My first car was a 1991 Honda Ascot. I bought it in 2003 in Japan, when I was stationed there with the US military. I bought it off a fellow service member who was leaving the country, for $1,000. I gave it to another service member for free when I bought a better car a year later.
Only worth it if Christopher Lee plays the werewolf.
A coworker of mine did this. He and his new wife took parts of their last names and blended them together to create a unique new last name for both of them.
For the most part, I just avoid topics I know will upset her, and I try to keep the conversation on topics I know she appreciates. It’s just peacekeeping at this point. I feel like I lost her long ago and all I can do is try to keep her happy now. It’s rough because I lost my father earlier this year and all I have left is my mother and sister, but they’re both deeply conservative people and shut down any topics they’re uncomfortable with instead of having open, honest discussion.
There are the occasional fights when I’m trying to relay something important and my mother won’t listen. Like the fact that I’m fully retired as of 38 years old, only because I’m a 100% disabled veteran will full medical/dental benefits for life. But Trump plans to eliminate the VA benefits program and privatize our hospitals. Which means I won’t be able to afford to live anymore and I’ll need to find a job. This severely affects my life, but my mom doesn’t believe it will happen and she doesn’t want to discuss it further. I basically need to become homeless and destitute before she’ll believe me, and even then she’ll probably have an excuse about how this is thanks to some obscure program Biden set up in the past.
Outside of my mother (and sister), though, I’m uncompromising. If I meet someone like my mother, I do my best to talk with them and have a meaningful conversation. If they won’t allow it, then I’m done with that person. I won’t keep people like that in my life; having to deal my mother is stressful enough.
You may ask why I keep my mother and sister in my life at all. The truth is, I grew up in a very loving, caring family and I’ve always gotten along with my family members well. I love them all and they love me too. I’m not going to let political discourse destroy my family, and I’ll still be here to help them when political decisions affect their lives. My sister even told me she’ll gladly take in my wife and I if we do end up homeless due to some policy change.
It’s just frustrating that I feel like I need to wear a mask in front of my mother and sister now. I’m not as open with them as I used to be and it eats away at me because I care for them so much.
My mother was one of the most intelligent people I know; she had a genius-level IQ and always seemed to know how to handle any situation with grace and efficiency. She was the breadwinner in our family, making much more than my dad and supporting our family well. She was my role model growing up, and thanks to her, I prefer strong, independent, intellectual women in my life.
In her old age though, she’s moved in next to her favorite brother whom she idolizes, a hero back in his day. (Firemen chief who’s always been aggressively involved in his community and can fix/build anything.) Unfortunately, he’s extremely pro-Trump and has convinced my mother that anything progressive is evil and “the way things used to be” is far superior to any “modern crap.”
My mother now argues vehemently against any programs that help her out in old age, she attacks progressive politicians and projects, and she immediately shuts down conversation if I mention anything about politics, even just stating neutral facts like “Trump won the presidency.” I just can’t get through to her anymore.
On top of that, she doesn’t handle controversy well anymore. My wife and I had one minor disagreement in front of her (not even raised voices, more or less an argument, just working through a misunderstanding) and she practically blew up at both of us, claiming we put her in an uncomfortable spot and she didn’t want to be stuck listening to us “fight.” Which prevented us from resolving our disagreement in a healthy manner and led to my wife and I having an actual fight later.
I’ve learned to be happy and cheerful around my mother and never bring anything decisive to her. Let her enjoy her final days in ignorant bliss. It hurts because I can’t be myself around her. I can’t have difficult discussions with her anymore and I can’t go to her with my own problems. She’s no longer the voice of logic and reason. There’s nothing wrong with her cognitively; she’s still all there in the head. She’s just so rooted in her conservative belief structure that she won’t accept me unless I’m the “perfect son.” And that sucks.
Um. I was born in 1984 and I just turned 40 this year, thank you.
Basically, you can’t just claim you tipped off the feds and collect the reward money. The feds have to officially acknowledge you as the actual tipster who led them to the suspect (and I believe there’s something in there saying the guy has to be officially convicted before a reward is handed out, to ensure people don’t give false tips just for the reward).
The process to be recognized as the official tipster by authorities is complicated and probably includes a bit of paperwork to process. And I’m sure that’s a very low priority compared with actually arresting and charging the guy, not to mention waiting out the whole trial process to see if they’re convicted of the crimes.
After all that, if they even remember you tipped them off and are willing to nominate you as their official tipster, then you might be able to claim a reward. So it’s not a guaranteed thing.
I’m so glad I just retired from the US military. I’d hate to be serving while that dictator asshole comes back. I was still serving the first time he took office and it was bad times for us. We were able to push back on his more extreme demands of the military, but we don’t have a Democrat-controlled govt to keep him in check this time around.
Okay, now can we short sell GameStop stocks and bankrupt them? /s
Oh no! Not Steven Universe! Anyway…
(Goes back to watching SU on my Plex server)
Calling her princess but as degradation
That looks like vocal chords. The white part, it’s what vibrates and changes shape to make sound and pitch when you speak.
My guess is he’s trying to say “Kama-BLAH” as an insult. But no one’s picking up on it.
I’ve avoided his content because something about him just creeped me out. After several years, I think I’ve finally pinpointed it: he doesn’t smile with his eyes. It makes his grin seem cold and emotionless, like a sociopath trying to blend in.
My father did this. He signed up for his body to be donated to science. He always told me, the minute he passes, there’s a card in his wallet with a phone number. Just call them and they’ll come out to pick up his body. That’s it; no funeral or anything. He didn’t believe in wasting money on a funeral or burial plot/coffin after he was dead. When they’re done with their research, they’ll return his cremated remains to us.
Sadly, I had to call that number a few months ago.
I don’t know about 9D, but I once saw Avengers: Age of Ultron in 4D in a theater in Seoul, South Korea. It was a 3D film with moving seats, smells, and air that would blast in your face.
During a car chase, you could smell burning rubber, or close-ups of women would have a whiff of perfume or flowers. During a shootout, you’d get fine blasts of air on either side of your face, like bullets barely missing your head. If someone took a hit, the seats would jolt violently. It also poked you in the back if someone was hit from behind. Not to mention, flying in any aircraft felt like you were on a rollercoaster; the seats would raise and lower and tilt in all directions. It was pretty intense. Like being on one of those Universal Studios rides at their theme park, except for an entire film.
Oh my god, Musk is J.P. from Grandma’s Boy. I can’t un-see it now.