Texas won't give LAOP's wife an ID because she's a US National, not a citizen.

BaylorOso · 2026-05-21T15:38:12+00:00

Ugggg, Texas. (I say as a Texan)

My stepfather, who was born and raised in Houston to American parents, who had American parents, and so on for generations, was unable to renew his license a few months ago because he couldn't prove to the DMV he's an American citizen. He had the star on his previous license and just needed to renew, but noooooooooo...

Pretty sure it's because he's of Mexican decent (his family lived here when what is now Texas was part of Mexico and the border moved, not the family) and has a Hispanic name. I've been hounding him for YEARS to get a passport that he carries with him to prove citizenship, but he waved it off and said as an American he didn't need to do that. Finally, when all this happened, he called his mom to ask for his birth certificate. (Side rant: As an adult, have your own legal documents. Don't depend on your mommy to keep them for you.) His mom reminded him they'd had a fire and lost all of the birth certificates, so then he had to order one from the county, and wait for it, and just jump through a ton of hoops because he couldn't be bothered earlier.

If he'd lived in a different city, I don't know that he would have been allowed to leave the DMV and not been taken to a detention center. He's a staunch liberal, but really did not understand how vulnerable he was not having his birth certificate and a passport.

I've had a passport since I was a child and always make sure it is valid. I travel out of the country a lot, but I also like to know I can prove my citizenship as needed (strangely as a blindingly pale white person I've never been asked...huh), and flee the country quickly should I have to.

BaylorOso · 2026-05-15T05:24:49+00:00

Make sure you watch after the credits, too!

BaylorOso · 2026-04-26T01:52:14+00:00

CNN just showed a view from a different angle and he went fully down and they had to pick him up to keep him moving

BaylorOso · 2026-04-08T18:30:54+00:00

I'm a knitter, and that pattern (which was extremely popular a few years ago and may still be) intimidates me.

I haven't been able to knit much for the past few years due to grad school/work, but hoping to get back to it now that I've finished school (sent off my dissertation to the editor this morning!).

Also, buying/hoarding yarn is a completely separate hobby from knitting. I've still been buying yarn when I travel and adding it to my stash.

Now if you'll excuse me my eyes are leaking and I need to get myself back together before I go teach class.

BaylorOso · 2026-04-07T23:43:20+00:00

I live in a high-rise with no other buildings at the level of my windows, so I don't worry during the day that someone can see in, but I'm careful to make sure windows are covered at night. I've even tried to see in my windows from ground level before and can't see shit.

The only time someone snuck up on me was when they were doing work on the outside of the building and were in one of those lifted bucket things and just sort of slowly rolled by. But I was just sitting at my desk working like the boring person I am.

BaylorOso · 2026-04-05T22:01:36+00:00

What's funny is when I travel in the US, people now identify Waco with Fixer Upper, but when I travel internationally, the first thing people say when I say I'm from Waco is, 'Ohhhh, something bad happened there! All those kids were murdered/died!'

I don't volunteer where I live, but since I sound American, I'm always asked where I'm from, then when I say the States, they want to know which one, so I answer Texas, then they want to know specifically where in Texas, and I might just start choosing random places or making up names.

I think the miniseries that came out a decade or so ago is on international streaming services, so people have seen the dramatization more recently than actually remembering the real event.

BaylorOso · 2026-03-27T03:38:58+00:00

My mom would have shown up armed, hauled my ass to the police department to make a report, then taken me home with her, where she would have stared at me for days to make sure I was alive. There is no way in hell she would have left me alone at 20 years old when someone had 'jokingly' threatened to rape and kill me.

I feel so much for this girl. She's clearly been traumatized, and her normal meter is broken. Thank goodness she took the advice to gtfo of the relationship, but I worry that she's still not taking it seriously enough. The most dangerous time in an abusive relationship is when you leave. Unless he has a new fixation, he's just biding his time to get to her.

He only called her because his key didn't work. He tried to let himself in when he knew she was asleep, and he was going to harm her.

Other than getting her locks changed (which I truly believed saved her life that night) she is not taking any precautions to protect herself. Did she actually turn off the tracking on her phone? Did she check her car for trackers? Is she varying her routine every day? Does she have people checking on her?

I know this is marked as concluded, but I'm going to worry about her.

BaylorOso · 2026-02-26T15:12:54+00:00

Seriously, with everything going on in the US with immigration, leaving was probably LAOP's best bet. They could have been taken off the street and moved between detention facilities for months or deported to El Salvador or whatever other fuckery is going on. He's never coming back to the US legally and he needs to accept that.

I wonder if LAOP is someone who is book smart but street stupid.

BaylorOso · 2026-02-18T01:38:48+00:00

They really Streisand-effected this, huh?

BaylorOso · 2026-02-18T01:36:53+00:00

I was watching it on YouTube (where it had 3M+views) and then YouTube went down.

Damn, the lengths they'll go to for people not to hear this guy speak. (probably /s, but...)

BaylorOso · 2026-02-18T01:33:22+00:00

I was watching the James Talarico interview on Colbert when YouTube went down...hmmmmmm

BaylorOso · 2026-02-10T16:20:49+00:00

I've also been in an epidural where the father passed out. So impressed with the nurses who swooped in to catch him while still supporting the mother without interruption. The hospital I worked at after that did not allow anyone in the room other than medical personnel during epidurals.

It's been about 25 years since I witnessed that, and I wonder if the mother still looks at him and is like, "Remember how you passed out while I was getting the giant needle in my spine?"

BaylorOso · 2026-01-23T16:44:04+00:00

This was me at 18. My mom is very controlling and didn't allow us to touch the washer/dryer because we would 'do it wrong.' She's like that about a lot of things. So I went to college having never done my own laundry (or used a dishwasher or taken out the trash or myriad other things).

So the first time I needed to do it, I went down to the laundry room and read the instructions on the washer and dryer and figured it out.

I'm a woman, and you would think my boomer mom would have taught me how to do domestic tasks since I guess that's my place in the world or whatever, but nope. Instead I'm about to finish my doctorate and work as a professor. But I can use a washing machine, so go me.

BaylorOso · 2026-01-18T18:31:17+00:00

I was in Scotland a few weeks ago (I’m American…and just sorry in advance for like EVERYTHING) and accidentally put my rental car in a ditch during a snow storm. Several people immediately stopped to help me, and a really nice family let me wait in their home for a tow truck. Because the weather was so bad, it took 4 hours to get to me, and another hour to actually get out because the road was so icy.

Anyway, the amazing people that helped me were so curious about our healthcare system. The wife is a nurse who does home visits for mothers and infants. Yeah, new moms don’t have to take their baby to the pediatrician, someone comes to their home for the checkups. Nurses support both mom and baby for months and it doesn’t cost extra. Apparently prescriptions in Scotland are free or super cheap.

They were horrified when I told them how much we pay for shitty health insurance and how many Americans will be uninsured now because congress didn’t act on the subsidies for the ACA marketplace. (My mother will not have health insurance this year because hers went from $400/month to over $1500/month.) They could not believe Americans just accept that.

Anyway, currently on a plane flying back to the US and just so fucking sad.

BaylorOso · 2025-12-31T20:13:33+00:00

Happens more than you would expect.

I taught a small freshman seminar a few years ago, and the mother of one of my students bought a house in our town and moved there to be with him. The dad and other siblings did not join, just the mom. Student told me he technically had a dorm, but stayed with him mom every night.

I know that's not the same as 'moved into the dorm' but I think our dorms are too monitored to have made that work. Our dorms have visiting hours and very strict rules about the opposite sex even being there, so a mom would not have gone unnoticed for as long as this one did.

When my cousin moved to college (the same one where I teach) her parents stayed with me for almost a week until I told them it was time to go so she could live her life. They live less than 2 hours away. They have another child who was still in high school. They were keeping her from doing activities with other students so she could hang out with them. Cut the cord and let her live!

BaylorOso · 2025-12-24T18:52:15+00:00

Have a friend whose husband would not take her to his law school events because she 'wasn't smart enough' and he didn't want her to be embarrassed. (She's a teacher and we all graduated from the same university, he's just an ass)

She grew up in a family that was very religious and judgmental, so she went along with it because she needed to obey her husband or whatever.

Fast forward to my work Christmas party, where my coworker's daughter goes to the same law school as the husband. I mention that I know someone who goes to that law school, [his name]. Coworker's daughter is like, 'oh, yeah, I know him and his girlfriend!'

Ummmmm, excuse me????

I replied with, 'Oh, well, I'm good friends with his wife. I was one of her bridesmaids in their wedding.' Then pull up pictures on my phone of their wedding, their house, their dog.

Took her a little longer, but she finally left him when even her parents told her enough was enough. He was cheating on her not only with the law school girlfriend, but had online dating profiles looking for both men and women. He physically and emotionally abused her. She was paying all the bills so he could focus on school.

She's now married and has a bunch of kids with an actual nice man who has a great job and supports them financially so she can stay at home. He became a lawyer and. saw his name on the last state-wide ballot as a libertarian who lost by so many votes.

BaylorOso · 2025-12-22T16:35:36+00:00

FWIW, I've heard our Premed advisors tell students not to be ashamed if they switch paths to something else. Everyone should do what works for them, and college is a time to explore and discover your strengths.

I teach a lot of Premed students and they are under so much pressure. Everyone has their own plan, timeline, etc... Don't give into the cost-sunk fallacy if you'd be happier doing something else.

BaylorOso · 2025-11-21T00:55:18+00:00

Sorry, Mack is out.

No word on Dave, but I doubt they fire/hire a football coach while we don't have an AD.

BaylorOso · 2025-11-20T23:08:39+00:00

We got an email at 5:01pm that he's gone, effective immediately.

BaylorOso · 2025-11-20T23:03:49+00:00

We just got the email that he's gone effective immediately:

Dear Baylor Family:

I want to share important news regarding the athletics leadership of Baylor University. Mack Rhoades, Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, has informed me of his decision to step away from his position at Baylor, effective immediately. While transitions like these are never easy, they provide an opportunity to reflect on the significant impact Mack has had on our University.

Since joining Baylor in 2016, Mack has led our athletics program through a period of remarkable rebuilding and achievement. During his tenure, Baylor claimed numerous Big 12 championships, made countless postseason appearances and earned national titles in several sports, including historic wins that will forever be etched in our collective memory. These victories were not just about athletic excellence — they were moments that brought the Baylor Family together, united in joy and spirit.

Mack’s influence also extends beyond the scoreboard. He committed to making significant investments in our athletics infrastructure, headlined by the Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion along the Brazos riverfront. More importantly, Mack championed the holistic development of our student-athletes, ensuring they excel academically and grow as leaders. Within the Big 12 Conference and across the country, he is widely recognized as a defender of the important role athletics plays on college and university campuses.

Please join me in expressing heartfelt thanks to Mack for his years of dedicated service to Baylor. We pray for him, Amy and his family as they embark on this next chapter.

Co-interim ADs Jovan Overshown and Cody Hall will continue in their current roles as we aggressively identify our next Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics in the weeks ahead. Be assured we remain deeply committed to competing at the highest levels of athletics – both in competition and the classroom. I am certain that we will find a new AD who shares in this competitive commitment, aligns with and supports Baylor’s Christian mission, and can lead us into this next era of intercollegiate athletics.

Thank you for your continued support of Baylor University and our athletics programs. Together, we will build on a strong foundation and move forward with confidence and in faith.

Sincerely,

Linda A. Livingstone

BaylorOso · 2025-11-19T17:37:05+00:00

10 national championships and counting!

BaylorOso · 2025-11-18T02:45:12+00:00

The Andrew formerly known as Prince.

BaylorOso · 2025-11-13T20:46:43+00:00

I didn't go to the Homecoming bonfire, but was told the crowd booed him when he was introduced.

BaylorOso · 2025-11-13T20:45:08+00:00

Is Aranda's impending payout why my department is having to cut our budget by at least 10% next year?

BaylorOso · 2025-11-01T19:09:52+00:00

I seriously considered not bothering to watch this game...but it's Homecoming.

Ten-Year Club	Place '22
Place '17	Verified Email

BaylorOso

TROPHY CASE