The true tragedy is when you get all the social signals and you have the thought “man I wish I could just date multiple people at the same time” and it doesn’t occur to you to try that because… ???

Now I’m old and have to work 1 1/2 full time jobs to pay my bills, so. That won’t be happening.

Lady with social anxiety here to confirm. Flirting is useless. Every time I’ve just given up and asked the dude to date after being extremely forward for a while and they’re always shocked 🤷🏼‍♀️ Once we get past that, it’s great.

We had a wood stove hooked up to our chimney. 😬

Definitely meat - I’ve been vegetarian for a very long time and vegan since COVID, and no plans of stopping anytime soon! Flying is a bit more difficult, but I work from home and when my work requires me to travel, I’m lucky that I have the ability to take a train, so I do that. I do like traveling occasionally, and for some of the places I want to go, I can’t realistically avoid flying.

If anyone here is interested in giving up or reducing meat intake but needs a little advice or extra support to get started, please let me know. I’m happy to share any knowledge and tips I can!

Yes, absolutely. It affirms that I’m not alone in my frustration and sadness. I like songs that have an upbeat or energetic feel alongside the dark lyrics though, it helps get me boppin’.

The part I’m really blown away by is that I just saw this final project in the intro to design class I teach from a group of international students earlier this spring. The project was to create a logo design and brand guidelines as a small team. The students can pick the business and whether it’s new or a rebrand, and this group went with social media all-in-one apps and made the justification that they are hugely popular in China, but nothing like that exists in the US. My favorite part is that the letter X was a HUGE part of the logo/branding, but they did not name it just “X” specifically for the reasons you listed - it’s not discoverable or unique in searches, the App Store, etc.

I feel like I’m being punk’d

Oooh - I like the idea of informing the businesses you’re doing this. I don’t do that unless I’m reminded to, so I’ll add it to my personal checklist.

Do you have any sources of information you regularly consult to help avoid supporting the war on Ukraine, or places that help you find alternatives? I’d definitely like to be more active in this area.

Nope, and I used to do a lot of Reddit - like several times a day, and usually entire evenings just browsing. I used PowerDeleteSuite and deleted my account, and I use an RSS reader with an adblocker for the 2-3 local subs I truly can’t find the same info for elsewhere. One is a university I teach at, and the only exception I’ve made to this was to create a throwaway to answer a question about salaries and point the person who was hoping to teach to our union contract. Worker solidarity > Reddit drama.

Thread added here! I found a site similar enough to what I was thinking of to go ahead and share. https://kbin.social/m/SponsorsOfRussianInvasion/t/192018/What-alternatives-and-strategies-do-you-personally-use-to-live

I’ve actually got quite a bit of these sort of recommendations that I think I’m going to compile into something easier to navigate based on what you don’t want to support - but feel free to share a link to this comment in the meantime!

Ughhhh really? That’s a bummer. :(

Well, at least it’s less money. Thank you for the heads up :) Honestly, I’d give up shaving if I could stand it, but I’ve tried and can’t stand the physical feeling of hairy legs.

Corporations: get your booty back into the office so it’s not empty
Also corporations: we’ve laid off your team in favor of AI, it was a tough but necessary choice due to costs
The empty office building: ???

I’ll start: avoid Hellman’s easily by making your own mayo. If the eggs squick you out, or you just want bonus points, I use this vegan garlic mayo recipe. It keeps for weeks and I don’t miss mayo at all. This requires a blender - any kind is fine.

Soap: someone near you makes bars of this that are better quality and sells them for roughly $5, I guarantee it. If not, making it is pretty straightforward as long as you follow instructions carefully and use established recipes. If you want to go custom, you can also use a lye calculator. This one requires an immersion blender.

Breyer’s/ice cream in general: Get yourself some xanthan gum for regular dairy, and add soy lecithin to your list if you want to do vegan ice creams. The xanthan gum inhibits ice crystals for a smooth and creamy texture, and helps with scoopability. Soy lecithin helps emulsify oil and water, so you can use it to bring up the fat content of soy or oat bases to be closer to a heavy cream. Requires a blender.

Gillette: get a safety razor. Mine’s a vintage lady Gillette I got off eBay. You will save so much money on blades it’s not even funny.

Lipton: your local grocery store might have loose leaf tea in the bulk section. If so, try that first. If not, check out Arbor Teas instead. Small business, fair trade, high quality stuff, and the packaging is completely compostable, making it an awesome zero waste choice.

Mars Attacks when I was 6. My parents had the brilliant idea to take me to see it at a drive-in, so larger than life screen, and it was the second film, so I think they probably figured I’d fall asleep and they could stay and watch. Nope. Pretty sure I didn’t sleep for weeks.

Hell, I’d do it just because I like sharing information and helping others out. Plus it’s a big project with a sense of accomplishment.

It can also be read as a sign of which class you’re in. I’d blend decently with middle or upper middle class folks, but my “jacked up teeth” (others’ words, not mine) are a dead giveaway about my socioeconomic background. Fortunately, it’s only really visible on the bottom ones. This is also probably part of why my parents kicked that can down the road until it was my problem.

I’d get braces, except I’m only just at the point (after thousands in repairs) of even having a healthy baseline since I didn’t have access to dental care for years. It’s separate and not included in our normal health insurance, and it’s also not required, so if you’re poor, it’s a cost that often gets delayed or cut altogether. Back when I was a kid or through my early career years when I was just trying to keep myself fed and housed, it probably would have been cheaper. Then I was just plain terrified of what the results would be if I DID go to the dentist. I’m still playing catch up and can’t even get to braces if I wanted to until I get my wisdom teeth pulled, because there just isn’t room otherwise.

Tooth problems can also become more serious health problems if they get bad enough.

I got this while at MSPCA Angell a minute or two after the ER doc gave me the “you should get ready to say goodbye” talk. My partner was out grabbing us coffee, I was trying to communicate updates to the foster and adoption agency (I’d just brought her home over the weekend so was worried it might be something others were exposed to), and my goddamn phone starts BLARING with this shit. The only thing I managed to catch before I panic dismissed it to make it stop was EVACUATE, SEEK SHELTER and it scared the shit out of me, but in that moment I decided whatever it was, I officially gave zero shits, got back to sorting out what was happening with my pet, and then went back to check if I was about to be obliterated by something only to find out that it was an emergency concert closing. Pet didn’t make it. 0/10, this Fourth of July absolutely blew.

No idea. Give it a try and report back? It’s easy to use, shouldn’t take too long to find out :)

True! 😁

Welcome! I’m also on kbin.social and have been here a few weeks, so if you’re curious or confused about anything I’m more than happy to help. It doesn’t take long to get the hang of things here, you’ll be at home in no time. :)