Obedience and conformity.

Same as always.

I think I’m down to 2 hours and 12 years, 9 months.

Assuming it’s still possible to retire by then.

I’ve never worked for a for-profit company since I graduated college. There is variation in non-profit employers, but there are some that are great places to work.

I got a job at a university after graduation (different university than where I got my degree), and I worked there in different departments until I took a job in the university hospital. I’ve worked here for more than 25 years.

The pay tends to be a bit lower than what you’d get at a for-profit company, but not as bad as some would lead you to believe. I’ve been able to buy a home, raise a family, and live fairly comfortably.

The benefits are very good. There’s a strong focus on education and growth, and work-life balance isn’t just a lie they tell people in the interview.

Sometimes an actual medical condition makes the difference.

At a yearly physical, my doctor noted, “no one could gain that much weight that fast without something wrong”. That’s how I got tested for and diagnosed with a thyroid disorder. It’s also the explanation for why I could never lose weight. I thought the reason I could hardly move was because I was just getting older.

For years I had been unable to lose weight by dieting. After getting my thyroid levels corrected with medication, I became more active. I started casually intermittent fasting, and I lost 30 pounds.

There’s also been research that shows your gut bacteria has a lot to do with whether you gain weight or not.

https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/gut-microbiome-makeup-can-determine-ability-to-lose-weight

We have two guinea pigs.

Very often, guinea pigs are named after food. Our two rescues came with food names. However, everything eats guinea pigs and I feel it’s wrong to name them after food. We changed their names.

We named them after two characters from Downton Abbey: Daisy and Rose. Plants are the only living things that fear guinea pigs, so they are nice, powerful names for them.

Daisy in the background, Rose in front.

anyone doing that would come off like an idiot for a variety of reasons

That probably covers at least half the population of the US.

Guinea pigs are obligate nasal breathers. They only breathe through their mouths when in extreme respiratory distress.

They are also absolutely adorable.

If you’re in business and you don’t believe in DEI, you’re an idiot.

DEI means getting different points of view, different experiences, different backgrounds. All of which are better for the bottom line.

It’s called a circular triangle.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circular_triangle

Absolutely. It’s fascism. There’s no doubt. However, the points I mentioned are, I believe, the ones most relevant to the question of the post.

Check #5, #7, and, of course, #12:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ur-Fascism

Your parents wiped your ass. There’s no reason to be embarrassed about anything.

Just say it quick, like ripping off a bandaid:

“I need to see a doctor about a hemorrhoid that won’t go away.”

It’s not even in the top 1000 worst things kids have to tell parents. If you can’t tell them about a hemorrhoid, how are you ever gonna be able to tell them about the gay prostitute you accidentally knocked unconscious, thought you killed, and then tied up in the basement after they woke up while you were trying to bury them?

If a hemorrhoid is the most embarrassing story you’ve got, you have no reason to be embarrassed.

I want to see how they change the bulbs.

Yeah, my wife (optometrist) gave me shit about cleaning my glasses with paper towels because they scratch the lenses.

I wear my glasses into the fucking ground because I have a big head and it’s difficult to find frames that fit. I’ve literally bought multiple identical frames and shifted the lenses in between and swapped parts to not have to get new frames.

I’ve never ever had to replace a lens because of damage from a paper towel. The only scratches I’ve ever gotten in lenses was from dropping my glasses and having them skid across pavement.

The only times I’ve replaced lenses was because my prescription changed or because I no longer had enough functional parts to rebuild the frame.

Having said that, when my wife had her practice, I was basically getting everything at cost, and she could bring frame reps in with their entire catalog to pick through. So, I got used to getting new frames more often (every five years or so). I also ended up with bunches of microfiber cloths, so I distributed them around to everywhere I go. I have one at work, one in my car, one at my desk at home.

So, I do things the “right” way now, but only because my personal experience led to it being easier than going to get a paper towel.

When she got disabled and we had to sell her practice, we kept a couple boxes of lens cleaner too, so we’ll probably never need any more. One large bottle seems to last about 10 years and we’ve got around a dozen. When we die, the kids will each be able to inherit a couple bottles of lens cleaner.

Are there really people capable of understanding this who aren’t capable of understanding, for example, “tariffs increase inflation”?

Yeah, that was my first thought too.

U.S. democracy

Your friend might be a Nazi.

Shouldn’t that be “So are we”?

Do people do good, spirited debates anymore? Most of what I see would be more akin to wrestling a pig.