Almost a quarter of people who qualify for benefits don’t apply. The reason many who do can’t take raises or increased hours is because benefits don’t decrease in proportion to income. Another $100 can cost multiple hundreds in benefits and heaven knows how much in medical coverage.

Caregiving positions, which already suck, won’t get filled. So good luck to any of us who will need any form of care in 20+ years! (ETA: I don’t think that’s a proper reason for anyone to change their mind about kids, lol.)

I was helped by a man when I got a flat tire on a dark section of highway in my sports car with 2 kids in the back, and I was pregnant. Pre-everyone-has-a-cell-phone. I will forever be grateful for the guy who very quickly slapped on my spare tire and disappeared back into his vehicle while I was panicked for the safety of my kids (getting hit on the side of a highway is way too common, even for emergency services with flashing lights) AND for this stranger-man I knew nothing about. Especially without a cell phone. I still prefer to be approached by a woman than a man, and I try to approach women who may appear to need help first.

I’m not familiar with Texas accents, but I suspect, for non-Texan listeners, it’s a lot like a NY accent. NY has many different accents. A listener might not be able to distinguish between Brooklyn and Staten Island, but they could peg NY in general. (Disclaimer: I don’t know if a Brooklyn accent is still a thing with the population shift. I’m often stuck in the 90s.). Of course that doesn’t account for every. single. person. in an area.

How my brain works while driving with no radio Dh and I were born and raised in NJ from many generations of born and raised NJeans (specifically north.) We have that NNJ accent, and I carry it especially hard when I’m in any sort of dramatic mood. Which is a lot. Our 4 youngest kids have been homeschooled their whole lives just 40 minutes inside the PA border and have absolutely no hint of NJ accent. I’ve teased them over a lot of pronunciations over the years, but yesterday I realized #4 was actually incapable of suspending the r-controlled vowel rule, which I have absolutely never adhered to. Anyway, it seemed to me to demonstrate the fact that homeschooling doesn’t (have to) limit outside influences. We still managed to create people who talk like they’ve never had a true bagel. 🤣

It seems to, but I’m sure the public aspect of coworkers and regulators plays a part in that, compared to a random encounter.

I can see that, but also… I’m not sure. My dds are pretty tough, almost aggressive. The one who works in a coffee chain is still harassed by creepy men at work. Does creepy = dangerous? Not definitively. But it does trigger spidey senses. Her new go-to is to look them dead in the eyes and say, “I’m 16.” Fortunately, she can convincingly pull off passing as a minor to strangers. Yet she was assaulted by a male “friend”. Trust can’t just be thrown about Willy nilly.

Saw the spine specialists today! They’re convinced it’s all muscular, but could take up to 6 weeks to fully recover. 😞 More meds and a chiro referral. No more excruciating pain, just nearly constant soreness and annoyance! Dh is on vacation next week and we’re both going to be miserable as I instruct him on getting my plants into the ground! 😳

Honestly, it was more of a rhetorical question 😆. Yeah, we’re in black bear country, too. Our backyard borders completely wild forest. I do not enjoy being surprised by them, but of course we don’t mess with them. The specific TikTok mentioned is in response to the general question going around the internet to women - would you rather run into a bear or a man in the woods - and some men’s outrage to the response, which has been bear. Bears almost never attack unprovoked. Women (as a whole) are frequently attacked by men (as a whole) in comparison.

What percent of bears are driven to hurt humans unprovoked?

My oldest was out for most of his baseball season, but at 100% within months. There were crutches, then a shoe insert, and stretches he was supposed to do. (This was well over a decade ago, so it’s hard to remember exact details.)

As a 47yo with adhd, anxiety, and what my family lovingly dubs “diet autism” (All of my nieces and nephew and some of my kids are on the spectrum) I’m getting adhd/anx vibes from you. My sleep issues come and go in many different forms. They often, though not always, include some wild dreams. While I didn’t like the side effects of stimulant adhd meds, I’ve been considering exploring a non-stimulant. But the biggest change to my life has come from an SNRI. I don’t know if you’re open to that, but I can’t refrain from sharing how glorious Effexor has been for me! When I think about how hard it was to cope with these things I didn’t understand as a teenager (nor did anyone around me) and for decades more, I get sad. Today Me has so many resources that could have helped Then Me.

Agreeing with Eos. Especially for clarifying misconceptions like the southern focus or later generations’ (or branches’) economic status. My paternal line is the one with the clearest records, including towns and roads with my maiden name. We’re definitely northerners and there definitely hasn’t been major wealth in our branch for many generations. But the records (primarily wills) are there. There’s also a census record of a black family with the surname in the area our family inhabited for hundreds of years. For *ME*, that discovery added… not sure how to put this into words that properly convey my meaning… a more concrete perspective from which to grow from non-racist to anti-racism. If that makes any sense. It was already there, but like I had an almost tangibly increased motivation/duty to do right in the world.

Northerner here, back to the 1600s, and my ancestors did own people.

@Scarlett I *think* there are lyric videos on YouTube. At least some.