I hope they had enough food and water in there.

And who would ever use a childish word like “movie”? It’s called a moving picture.

Eh, my 78 year old aunt who uses two canes to get around because she refuses to use a walker has been to a few different protests this year in the deep red state of West Virginia. I get what you’re saying about limitations and maybe we’ll reach that point sooner or later but I don’t think we’re at the run away to save yourself part yet unless you’re an immigrant or trans.

I also understand wanting to get out before shit goes sideways but again, I don’t think we’re there yet. Maybe I’m wrong but I hope not.

I like to have a drink or two but wouldn’t say dates go smoother with a drink. It depends on the people and the location.

Dinner at a nice place, sure, one or two alcoholic drinks with dinner is common but absolutely not necessary. Going to a coffee shop or some other cafe type place for lunch, I wouldn’t drink alcohol in a situation like that. You could do a more active date, like hike or go to a local museum or zoo. Some people like to get a drink after a hike but again it’s not necessary to drink alcohol.

I always liked to do the more active date and then maybe a meal after and sometimes that meal will involve alcohol but I live in a bigger city so I can get a taxi or ride share if I need it.

I haven prescription sunglasses. Generally I don’t wear them inside, occasionally I’ll forget that I have them until after I’m in the store though. My eyesight without glasses is terrible so I leave them on. Sorry if I look like an asshole but I would have trouble navigating my way and finding what I need without them.

Bearded person here. My basic advice, stop using your body wash as shampoo, even 3-in-1. Find a quality shampoo and figure out a conditioning regimen. It’s different for everyone, some people use a traditional conditioner that you rinse out, some use oils, others use balms/waxes/butters, and generally some combination. I’m lazy so I’ve found a two product system for myself.

Oils/balms/butters/waxes are typically put on when the beard is damp, and they have different levels of hold. Some things to know about those products: apply the oils to your skin under the beard and then comb or brush it through; also, use a product with quality oils like jojoba, argan, and coconut.

Lastly, find someone who can style it the way you want or get clippers and watch some videos and style it the way you want.

My dog isn’t too derpy so she doesn’t do that sort of stuff often but I always remember one goofy moment. We were walking along and she was doing her thing, sniffing all the great sniffs to be had. We were walking on concrete when she stopped to sniff something, all I could see was a small dark stain on the concrete but she was super into it. In one motion, she went to roll in it but must’ve realized too late that it was just concrete and did a full somersault, ass over her head, the whole thing. She popped up with a very confused look on her face for a few seconds while I stood there cackling to myself.

I almost used a different name but thought fuck it, if he were to ever read this, he knows my thoughts since we had this exact conversation

This is all my personal experience but as I’ve gotten older, it requires more time and effort to maintain friendships. People get busy with their own lives (work, kids, moving away, change in hobbies). Sorry this post is going to be a bit long because it requires some backstory.

Some of the things you mentioned sound like someone from my friend group, I’ll call him Steve since that’s his name. There were a bunch of us who were together every weekend in our 20s, usually going to bars, concerts, or sporting events and drinking a lot. Steve slowed down on the drinking earlier than the rest of us, then he got more involved in his church which is where he met his now wife. We didn’t see much of Steve after that and I eventually moved away. That friend group still does the occasional outing and I know Steve isn’t involved in those. I remain in contact with Steve and he texted me a few weeks ago about something he wanted to do, I don’t live in town so I suggested another friend and Steve replied that they don’t hang out anymore. This was my reply to him and I think it’s appropriate here: “There’s something my dad told [my brother] when we were growing up but I always remembered it for some reason, it’s about friends/spending time with them. It was something along the lines of “somebody’s gotta make an effort or nothing is gonna happen”.”

We all still love Steve and I always invite him out with the larger friend group when I go home which he usually takes me up on. But, I spoke to the friend I suggested to Steve and she that friend said that he hasn’t heard from Steve in months.

This is a really long way of me saying that friendships require work to maintain sometimes. If you want to join in or be thought of as someone to be included regularly, then you need to reach out and start the conversation or it might not happen. If they’re true friends, they should have no problem including you again and it should be like old times. If you have force your way back in or they’re still not inviting you regularly then maybe you have just grown apart. The other side is, if you are invited, you need to join somewhat regularly. If you say no all the time, they’ll just stop inviting you again.

That’s a lot of nuts!

You’re not paranoid, it’s a propaganda tactic. DEI, just like CRT, has become a dog whistle for the party loyalists. Then the fringes of the party use that language to label anything they don’t like, it’s doesn’t matter if it’s true or something that has been established for decades. (People my parents age used to be proud to say they got the polio vaccine when they were kids, some of those same people are anti-vax now)

Once a thing has been labeled as DEI, then the major news starts to report on it, “some people say thing X is DEI”. Then if something fails, it’s all DEI’s fault for and becomes another example for the party loyalists.

That behavior also forces people who might not care one way or another into a camp. Ghostbusters 2016 comes to mind there. I enjoyed the work of all of those women on SNL and in other movies. I had no interest in the movie because I just don’t care for remakes of classic movies in the first place but I feel there are always exceptions. My girlfriend wanted to go so we went. It was an average/good movie that got some belly laughs out of me and I enjoyed it overall but that’s where my opinion ended. If I said I enjoyed it with no context, I would be dealing with a bunch of snarky comments and I can either stay silent (passive allowance of their behavior) or I have to defend myself to them. Now I’m wasting my time defending and average/good movie that I don’t really even care about in the end.

I understand the sentiment and yes, just like everything else, capitalism has turned death into a money making racket at the expense of the average person.

I live near a cemetery currently and was raised near a different one, they make great neighbors. Quiet and the one near me now is also a wildlife refuge so I can’t call that wasted space. Yes, it’s privately owned but it’s open to the public. Also, I work in historic preservation and love working in and exploring cemeteries.

In the end, I just love the blend of history, architecture, and nature in one place.

There are a lot of different socks out there, most of them are more like hose than socks. I use Bombas socks because they actually feel like regular socks except they go up to my knees. I use the 15-20mmhg compression in their large size and they work well for me.

Bombas also has a good return policy, I was trying to narrow in on the size and compression level and after the first pair was too big, i asked them if I could swap and they just sent me the smaller size for free. I’m a bigger guy if that helps you find the right size.

They aren’t cheap but they also aren’t crazy expensive. I just asked for socks for Christmas and a birthday or two and ended up with more than enough to get me through a week.

As someone older. I’ve come to find that it’s part of the cycle. Some days I’m great and feel as good as I did in my teens and other days I get winded walking up a flight of stairs.

The biggest thing now is maintenance. Regular stretching, cardio, and strength training, coupled with better lifestyle choices, less booze, junk food, and smoking. It’s sadly the only thing I’ve found that actually works. I don’t do that stuff enough but when I am disciplined enough to do all that, I usually feel pretty good day to day.

As for the varicose veins, I have some that are super noticeable. Compression socks have been my saving grace there. I wear them pretty much everyday, not so much on the weekends, and every time I travel. You can also get them removed through minor surgical means.

I like a FPS but I have the most fun with the PVE sub genre of FPS. Left 4 Dead 2 and Deep Rock Galactic being my two favorites. Playing against other humans can be annoying if the skill balance isn’t right and if they’re cheating then it makes it no fun, imo.

Left when the 3rd part apps got shut down. Stayed because of quality apps and no ads.

Destroy property, it’s literally the only thing they care about.

Shocking, the only form of protest they seem to notice is when it’s against property.

How? There are no good corporations. We are all enablers. There is no conscious consumption under capitalism.

P.F. Flyers?