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Post by tallgirl on Apr 20, 2024 2:38:59 GMT
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Post by tallgirl on Apr 19, 2024 20:19:41 GMT
Came back to share a snap from our listening party… ETA: ugh. I think I give up.
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Post by tallgirl on Apr 19, 2024 18:53:15 GMT
We stayed up for it last night and had a listening party.
We have the cd pre ordered but won’t likely be here for a few days. I was up until 2 am re-listening to a few songs and heard about the second half of the album drop, but haven’t listened to most of it yet. I’m still at work and am dragging pretty hard right now!
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Post by tallgirl on Apr 16, 2024 14:58:52 GMT
It'll be interesting to see what people wear to Taylor Swift in November - a big change from the US tour with the outdoor summer shows. I'm recreating one of her past concert looks with a knee length sequin dress as the base. And I'm your same age, down to the birth month.
For Noah Kahan this week, I'm wearing jeans and a flannel.
Mostly for concerts I would just wear jeans, docs or sneakers, and a dressier 'going-out' top.
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Post by tallgirl on Apr 14, 2024 23:52:39 GMT
Olivia Rodrigo was last week, Noah Kahan is this week, then nothing currently planned until the Eras Tour in November.
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Post by tallgirl on Mar 25, 2024 1:26:15 GMT
I would probably stay in the downtown core, somewhere between Front Street to the South and Queen Street to the North. Yonge St is the East-West 'center' of the city, though I feel like there are more hotels West of Yonge than East of Yonge. You'll find the standard Hiltons, Sheratons, etc. in this area. The Royal York on Front Street is a glamorous old city landmark (though the guest rooms themselves can be dated) and directly across the street from Union Station, which makes accessing public transit easy when you need it.
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Post by tallgirl on Jan 25, 2024 21:42:00 GMT
I'll join your club. The thought of being in a tiny room on a ship, seasick, with cruise food is just a nightmare for me and the main reason why we don't cruise. The only thing appealing about it is that someone else does the planning and "driving". There are a few exceptions--we've looked into the Antarctic and Arctic Circle cruises as well as an Alaskan cruise because it's really the only way to see those parts of the world conveniently. But they would need to be spaced years apart! The tiny cabin would be a bit too much togetherness for me. While I sleep really well on cruises from the gentle rocking, the thought of having to wear the patch behind my ear and having cotton mouth all the time would be a hard hell no. I got terrible Mal de Debarquement both times I have cruised. I can only imagine what it would be like after 9 months!
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Post by tallgirl on Jan 25, 2024 21:39:34 GMT
I love that I'm seeing this discussed here. I followed the 9-month cruise story when Royal Caribbean first announced it. We aren't really cruisers, but we went on an extended family cruise on the ship that is now doing the 9-month cruise around the same time that it was announced. It piqued my interest and at the time, I thought it might be a good trip for retirees or remote workers - a way to get a taste of everything and then you'd know where to come back and spend your time.
Now I'm following the Tiktok and message board drama to see how it all plays out. (A guy I used to work with is posting.) I'm still fascinated by the concept, but in reality, I know now I could never do it. The long sea days would drive me crazy. The missed ports would drive me crazy. My current retirement plan is to spend several months of the year in long-term rentals - a month in an apartment in Buenos Ares, a month in Bangkok, etc. - I'd feel like I was wasting time on the cruise. And the ship's excursions look a little bit dull and a whole lot pricey. ($5000pp for a 2-night trip to Machu Picchu? We did 2 full weeks in Peru for a fraction of that.)
I think most of the drama between the 9-month cruisers and the segment cruisers is funny, to be honest, but I'll be curious to see how they deal with the Suez Canal challenge. It's currently closed to commercial traffic and the ship is supposed to transit it. If they have to detour around Africa, that will have massive implications for the rest of the itinerary.
I do think this will be 1 and done - the ship is nowhere near capacity and RC is probably losing money on it. So it's kind of an interesting social experiment but will probably not have a lasting legacy.
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Post by tallgirl on Jan 18, 2024 1:06:28 GMT
We just spent a week in Akumal (between Cancún and Tulum) after Christmas. Tulum is absolutely an influencer haven and EDM party scene. Prices are on par with NYC and Miami Beach, the infrastructure has not kept up with the crowds, there’s construction everywhere, police are pulling over and extorting tourists willy -nilly and there were 3 overdoses the week we were there. Akumal is a lovely little sleepy town with a beautiful beach, tons of sea turtles in the bay, and within good road trip distance of the major sites (20 minutes to Tulum, 2.5 hours to Chichén Itzá, tons of cenotes nearby). We’re not into all-inclusives but if we were, Secrets Akumal would be my pick - not sure of budget there. Lots of other resorts on the same stretch of coast. There’s also great snorkeling at the Yal Ku lagoon in Akumal.
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Post by tallgirl on Jan 10, 2024 22:54:00 GMT
@tallgirl I just watched your Japan series... You are SO good at explaining everything. I am so impressed how you can pronounce all the places you go to!! Your details are perfect to understand.. I would never remember all those details! Do you do your own planning? You make it seem so effortless!! Thank you! Yes, we do our own planning. We really enjoy it so we spend a lot of time on it and it does (generally) make things run smoothly!
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Post by tallgirl on Jan 10, 2024 14:14:25 GMT
Ahh, thank you Peas for thinking of me! I do indeed have a Youtube channel and coincidentally, posted a new video yesterday (I only post a handful of times each year). This is Part 2 of the Japan trip we took back in August - focusing primarily on Tokyo Disney, Hakone and Tokyo.
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Post by tallgirl on Nov 19, 2023 5:29:48 GMT
the gimbal I use with my camera is a Zhiyun Crane. They make a full line of phone gimbals called the Zhiyun Smooth. Looks like they have Black Friday pricing on now, too. They look really good @c3peo. I think they're a bit out of my price range though - the phone gimbals are $500-$600 Aussie dollars even with the discount. Zee I used mine on my overseas trip, so I could get smooth videos while we were walking (my inspiration: tallgirl ) I also used it as a selfie stick and a tripod with the remote control, but that was not the main reason I bought one. Oh wow. I’m in Canada so the exchange rate is a bummer for me too - but mine was under $300 when I bought it a few years ago, and I thought phone gimbals would be even cheaper. That does sound like a lot!
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Post by tallgirl on Nov 19, 2023 2:06:07 GMT
I've never used one for my phone, so I don't have firsthand experience to share. But the gimbal I use with my camera is a Zhiyun Crane. They make a full line of phone gimbals called the Zhiyun Smooth. Looks like they have Black Friday pricing on now, too.
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Post by tallgirl on Oct 17, 2023 16:40:04 GMT
I’ve seen lots of ticket resale threads, too, but they seem to be face value cost recovery ventures, not scalping. Now the TS popcorn buckets listed on eBay, on the other hand…
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Post by tallgirl on Oct 15, 2023 19:55:22 GMT
We went to Cinci N2 this summer and were at the movie on Friday night. Our theatre was a good level of controlled chaos... lots of singing, and a few people standing up dancing, but nobody blocked my view and nobody was overly obnoxious. Probably half the crowd was dressed up. The camera work in the movie was phenomenal and even though we had great seats at the live show, the film gave us insight into so many details we hadn't noticed before (I would never have believed this possible since we watched livestreams from the concerts all summer long!) I'm not sure that I will go to the theatre to see it again, but I'll rewatch it if it comes to streaming, and we are hoping to see the live show again when it comes to Toronto in November 2024. DD has been a hardcore Swiftie for many years so this is definitely a "what a time to be alive!" moment for her.
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Post by tallgirl on Aug 27, 2023 4:36:00 GMT
AussieMeg private school is a big investment in your kids, and I’m sure they appreciate that, too! Everything is a trade-off; we never considered private school for our kids, but maybe they would have been better off if we had. We’ll never know, just like the myriad of other life choices we’ll never see play out because we all only get one path to follow. Don’t second guess yourself! I’m sure you’re exactly where you’re meant to be.
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Post by tallgirl on Aug 27, 2023 4:31:06 GMT
Oof. I feel for y’all - seems like gallbladder problems are both common and miserable.
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Post by tallgirl on Aug 26, 2023 21:14:34 GMT
That! Which then led to really bad pancreatitis so if he suggested you get it out, I’d get a consult ASAP. I would not wait until December. I ended up in the hospital for 11 days with bad pancreatitis caused by gall stones, and then I had to wait even longer to get my gallbladder out. I’m in Canada. Health care is free… but you do have to wait for it!
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Post by tallgirl on Aug 26, 2023 18:00:30 GMT
Thanks everyone. I’m glad to know there’s a wide range of what symptoms can feel like. I’m going to go ahead with the consult with the surgeon and get on the list to take it out. Fingers crossed that I don’t suffer a major attack before then!
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Post by tallgirl on Aug 26, 2023 16:46:44 GMT
I’m 48 and my doctor thinks my gallbladder needs to come out. I’m getting a weird feeling in my upper right abdomen from time to time. The only thing I can compare it to is when I was pregnant and the baby would stick a foot up under my ribs. It feels like my organs are squished in that area. It’s not painful, just uncomfortable, and it usually only lasts half an hour or so and then it’s gone.
I’ve heard people who have had gallbladder problems talk about it being incredibly painful, and that hasn’t been my experience. I also haven’t been able to tie it to any particular food triggers (like greasy stuff) that are the typical culprits. I went for an ultrasound that found ‘sludge’ but no stones in my gallbladder. They’re sending me for a repeat ultrasound to get more information.
Just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience with their gallbladder. Am I just in the early stages, and it will progress to that super painful point sooner or later? I have a surgery consult in December.
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Post by tallgirl on Aug 26, 2023 16:36:41 GMT
tallgirl I forgot to come back to this thread after watching the videos. They are all amazing, as always. I noticed a few new techniques that you're using, and now I want to try them on mine. I love your narration. And speaking of narration, I ended up buying a microphone from Amazon. It arrived yesterday, and it took me a while to get it working - it wasn't co-operating with my MacBook. So now my plans for the weekend include re-recording all of the narration on my hour long Thailand video! 🤪 I am looking forward to seeing your Japan video when it's done. Oh, and can I just say..... how gorgeous are your kids?! And Mallory's hair is to die for! 🤩 Thank you! Hope you’re having fun with it and making good progress with the microphone… and that you’ll post here when you’re done! (I showed Mallory your comment about her hair and she’s flattered. She really did luck out!) @tallgirl can I ask ya a question.. do you all work in the travel industry or just blessed to be able to take such wonderful trips?? Cause I would like to be your kid.. even if I am older than you hahaha I would love to work in the travel industry, but I don’t. Travel is just our big splurge in life. We live in a modest house, drive older cars, don’t eat out very much, etc. so we can prioritize a couple of big trips every year. These last few years we have done more than our usual amount of travelling due to the time we lost (and money we saved) during the Covid shutdowns and our oldest going off to school this fall. Our plan was to travel now with our kids, even if that means working longer or travelling less on our own once we retire. They know how lucky they are!
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Post by tallgirl on Aug 18, 2023 19:25:58 GMT
Ugh, I've only watched the first three minutes of Egypt, and already I want to change the whole introduction on mine! Oh dear. Don't let comparison be the thief of joy. I get it, though. Sometimes I see other travel videos on Youtube and (especially when it's a place we've already been) I think - now why didn't *I* think to film that? Lol.
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Post by tallgirl on Aug 18, 2023 1:17:29 GMT
So AussieMeg and I have been chatting about making travel videos, as we are both in the midst of documenting our travels. I've shared several videos here in the past, and I guess I've fallen behind because I have 3 completed videos I've never shared, plus one more currently in the works! We've been fortunate to have a busy travel year, making up for the travel time we lost during Covid. Here are 3 of the last 4 trips we've taken over the span of the past ~13 months. With our oldest off to university next month, we were really happy to squeeze in some big family adventures before scheduling becomes more difficult for us. Without further ado - here are our takes on visiting Egypt, Italy, and Brazil. I hope you enjoy.
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Post by tallgirl on Aug 18, 2023 0:58:30 GMT
AussieMeg it will likely be a couple of months before it's ready to share! But maybe I'll start a new thread to share a few other videos I've made and haven't posted.
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Post by tallgirl on Aug 17, 2023 14:45:02 GMT
We've just come home from 2 weeks in Japan (we went from July 29-August 13). Yes it was hot, but only a few degrees hotter than it would have been at home during the same time, and despite the fact that we traveled during the rainy season - we only had one day that had 2 passing, 20-minute showers during our entire trip. Clear skies the rest of the time. We had a great time - spent one week based in Tokyo and the other based in Kyoto, with day trips out to see Hiroshima, Nara, Osaka and Hakone. We also spent 2 days at Tokyo Disney. Definitely recommend getting the Japan Rail pass if you plan to travel around - even though the price is increasing, its flexibility makes it a smart purchase. (As an example - we missed one of our trains and because we were passholders, we were able to hop on the next one that came 25 minutes later.) If you'll be traveling by train, you should know that Japan has a really efficient baggage forwarding service. Leave your bags at your hotel and for ~$20 per piece, you can have them forwarded to your next hotel by 3 p.m. the following day. This makes it much easier to navigate the train stations, especially if you are planning to do sightseeing at a stopover along your route. We came well under our food budget on our trip - we did wind up picking up a lot of food at the convenience stores, in addition to some dedicated meals at restaurants we had researched ahead of time (the world's largest conveyor belt sushi restaurant was a big hit with our teens!) This was also our solution when our picky eater was unable to find something on a menu that she wanted to eat since, as someone mentioned upthread, restaurants tend to cater to a specific type of dish. Happy to answer any specific questions you might have - you are going to love it!
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Post by tallgirl on Jul 25, 2023 14:28:00 GMT
We live an hour from Detroit. I heard rumours about the blue crewneck being readily available there, so I made the trip across the border to get DD a crewneck, even though we were going to a show in Cincinnati several weeks later. I'm glad I did - the crews were impossible to find once we got to Cincinnati. There was something about Detroit where they were just magically in stock. I waited in line about 45 minutes and DD was thrilled.
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Post by tallgirl on Jul 17, 2023 23:34:59 GMT
Stuff is just stuff. I’d rather have experiences. We had amazing floor tickets for this tour and could have made a fortune but we went. And honestly, other than my wedding and births of my children, it was one of the best nights of my life. As long as I wasn’t struggling to put food on the table or a roof over our heads, I’d keep the tickets.
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Post by tallgirl on Jul 16, 2023 15:48:59 GMT
I have a couple of moles that have changed and saw my doctor last week for a different issue. I asked her to take a look at the moles at the same time and she said they are nothing to worry about despite the changes. So it’s not always bad news. Good luck.
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Post by tallgirl on May 29, 2023 16:53:16 GMT
I originally loved Harry, and Meghan, but I’ve definitely soured on them over the last few years. I am listening to this audiobook right now too and I will say I am enjoying it. I’m at the part where he and Meghan are dating and it’s just broken in the press.
I am taking it with a grain of salt and don’t believe everything he’s written, but it’s interesting. Also gives some good insight into how the family relationship has evolved as it has.
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Post by tallgirl on May 7, 2023 2:53:09 GMT
The thing I miss most when only using my phone is the zoom. Thanks to this thread, I'm going to invest in the Moment 58mm lens when it comes back in stock. I think that might give me what I'm missing. I'll have the opportunity to test it out (1) at a Taylor Swift show in July and then (2) on a trip to Japan later in the summer.
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