This all makes so much sense, thanks for sharing your perspective as an insider!

I completely agree about reckless driving to be a vigilante being just as reckless. That’s why I’ve never called one in before this, if they’re on the highway going 90 mph they’re in my view for about 30 seconds.

In this particular case, we were in city traffic. This dude kept slamming on the gas whenever the light turned green but would still stop at the red lights. I basically “followed” him in that I kept driving the same speed and all, but skipped my intended turn in order to stay behind him. This let me catch up at the red lights enough times to get his plate and an accurate description of the car. Then I kept behind him until I was off the phone with dispatch so I could give the most up-yo-date possible cross street. I let them know that and the direction he was heading and them continued on my way home.

This also all happened less than 1/4 mile from a police station so I was hoping something might come of it. But I live in a high-crime city with much bigger problems, so these kinds of things are often not prioritized. But I do think that these are the types of crimes that in some ways allow the worse shit to proliferate, because it allows people to engage in antisocial behavior with no consequences. I think the total disregard I see drivers engage in where I live is indicative of a deeper lack of empathy that informs criminal behavior in general.

I was driving behind someone who was going way too fast and recklessly. Not on the highway or anything, a city street that people live on, walk on, etc. When he opened his door and dropped an empty liquor bottle on the ground I called 911. Followed him as safely as I could for a little while to try to give the best info about his location. I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t even dispatch someone, let some catch him. But man, that boiled my blood. Piece of trash two times over.

I wish I could ever have as good of a go-to karaoke song as that skinny white dude who got overcome by the spirit of Shaggy

Say It Ain’t So by Weezer is a good one to get the entire bar singing along. Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind is good to get people try to sing along and then they realize they don’t actually know the words and wait did he just say crystal meth??

I was taking a little me time at a cabin. Pretty remote, a 45 minute drive down a dicey mountain road to the beginning of civilization (a convenience store and a church). I was there solo to unwind.

One night I made a nice little fire down a hill from the cabin, maybe 40 yards away. Around 10, I put the fire out and started back up to the cabin. The porch lights were on and throwing some nice ambient light, so I decided not to turn my headlamp on and harsh the vibe with blue light. I couldn’t easily see the ground where I was starting from, but the path was well-maintained gravel and I was familiar the terrain.

After ten feet, I froze. I’m a person who struggles to trust my instincts sometimes. But my lizard brain was picking up on something not consciously perceptible, and I have never before or since had every part of my screaming that something was wrong.

I turned on my headlamp and saw, about twenty feet up the path, a fucking rattlesnake. Then I immediately started second-guessing myself. Do we even have rattlesnakes in this part of the country? And it didn’t even rattle, isn’t that their whole thing? Also it’s night, aren’t they active in the daytime with the sun? I stared without moving an inch, barely even breathing, just silently gaslighting myself. After a few minutes it continued on its way and finished slithering across the path back into the woods.

I ran up the rest of the hill and into the house. Promptly grabbed my phone and typed “rattlesnake [regional area I was in]” in the search bar. So, it turns out there are rattlesnakes there, and yeah their pattern is exactly the same as the one I saw. Something primal in my body knew, and I’m really glad I listened to it.

I’ve never had a problem with it. Doesn’t necessarily mean it’s compliant, I guess, since it’s all security theatre.

Domestic and international air travel, as well as things like bringing it into court, sport stadiums, etc.

Not strictly necessary items, but not brainless consumerism (at least I don’t think so). A few Christmas gifts for my husband–baseball caps from store that does made-in-USA reproductions of vintage minor league and negro league team caps. And some makeup and hair care products from a local business that I already use on a regular basis. I kept them hanging out in a cart from a few weeks ago to see if they’d do a sale.

Do you know why he cut contact? Either what he told you or what you suspect based on your experience?

If UBI just covered the most basic needs, most people would still want to work in order to buy things and have experiences that are not strictly necessary. If people weren’t worried about having food, shelter, and healthcare it would open up the possibilities to do work that is more aligned with their values. For some people that’s still going to be making as much money so they can have a higher quality of life than substenance. For some it’s going to be something they love or are good at that they don’t do now because it doesn’t pay enough to cover basic needs. For some it’s going to be something with a flexible schedule so they can spend time with their families. And yes, some people wouldn’t work at all.

This is not to say that it wouldn’t change a lot about our current systems. Things would change, in some industries more than others. But I don’t think it would cause a mass of the population to choose a life of sloth.

I think having a somewhat traumatized childhood also makes you want to live as a child freely again

I call this the “very mature for your age” to “youthful energy” pipeline.

I blame them. A huge part of why everything is shit now is because of their unwillingness (as a group, I know there are some individuals who are not like this) to leave things better than they found them. They have pulled up the ladder behind them. They blame us for having college debt even though they’re the reason college is so expensive. They blame us not not buying houses even though they’ve hoarded them and created the systems that make housing so unaffordable. They blame us for not having children while gutting schools, affordable childcare, etc.

Therapy

There are some great pieces of media out there that pioneered or popularized a genre, game mechanic, whatever. Playing/watching/listening to it for the first time years after release (whether or not you’ve experienced it before and had your memory deleted, honestly), these groundbreaking pieces of media can seem very derivative even though in reality they blazed the path.

I think the television show Arrested Development is a good example of this. Watching it for the first time today is a totally different experience than when it aired because of how much it popularized mockumentary-style single camera comedies.

The buccal fat removal trend is going to age like milk.

Despite being flat this might be too big to fit in, but if you can–emergency blanket. I once helped a disoriented senior who had fallen and injured themselves and accidentally left their keys in their apartment. I wish I’d had something to keep them warm while we waited for the FD to get them in.

The smallest size Swiss army knife is also a good option for tiny scissors that TSA doesn’t care about, then you also get the bonus of knife, tweezers, toothpick, etc.

No patience, just sheer terror.

That I’m my age. I’m in my late thirties, but sometimes I still feel like I’m nineteen.

What fucks me up is we used to interact with other, different talking apes and now they’re all gone.

I feel like you’re posting your homework questions on here

The pros/cons seem stacked because they are. This is coming from my perspective of someone who has chosen not to have children, but has friends who have.

It’s not something you can really pro/con to make the “right” choice. You have to want to do it in spite of it changing your relationship, your body, your lifestyle, your everything. In some ways better, some worse. Some changes will evolve or ebb and flow with the seasons of life, and some will just be permanent.

I know that I can’t handle all that uncertainty, all that change. And while I also never really had the desire to raise and shape a child, as I’ve gotten older I’ve realized that I get to have those moments. In doses I can handle and without sacrifices, because they are not my kids. I’m an auntie (biological and chosen). I have plenty of friends with kids (and plenty without). I feel like I get the best of both worlds.

Imagine your life in both scenarios. What brings you the most joy?