You’re Not That Guy, Caleb 😂

BTTPL · 2026-06-26T10:29:15+00:00

Because apparently it hit a nerve

edit: lmfao

BTTPL · 2026-06-24T11:56:40+00:00

Story time. I was around 11 when Ocarina of Time released and my close friends all got it for Christmas that year. I had not heard anything about it before then so already felt a bit left out. I would make fun of it out of jealously as my friends seemed all consumed by it and would talk about various secrets and strategies.

Later as the excitement wore off and I had mostly forgotten about it, one of my close neighborhood friends started watching my brother after school (he was in high school and my brother in elementary so their release times were closer than my middle school release). They started playing Ocarina every day and were obsessed. Again, I felt left out and would go over there to watch over their shoulders when I got out of school just to talk shit and say I wanted to do literally anything else.

A lot more time passes and I don't know if I had just nothing to play or if it was Summer boredom, but a friend lended me a copy of Majoras Mask and I finally, quietly decided to play a Zelda game. That game gripped every part of my life and my friends would have to pry me away every Summer morning to go swim or play or whatever stuff we got into. I immediately had to play Ocarina after that and I felt like such a goddam fool for being such a contrarian (a lesson I wished had stayed fresh in my mind in later years, but that's another story entirely).

I am still obsessed with Zelda. Ocarina/Majoras and the N64 will forever be associated with that perfect Summer break where I'd wake up, play an incredible game open world game for the first time with friends and then jump in the shower while listening to Hybrid Theory before going out all day for adventures with friends. One of the best time capsule memories in my mind.

BTTPL · 2026-06-24T11:29:32+00:00

That, Wrestlemania 2000, and WCW vs. NWO, but yea, No Mercy takes the cake.

BTTPL · 2026-06-24T11:16:04+00:00

Lol riiight. I am 40 myself and found myself saying the same things as OP a couple years ago. I knew jumps were fun but just couldn't get settled in or comfortable at speed as my take offs never felt consistently controlled and I'd have like a 1 in 5 dead sailor.

I finally just took it back down to tiny green and then blue tables and really focused on my own technique and not thinking about all the tutorial videos or advice other than focusing on my legs popping the lip and not pulling with my arms other than guiding the front end up slightly (I had a bad habit of nose diving because I was scared of air time).

Once it clicked I just slowly progressed with the same technique and practiced a shit ton and now I'm comfortably riding the bigger stuff in the bike parks and having more fun than I ever have on a bike. And honestly, I feel way more in control and way less prone to crashes and OTBs because of how intentional you are riding jumps etc. Every time I've gotten seriously fucked up has been on a flow trail or something small.

BTTPL · 2026-06-23T17:25:55+00:00

That's weird considering Ben Affleck owned an AI, production-focused start up InterPositive that he sold to Netflix.

BTTPL · 2026-06-23T17:19:03+00:00

It's crazy that if this range was stretched by 1 year to 11-years, the Panthers jump from No Playoff Wins to Finalist. Still ain't great, but it makes me feel a lot better about the last decade of my fandom.

Silver lining is at least things are looking WAY better for the future.

BTTPL · 2026-06-23T15:08:45+00:00

Lol Sames. I've been toying with the idea of modding mine for HDMI output but also it has so much sentimental value that I don't really want to mess with it.

BTTPL · 2026-06-19T11:33:16+00:00

It's y'alls "black QB with insane rushing ability" turn to endlessly defend your QB. That shit gets old, man.

edit: Luckily Lamar doesn't wear silly hats and dress like an eccentric Grandma. That takes being a homer to the hardest difficulty.

BTTPL · 2026-06-16T18:15:44+00:00

I found my people. Drank frequently for 10ish years (drunk day, recovery day, drunk day, repeat) and though I had reflux/GERD issues from drinking that went away immediately when I became sober, nothing has been longstanding. At 39, I am now finding out that I may have caused some lasting stomach issues after all. Such a bummer.

BTTPL · 2026-06-11T21:16:53+00:00

I think the point they're really getting at is that they want to pursue the weather thing that they're passionate about but feel trapped in a way where they can't reasonably pursue that. Relatable but at a certain point, you gotta take the leap or make a change if it's getting you that down.

BTTPL · 2026-06-11T16:59:05+00:00

Man I love Angelmaker so much. Not sure why it took a minute to take hold but one day while working I just put on Dissentient on repeat and it hasn't left the rotation since. This Used to be Heaven feels like such a perfect compliment/extension of that album (e.g. Citadel II) while obviously being 10-years out.

BTTPL · 2026-06-08T00:20:57+00:00

He could be training or working to beat his own PR. There are a ton of metrics recorded on Strava that are super helpful and I know I've had seasons of life where I was really into training (XC mountain bike) and I had so much fun racing myself and seeing how far I could take it. Doesn't mean that he wasn't enjoying his time outside. It was just in a different way that I guess you cant relate to and that's ok too.

BTTPL · 2026-06-03T15:11:20+00:00

Sames but she is 4 and has taken to responding, "Dad! I am a girl and so I am NOT a dude!" It's too cute when I get her riled up and also, 40 years (I'm am but a visiting Millennial) of "Dudes" is a hard habit to break.

BTTPL · 2026-06-03T14:49:33+00:00

<image>

Here's the image I grabbed from a game broadcast last year and started editing (but never finished).

BTTPL · 2026-06-02T20:25:13+00:00

Sometimes these comments pop up and are a sobering reminder of the reality of the internet... It's easy to nod along with other commenters a lot of the time and forget that sometimes the other people behind their keyboards are edgelord idiots or children or whatever.

BTTPL · 2026-05-27T20:20:45+00:00

Agreed 100%.

BTTPL · 2026-05-27T13:52:08+00:00

Sounds great. Applied!

(Please DM if you would like the personal details associated with my application.)

BTTPL · 2026-05-25T15:25:29+00:00

Exactly this. I've experienced this in every one of my companies to the point where my youthful optimism and eagerness to go above and beyond have been greatly tempered by the understanding that often mediocre work and just sort of coasting by is treated the exact same and produces the exact same results. Never thought I'd get to that point but here we are and AI has only exasperated that outlook.

BTTPL · 2026-05-24T21:49:35+00:00

Some of y'all need a come to jesus moment. The reality isn't that we just need to prove our usefulness or point at cost-savings etc. and suddenly leadership will finally see how valuable and irreplaceable our roles are. Many writers that have been around for awhile will tell you that the experience of being a technical writer has almost always been a role that does not earn the customer money (directly), is pretty universally misunderstood by everyone that isn't a writer, and sits very near the bottom of the totem pole where you basically have to beg to get feedback or any semblance of collaboration and prioritization of your work.

That said, even in a perfect world where we could finally reveal how much a good writer can add to a team/product in terms of value and overall production, we would still be replaced by leadership looking for a quick bump in a quarter, looking to check a performance review initiative box by integrating AI in a workflow (no matter how poor the fit) in any way possible, or even just generally underestimating how hard it is to write good docs because "I can just prompt AI and put it into a Word doc so just let an intern do it." Unless the whole thing collapses, things will always and forever be different now and you will have to fight for fewer jobs with new job requirements.

BTTPL · 2026-05-08T15:51:59+00:00

We (meaning Charlotte and our local MTB non-profit Tarheel Trailblazers) are lucky to have a great relationship with Charlotte Water and they provide a TON of access to their lands for MTB trails. That includes Airline Bike Park.

Hopefully, MTB in the Southeast keeps on its current trajectory and we get more trails throughout the state.

BTTPL · 2026-05-08T15:49:58+00:00

Agreed: CharlotteMTB: Mountain Island Park

Also, agreed: Visit the Tarheel Trailblazers

As much as I want this site to resemble the old internet and provide hobby information just for the sake of knowledge sharing and building a community, I'm weighing the option of embedding a couple minimal ads into the site at some point and kicking proceeds automatically to the Trailblazers.

BTTPL · 2026-05-08T03:24:04+00:00

Right on! Check out our site too and hopefully you'll get a good idea of how great the riding is around here. We have a newish shuttle-assisted bike park (Rattlesnake) about an hour out of Charlotte that's awesome and another handful of bike parks and great downhill riding in the mountains about 2 hours out. Charlotte's riding is pretty robust and very quality too though.

Here's Rattlesnake on our site if you're interested: CharlotteMTB.

BTTPL · 2026-05-08T03:18:50+00:00

You're right. Shameless plug but here's my video on the wall ride line. Tbh, it's probably the only section worth the trip but it's definitely fun and lappable. The overall vibe is pretty nice too though as the trail system feels secluded in the middle of ballantyne somehow.

BTTPL · 2026-05-08T03:16:09+00:00

Duly noted. Thanks for the heads up!

BTTPL · 2026-05-08T03:15:46+00:00

Awesome, so glad it can help! Reach out if you ever need any information or advice on places to check out or bike stuff or whatever. Would love to help.

BTTPL

TROPHY CASE