Impus Minor pointed out one of the unspoken benefits of living in a stupid-rich area: "One man's trash is another man's treasure" takes on a whole new level of stupid.
Three or four weeks ago he found a fully-functional 42" nearly-new Samsung TV set that the owners discarded because the batteries in the remote had leaked and ruined the remote. "Honey, the remote won't work any more!" "Oh, I guess we'll need to buy a new TV, then."
Around that time he declared that he needed a work table and co-opted one of our TV tables.
Yesterday GothBard and I were walking and found a fully-intact drafting table on the curb for disposal. And not a crappy one: Powdered steel base, laminated top; probably a $300-$400 table. Thrown out because the plastic cupholders on the side were bent a bit.
So Impus Minor is furnishing his entire room using other people's throwaways of top-tier items with trivial flaws.
He is pleased.
Envy, I remember the days of furnishing my apartment with discarded actual-trash furniture ("if we turn the cushions upside-down they're intact enough and we can ignore the wear/cuts") and emptied cable spools for tables.
With Pride Month coming to a close, did anyone do anything to celebrate? I was going to head out to Seattle Pride on Sunday, but I may not be able to go.
I worked.
And I hope I made a difference somewhere.
You have made a difference in my life. It may not seem like a lot, but I look forward to your commentary whenever I come online.
I wasn't able to go unfortunately. My friend had to put her cat down and needed some support.
Thank you for being there. I guarantee it's made an enormous difference for them.
So, posting here because I'm hoping some FaWtL folk will be able to shed some light for this old cis White male.
** spoiler omitted **
Spoiler:
Some trans people are comfortable enough with their physical appearance, their presentation, and their mode of expression that they don't feel the need to modify it, but their identity is still not that of the gender they were assigned at birth.
It sounds like he's comfortable as a femboy, and continues to embrace a lot of more feminine aspects of presentation. Either that, or he doesn't feel comfortable yet living completely outwardly as a more masculine presentation, either because of family pressure or concern over the current state of society. But he knows he's a he, and that's all that really matters at the moment.
She/They Entropic Axiomite Doodler 1/Author 5/Talespinner 7/Ad-Lib Artist 2/Worldbuilder 5
Squakowk, if you could send me your character sheet again, or put a link to it in your character profile please! I seem to have lost track of it after moving to a new computer. Apologies!
Yeah I'm absolutely going to have to find or make some catproof area in our apartment after the Big Move to store all my trinkets when/if we get a cat. I was lucky that my cats back in my old apartment were good about never knocking that stuff around.
Found a place that does piercings that's open on Sundays, apparently the commonplace schedule is Tues-Sat but this place is Thurs-Mon. Reasonable prices and good people who were fun to chat with while they worked.
Piercings done and new studs in. Considering going back with Scint sometime soonish to get another, as a wedding pair in place of rings.
Our house is now officially on the market - sign in the yard and everything.
Our first showing is this afternoon.
Apparently it's considered super uncomfortable for the owners/residents to be present during a showing, so we've been asked to vacate when people come around. So we'll be going to do stuff this evening, probably go bowling and grab dinner somewhere, along with me seeing if I can find a place to get my ears pierced at a reasonable price.
It's almost like a Certain Someone is targeting vulnerable groups, among which you often find people working in shipping, trucking, and other similar jobs. -_-
Walgreens appears to be having supply issues. Keep calling me to say the estradiol is delayed due to being out of stock "but we should have some more in a few days". Then two or three days later, another call with the same message. Yurgh.
Over the decades of my life, I have been assailed with literally dozens of different meatball recipes, from the traditional ("mix ground beef and pork, some oregano, thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, then put in an egg and some oatmeal for firmness") to the truly bizarre (one used cardamom and mint).
To this day, I have yet to find a meatball I prefer over plain (15% fat) ground beef.
This appalls and offends people. Even Shiro had at me, telling me I at least had to add some lamb, I couldn't possibly serve a plain beef meatball. Impus Major's friend demanded, "It's going to be incredibly bland! Don't you want to add some oregano?" to which he responded with the brilliant, "Do you add oregano to your hamburgers, or do you use plain ground beef?"
So, what do people think of plain ground beef meatballs? I'm frankly astonished at how much they offend people. And yet I've never had anything better. What does that say?
I certainly prefer hamburgers and meatballs with added herbs and spices but I'll eat one that's made plain as long as I'm not expected to eat it plain - ie, it'll be in something with sauce or on a burger with other ingredients.
Going to be the norm for Scint and I going forward. Summer is the Rainy Season in Chengdu, primarily June and July.
K look forward to you teaching us all to swear in Chinese.
Since I won't be working I probably won't get a ton of exposure compared to Scint. She on the other hand has repeatedly stated that she'll need to learn all the bad words in Chinese so she'll know when her students are using them.
I love that you're using this as an opportunity to get in touch with family, Orthos! Especially family that doesn't get much opportunity for that, it sounds like.
It's been a really good experience. We've spent two days together now seeing the sites, getting food and travel recommendations, and getting to commiserate over our mutual frustrations with the rest of the family - which I've since learned is pretty much exclusive to my immediate relatives these days. Seems I drew the short end of the stick in life.
We made it to Chicago! Sunday was hell, the plane was delayed two hours due to a missing screw and when we did finally arrive it was almost 11 PM.
We got up early Monday morning, had to go back to the airport as it was the closest place to get bus/tram passes, then take the tram to downtown and wander around to find the consulate... only to find it was closed June 2 for a Chinese holiday. A closure that was not mentioned on their website at any point.
We wandered a bit more, grabbed some food, and headed back to the hotel then crashed for a few hours. Got up, got dinner, headed back and vegged for the evening.
Today went MUCH better. Other than a minor hiccup with the paperwork we were able to get in, get done, and get out of the consulate with instructions to return Friday to pick up our stuff. We then met up with my uncle and his family - fellow black sheep of my extended family who I haven't seen in years or ever in the case of their son/my cousin - and went to the Lincoln Park Zoo, grabbed lunch at a nearby sandwich and burger place, did more zoo, then drove back to the apartment.
Tomorrow is planned to do the museum, aquarium, astronomical society, and some other stuff that's all indoors as we're expecting rain, once again alongside the uncle and family.
We're going to Chicago tomorrow to get our Chinese visas - Scint's for work, mine spousal.
I have an uncle who lives in Chicago with his family. To keep a VERY long story short, he's a fellow black sheep of the family, essentially kicked out back when I was in my teens in the late 90s for getting divorced and remarrying. He lives there now with his (second) wife and their son, who'd be in his late teens or early twenties now, I don't know precisely.
I haven't spoken with him in over twenty years.
I have no idea how he's going to be, whether he's going to be safe to talk to about Stuff, etc. He didn't flinch when we talked on the phone and I mentioned I wasn't on speaking terms with my parents (just said "Well welcome to the Black Sheep side" and laughed at a joke Scint made), so that's definitely a plus.
We'll be seeing him first Tuesday and spending a decent chunk of next week with him and his family. So here's hoping it goes well.
ONLY THREE MORE DAYS until the flight to Chicago. We'll be spending the whole first week of June there. Some of two of the days will be spent at the Chinese embassy getting paperwork done for our visas, but the rest is all to ourselves.
Got in touch with an uncle I haven't seen in twenty years - a mutual black sheep of our family - and we'll be spending at least some of the week with him and his family, seeing the sights and getting toured around.
Yeah, I've already looked into the tax brackets, and if I've done my math right, we're still coming out ahead. My retirement was never going to be secure, even starting on my investing as early as I did. I really hate that my generation was raised with hope only to have it ripped away right as our careers were beginning.
You're talking to an early Gen Xer:
(1) "Social Security? It will be bankrupt well before you retire. And pensions were phased out in the 1970s. You're on your own."
(2) "Medicare? Don't make me laugh!"
(3) "Oh, you think we're doing a terrible job as your leaders? Well, just try to vote us out! Oh, look at that! There are too few of you! You'll *never* have leadership positions!"
And at least #3 has come true in spades. Check for Gen Xers at any level of government and we are grossly underrepresented. An article I saw last week was titled, "GenX: The biggest loser generation" and I was wondering how someone was going to shift the blame onto us, but the entire article was, "Before you complain about your generation, this is all the ways in which GenX was screwed over."
So yep. We're legendarily bitter.
You do not summon The Latchkey Kids unless you have no other choice. We live on the edge of the woods for a reason.
TRUTH. I knew three different ways to break into my mom's house without causing damage if I forgot my key.
Technically a Millennial (born 1985) but definitely a Latchkey Kid growing up. Well, in the sense that we were used to coming home to an empty house a few hours before the parents would be home for work. We lived out in the country and often just didn't bother locking our doors.
Hey there folks, in the process of our preparations for the Big Move, we have a bunch of books we need to get rid of. We're not really interested in making a profit or anything, but if you'd be so kind as to reimburse us for shipping, it'd make things much easier. Reply or PM me if you're interested in anything in particular! First come first serve.
Well that was quick. All books are spoken for! Thanks those who expressed interest - see your PMs for responses!
Hey there folks, in the process of our preparations for the Big Move, we have a bunch of books we need to get rid of. We're not really interested in making a profit or anything, but if you'd be so kind as to reimburse us for shipping, it'd make things much easier. Reply or PM me if you're interested in anything in particular! First come first serve.
Hey there folks, in the process of our preparations for the Big Move, we have a bunch of books we need to get rid of. We're not really interested in making a profit or anything, but if you'd be so kind as to reimburse us for shipping, it'd make things much easier. Reply or PM me if you're interested in anything in particular! First come first serve.
Hey there folks, in the process of our preparations for the Big Move, we have a bunch of books we need to get rid of. We're not really interested in making a profit or anything, but if you'd be so kind as to reimburse us for shipping, it'd make things much easier. Reply or PM me if you're interested in anything in particular! First come first serve.
And it's over. I've turned in my keys, cleaned my classroom, took down everything. It hurt more than I expected.
I am truly terrified of everything I'm going to have to say goodbye to when we leave the country. But at the rate health care costs are rising, we see no alternative other than to emigrate as soon as we retire.
If you could reasonably do so sooner I'd encourage it, but I completely understand the issues of work being a hangup until then.
All other plans for the week have been scrapped or postponed. We are spending time with Sophie this week.
Saturday will be her last day with us, as we're taking her to her new family that evening. The days between now and then will be spent (outside of work) doing all the things she loves, walking to all her favorite places, taking her to her favorite restaurants, and spoiling her rotten the last opportunities we have to do so.
Busy weekend leading into a busy week. Had a Sophie visit with prospective adopters on Friday. Farmer's market visit and NWN quest today. Another NWN quest tomorrow. Errand to get our phone situation sorted out again on Monday. Another adopter visit on Tuesday. Therapy Wednesday. Another NWN quest Thursday. Another adopter visit next Friday. All of this on top of normal weekday work schedule.
The internet may have gotten us into this mess in at least some part, probably a large part, but it also is providing an open view of the absolute idiocy of everything that's going on, as well as giving us all a clearer understanding of the stupidity and malice of many of the people around us that, in person, used to be concealed behind a veneer of civility.
** spoiler omitted **
Spoiler:
If history records that we are saved by the ineptitude of our would-be dictators, I can think of no greater legacy.
I hope they're enjoying watching their little "angel" spend his life in prison.
I would be willing to wager almost everything I own that they're sitting at home ranting about how the justice system was "weaponized" against their innocent child and how he's still not responsible/not to blame.
I've seen waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many people in similar or the exact same situations who demand even to the judge's face that there's no way they or their kid could have been responsible and some ludicrous conspiracy is more "likely" and how it's a failure of justice and the meddling of (insert political, social, racial, LGBT, etc. group they don't like here) who are the REAL criminals here.
Um... I can't name a mother who likes Mother's Day.
Basically every mother in my family except (at least to my knowledge) my sister and SIL.
Rant:
I've lost count of the times I got griped at/yelled at/otherwise complained at by someone because I forgot to call on Mother's Day when I was living on the other side of the country, and how when I did remember to call the conversation was basically me saying "Happy Mother's Day" and then ten minutes of being complained at that I don't call enough, I don't visit enough, I'm not successful enough, am I dating again, am I doing this or that, etc.etc.etc.
It was a little better when I lived with my parents, as at least that could be distilled down to "we take Mom to lunch somewhere after church" and maybe get a card. Since MD is always on Sunday.
The last time I spoke with my mother was when I moved out to live with Scint, and that conversation was basically "you are going to Hell because you're living with her without getting married literally that day. We cannot be part of your life until you make that right." And then I got a text from her MD the next year talking about how much she missed me and I just needed to make things right and we could be family again.
... yeah that got away from me a bit, apologies.
To make this less about me, I'll just say that my family has always been super traditional and it doesn't matter that the tradition is less than a century old, it's tradition and you're expected to adhere. And if they weren't as jazzed for it as they gave the impression they were, they're all really good actors.
Some small-scale NWN stuff, possibly some errand running. Will be a rather quiet weekend all things considered. May take the opportunity for a Goodwill run to get some of this stuff out of my office.
This entire debacle has me wondering if the powers-that-be from the 30s and 40s were also this stupid behind closed doors, and only were able to keep up a facade of respectability because of the lack of on-demand news and a 24-hour political entertainment cycle, the lack of an interconnected network where anyone can vomit their ideas into the public eye at a moment's notice, and the inability for people even of moderate means and located nearly everywhere to communicate practically instantaneously.
Would Adolf have been spewing the same run-on, ALL CAPS, circular arguing, next-best-thing-to-incoherent rants as Trump if he'd also had access to Xitter or Truth Social? Would Mussolini be trolling other world leaders with s~*#ty memes like Bukele? Would Mengele be sharing the results of his "experiments" bragging about "saving the future of humanity" the way Elon Musk posts everything he does at Tesla or SpaceX? It's the kind of thing that's been going around my head a lot lately.
The internet may have gotten us into this mess in at least some part, probably a large part, but it also is providing an open view of the absolute idiocy of everything that's going on, as well as giving us all a clearer understanding of the stupidity and malice of many of the people around us that, in person, used to be concealed behind a veneer of civility.
Take your sword to the grocery store. If you can toss the pineapple into the air and slash it in two, before it hits the ground; the pineapple is ripe.
Ah.
While others were studying produce, you were studying the blade.
Hilarious side note- autocorrect originally changed had this as "While Orthos was studying produce, you were studying the blade."
Now I want a picture of Orthos just looking at a tomato or something, concentrating intently.
So, the honest question: Is FaWtL better with or without me? I feel like I get people upset, then I want to argue with them (yes, Orthos, I nearly killed myself holding in a response to your post, but that is not FaWtL's purpose nor place), and I feel like I detract from the overall vibe of the place.
I absolutely want you to stick around. I'm basically exactly the same myself, to the point where I have to step away from various threads on a regular basis to avoid getting into long drawn-out arguments all the time.
Sure, we disagree about things. That's life. The things we disagree about aren't things like whether people should have rights based on their skin color, sexuality, identity, or nationality. So everything else can be water under the bridge.
Even when I don't agree with you, I tend to find your posts some mixture of amusing, intriguing, and enlightening. I think we as a community here in FAWTL would be less for your absence.
I'll be the first to argue and disagree if I feel like you've put your foot in your mouth, but I wouldn't ever wish you to leave over it.
I'm old enough and cynical enough to laugh at/scorn Tik Tok "life hacks" as only a Gen Xer can. "Really? You call that a 'hack'? Did you parents give you a trophy when you learned to tie your own shoes? Or can you do that yet?"
In seriousness: No, their parents didn't, because their parents probably never taught them that. They're young adults and late teens learning all this stuff on their own from the collective work of their peers and/or from doing research on the internet, and sharing what they discover back into that collective work.
We shouldn't be mocking and jeering them. We should be pointing at them and saying "They're doing what their parents should have done years ago - educating and improving themselves and learning new things - and choosing to share it with others rather than keep it to themselves."
GenX, and some of the older Millennials, are the ones failing to teach them these things in the first place - the TikTok self-educated "hack" trends are happening because someone in those older brackets failed to pass that education along somewhere earlier in their lives, and they had to learn it for themselves somehow.
The number of times my dad has made fun of me for not knowing how to do something he never taught me...
SAME.
I got beaten once because I asked him what cleaning product I could use on a task he'd assigned me. He told me to try elbow grease. I'd never heard that idiom before (I think I was seven or eight), so I pulled every product out of the cupboard one by one trying to find it.
Yep, sounds like a lot of the situations I was in as a kid.
Ask a sincere question the adult thinks is stupid but never actually explained before.
Adult gives a sarcastic or rhetorical answer.
Kid, not knowing better, takes it seriously.
Adult gets angry the kid took it seriously - or, more often, says the kid is "being a brat" or "being a smartass" in families that are okay with cursing - and punishes the kid.
With exemplars like this, is it any wonder I decided early in my life I didn't want kids? Even before understanding I was ace or the entire Everything of modern American society, economy, and culture.
I'm old enough and cynical enough to laugh at/scorn Tik Tok "life hacks" as only a Gen Xer can. "Really? You call that a 'hack'? Did you parents give you a trophy when you learned to tie your own shoes? Or can you do that yet?"
In seriousness: No, their parents didn't, because their parents probably never taught them that. They're young adults and late teens learning all this stuff on their own from the collective work of their peers and/or from doing research on the internet, and sharing what they discover back into that collective work.
We shouldn't be mocking and jeering them. We should be pointing at them and saying "They're doing what their parents should have done years ago - educating and improving themselves and learning new things - and choosing to share it with others rather than keep it to themselves."
GenX, and some of the older Millennials, are the ones failing to teach them these things in the first place - the TikTok self-educated "hack" trends are happening because someone in those older brackets failed to pass that education along somewhere earlier in their lives, and they had to learn it for themselves somehow.
The number of times my dad has made fun of me for not knowing how to do something he never taught me...
So it's been a while since I posted here so I should probably do an update.
Scint and I got married back in February (on Valentine's Day no less, that was a complete accident), she accepted a job offer in March, and we are moving to Chengdu in China in the summer.
So the past several weeks have been one roller coaster after another of the various things we need to do before moving away. Last two weeks were getting a handyman to repair the damaged walls downstairs, including repainting and installing new drywall and all that fun stuff. Next is removing and replacing all the carpets down there.
On top of that we're in talks to sell the house, looking for a new home or foster care surrender for Sophie (she's not a breed allowed in China, and probably wouldn't survive the flight even if she was, due to the way boxers' and pits' respiration is structured and her being large enough she would have to ride in the unpressurized cargo hold), needing to get new phones (Androids don't work as well over there as iPhones apparently and we're both on separate plans so we'll be getting new iPhones on new plans), setting up VPNs (because China), making arrangements to mail/ship what stuff we can't pack and bring on the plane with us, having to schedule and then make the trip to Chicago to get our visas from the Chinese Embassy, and a host of other things I've no doubt forgotten or haven't gotten to yet.
I'm old enough and cynical enough to laugh at/scorn Tik Tok "life hacks" as only a Gen Xer can. "Really? You call that a 'hack'? Did you parents give you a trophy when you learned to tie your own shoes? Or can you do that yet?"
In seriousness: No, their parents didn't, because their parents probably never taught them that. They're young adults and late teens learning all this stuff on their own from the collective work of their peers and/or from doing research on the internet, and sharing what they discover back into that collective work.
We shouldn't be mocking and jeering them. We should be pointing at them and saying "They're doing what their parents should have done years ago - educating and improving themselves and learning new things - and choosing to share it with others rather than keep it to themselves."
GenX, and some of the older Millennials, are the ones failing to teach them these things in the first place - the TikTok self-educated "hack" trends are happening because someone in those older brackets failed to pass that education along somewhere earlier in their lives, and they had to learn it for themselves somehow.
