The cat I had when I was a kid would pretend to be afraid and confused by birds then SWIPE out comes the paw, down goes the bird.

I don’t keep outside cats anymore but it was always so impressive to see her hunt, she did fake cringe away to get them close.

I think he is saying if you wear an outside pad, not a tampon, you need something to stick it to that won’t be moving around.

I commute on an electric bike, in my work clothes, and seriously hope to never take a ride so long that I need gear. 6 miles or so is my limit.

There are dozens of us!

Yeah only one of my kids learned to drive the manual but I love it. Lately I take an electric bike everywhere so hopefully the car lasts. The only one I’d trade it for is the Civic SI but those are $$$ and as long as my car will go I will keep it - they can last, especially the stick shift ones.

I had the original Pixel, and now the 5, not sure if I will get one next time but this one is still good.

It’s kind of like my car - I have a 6 speed 2014 Honda, it does everything I want & nothing I don’t want. Newer ones are better in some ways, but not in ways I want.

I don’t want a fancier phone or car, I want a more reliable one that does the things I want it to do. Not stuffed with “features”.

Oh that’s hard. I hate, hate, hate those mixes. Would do bone broth for some meals, fruit and yogurt smoothies for others, and definitely throw some nut butter (cashew, almond, whatever) into the smoothie.

Date shakes are good, lots of sugar but fiber and nutrition.

And if you can tolerate soup - a can of cannelini beans, a can of butternut squash puree, and some chicken or vegetable broth, with salt and whatever else you want, is so easy, delicious and again does have fiber. Just heat them together then blend with a stick blender.

Put a big iron skillet on low on the stove with a smaller skillet or bacon press in it. When they get hot, put the sandwich on the big pan with foil on top, place the other pan or press on top.

That’s how I press sandwiches.

Popeyes is great where I live. Popeyes or Publix, I don’t even bother making fried chicken and I make 90% of what we eat from ingredients, including bread. Fried chicken benefits from standardization - Popeyes and Publix are huge and can get chicken pieces that always weigh the same, can keep the oil at a specific temp, I can’t do that.

I like both better than the “real” fried chicken I can do at home. Popeyes has the edge IF the spicy is available. What I am mad about is the discontinued onion rings they were amazing.

Yes thank you.

My mind works more like this - North is always north, I can’t give directions using right and left and have broken every dance teacher I had, all ended up saying "toward the mirror, toward the window, toward the door, etc because I can’t find right or left fast enough to dance, it moves every time I turn around, I want directions to be fixed.

I know there is at least one with no concept of right or left, front or back, only the fixed directions of the world like north and south.

I would like to experience something new, so would go with magic. As long as it’s not too wrapped up in religion. I’ve enjoyed my arc here, but don’t need to repeat it - and safe from being a chosen one is itself a perk.

I pay for a number of concurrent streams, so “too many at one time” is a legitimate thing. What I disagree with completely is that they want them all in one house. If I pay for 4 streams, they ought to be able to be anywhere. Because I paid for 4.

I always order ONE dish “spicy like you would make it for your grandma, really so spicy” and get the rest of the dishes medium or mild.

Channa Masala is the one I want crazy hot. It’s so good like that. Most of my family won’t eat it, only me & my oldest daughter. But yum yum yum, may cry but oh just so satisfying.

Federal reimbursed me for bus fare, county did not. Federal also comes with a per diem because eating lunch downtown is expensive.

For county, several times I called & didn’t need to attend.

Federal, I did have to serve as a juror this year. They always start on a Monday, I think everyone who they pick has to attend for selection, then most are sent home. The way they pick is public information. I am lucky, the courthouse was close to me and accessible by bus or bike. But they pull from 3 counties, some jurors had to come from far away. Case took one week. I didn’t want to do it and my workplace needed me but I am glad now, it was an interesting experience overall.

And yeah it’s mandatory to show up if you are told to. You can be fined or even jailed. If you can’t, you need to ask for a deferral or excuse. I got a deferral of one week because I had a dentist appointment I’d already postponed once, which had delayed it two months so I really didnt want to wait 2 more! And other times when I was nursing kids I sent an excuse, and once a deferral for work, but Federal court won’t excuse you for work - our judge did dismiss anyone who really would not be able to survive without working though.

I’m not sure what you mean by hard books? I read a lot, but more for entertainment, books written at different levels but none are schoolbooks, not dry and hard to read in that way.

AFA setup, on the couch with a cat on my lap and music in the air is my favorite way to read. Runner up is reading on the back deck with a big glass of ice water and a cocktail or glass of wine. I don’t read in bed.

I work at an events company, basically, in the back office but have worked some events - I get the appeal. Hospitality is grueling work but satisfying work, your customers are right in front of you and you are making them feel better about themselves (in our particular industry), or feeding them and also just pulling off such a ridiculously difficult task, nearly everything going right, it’s amazing. And when I did work at a restaurant, I also enjoyed being part of the customers’ going out night, right? You are there, building that experience, also getting an experience.

My husband doesn’t get it really but I do - if I had fuck you money I would open a bar, with a dinner night each week as an event.

I enjoy home cooking and hosting parties too. Hospitality really is a human sort of endeavor and it is satisfying to make people feel good and comfortable.

It’s funny because Florida is so queer. I grew up going to gay bars, we had the gay film festival, literally half my kids are queer In one way or another. Why in the world would the government want to alienate such a big subset of the population? It’s insane.

If I ever run for governor though, my platform is Make Florida Freaky Again.

My mom said she would never raise a kid in a small town because there is nothing to do except get in trouble. All her cousins either went to jail or got pregnant young, she figured a city has opportunities, summer jobs, libraries, rec centers, things to keep kids occupied and out of trouble.

I agree with revelrous, it’s more a city/rural split. Florida is “red” now, more a warm purple but gerrymandered. Cities are pretty progressive, country is redneck, exurbs are rich conservative northerners who moved down here (the influx that moved us from purple for real to red)

My husband tries to hate on California but we have family there who love it so much they think we should move there. Chicago he thinks is a great city, we have family there too. But again, we are city folk so even though he is conservative he sees way more variety of people and is, well, cosmopolitan I guess you would say? Traveled a lot, says people are just people, all over the world.

It does sound like you are lonely.
I quite like being alone and doing things alone, because I am not often alone so it is luxurious and indulgent.

If you think everyone in the world except you is a loud drunk idiot, that might explain why you are so often alone though. Why in the world would you judge everyone else and hold yourself apart? There is zero chance that you are not like anyone else in the world and the rest of us just suck.