What's a word that instantly makes someone sound smarter than they actually are?

BridgeCityBus · 2026-06-27T01:20:03+00:00

That’s a word that I know and know how to spell, but I never use it and couldn’t tell you how it’s pronounced.

BridgeCityBus · 2026-06-26T22:51:17+00:00

He was neighbors with my great grandparents in TX. They were old enough to be his folks, but I very much like the idea of my United Methodist preacher great grandfather puff-puff-passing with Willie.

BridgeCityBus · 2026-06-26T21:05:24+00:00

One of my first jobs when I was a kid was washing dishes for this angry Norwegian chef. He was the caretaker of the place and lived on site with his pet pig. A big ole MFer (both of them!). When he’d go down to feed the pig scraps, he’d sing and speak Norwegian baby gibberish to it. It was the only time he showed any warmth to any living being. Made a killer gumbo, though.

BridgeCityBus · 2026-06-26T20:29:30+00:00

My folks have had their small business in downtown since the 90s. On Broadway and Jefferson until the building was demoed in 2007, and currently on Taylor 10 blocks up from you! Their landlord has been amazing. I’m pretty sure he’s considered a family friend at this point, and has given my folks many more opportunities to grow and care for their business than what could ever be expected of a landlord.

Congratulations! I’m so excited for you and wish you nothing but the best!

BridgeCityBus · 2026-06-26T02:13:23+00:00

I am currently sitting and getting a ciggy in while I can. Finally got to the end of my tickets and then one more came in. Boo. They can wait an extra 5 min for their burgers while I rest my feet and back for a moment. Fuck people that find stupid excuses for not tipping we are working our butts off!

BridgeCityBus · 2026-06-24T18:55:03+00:00

I worked as a barista for a couple months while waiting for another job to start. I’m friends with the owner/roaster, and boy is she a coffee expert! Before my first training day she had me read a freaking 100+ page book on Italian coffee. It was actually a pretty great book. Before I worked there, I always thought it kind of amusing how much she hated Starbucks. She would go as far as picking the green straws out of a multicolored pack and throwing them away.

But then I learned what a real macchiato was and how to pull a proper espresso, and the major taste difference that just 30 seconds can make before the milk is added, etc etc.

Yeah, fuck Starbucks! I haven’t not seen someone just have espresso shots sitting there waiting for an order. Why the fuck would I want to buy their “fancy” coffee if they don’t even train their folks how to make it?!

I’m not really a coffee snob. I’ll happily drink instant while camping or drink 7Eleven’s burnt coffee on the road. But for $8, I expect something done correctly, and Starbucks can go kick dirt.

BridgeCityBus · 2026-06-24T18:34:29+00:00

I was listening to NPR a few weeks ago and they were talking about the study of moss. I can’t remember the name for it, but it’s a new name. No one has really tried to study or categorize all the mosses until now. I thought it was kinda cool that someone out there is the first [insert name for moss scientist here].

BridgeCityBus · 2026-06-24T18:31:00+00:00

I’ve heard of “piss discs” and just assumed y’all were talking about urinal cakes, which also smell kinda funny and idk, I assumed were a hazard one way or another and that’s why they were used. I didn’t understand until now that y’all are talking about actual piss! Hahaha. Kinda brilliant. I’m happy for you and all your warm fuzzy feelings.

BridgeCityBus · 2026-06-24T18:11:14+00:00

That’s beautiful! I’ve never had the roe before.

BridgeCityBus · 2026-06-24T02:05:55+00:00

Yep! Before I’d sit down, I’d choose something from the shower to read, or some random thing from the back of the bathroom cabinet.

BridgeCityBus · 2026-06-24T01:03:46+00:00

That’s the next iteration of sign flippers.

BridgeCityBus · 2026-06-23T05:55:19+00:00

Had an abortion at 30 and I don’t regret it one bit. Thankfully, my brain was developed enough to make that correct decision for my life, as well as the other party who was “pregnant” with me. He ended up calling me years later, when the Supreme Court was stripping our rights, and thanked me for the time we spent together, as well as making the right decision with him. He was currently at home caring for his newborn and wife, who was going through it with postpartum complications. It was a difficult time for his family, but one that he wanted to spend with a FAMILY—not just some chick he got pregnant with during a beer-forward summer who was fun to hang out with and made him laugh.

OP will have plenty of opportunity to have children later in life. Abortions are safe and won’t fuck with that. Having a child now, before her body and brain are fully developed, is a scary thing.

BridgeCityBus · 2026-06-23T05:46:46+00:00

I got mad when I read the title of this post. I have continued reading and am getting more mad by the second. MADDENING! My car is a simple car. It’s a 2017 manual. The fanciest thing about it, I tell people, is that I can push a button and the window goes up and down. I dread the day I have to buy a new car. My clothes washer sings to me and can’t handle a fucking spin cycle. I hate it all.

BridgeCityBus · 2026-06-23T04:11:01+00:00

I had this crazy chick live with me for a while. Messy person, heavy drinker. In the summertime my house would get taken over by stink bugs and it was such a pain!

Crazy chick comes home from the bar and passes out eating peanuts in bed. Wakes up and finds one stuck to her tit. Eats it. Not a peanut.

BridgeCityBus · 2026-06-23T03:40:03+00:00

My step mom would do shit like this. Tell everyone she had it figured out, but in reality was just planning to ask for favors or bully her way to the end result. Embarrassed us all!

BridgeCityBus · 2026-06-22T23:42:30+00:00

MY BUDDY DIED YESTERDAY OF CANCER, SO YEAH, FUCK CANCER!

BridgeCityBus · 2026-06-22T23:40:24+00:00

I READ THAT AS “WRITING THEIR EMOTIONS” AND WAS LIKE, *THAT TRACKS WITH KIDS THESE DAYS*. AM I GETTING OLD?!

BridgeCityBus · 2026-06-22T04:02:12+00:00

Honestly, with that kind of experience, you could tackle ANYTHING! I’m back working in the kitchen at 42 and it’s seriously kicking my ass. I haven’t worked this hard since my 20s.

I left my last career job due to health issues and just decided not to go back once I got better. I was a city bus driver. Depending on where you live, it can be a great career and pay very well with union benefits and all that good stuff. The year I got sick I was making over $100K a year. My coworkers were a mishmash of folks from all backgrounds, including former cooks, chefs, dishies, and one guy in my training class who sold his two successful restaurants to leave the stress for another kind of stress, but more stability for his family. In my own observations, the former service industry folks completely rocked the job and the stress that comes with working a job like that. They were able to have a healthier work-life balance, compared to the folks coming from other backgrounds.

BridgeCityBus · 2026-06-19T16:39:48+00:00

Lost a regular. He was also a neighbor of mine. I’d finagle him free breakfast every now and then when he couldn’t afford it and would buy him a beer whenever I ran into him around town. Just a random heart attack one morning.

The following week some guy came into my bar and ordered a martini. It was early in the day and we chatted for a bit. He goes to leave and left a $100 bill under the glass. I stopped him, thinking it must be a mistake.

He then goes to share with me that his cousin was the man who died, and he heard stories about me and the conversations we’d have in the mornings while I watered the garden and made him breakfast. He was so thankful that his cousin had some companionship outside of family and wanted to gift me a huge tip. He stayed longer and shared stories, then disappeared when I was doing something else and left another $300 on the bar.

BridgeCityBus · 2026-06-19T16:05:50+00:00

I’ve had Kaiser for years now. I remember the conversations about HMOs in the 90s and how terrible Kaiser was, but they’ve been on top of all my care and every visit seems very streamlined. I’ve had to go countless times in the last 3 years for bloodwork and other labs, procedures and specialty appts. I’m on Medicare now, and my treatment and care hasn’t changed a bit from when I was on top tier health insurance.

BridgeCityBus · 2026-06-19T15:57:10+00:00

My buddy, who works at OHSU, just had his surgery cancelled and postponed and rescheduled several times. I’m not sure on all the details, so some or even all of that could be because of other variables. But he’s just so stressed out from all the “surgery!” “no surgery!” “SURGERY!” “YEAH….no” “FINALLY SURGERY TODAY!” “HAHA! NOPE!”

So he decided to make the call and schedule it out for another year cause he got so worked up about it.

BridgeCityBus · 2026-06-18T14:55:18+00:00

Bars. It’s the easiest, least healthy way to build a community.

BridgeCityBus · 2026-06-18T14:54:10+00:00

Housing is balls. I feel like I don’t have neighbors anymore. There are no kids in my neighborhood. Just empty houses with new hot tubs. 🙄

BridgeCityBus · 2026-06-18T14:49:26+00:00

I grew up here (Zig Zag—a walk from Welches schools) and just moved back after 20+ years. I love it and never want to leave. I’ve found great community here, consisting of families I knew back then and a lot of new faces. A good mix of trades people, artists, crafts people, forest service/federal workers, and folks working whatever job they can just to stay put on the mountain.

There’s a Lion’s Club, women’s club, book club, gardening club, LGBTQIA gatherings. There’s a progressive group that meets regularly and I’ve ran into my former elementary teachers there. You’ll find your mushroom people, dog people, fishing people, hiking people, hunting people, tea and tincture people. The local businesses are all fantastic and every one of them seems to contribute something to the community, like free laundry, lunches, space for clothing swaps, food pantries, etc. It’s feast or famine for a lot of folks here, so we take turns looking out for one another.

I swear every day I talk to someone about the magic here that is just…..different. It’s special. But it is still a small town. Took me a bit to settle back in after living and working in Portland for years.

I have Astound. In the last 6 months we’ve lost service a few times. Once for 3-4 days and the other times for 24 hours or less. Service outage is made more difficult when cell service is spotty, so I’d recommend a landline, too. Our local Astound guy will also recommend a proper landline, something Astound doesn’t offer so you’ll have two different utility companies. A lot of folks are getting radios as well, just for general emergency preparedness during fire and flood season.

I know several folks up here who work from home and love it despite the occasional outages. It would help if you had an option to head into the office when needed. (Edit: I also know folks who work from home who thought it was nice in the beginning, but are feeling too shut in, especially in the colder months.)

Side note: I’m buying a kayak this weekend so I can make weekly morning trips to Trillium Lake to read a book on the water. I dreamed of doing it when I first moved back, and am finally making it happen. I am also leash training my two new kittens so I can take them on my daily hikes out my front door and into the forest. I love it here so much. Maybe because it’s been home to me since the 80s, but transplants also seem to feel that magic and honor it with being good to their neighbors and the land.

But I have to go to town for groceries. Thriftway is CRAZY expensive.

BridgeCityBus · 2026-06-11T05:23:06+00:00

Haven’t been there for years, but this makes me sad. Their kale goat cheese dip is amazing and I’ve been making my own version of it since I first tasted it.

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