Oof, I was not going to share my thoughts on this but: my first thought when I saw the smiling footage was that it had to be a cute psychopath, I don’t think most people could smile while they planned to kill anyone, and I was glad that if he was a weapon at least he was aimed correctly. I wouldn’t say my impression has changed.

My gay coworker said, and I quote “ooh, hello handsome!”

Nobody I’ve talked to has been able to dredge up any sympathy for the victim, like literally nobody of any class or inclination. All feel he killed for profit, live by the sword, die by the sword. That is separate from any feelings about the killer or vigilante justice in general.

I agree with this. We have rented houses when we didn’t want to buy a house. Even though technically we probably could have bought one, it’s a pain in the ass to purchase and expensive to maintain and even now I’m not quite convinced it’s worth it. Housing is important but not everyone wants to be a property owner.

It’s more like the whole system is fucked, housing is too expensive and part of that is because of rental profit but it’s not the whole problem. We paid less per year to rent than we do to own, for similar properties. Even though the landlords made money.

First:

No, you don’t need a purpose, and your lifestyle sounds ok, if you were enjoying it (I think plenty of people would) but a couple of things stick out to me. One, you are avoiding romantic attachment - if any women are attracted to you, you are not unattractive or too awkward or whatever - you are really not attracted to any women who find you attractive? Or your brain rejects them because you subconsciously think you cannot possibly be attractive so there has to be something wrong with them?

Two, you do honestly sound depressed. It doesn’t have to mean so catatonic you can’t make it to work, it can mean going through the motions of life without feeling anything.

This is what I’d want to do (the bar not the commune) if I won the lottery.

So yes I agree with the top post here, it’s lack of access to capital that limits this. Farm cooperatives happen because people own farms. It’s very difficult to grow these from the bottom. You would have to buy your share, with money or work.

We need more co-op businesses and also more entrepreneurship from the bottom and small business grants can help with that. You can’t only yank wealth from the top, they got it from us, we can make more and keep it in our communities.

Oh, the tearjerkers:

Emmylou Harris - Boulder to Birmingham and Red Dirt Girl

Lucinda Williams - Sweet Old World

So good, so sad, so cathartic.

So far, yes. I think being able to be physically embodied is so remarkable. And on top of that, to be able to hear and see (sort of) and think and feel? It’s not gonna last forever, so I want to feel it while I can. Absolutely yes.

I found it in the reddit kerfuffle and stayed because it reminded me of a combination of Usenet text forums and early Reddit. The pace here is manageable and it’s mostly nice.

So I am here for whatever I was on Usenet then Reddit for, just to have a space to read people’s opinions and maintain a niche community.

Transition your work so it doesn’t make others have to figure out what you did or didn’t.

Leave your laptop at work or completely turned off, put on automatic replies, do not work, like really do not work.

If you are trying to accomplish something at home, schedule it and do it at a relaxed pace.

Like others here, childhood. I am not at all nostalgic for childhood. It wasn’t awful but being an adult is much better.

Music I am not nostalgic about - is this a gender difference? Both my ex and my husband listen to the music of their youth, I like plenty of old stuff but also like so much newer music, it just keeps coming, so much good music. It’s just delightful to know there is so much talent and creativity in the world.

Not nostalgic in general, actually. There are plenty of current problems, but people who think the past was better are either old white men, or crazy.

I am not one of these overstressed working women now because:

My kids are older (youngest is still in high school, one in college, the rest adult now)

My husband does as much around the house as I do, including what is referred to as the “mental load”, he was a single dad before we got together.

That’s it. When my kids were younger and their dad didn’t do as much, yeah I was stressed. It’s stressful.

My job is demanding but somewhat flexible too, that does help, but mostly its because no little kids and a husband who doesn’t think all the kid and house stuff is my job.

I do drive, but also walk a lot and yes, I hit the hood of the car if crossing the street and someone starts to turn without looking the way they are going. Smack the hood, they stop, I cross. Can’t even count the number of times I’ve done that.

As far as dealing with the anger, I would say your response was appropriate and it’s much better you didn’t smash her mirror.

A person again, female again, in a developed country again. I would do this again. Please.

If I can have anything, I want to explode into a bunch of butterflies.

If only real options are available, I am hoping composting is legal by then. Just be turned back into dirt and plants.

They are two:

Kimchi grilled cheese, like the video “late night kimchi grilled cheese”. Strain some kimchi, save the liquid. Chop the solid and fry it in butter. Assemble the sandwich with the kimchi between cheese, cheese between bread. Mayonnaise the outside of the sandwich. More butter in pan, and add the liquid from the kimchi. Fry the sandwich in this kimchi butter. So it’s got kimchi fried in butter on the inside, and is itself fried in kimchi butter.

Close second place roast beef and sharp cheddar with sliced sweet onion, on good rye sourdough, with horseradish and mayonnaise. Yum yum yum.

You just do you. I think when people say “bad” they generally mean preachy. That is not most vegans. Just live your life, eat what you want, bring good food to potlucks so that you know you’ll have something.

I will add that mentioning it is not preachy, if you get an overreaction it’s not you. I am omnivorous and would want someone to tell me before a party or outing so that I don’t accidentally invite them to a steakhouse or BBQ joint. I often make vegan food for potlucks just because it’s sort of a baseline, most everyone can eat it.

You know what? Beer breath is horrible, but whiskey kisses quite nice. Whiskey does smell so good.

I have a friend who was my boss. He was, by all accounts, a mess of a micromanaging, push you until you drop kind of boss. He did personally more than any of us too, first in, last out, worked from home too. I personally just told him no, and did what I could reasonably accomplish, and didn’t worry about his pushing. Always got good reviews, never got promoted but he did get me a big raise one year.

People still talk about him at work, but I still talk to him. He is an interesting person and a good friend just not a good boss - any boss should know most employees don’t push back even if you tell them “tell me if it’s too much”

OTOH, the witch of an HR lady, and the A/P manager who chewed his way through 3 entire staffs, they can burn in whatever hells they landed in.

You know who likes CK Obsession? Cats. Big and small.

Oh boy, does this depend. I strongly suggest you wear what you like, and not worry about compliments.

Personally, Kouros and not too much of it is one I both notice and like but I do think it’s polarizing. I dislike aquatic musks and overly clean smells, laundry musks.

But again - it’s so individual you are better off pleasing yourself, if you smell good to you, you will be happier and that is attractive.

The Babbel app Latin American Spanish course gets pretty close. There isn’t some standard US Spanish but when I switched it from European Spanish to the Latin American one it got much more familiar. I am sure that would help and it is conversational language learning.