Oh, interesting idea - thanks! Would I still have TSA-Pre status while awaiting the deferred GE interview? (Not sure when our next international trip will happen.)
I am fairly certain the answer to that is no. Until you’ve completed the interview and gone through their screening process (so they know you don’t have terrorist ties, haven’t committed felonies in some other state/country, haven’t plotted to overthrow the government, etc.) they can’t grant you any privileges.
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Not if you don’t have TSA-Pre already, as far as I can understand the rules. H had TSA-Pre when he applied for GE, yet his conditional approval took more than 3 months. Luckily for him he was approved just before the start of his international trip. D had to wait about 5 months for her conditional approval.
And if you pay to get the TSA-Pre first, you’re out that money. Both are 2 separate processes and payments unfortunately 
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I applied for Global Entry recently. Didn’t have TSA Pre either before and figured getting GE would be a better option. Used one of H’s new cards that offers reimbursement - just charged it to the card and they automatically gave us a refund.
Filling out the form was not too bad. But getting an appointment was next to impossible. I saw one appt open in Austin TX - thought I’d make a trip out there until I realized the appt was for that same day! Kept looking - one day, suddenly, several appointments opened up at Boston’s Logan airport (our local airport). I was flying out for a weekend and so tried that Friday- was able to snag an early morning appointment. Appt was a breeze - got the KTN a few hours after. And yes, no TSA PRE until you get that number.
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Conditional approval for GE can take a LONG time. I got mine about 4 days after application. DH applied at the same time, but his took about 5-6 months. by then, there were NO interview locations within a day’s drive. But we looked every day, and sometimes several times a day and one finally opened up about 5 hours away. Felt like when we were searching for our original Covid vaccinations 
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If we stop changing the clocks twice a year, which time do you prefer to win out? And why? I am not a morning person so I’d rather have longer afternoon time i.e. daylight savings.
Can’t we just meet in the middle and move it 30 minutes and call it a day? (Y’all get what I did there? 
)
There’s downsides to both but on the end, winter is just… Dark 
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As someone who lives in New England, daylight savings time definitely. Sunset at 5:30 tonight was bad enough. Sunset tomorrow is at 4:30.
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Daylight Savings time 100%. I don’t care how dark it is in the morning when I’m going to work. I like more daylight in the evening when I’m finished with work. It gets so dreary over winter on Standard Time.
Seattle is with you.
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Random question: How often do you get your daily worn jewelry - specifically something like a wedding ring checked/cleaned??
I took my wedding ring (engagement/wedding) in on Friday for repair. I lost one tiny diamond and suspected that it needed prong work and I was right. It’s been quite some time since I brought it in for repair - maybe 3 years or more??? I have cleaned it at home but admit I don’t do regular stops to the jeweler because it’s a hassle!
When I dropped it off to our local jeweler she said “after we get this back in shape I KNOW you’ll turn into one of our “4 seasons” customers” - meaning stop in 4 times a year to get it cleaned and checked.
Clearly I’m not this person. :). How often do you attend to your daily rings and things???
My necklace, tiny stud earrings, and the “replacement” pave wedding band given to me as a 30th anniversary gift by my Mr. are on me 24/7. I periodically take them off and give them a nice wash with a soapy toothbrush. One in a while I sneak them into the labs and sonicate them in a beaker of rubbing alcohol. Never had to visit a jeweler for professional cleaning (which they do by sonication).
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I very very rarely clean my jewelry. I have some liquid cleaner in a jar that I use maybe a few times/year or less. I have a friend who is a jeweler who has helped me re-round my ring and check the prongs when I had young kids and pushed them in the stroller, flattening the ring and making it an oval. He also checked the prongs once in awhile.
That’s about it. The 4 season folks are doing overkill imho. Maybe check once/year or so would be my max. Will ask the jeweler when we lunch with him Tuesday. Haven’t lost any stones.
I clean my own jewelry and have never taken a piece into a jeweler. If something broke or fell out, I’d get it taken care of, but I guess I’ve been lucky that none of my jewelry has needed repair.
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Gosh so interesting. Over 40 years I’ve definitely had to have some prong work done on a few occasions. I’ve had the same ring. No interest in changing the setting.
I also had to have the back of the ring build up and re-sodered - they was the last time I had it in - it had worn to almost nothing on the back
Over the years, I sometimes cleaned my engagement/wedding rings at home (until the solution in the jar with dunking basket finally was all evaporated). Sometimes at jewelry stores.
Then for 25th anniversary, my husband and I agreed to make ring overhauls our joint gift. My prongs had started to catch on things, and his wedding band needed to be enlarged (partly from weight gain, partly from meds that made his hands swell). On the actual day, we did an anniversary lunch at lovely restaurant patio near work. He had picked up our rings. And some lovely pearl earrings for me. Jewelry stores are dumb - they know tis win/win to make ring service easy and affordable.
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Yep, prongs catching on things is a sign they need attention!
Nice that you also got a lunch and earrings out of the deal!
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I have them look at mine maybe once a year. But since covid, I’ve hardly worn mine.
Any recommendations for a travel water bottle with a filter? Looking at the lifestream ones - interested in hearing if anyone has used them successfully while traveling abroad.
Over lunch yesterday, my good friend who is a certified gemologist and jeweler of many years looked over my ring which he sold me over 30 years ago. He says it’s perfectly fine as is and there’s absolutely no reason to have it inspected or cleaned quarterly other to enrich the jeweler. He says you can and should examine and inspect it yourself and take it in if you feel the stone is at all loose or anything has changed in prongs or ring but otherwise no need for over-vigilance.
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