I don’t know what it’s like post covid, but there’s the Boston Gender Free Contra Dance. In the past it’s mostly been 30 and up but occasionally 20 somethings.

They’re somewhat strict about precautions because the dancing is energetic, and hence rapid breathing plus there are a few regular seniors who need to play it safe.

You’d be fine with that income in this area, and I assume that any offer would be noticeably more than that. So I’d suggest asking again, but giving the type of career and how many years experience in the career. You should be putting more emphasis on what’s a fair salary than on how much you need to get by.

Do be aware that much of the housing stock is older, and hence smaller than what you might be used to. Pay attention to what parking is like, since you can’t assume there will be dedicated parking for two cars. Also, dogs can be an issue for renting.

Since you asked about lunch, I’ll throw in that I get takeout from a small vegetarian fast-casual chain called Clover, and their sandwiches and platters start around $11-13. But they change their menu regularly to match locally available produce, and it’s generally healthier food than you’d get at most sandwich shops. I don’t honestly know what prices are like at McDs or Subway these days.

To be clear, you’re currently making $115K, and your girlfriend in the ballpark of $70K?

Do you know whether the job is inside or outside 128/95? Hanscom is outside but most of the town is inside.

Waltham is an obvious choice. Somerville might work, but I’m not that familiar with the reverse commute it would take. Burlington may or may not be out of your desired price range. Many people do commute to Hanscom from Billerica. I’m not sure about Woburn or Acton, though people hate the Concord Rotary (with good reason) and that’s how most Acton traffic goes. It’s not a horrible commute, just that the rotary is stressful, annoying, and often backed up.

Just so you know, Lexington, Bedford, Concord, and Carlisle are all fine suburbs, but they’re at the expensive end.

Make sure to rehearse.

For your side question, you might get good answers at r/healthinsurance.

I thought all of the marketplace web sites, regardless of state, are central starting points for all insurance except Medicare. “Obamacare” isn’t well defined and doesn’t always mean just people below the poverty line.

Anyway, the mahealthconnector.org site is a good starting point for everyone except for Medicare (remembering that Medicare means seniors or permanently disabled, not low income people).

The estimate button is a good starting point. It just needs a zip code, so take a guess as to your likely location. I don’t think there’s much difference, if any, for the counties including and around Boston. Then you’ll have to drill down to the individual provider web sites.

Maybe get a day off and do the dishwasher panel for this redditor: https://reddit.com/r/massachusetts/comments/z6xh3f/carpentershop_for_dishwasher_panels/.

I was going to say something like that, but then I realized it still wouldn’t bring the cost up to the range given in the Yahoo or Moneygeek articles.

I don’t know what I would have done if I had to buy frozen, because I only found out late last week that we would be hosting Thanksgiving, and defrosting a turkey in the refrigerator is so unpredictable. But yeah, any sort of water bath should speed up defrosting.

Brining bag? I’ve been looking at a handful of turkey videos, and they all say “dry brining”. Maybe it’s because I’ve only looked at spatchcocking videos.

Maybe it’s time to start a new trend and you can save the $3.50?

Something’s bogus in Moneygeek’s analysis. I bought a kosher turkey from Trader Joe’s and even it was closer to $3/pound. It certainly wasn’t over $4 like they predict for Boston.

Edit: in case anyone cares, here’s the Moneygeek article that I think Yahoo was using.

One of the great things about Massachusetts is that nearly every town has a Unitarian and/or Congregational church, often at or near the town common, with a rainbow flag or sticker and other indications of being welcoming.

But that didn’t tell you about the schools. I don’t know whether it’s possible to get a record of which high schools had groups marching in the pride parade (back before the parade organization fell apart). Maybe BAGLY or PFLAG can help you find the most supportive schools.

I remember one delay because a truck was Storrowed on one of the railroad bridges in Connecticut. They needed to get a quick inspection and to go slowly over the bridge. Other delays are caused by breakdowns by other trains, since it shares with commuter rail both in Boston and I think in Connecticut. And there used to be a change of engines in New Haven.

Whole Foods?

We can’t ban them for obvious first amendment reasons.

We should just tax them. If you spend money helping someone get a job, even an elected position, it should be income to the person you’re helping.

Also, hold them to a high standard of accuracy and make it easier to sue for false claims.

This depends on specialty. I’ve had no trouble booking an allergist or ENT within a couple of weeks. When I broke my finger, the urgent care sent X-rays to BI and I had an appointment the best day. When I had an afib attack I was booked the next business day at the BI Cardiac Direct Access unit. (It’s basically urgent care for cardiologists but needed a referral from my PCP, which we did by phone).

But a sleep specialist took several months.

Make sure you know the difference between an edible chestnut and a horse chestnut. The edible American chestnut was wiped out by chestnut blight. The latter are mildly poisonous but also very commonly found as ornamental trees.

I remember seeing a handful of chestnut saplings bred to be blight resistant that weren’t bearing nuts yet. I doubt you’ll find a farm or any other place to pick them.

Imported edible chestnuts show up in stores in November. Packaged shelled chestnuts are usually from China. Fresh raw chestnuts are from Europe, I think.