That’s what you get for procreating.

Most libraries have really neat summer reading programs.

My local libraries gives entrants a free book just for signing up, and a prize for reading five books over the summer. (For grownups the prize is a pint glass.)

I’d also chalk it up to convenience.

The Fediverse requires effort.

Spoken like someone who hasn’t actually looked at the stats for accepted penalties in the NFL. If you had, you’d know the Bills and Vikings are actually getting much more help than the Chiefs.

But that’s okay.

You can be wrong. :) The rest of us know your team sucks of their own accord.

The Kansas City Chiefs vs the rest of the NFL.

I’m glad I lived to see my team’s villain era.

Skeptical Enquirer

Yeah, mine was an alcoholic for 25 years but inexplicably quit cold turkey one day when I was a teen.

I think it’s just a ton of undiagnosed, untreated mental illness. My mom’s mother was abusive and her loving father died when she was a teen. My dad’s dad died when he was eleven and he became the breadwinner for his mom and siblings, and didn’t stop working for another sixty-five years. (Well, he drives for DoorDash now, so I suppose he’s still working, but it’s a far cry from roofing.)

I actually feel a little bad for my dad. He worked his ass off his whole life and has almost nothing to show for it, but somehow, could never put his foot down when it came to my mom and adding more kids to the family. In most other countries his lifetime of work and owning a business would have meant a comfortable retirement, but not here. In America, no one gives a fuck.

Same.

That’s partly why I never married or had a family. I wanted all my time and money to myself and to have more freedom.

Yes.

I have a home, a good job, and am able to save enough that it’s possible I may be able to retire in my fifties.

The only responsible decision my parents made was to pay off their house. They had over a dozen kids and my dad literally roofed houses until he couldn’t anymore physically. They’re now in their 80’s and driving for DoorDash, in a car they’ve “borrowed” from me for almost a year, that I’m certain I’m never getting back.

And, somehow, despite having no mortgage or car payment, they still aren’t paying their bills on time. (But, to be fair, that’s also a referendum on the US economy and capitalism in general, and none of us can get actual progressives elected.)

Yup.

And you’re not going to miss a days pay to protest or vote when you know neither candidate gives a shit about your health and well-being.

They do not, as evidence by the last two decades of “progressive” politics here in the US.

Agreed.

Couldn’t care less about fetuses. I do care about the people carrying fetuses and their quality of life, however.

That progressive people should prioritize economic equality ahead of social issues.

Fustigate and discombobulate are a couple of my faves.

Depends on how many investment transactions I have and the dollar amount they represent. I didn’t make very many sell trades last year, so not having to wait for 1099’s meant I have already filed mine.

Couldn’t have said it better myself. Time, and how you use it, becomes more important once you understand that it’s finite.

Love definitely hits different in your 20’s. Though, the plus side is when something ends I don’t obsess over it like I did as a young man.

I remember in the mid-2010’s when Guns n Roses decided to reunite and tour, and my first thought was: “Why would I want to watch Axl Rose now that he’s old and fat?” That was a sign.

This is the plus side of being older.

I’ve been burned enough times in life that it’s really easy to just write people off that I shouldn’t have let in my life anyway, and I’m much happier in my own little world with my books.

At age 30, I noticed I couldn’t skimp on sleep anymore and hangovers were much worse than in my 20’s.

In my mid-30’s my eyesight started to blur and I had to start wearing glasses.

At 40, my digestion isn’t as good as it used to be and I take supplements. Also, it’s harder to memorize things now, and I no longer have the option of missing workouts or daily stretching, because I notice it much more if I haven’t done these things.