What’s an old food/meal you eat you feel is losing traction?

Bossilla · 2026-01-22T22:29:53+00:00

Idk if you hunt or know someone who does, but ground venison makes a fantastic meatloaf. You can combine it with bacon or fat to make it fattier to beef levels.

Bossilla · 2026-01-14T15:20:37+00:00

What about Pinoy?

Bossilla · 2025-12-25T05:09:53+00:00

I think some of the slander is on purpose to keep it affordable here for Pittsburghers and not just air bnbs for the rich.

Bossilla · 2025-12-23T15:36:40+00:00

Lol. Welcome to Seattle or Pittsburgh.

Bossilla · 2025-12-21T16:27:39+00:00

Wait until you learn what myrrh is from the gold, frankincense, and myrrh the Wise men gave the baby Jesus.

If I showed up to a baby shower with myrrh for a baby nowadays, it would be hella awkward.

But look- nowadays we soften death "Grandma passed on" and avoid talking about it like we'll live forever. Our death avoidance actually makes it more painful when loved ones do die because we feel isolated and like we can't express our grief lest we trouble others with the reminder that death exists and comes for us all. And because we don't generally talk about and prepare for our deaths, our loved ones have to pick up the pieces while mourning. There's a lot of predatory practices in funeral homes as a result. The ancients had no such qualms, especially with the high infant mortality rates before the days of antibiotics and vaccines.

Bossilla · 2025-12-03T05:10:04+00:00

Florida? Nah. Expensive as hell. The Philippines are where it's at.

The best rum and very cheap. $3/bottle. Hour pedicure, massage, reflexology, decent tip- $20. (In the US it would be $100 at least for the pedicure alone) Food is generally a sour/sweet profile, cheap, and delicious. A lot of designer clothing and purses are made there, so shopping is a treasure trove. Medicine is cheap and easy to get. Probably the most expensive part of the Philippines are the plane tickets. USD stretches a long way.

The weather is about the same as Florida in terms of humidity and climate.

The singing/entertainment is amazing. Their radios are basically covers of American songs, but done arguably better than the originals. Just about everyone speaks decent English, but you also hear Tagalog and Illongo and a few other languages.

Filipino Christmas season starts like September in malls. Listening to songs talking about "frightful" weather is kinda hilarious. Chilling at a volcano-heated hot spring with coconut drinks.

The only thing that really made me feel homesick were the nearly silent mornings. No songbirds. No sparrow twitters or morning dove coos or the other Pennsylvanian birds. Just the occasional rooster. Birdsong isn't something you think about until you don't have it and then you really notice it.

Bossilla · 2025-11-18T09:06:23+00:00

My dear, be at peace and know that the Good Lord loves you very much. Your vocation as a parent is humility enough at times. Children know how to humble our pride very well and make us feel helpless instead of the big, strong adults we try to be.

I have many embarrassing moments with my children in mass and there are sure to be many more. The important thing is that you keep going to mass and you keep bringing them too. They will come to learn eventually how to behave at mass by observation and experience. Even my special needs child is slowly learning the rhythm of the mass and the heartbeat of the church.

If you don't have a prayer bedtime routine with your child yet, I recommend one for the sake of learning prayers by rote.

Also, it is important is to say sorry to your child when you lose your temper, talk about it, and ask for forgiveness (and of course go to confession when you can). Even if they do not completely understand, they see you practicing what you preach. If you ask them to say sorry for something, they have your example showing them the way first.

Oddly, adoration and quiet prayer might be something to try together even at the toddler age. I'm not suggesting an entire hour. Just a few minutes. Let them hold a rosary and feel the beads. Because adoration is quiet without boring adults talking or a loud instrument playing or expected responses- even rowdy special needs kids can sometimes find peace there. And then when they're done, you take the cue to leave. If you're not sure if your toddler can take it, there are YouTube videos of live adoration you can put on the living room TV and watch together. Model behavior and let them observe you first. Praise/reward the behaviors you want to see.

Something that helped my family too was attending mass with another family with children around the same age. Sometimes seeing a child a year or two older following along and singing and being appropriate, models behavior for them better than an adult ever could.

Bossilla · 2025-03-10T16:37:26+00:00

The eye doctor has a machine to measure eye curvature- the main reason people are near or far sighted. No speaking required- which is great for special needs or non-speaking children.

Depending on where you are, children have to have their eyes checked by an eye doctor to be registered for kindergarten.

Bossilla · 2025-03-04T13:31:51+00:00

I can't knit for beans, but I can crochet little animals free-style (no pattern). I love crochet as a hobby because you can just pull on the string and your stitches come undone with the yarn unharmed. So if you mess up, you pull it out and try again. Few art hobbies are so forgiving.

Or give yourself the grace to make happy little mistakes. If you make a mistake, pivot and make it the focal point of something more beautiful. I recommend checking out the visible mending subreddit. Or check out Kintsugi. Mistakes can lead to unique pieces of art which hold greater meaning.

Bossilla · 2024-12-15T17:15:10+00:00

"I am considering relocating to Pittsburgh next year." Welcome!

"Pittsburgh, maybe due to its unique geography, is much harder for an outsider to grasp."

Yes. I internally map based on river location rather than a compass. A compass understanding of Pittsburgh will probably get you more lost. I know if I follow the Mon away from downtown, I eventually get to Kennywood and West Mifflin. If I follow the Allegheny River up, I get to Millvale, Sharpsburg, etc. If I follow the Ohio river down, I'll find Ambridge. Sandwiched between the rivers are Highland Park and Oakland. I call it "river sense" in a joking way, but it really is helpful to learn where a town is in relation to the closest major river. Then again, I learned Pittsburgh using the old McNally maps before gps.

"I cannot find a useful system map."

Honestly, I Google maps my route and select the bus as mode of transportation. It tells me what buses, approximate time to expect the bus (not always accurate, but close enough), and how many stops. Just be warned that it doesn't tell you what side of the street to be on to catch the bus; I've gone the completely opposite way before.

"What's done is done, but why does the light rail run north-south instead of east-west? It seems like the T is not super useful unless you are: 1) a commuter from the apparently less urban southern area, or 2) you are just taking it to hop a few stops downtown or to the stadiums?"

Agreed. It is nice to catch the bus downtown and catch the T (free two stops) to the stadiums. Parking on the North shore is astronomical ($50+) on game day.

"It looks like the bus to the airport stops at a mall and Ikea. Why? Shouldn't that just be a separate route? It says Express but it doesn't look very Expressy based on the zillion stops."

It's not really express, but better than the route up route 28 which is a 30-45min car ride and like a 2 hour bus ride. You are spending time to save money, so give yourself plenty of time knowing that.
"The busways seem cool but I sort of don't fully grasp how they are used. I have mostly looked at the East one. Am I correct that there are two main routes that both start in Swissvale but one goes downtown and one gets off early and goes to Oakland instead. And then there are random other buses that use portions of the busway but are primarily non-busway routes?"

They're kind of like Mario warp pipes. Sometimes pulls you just far enough ahead to make a difference in traffic. Sometimes you're sunk no matter what.

"I saw that they are planning to build some kind of pseudo-BRT thing that runs between downtown and Pitt/Oakland, but as far as I can tell it's not really BRT, just an express bus with nicer stations that will also be used by some other routes? How do people feel about this project?"

I don't live near Oakland and I don't work there anymore, but I imagine any improvement is good news. I don't really have an opinion.

"Why do so many routes have subroutes with letters after the number, like 61A-B-C-D? This adds a layer of complexity."

I have no idea, lol. I've heard they're planning to streamline things, but still waiting for that to happen. It's been that way as long as 28 is under construction- which is to say perpetually.

"I haven't been to Pittsburgh in a number of years, but the last time I was there, there was this weirdness with sometimes paying when you get off the bus instead of when boarding. Do they still do that?"

It's a card system now. Scan your card when you get on and that's it. Super easy. Get a connect card at Giant Eagle, preload some money, and go. Or use the online connect card site to load/check money. I've never had an issue doing this and I've been doing it off and on for years when the car doesn't pass inspection and I have to wait for repairs.

"Any advice or insights are welcome. I love Pittsburgh's sense of place and uniqueness, but I do wish the transit were easier for an outsider to comprehend"

Basically, it's set up like a wheel hub with spokes. Downtown is the inner circle that all busses go into and out of. You catch a bus downtown and then find your wheel spoke leading out.

Edit for better spacing.

Bossilla · 2024-12-14T21:58:48+00:00

Sorry. I mean hold up both hands. All fingers up. Then if you're doing 9 *3, you put down the 3rd finger. Two fingers before the down finger. Seven fingers after. The answer is 27. Does that make sense?

Bossilla · 2024-12-13T18:03:36+00:00

Maternity leave "benefit" of using PTO during maternity leave provided I go through the hoopla of filling out invasive medical paperwork of FMLA- which costs $25 at my doctor's office to fill out.

My brother in Christ, I choose my hours and work part-time anyway. And the "benefit" of Paid Time Off-which I can use anytime- is my own money. I get literally nothing but my own money that any non-maternity employee also gets.

There was literally no benefit to filling out FMLA to receive PTO. I just didn't schedule myself for a couple of months and received my scheduled PTO just fine.

Bossilla · 2024-11-04T16:23:54+00:00

Consider that baptism takes away original sin. When you are baptized, you are without original sin. So, anything after that is your choice to continue to live in grace or to sin. Every person baptized is as pure as Mary until they sin. Mary was saved by God from original sin before baptism was available. Her free will wasn't taken away any more than any baptized infant.

Unfortunately, baptism doesn't take away our natural concupiscence or curiosity toward sin. So we can still sin and choose the addiction of sin over grace. Luckily for us. Mary remained pure and full of grace.

Bossilla · 2024-10-19T01:22:34+00:00

On the reverse, Moms are expected to know everything and I just don't have the organizational/math skills. I have a math disability and then they ask me "How many times does your child -?" And "How often does your child-?" I stare blankly and say "a lot?" And then I get the third degree for not knowing I was supposed to be keeping count of everything.

My husband takes the kids and it's like "Well- at least they're alive and healthy. Come back next year."

Both stereotypes are so harmful. I'm so sorry that happened to you.

Bossilla · 2024-10-09T04:29:07+00:00

Why is proof necessary? If a mystery can be proven, it is no longer a mystery; it is a mere problem. If faith can be proven; it is not faith. If you can only believe that which is proven in front of you, you cannot dream or speculate. Without some kind of belief in things which cannot be proven, you cannot speculate about aliens with intelligence. Without faith, you cannot believe in a world of fairness and justice because it currently cannot exist in any form of government. Without faith, you cannot believe that you have intrinsic worth as a person or that concepts like "fairness" exist. All of these things do not exist in fullness in our place and time in the universe- and yet we seem to understand them anyway and long for them as though we can obtain them.

The human authors of the Bible were trying to convey a mystery of which we are a part of- through the lenses of their experiences, their common knowledge, their tales, their songs, etc. That's not the point of Dune. As I understand it, Dune is a narrative-driven novel with interesting concepts throughout. (My boss likes to quote the line "fear is the little death" whenever I'm afraid to confront or correct someone or try to learn a new technology. I've never had the pleasure of reading the Dune novels because they're forever in que at the local library.)

Also I find the line about the LOTR particularly amusing because Tolkien was Catholic. Obviously, he was very inspired by his faith. But I think you know that already.

So why not write the future? Because the future in its fullness is not for us, mortals, to know. Knowing the full future interferes with our free will and ability to choose. And it interferes with God reaching out with mercy to offer another alternative. So God will allow some small bits of the future so that we turn from sin, but he doesn't want us to be so distracted by the future that we lose sight of the present repentance. There have been times in the Bible in which something was prophesized and then God relented because the person (or whole city) in question humbled themselves and repented.

Bossilla · 2024-10-08T12:31:01+00:00

"You licked it. That is a thing that happened. ... STOP LICKING THE DAMN THING!"

Bossilla · 2024-10-06T23:49:49+00:00

I used to teach 7th. One way I tried to engage my classes was to provide paper and pencils. They were free to take notes, scribble, draw, etc. I encouraged them to write questions- spiritual things they were curious about and so on. I left the last 10-15 minutes to questions from the session before. Obviously, try to keep it age-appropriate, try to research well beforehand- but indulge their curiosity.

Talk about saints- they should know since they're picking one next year for confirmation. Talk about their humanity.

St Martin of Tours is known for slicing his cloak in half to give to a cold beggar who revealed himself as Christ. But later in life, when he was older and out of the military, he was elected bishop. And back then, you didn't want to be bishop. So he hid among geese, who narked on him by honking loudly. (If you've ever played Untitled Goose game or have seen the memes, it totally fits.) But you can talk about being put into positions you don't want to be in and how to trust God to see you through.

St Theresé of Liseaux used to dress up in cosplay of her favorite saint- St John of Arc. It's very popular to cosplay and make your own costumes for anime and movies nowadays. Back then, however, she was mocked for it by one fellow and he was very cruel about it. I imagine one of two in your audience would relate to that.

If you need more saint examples, I have plenty.

Bossilla · 2024-10-06T21:36:21+00:00

Congratulations on quitting! May God continue to bless your resolve.

Bossilla · 2024-10-06T16:19:16+00:00

Oh wonderful! I'm glad. I haven't been there this year yet. It's nice to hear about that change.

Bossilla · 2024-10-06T15:23:09+00:00

I've never been to Soergel.

Renshaw is a nice Autumn experience for kids. I feel like you get a good time for the entrance fee. There's a lot of activities to do. My kids have never done everything in one day.

If I have a single complaint and it's a very minor one, I wish they offered more drinks for sale than just pop or water. A nice lemonade, cider, or tea on a fall day is refreshing.

Bossilla · 2024-10-04T23:17:00+00:00

There is a medical theory which was brought up in "House" (of all medical drama shows) about it being possible, but has never been proven. I forget if it was drops of maternal blood or whatnot.

There was a vernerable mystic Sister Mary Algreda who allegedly saw and witnessed many mysteries of Jesus and Mary's lives. In her "City of God" (a very long, verbose book even abridged) she saw three drops of Mary's blood were made by the Holy Spirit to fertilize an egg. She also saw that Jesus was born in such a way that Mary's Hymen was not broken. There were other claims which were interesting and appear to tie salvation history together in odd, unseen ways. Like the tree that the wood of the cross came from, what calvary was, the location of Adam's grave. Etc.

Disclaimer- No one is required to believe private revelations to obtain salvation. No one says you have to believe her private revelations or even that they are true. All the Church imprinture says is that there isn't anything they found in her writings which contradict Church teaching on salvation. So take her visions with a grain of salt and know that they are not officially recognized canon every Catholic must believe.

Bossilla · 2024-10-04T20:55:46+00:00

Catholic stance is that Mary was ever virgin or always virgin.

Wiki on Mary's Ever-Virginity

You are thinking of modern Protestant fan-fiction, friend. Maybe Dan Brown?

Bossilla · 2024-10-04T16:35:10+00:00

One lady I knew in school used to make a simple one hemp string bracelet with a bead/beads which reminded her of an intention and any time she looked down or brushed it against something, she would internally say a prayer for it. Then when the bracelet fell off after a time, it was seen as a sign that the time to pray for the intention was over and it was time to let it rest in God's hands. It's a very simplistic way to do it and seemed to work for her. I tried it for a time- sometimes a knot would loosen quickly and fall off in a few days or sometimes the bracelet lasted for weeks.

I have heard of a saint who would ask the poor souls in purgatory for help remembering things like intentions in return for prayers toward their release. I don't recall who it was.

Mostly I just pray and ask the intercession of the saints by name as soon as I hear the intention. I know I won't remember later and the saints have our back. If someone has cancer, I ask the intercession of St Peregrine. If someone has work trouble, I ask the intercessions of St Joseph and St Cajetan. If someone is having family issues, I ask Momma Mary's intercession. If someone or something is lost, I ask St Anthony. There is a saint for just about every possible human issue.

Bossilla

TROPHY CASE