I think both parts are doable, and I see no reason Republicans wouldn’t try. It seems likely that we are going to see Federal election laws over the next couple years to strengthen GOP control, in addition to the local and state level laws we are already dealing with. This is all going to further strengthen their hold and I think we could see 2/3 majority in both houses in 2026.

Honestly I think the 3/4 would be the easier part. Since it’s done by state instead of electorates he just needs 38 states, and he got 31 to vote for him. We’re also talking about state legislatures, not voters, which means the shenanigans above will also be effective here.

I don’t think this is going to be Trump’s first step; this is going to be the capstone on a campaign to secure power for the party forever.

I am sincerely hoping I’m wrong, but the last decade has shown me I am not nearly pessimistic enough.

I admire your optimism. It would take a constitutional amendment, which I don’t think he would have any issues getting past the GOP Congress. After that it’s less likely, but still possible with his shenanigans. I think the only reason it wouldn’t happen is he croaks first.

Gotta lean hard in the other direction to flip the gaslighting onto him. If he says he paid for your college then start insisting you never went to college. If he says you owe him for keeping your car running during X-Y years then tell him you didn’t even own a car.

More seriously, though, my mom was the same way. Hers was due to being extremely manipulative instead of memory issues. Either way you aren’t going to get through. Better to start distancing yourself now until you’ve reached a level of contact that isn’t detrimental to you. If that eventually means no contact then so be it; they bring it on themselves and you owe them nothing.

Rural and suburban areas often only get one ISP in the US. Comcast specifically is infamous for using scummy practices to get (and then legally enforce) local monopolies. So the odds are not in OPs favor.

That’s what I was thinking. Linoleum can be ugly and will cut/dent easy, but it’s the cheapest to replace.

My issue with MH was the extensive grinding. Getting a full set of armor from a monster could take dozens of kills, with each kill being 30-60 minutes. If I knew I could get it after a flat 10 or even 20 victories it’d be fine, but you’re at the mercy of 5% drop rates sometimes.

That last line is one reason we’re able to fish successfully. Even large fish tire out because they can’t pull enough oxygen from the water to struggle forever.

Hatchet was such a powerful book when I was a kid. I bet it still holds up, so maybe I should reread it soon.

Put it in VR and it reminds me of the Community episode:

“Jesus wept!”

This is what I’ve seen too. Directors come back from a conference and suddenly we’re learning a newer but objectively worse system. Obviously the grunts using the systems aren’t consulted, but are expected to be team players through this educational experience.

I agree on board games.

See if there are Board Game shops in your city. If they have tables for Magic the Gathering you can check their calendar and usually find open board gaming nights. In my experience people usually bring a bunch of their own games and are open to new players. Some of the people in our group don’t own any games; the rest of us are always bringing more than we can possibly play anyway.

In college I lost one of my jobs and knew I needed another one fast or I wouldn’t be able to make rent. I spammed my resume on Indeed and Monster.

I got an email offering an IT-adjacent job in town. It was Saturday and they said I could stop by in a few weeks to fill out the paperwork or we could do it over the phone and start Monday. I called so I could get my first paycheck before the end of the month. We eventually got to her asking for my Social Security number and I froze.

I realized this could be a scam, but I was really desperate. I tried to think of a way to test them, so I said that I just realized I would be unavailable during certain hours, would that still be okay? She said she had to put me on hold to talk to the manager. After a while she came back and said it should work, but I would have to discuss the specifics with my supervisor once I started.

That sounded real to me. If it was a scam surely she would have just immediately said my schedule was fine, right? I gave her my SSN. She said I was ready to go and to have fun on Monday. I got there and it was just a parking lot. Couldn’t get a response via phone or email.

A couple months later I found out someone across the country had used my SSN and I had to freeze my credit.

Incredible

When I was 10 or so my cousins and I put a basketball hoop in the barn loft after all the hay bales were used for the season. My uncle came up the ladder and told us to be careful or we’d “get a bunch of coons in here playing ball.” I didn’t know that word was a slur at the time, so the image of a bunch of raccoons playing basketball was hilarious to me.

When I was in my 20’s I told that story and everyone just grimaced. Someone had to tell me what he had actually meant.

It’s usually not scary, it just jolts me up and out of bed, which interrupts my already limited sleep. It’s definitely not great. I’m hoping it’ll calm down as my son gets older, but I won’t hold my breath.

This happens to me almost every night. Usually while coming out of sleep, but sometimes while I’m still trying to fall asleep. It used to only happen when I was stressed about work, but once I had a kid it became very frequent.

I hear/see the door open, hear my son’s door open, see giant spiders on the wall, hear someone rummaging through the fridge, hear my son screaming, etc. If I get up to check it’s always nothing.