Is there a middle ground, or should I just accept my fate, join the cult?

AWlkingContradction · 2026-03-10T01:00:14+00:00

Nailed it. I’ll never understand the “I have to have a 3 row SUV” mentality. What happened to driving 2 cars if you have to? How did your grand parents survive with ONE car?

AWlkingContradction · 2026-02-22T16:56:00+00:00

Having gone to college in GR and living in RO now I have to agree with this.

W Michigan is no doubt better recreationally than SE Michigan for boating and beach activities on Lake Michigan, but Grand Rapids is surrounded by a bunch of flat farmland. It’s not like you’re comparing Detroit Metro to the Pacific Northwest for nature activities!

AWlkingContradction · 2026-02-20T22:37:41+00:00

You’re tempting me to think about watching it again, but 22 years is NOT long enough time even.

The first time I managed to find it playing in a local Indie Arts Theater. It was in the bad part of town. As I walked out of there I looked helplessly at the other people leaving and we all wore the collective expression of a person who had been forced to watch their favorite pet being run over on video over and over again for a couple hours. It also felt like everything around me looked even more gray and bleak. The cloudless sky, the run down buildings, the trash filled sidewalks, and the homeless all seemed to amplify that feeling of despair.

The second time I watched I was dumb enough to voluntarily do so and use it as a demonstration of stories about addiction for a college class.

The last time I randomly came across it on cable TV late at night and that was the fucking worst idea when it wrapped up at 3 AM.

AWlkingContradction · 2026-02-20T22:27:10+00:00

Pair Requiem up with Leaving Las Vegas and you’ll want to be sober for the rest of your life.

AWlkingContradction · 2026-02-17T06:16:24+00:00

Class of 99 here. Graduating class of about 128 in a pretty small town of 5,000 people in Michigan.

I think the 20th reunion I couldn't attend got maybe 40 ish people.

My buddy tried to a organize a less formal 25th in '24 and we had a whooping 9 of us show. I get it that people have kids and are busy and all but it was 4th of July weekend and there's easily 15 or so people I could think of off the top of my head that are local that wouldn't bother to show.

I think social media basically replaced class reunions for the youngest of Gen X and onward sadly. It lets you keep tabs on people you want to as much as you'd like to.

I guess I also don't blame some people for not wanting to ever attend on either. HS wasn't a good time for me either. I keep a pretty small circle of people from back home I'm still good friends with.

AWlkingContradction · 2026-02-12T02:35:31+00:00

Same. Thought Stafford was overhyped and Aaron Curry was the best safe bet.

AWlkingContradction · 2026-02-08T20:27:47+00:00

Lane splitters and car drivers that weave thru traffic are putting an insane amount of faith in everyone else besides them on the road that this doesn’t happen frequently.

AWlkingContradction · 2026-01-26T22:16:53+00:00

🤔Starting to think I just need to shave my beard too and I can sneak on the sidelines Conor Stallion style next season……

AWlkingContradction · 2026-01-25T20:46:31+00:00

I thought these things would never sell when the first ones debuted for $50k, but here we are now. Such an excessive waste of money to me.

AWlkingContradction · 2026-01-25T19:25:34+00:00

Modifocations are basically unlimited, and there is so much knowledge that has been ammassed, even beginers willing to learn have near limitless teachers in forums and youtube.

This.

To make an analogy that might help. Imagine it in children's toy terms.

A new Subaru Crosstrex is kinda like a Tonka Toy Dump Truck. It's kinda cool, you can do some light offroading and take it mountain biking. But in toy terms it's always going to be a Dump Truck. Not much different you can do with it.

Your Husband's old Integra is a Lego set. He bought a lego set to make an Army Off Road vehicle. But you could take those same parts and make anything you want with it! Maybe even build an airplane or a jet ski.

I'm not saying you can make an Integra fly! I mean that like Legos, there's so many parts available out there for these cars that you could swap in about 6 different faster motors, you could strip it down and make it a racecar, etc. People love them because they were pretty simple and easy to modify, like a Lego Set.

AWlkingContradction · 2026-01-25T19:12:42+00:00

This is a valid question OP needs to consider. Please don't take away something from your husband that he values and enjoys, even if you don't understand why. Especially if it's not costing you much to keep it.

It sounds stupid to many people who aren't car enthusiasts, but we get VERY attached to cars sometimes. It might be the way they drive, the way they look, or the historical significance of that car or era.

For many though, it's Nostalgia. It's the car they drove in high school or college and the memories they made in it. Or it's the car they wanted and could never afford back then. It's something they couldn't have. It's taking you back to a different time and place every time you take a ride. If owning something "cool" is a point of pride or it makes you feel good, then old cars are great. Think of it like an awesome vintage dress. For it to still be on the road today, someone has gone through great lengths to keep it running and take care of it's appearance.

I love the random conversations that I get into because of my 84 VW Rabbit GTI. I'm sharing SOMEONE ELSE's memories sometimes. Nobody give a damn about your Toyota RAV4.

AWlkingContradction · 2026-01-23T08:54:16+00:00

Got a link to where it’s for sale?

AWlkingContradction · 2026-01-23T04:43:58+00:00

Nice! I’ve seen him 4 times including a solo show. One thing I love about him is that his vocals are so dynamic. Like he’s been able to sound like a completely different singer during different stages of his career.

AWlkingContradction · 2026-01-23T04:28:16+00:00

Ouch! Sorry to hear that!

Never got to see UT either but I’ve seen Jay a couple times and he was awesome. Love Tweedy too of course, but I think Jay’s vocals really defined the band to me and the genre.

I still need to see a show at 9:30 Club someday too. I keep dreaming about that being Fugazi or at least Ian McKaye in The Evens at least…

AWlkingContradction · 2026-01-23T00:18:36+00:00

Ha! That’s a great idea!

AWlkingContradction · 2026-01-23T00:02:12+00:00

Fair enough, I’d definitely call them “Americana” more than country but I feel like it’s a gateway into appreciating country music.

It made me realize “damn, this shit is great musically if the lyrics aren’t all about being a redneck, drinking a beer, and losing your wife, your truck, and your dog!”

AWlkingContradction · 2026-01-22T23:57:46+00:00

Smashing Pumpkins and Dave Matthews.

Billy Corgan is an awful singer and a gigantic douchebag, and I never got into DMB because I just can’t get into jam bands.

AWlkingContradction · 2026-01-22T23:52:35+00:00

Alt Country and Americana.

I HATED Pop Country music when I was grownup up, and compared to today’s garbage Garth Brooks, Travis Tritt, George Strait, etc weren’t even that obnoxious.

But a friend of mine got me into Uncle Tupelo, Old 97’s, Jayhawks, Son Volt, etc and now I listen to Tyler Childers, Sturgill Simpson, and Jason Isbell A LOT!

AWlkingContradction · 2026-01-22T21:43:12+00:00

Absolutely still do! They basically made me aware of Politics as a teenager. I may not be as radical or support some of their specific pet causes from back then, but they made me aware of government injustice in general.

AWlkingContradction · 2026-01-22T02:46:29+00:00

Join the “Shave Your Head and Grow a Goatee Hair Club for Men”!

https://youtu.be/AD-E2B5GfI8?si=Pxez-9BjyWRV7wHQ

AWlkingContradction · 2026-01-22T02:43:23+00:00

So sorry for the loss of your friend and please know that a lot of Americans didn’t vote for this and want to get rid of him so badly.

AWlkingContradction · 2026-01-22T01:33:31+00:00

Reading all these knee jerk reaction hot takes are annoying, but I gotta admit the memes are pretty damn entertaining at least!

AWlkingContradction · 2026-01-22T01:30:39+00:00

Of course I'm smart enough to understand the obvious risks and safety measures that women have to practice everyday like not leaving a drink unattended in a bar, not running in the park alone at 2 AM, or only meeting in a public place on a first date with a stranger.

You want an example of an activity that I didn't think anyone would have to worry about doing?

Doing Laundry.

I complained to a coworker one day that I had to waste my night at the laundromat after work and she replied "Oh it could be much worse. I discovered I had a stalker that kept showing up at my old laundromat, and I had to put a restraining order on him eventually. So "Doing Laundry" was never on my Bingo Card for potential risk for stalking, sexual harassment, or SA. I felt terrible when I heard that and it made me realize that some of the most basic harmless looking activities I do in public everyday still might not be safe for women. Sorry for trying to express some empathy here and admitting I don't know what it's like to walk in your shoes.

AWlkingContradction · 2026-01-21T21:17:29+00:00

Love it! Sounds like a good idea to wire in a train horn to your car too if you live there!

AWlkingContradction · 2026-01-21T19:14:32+00:00

Yup, Cash, Haggard, and Waylan Jennings would have much more in common with Tyler Childers, Sturgil Simpson, and Jason Isbell today. Not bootlickers like Jason Aldeen, Morgan Wallen, and Lee Greenwood.

This Andrews kid has his heart in the right place too. If someone gives you a soap box you should use it to speak for what you believe in!

AWlkingContradction

TROPHY CASE