I’d never considered this before, but the flexiblity that you get from ambivalence is almost like a social superpower - that’s really cool!

What a cutie!

I’m American and I haven’t given a penny to my folks. If they needed financial help, of course I’d help them out, but they don’t need my money. By the same token, I’ve told them several times that I don’t want an inheritance. I’d rather they enjoy their money while they’re alive.

Speaking as someone in the upper middle class and barring any catastrophe, I think it’s poor planning on the parents’ part to have to be reliant on financial support from their adult child. I understand it’s not that way for everyone, but in our case, my parents worked for the State. They had good benefits including a very generous pension, plus they both receive social security. If they needed my help financially it would mean they’d been really irresponsible with their money.

I do help them in other ways - e.g., moving heavy furniture that they can no longer lift, or being there to help my mom when my dad had surgery. They know that I’m there if they need me. Maybe in our case that’s what matters more than giving them actual money.

I am a pacifist. I would not punch anybody unprovoked. Provocation would mean a situation in which I have to physically protect myself or someone else.

Portal Stories: Mel

Oh shit you’re right - I just looked this up and he’s from Brick City (nickname for Newark). For years I’ve thought he was from brick!

One of my favorite depressing songs

I think it might be generational. That word has always been part of my vocabulary. I’ve got no problem whatsoever with it, and if I’m being really honest I have a hard time taking it seriously when someone refers to it as “the R word”. I would never use it to refer to someone with an actual intellectual disability - that would be cruel. But normal people who do dumb shit, or even inanimate objects that malfunction? Sure, all the time, because I don’t mean it in a literal way. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

As a New Jerseyan, I get it, and also, fuck you. 😘

They don’t call us the Garden State for nothing. Northwest New Jersey is beautiful, very rural with loads of outdoors activities along the Delaware. Central Jersey has Princeton, which along with the gorgeous campus has a super beautiful downtown. There are farmstands with fresh Jersey tomatoes, corn, and peaches all over the place, and we have a bunch of nice wineries!We also have the Pine Barrens (home of the Jersey Devil!) which are beautiful. And despite that stupid MTV show*, the shore is not just loads of drunken assholes. It has tons of boardwalk stuff to do, and the beaches with tags are usually pretty nice. Plus we have Atlantic City!

*(Side note: the cast of Jersey Shore are fucking bennies from New York, they’re not even from NJ.)

When people shit on New Jersey, they’re thinking of Camden (Philly’s fault), Newark (NYC’s fault) and possibly Brick (which is where Redman comes from and which I’m told has improved quite a bit, though I can’t really say as I haven’t been in a while) (nevermind). There are definitely ugly industrial areas of NJ, but that’s not the entirety of the state.

Come visit. Have a pork roll, egg, and cheese on a bagel. Bike down the boardwalk. Spend a day at Great Adventure. Check out Lambertville (and New Hope!). Go tubing down the Delaware. And then when you hear someone bash NJ in the future, you’ll be able to defend us ;)

I love Big Bend! Is this the Window Trail?

Have you done Mule Ears? That’s a really cool hike, the scenery changes so much. You should also check out Big Bend Ranch State Park, lots of great things to see there too. The Hoodoos trail is pretty cool, not because of the hiking (it’s fine) but the rock formations are super interesting, especially if you’re into photography.

Jesus christ, this story gets more horrific by the day.

Yes! Much better than Flotter anyway.

I sincerely hope this is ragebait. If not, go fuck yourself you goddamn asshole.

That bunion is gnarly

I remember learning about bouba/kiki in grade 1… until today, I assumed all kids did!

Rubber cement

YES, emoticons are so much better than emojis!

Oh man. In undergrad I had a Thermodynamics professor who used the DRAFT VERSION of his textbook to teach with. It was completely unedited and he expected us to catch any errors. He was also like 80 years old, doddering, hard of hearing, forgetful, didn’t give us a syllabus until halfway through the semester… It’s the only class in undergrad that I got less than a B in. Years later I still resent him lol

My eyelashes are long and they transport oil from my eyelids directly onto the inside of my glasses lenses. It’s not a lot but enough to be annoying. I always have these wispy little vertical streaks on my lenses.