If it’s light, why would you even need or want a shelf that lifts it?

I vote weird, but I greatly prefer a savory cream cheese mix.

Ours is 5 miles away and I go about once a month. The rotisserie chickens are cheaper than everyone else and the hot dog lunch in the food court is an eternal bargain. We’ve gotten glasses and vaccinations there and had good experiences. The glasses really are cheaper than the optometrist’s office but much better quality than Warby Parker. I like to stock up on stuff I don’t feel like carrying too often. I get their store brand buckets of detergent (because it works really well without a strong smell and I end up using the buckets), the Kirkland toilet paper, and Kleenex. I buy big bags of flour, sugar, yeast, and rice there. I get the 16 pack of avocado mash for my toast. I use their olive oil, spices, and vanilla. I like their parchment paper. We also like to splurge on prepared foods to make life easier. We’ve tried almost all of them. I think there was one sandwich platter we didn’t like, but we’ve liked most other things.

I’d be concerned that something is up with the bank. Nobody makes these calls for fun and he’s being pushed to do so. There’s a reason they want your money tied up in their bank rather than being liquid and they don’t have your best interest at heart. I’d move those funds to a credit union and let them know why I did it.

That’s just creepy. What kind of ignorant piece of garbage sticks this on their vehicle and rides around?

I’m good at that underwater feeling when you’re learning new things and I’m comfortable feeling drowning/lost until I figure things out. I’d have to say my adaptability has served me well. I also tend to get along with most people. That’s a very useful inclination.

It takes a latte practice

If I ever do this I’m going for 750 hours 🤣 Winter is a wash for me so I might as well write it off and see the days I DO get out in the winter as getting ahead.

I read the entire thread. My takeaway is that people believe they can judge a person’s demeanor for the entire day based upon a single photo and a dinner. Extra points are deducted if there is alcohol at that dinner. By this metric every family funeral I have ever attended on my Dad’s side (Irish) of the family would be deemed inappropriate and unfeeling. I don’t know the guy. Maybe he was apathetic or maybe he was upset. The point is you can’t tell from a photo of a single moment. I’m not even willing to concede that you shouldn’t be with your inner circle when bad things happen. I imagine if you are a highly photographed public figure then every photo can be judged. I’m glad that’s not my life. I absolutely get the impulse of the wife to grab the gun. I would have done the same thing. I think I would grab it so the assailant couldn’t, empty it, and THEN realize holding it was a mistake and drop everything. Concerning the Olsteen church, by my count the Good Guys With Guns caused all the death and severe injury. How did professional security even let a person with a yard long rifle in the building? It doesn’t sound like some random parishioner stepped in. I do think the woman did way more than yell fire in a theatre, but it seems like a church with that budget could afford more competent security. It also seems that security could disable her with a stun gun or tazor or rubber bullets. The whole set up is just confusing.

People are weird. It takes me almost as long to get to California as it does to London but there are people that would consider one a much bigger deal than the other.

I always thought it was weird that people would ask me what I ate if I described an intense dream. There was never a connection UNTIL I hit 50. Now if I eat anything an hour out two before bed the intensity does ramp up. I know this doesn’t help when your dreams have always been intense. If you see that intensity change as you age it might we worth adjusting meal/snack times. I’m not that disciplined, so I just wake up knowing I did it to myself.

Several years ago I spent a summer emptying out my basement. I got rid of 2/3 of the stuff down there and built a nice sized dance studio. Until the pandemic I routinely taught classes with 6-8 students down there. It also served as an extra guest room. I e really enjoyed the space and I don’t miss any of the stuff.

Ok. I’ll admit that I never imagined a single classroom would attempt to do ALL the things. I thought we were talking about 2 or 3 optional themed days a year.

Running belt? I have a lightweight one that feels like the waistband of yoga pants, but it holds my phone and keys. You could certainly clip something to it.

Yeah, but they tend to come with rain which is a more constant, soothing sound. Water is just calming . . . rain, fountains, rivers, waves. That and the sound is generally muffled.

Eliminating events won’t help. There are zero events that don’t bother someone. Dress up days aren’t the problem. Homework isn’t the problem when some kids don’t have responsible adults to help. Mothers’ Day isn’t the problem when people have experienced profound loss. People having fun isn’t the problem. Hiding the symptoms of pain or poverty or abuse isn’t really a kindness. Dressing up for spirit days is never mandatory and for every poor kid who hates them there’s another who loves them and sees them as a creative outlet. Even school uniforms don’t trick disadvantaged kids into thinking they’re privileged.

Probably because it’s not a constant low hum. It starts and stops like dripping water which is not a soothing pattern.

I don’t see how it’s logistically possible to share EVERYTHING in your head even if you wanted to.

My family of origin is teeming with adrenaline junkies. Blessedly, neither of my children got that gene.

Bring yo-yos back. It’ll be retro and cool and they’ll be slinging them around in their own homes. Don’t even do a bag. Just hand it to them and say “Yo yo yo you’ve got to go” then kick them out and call it done 😬

I covet one. My work commute would be only 2 miles and entirely on paved bike paths. A regular bike would probably suffice, but there’s a bit of an incline, I don’t want to arrive to work sweaty, and I really just WANT one. 😬 I should just walk but I don’t want to get up an hour earlier. I could probably get there in 15 minutes on an e-bike.

A friend’s daughter performs in one of the cirque touring groups. We went to see her and a pole was one of the acts. It was a suspended hanging pole that swung and I didn’t know that was a thing. I’d also never seen straps. That sounds sketchy but I swear it was a holiday show. ETA: There was also an act where the girl was suspended by her hair. The daughter told us that is strictly a game for brunettes. Who knew?

Now I want mashed potatoes. you can add some serious calories to mashed potatoes if you apply yourself. Load them up with butter and cheese. You can even add powdered milk to the milk for more protein or use cream for more fat. Can he do a gnocchi with a cream sauce? Does he like matzo balls? Would he enjoy pudding? Or a hot dip? Can he have a flaky fish or a fish pie with a potato topping? Can he do a bean soup? Would tamales be soft enough?

I’m a little miffed that nobody ever challenged my homeschooling qualifications. Nobody ever came after me for breastfeeding in public either. I was prepared for both scenarios and never got to have that debate. We have really good schools too, but nobody ever got defensive about me not using them. I do live in a big enough town that there isn’t really a culture of getting into a stranger’s business. I actually got more pushback and (perceived) judgement from the homeschooling community when my oldest went to high school. The homeschoolers were WAY more vocally critical of public school than the other way around. Everyone did relax as the kids got older but we (myself included) certainly started with an almost religious fervor that you just don’t get from public school families.

I live in a state where you are in or out, so we never had a culture of homeschoolers doing much at the schools. You can sit for APs (I think) and SATs at the school. Still, more and more people seem to be choosing dual enrollment over AP testing. It’s not free for homeschoolers/private schoolers but they do get a deep discount. They can gate keep APs all they want but they have no sway over the community college. I can’t imagine my city stressing over homeschoolers. If they all went back to school they’d need to build another high school. They really couldn’t gracefully absorb a sudden influx. We’re already growing so much that nobody would wish for that growth to suddenly increase