AFK BRB Chocolate (CA version)

Some have a removable cover that you take off and wash. The ones that don’t I think are generally surface wash only, but all should have a tag with instructions someplace.

I don’t think that attitude is as fringe as you seem to be thinking. There seem to be an awful lot of people who are horrified at any kind of nudity.

Is anybody shocked to see a nude statue in a museum or something?

Sadly, some are. I remember as a teen visiting my aunt and uncle who had a giant Catholic family. We were sitting around watching one of the Pink Panther movies, where the main character is in a museum at night. As he scans his flashlight across the room, it passes over some nude Greek statues. My aunt took the remote and switched the channel, saying “We don’t need to watch this smut.”

The counterpoint is that, for many women I know, their swimwear exposes way more skin than their underwear.

You should reflect back on that “less prude than Americans” part of his statement. It’s only “not really possible” because of widespread American taboos about nudity. If boobs were visible in everyday life - on TV shows and at a typical day to the beach - in a non-sexual way, your son wouldn’t give a crap.

It’s interesting that in many US cities, there’s no law against women going topless, but if a woman does it, it’s outrageous. Hell, some women get chastised for breastfeeding in public. We’re a messed up society.

I’ve come to really like Adrian Tchaikovsky - I haven’t been disappointed by anything he’s written. The trilogy that starts with Children of Time is especially good.

Lots of others great books out there. The Space Between Worlds, by Micaiah Johnson, was an interesting story read recently. Kiln People, by David Brin, was great.

I keep little spoiler-free notes on everything I read, so if there’s a type of book you like, let me know and I’ll scan my notes.

A couple years ago, after I sharply increased my reading, my wife (who paid the bills) came and said, “I don’t want to discourage you at all from a healthy hobby, but I wanted to make sure you realized that, in the last couple of months, you’ve spent like $200 on books.” In fact, I hadn’t realized it was that much. That’s when I started trying to figure out a cheaper way to read.

I read even more now. So far this year I’ve read 46 novels. That would be prohibitively expensive if not for Libby.

You should get a library card and the Libby app. Lots and lots of free audiobooks.

I read kindle versions, but there are almost always audio versions of everything I read. I read a ton of SF and fantasy - if you tell me the kind of stuff you like I can suggest some titles.

This is a great guide. The only quibble I have with it is the part about choosing an instance. There’s one aspect where it does matter: not every instance federates with every other. It’s good to be aware of any significant defederation vs what you care about when selecting an instance.