies.”

What’s your opinion on people who let their mother-in-law with her made up “gluten allergy” continue to believe what you cook for her is gluten free when it isn’t. Asking for a friend.

Yeah, I got the card when my book expired, but my wife has the same issue. She wants the card, but doesn’t want to send in her book, which is good for many more years. We’re traveling in March and May, so maybe in June or something she’ll get around to it.

True. Before I was in reasonable financial shape, all I could throw at various problems was time. And when I didn’t have time, I just had to live with the problem.

I pay for a yard service. Two dudes roll up every other week and cut the grass, edge everything, weed wack everything else, trim bushes, clean up debris and leaves, and they’re gone before I even notice that they’re there. They do twice the job I can in about 1/5th the time. Never going back.

Nailed it.

My dad wasn’t exactly rich, but one of his favorite ideas was “Spend time or spend money.” As an adult with a decent job, I appreciate that sentiment more and more. Sometimes shit just needs to get done NOW, or in a fraction of the time it would take me to do it, and it’s worth writing a check.

Mine was bizarrely fast, too. I think I got the card in a little over a week, the book came a few days later, and my returned old book came a few days after that.

Can take 3-6 weeks. I’d do it in late July or August if you can be parted from it, just to give yourself extra time. Plus, every time our Congress-critters pull a political stunt like a government shutdown, it adds time to the process.

For sure. It would be sweet to have a little smart card with all your visas and info as a true passport. But I’m not sure the current card can even be used for air travel, even to Canada. I read it was land and water only, which sucks.

I got the card when I renewed this time. I hate carrying my passport book as ID every day when living overseas. Also, my state government is shit and they won’t give us a driver’s license that conforms to the real ID guidelines.

Got any plans next Wednesday?

Added sugar. Sweet sweet sugar.

“...how snakes of men charm women into abusive relationships, and get them to stay in them long after it’s obvious.”

AND ‘92. I remember. I voted for him instead of for Clinton in the California primary. I saw him speak on the stump twice. He only accepted donations from individuals, max of $100 and ran a great, if failed, insurgent campaign in the days before social media. He gave a great speech at the convention (“My name is…