At 82 degrees here, with 70% humidity, it's beginning to not feel at all like Christmas.

The phrase "Like a candle factory in the wind" popped into my head and it is a terrible tragedy so I am sorry but I can't be the only one.

"See you on Boxing Day!" Wait, didn't I just have xmas dinner at my in-laws? You mean to tell me I've got to go through all that again in two weeks time? They say that life's too short, but it sure does seem long sometimes.

I accidentally spilled quinoa into my coffee cup. It's weird. I wouldn't do it on purpose, but I'm not going to pour it out either.

kokorodoko wrote: Thu Dec 09, 2021 3:18 pm

zorg wrote: Thu Dec 09, 2021 11:14 amSpeaking from total ignorance here, as I haven’t been single for 20 years…but have you tried the online dating scene? I am led to understand that you can line up a date with little effort.

I am led to understand that it's extremely difficult. But who knows. Haven't given it much though since I've never owned a smartphone. Mainly though it's the fact that I don't meet people, I don't hang out with people (hardly), I'm thinking I'd rather concentrate on that, and the rest will follow. That's how it's always worked in the past.

I found online dating to be easier than other approaches (this was pre-smartphone-- can't comment on that part of it) because it was a way of breaking the problem into discrete steps. You can do it like it's your homework-- set goals of messaging x number of people by x date, having coffee with someone by x date, and so forth. I thought about it as a way of getting better at talking to women I didn't know without having other expectations, and that took a lot of the pressure off. Another advantage is that dates with people you meet at dating sites are unambiguously dates and not confusing quasi-friendship situations. If it's not fun, you don't have to do it again and there are no hurt feelings. It doesn't sound too romantic, but if your goal is to meet people and get better at talking with them, it works. Also, it gets you out of the house......

kokorodoko wrote: Thu Dec 09, 2021 7:55 am
Add the fact that I am past 30, thus another set of inherited ideas continue to pester me, those that say "your life is over", "it's time to be boring and serious", "you had your chance at freedom and now it's gone".

A lot of kind and good advice has already been given, and I'll add this: my thirties were when I started feeling comfortable in myself. My twenties were messy, confusing, and slightly panicked; this is not uncommon. My thirties got great, which is also not uncommon, and I wish the same for you.

sparky wrote: Wed Dec 15, 2021 9:08 amA lot of kind and good advice has already been given, and I'll add this: my thirties were when I started feeling comfortable in myself. My twenties were messy, confusing, and slightly panicked; this is not uncommon. My thirties got great, which is also not uncommon, and I wish the same for you.

My sister has told me the same thing. It's been a tough start. But I'll keep my hopes up.

(Kind of come to the conclusion that fufillment (as I've imagined it) is impossible and disappointment is unavoidable, so there's that.)

Disappointment is inevitable, and we’re well-served if we bash through it early. Now please forgive me for being tempted to drop a link to The Replacements “Unsatisfied” here, which would have been cruel to all.

Yeah, those storms were really bad. Historically bad. I know we have PRF folks from near the affected region (e.g. Louisville, Nashville, Memphis) and I hope they and their families are all okay.

Watching the news I got the impression it was disproportionally black people having to work the shitty factory night shift. Now we hear that candle factory management were taking roll call to make sure no workers tried to flee without permission. And none of this is even surprising.

What if Jimmy Dore became the next Donald Trump?