His brother bought a gun, a little 22 pistol, on the advice of his therapist. He’s taking classes, keeps it at home with safety on and a cable lock in a locked bag, and goes to the range to shoot at paper targets on sunday afternoons. Both sons are in their 30s. Angry sun says we shouldn’t have let other son buy it and felt like we were condoning it by connecting him with a navy vet who teaches safety classes. When he got upset with us over the gun I accused him of being drama-seeking in a text (I get that you might enjoy the drama of saying you don’t get along with your family. If you’re not spending time with us, understand that it’s because you’re declining an invitation, not because you’re not invited. We love you and we’re always happy to see you.) That was our last real contact in late July. His wife’s family are total trumpsters- Church-going, racism-spewing trumpsters. I know he hates that, but he spent Thanksgiving with them.

I’m very stubborn and can hold a grudge forever. He shares that trait. I believe he just needs time and will come around. My husband is very very sad about it and scared that we will never see him again. Son with the gun is sad about losing his brother but also thinks he’s being ridiculous.

Plane hijackings, gas lines/limits, mortgage interest rates over 10%, school bomb threats, …

We had movies and songs about nuclear war, Russians, bombing Iran, etc. because these were daily concerns.

Red is the fastest color.

Also, it’s not a lie if you believe it.

Wow. You can fall into that and lose two hours in a few minutes.

The two i listened to most when i was young were Sgt Pepper and Dark Side of the Moon. Happy for the vinyl revival so my kids can experience the two sides of an album.

Mortgage rates were in the teens in the early 80s.

I say all the time how expensive it is to be poor now!! You kinda need a phone; you might find a cheap car but the insurance will be $$; i can barely leave my house without getting on a toll road; you might find a cheap apartment but the rent will include $200 in fees. Every interaction is designed to be profitable for someone and we’re losing.

Practical is sexy.

I have two. One calls me daily and stops by a few times per week. The other one quit talking to us in July. I love them both. I hope the distant one is doing well and returns to us when he’s ready. His brother is missing him and that’s hard.

Agree. I don’t understand following a person instead of a topic. I did follow a few bars, restaurants, etc. to see happy hours info.

It’s like Eucharistic adoration- somewhere someone is keeping it going.

They sit by the door? I don’t understand. Like in a ponytail?

Check out vote411.org

You can see what’s on ballots in different states. You’ll see that there will be elections in the spring for primaries - where they narrow the field for the bigger election in November.

I miss the standard issue cat community.

American, willing to be your brisket judge. Tex-mex too.

I work in schools. Pre-uniforms, there were so so many girls who arrived in appropriate clothes and then removed the top layer. Children shouldnt wear clothes to school that are more revealing than what you’d see in a bar. Social media teaches them that the goal is attention and it doesn’t matter if it’s positive or negative.

I never really believed in podiatrists. I had some stubborn tendonitis and a friend recommended her podiatrist. A $75 orthotic changed my life.

I’m older, my kids are grown, and I’m kinda past caring what other people do and think. I have friends with kids who complain about how expensive it is to enroll kids in the activities that “everyone does.”

I’m mostly surprised that there’s been little response to the boat blasting.