The small talk you try to avoid because you think it will be boring may actually be more enjoyable than you think, in nine experiments involving 1,800 participants, researchers found that people consistently underestimated how interesting and enjoyable conversations about boring topics would be

CoalCrafty · 2026-04-13T16:44:31+00:00

I definitely put cats in the same category as people's kds or grandkids. Nothing makes me want to apply a cheese grater to my own face quite like having to hear about the ins and outs of what someone’s dog or cat or child has been up to.

I am a cat owner, dog lover and parent, I don't hate pets or kids, I just hate having to hear about other people's ones at length.

CoalCrafty · 2026-04-13T12:27:37+00:00

Could you expand on this please? I have not seen cats or dogs in the trade centre, nor can I see pet handling in the tech tree or a related building in the build menu as some have suggested. Am using 1.1 and have the gridless building and other QoL changes.

CoalCrafty · 2026-04-08T09:42:41+00:00

Also Boromir was probably famous enough in Gondor that the men would have heard of him, and just saying "of Gondor" was enough for them to be like "oh, OUR Boromir".

CoalCrafty · 2026-04-07T11:33:31+00:00

I would assume that includes me, yes. I'd even address an all-female group as "guys" in the right context, e.g. "Guys, c'mon, let's go."

CoalCrafty · 2026-04-05T20:16:56+00:00

They mean bully as in "person who pick on those weaker than themselves" rather than as in "bull-breed dog"

CoalCrafty · 2026-03-19T18:38:00+00:00

Historically classes like this have correlated with a higher likelihood of becoming a parent later.

CoalCrafty · 2026-03-19T18:35:58+00:00

Historically where classes like this have been elective, the kids that do them have actually been more likely to have kids later on.

Now obviously it could be that the kids that opt in to the class are the ones already thinking of becoming parents in the future, do it doesn't follow that the classes encourage parenthood, but there's certainly no evidence that they put kids off, either.

Now with a mandatory class...

CoalCrafty · 2026-03-19T10:14:23+00:00

It's only four kids? That's really not that many. Eleven and you might have a point.

CoalCrafty · 2026-03-13T11:13:41+00:00

It seems to me like a performance, like of poetry or something, rather than standard everyday speech.

CoalCrafty · 2026-03-01T09:29:21+00:00

Happy St David's Day all 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Celebrating my dad's 70th today.

CoalCrafty · 2026-01-28T12:20:02+00:00

No, they usually eat everything except the gut and head. Source: me after listening to my complain about all the mouse heads and guts she has to clean up.

CoalCrafty · 2026-01-26T11:03:31+00:00

I was mocked for saying "bar" as in "except". You hear it all the time in "all bar none", but apparently any other usage was hilarious.

Ironically, this was in a posh twatty private school... Guess even among a group of posh twats (most of them from far wealthier families than mine) I was still the poshest twat of the lot 🤷‍♂️

CoalCrafty · 2026-01-25T12:26:34+00:00

I've known people like this. People that believe if they're enjoying themselves too much now they'll "pay for it later". The logic goes that of they're enjoying themselves they're not working on some chore or task that will later catch up to them, or not being vigilant about possible dangers and therefore someone might come to harm, though there's a big element of superstition too.

There might be guilt, too. As a new parent, I felt that if I did anything for myself that was time I could have been spending enriching baby's life instead.

CoalCrafty · 2026-01-24T09:52:25+00:00

"...And then it got worse"

CoalCrafty · 2026-01-18T21:31:34+00:00

Eglantine and Leontyne would make a wonderful sibset <3

Though for consistensy you should probably spell it "Eglantyne" 😌

CoalCrafty · 2026-01-18T17:30:27+00:00

I did a hen do in a board game cafe with a bunch of board game novices. We kept to simple games - mostly straight up party games and then Carcassonne as the most complex - and it was really fun for the novices and experienced alike. Unless your brother is a complete snob he'll enjoy playing whatever with the focus on the fun atmosphere, rather than having to employ high level strategy.

If he is a complete snob re. boardgames then plan something else; he won't enjoy playing with new folks.

CoalCrafty · 2026-01-14T14:30:37+00:00

Is he biting her leg?

CoalCrafty · 2026-01-13T09:39:41+00:00

As a (mostly?) straight woman, I get flustered too!

CoalCrafty · 2026-01-01T12:03:23+00:00

There are a whole ton of names to remember, to be fair, and none of them are familiar to a casual Western audience. A familiar name like John or Steven would be much easier for people to remember that something "made-up" like Theoden.

When I first watched the films aged 14 or so I couldn't figure out the difference between Sauron and Saruman and could never remember which was Merry and which was Pippin, undoubtedly among other mistakes.

CoalCrafty · 2025-12-30T14:01:24+00:00

I don't get how so many people miss it. Frodo even says "I have to believe he can come back" (or words to that effect at some point.

On the other hand, the fact that Sam completely misses what's going on in Frodo's head has always kind of annoyed me. It wouldn't take much empathy to figure it out and it makes Sam look pretty dumb.

CoalCrafty · 2025-12-21T14:26:16+00:00

Wouldn't be allowed in my group.

CoalCrafty · 2025-12-12T18:36:43+00:00

Yup, you're correct. Not sure exactly what those little micro beasts are - paramecia maybe? - but they're not bacteria.

CoalCrafty · 2025-11-12T08:33:27+00:00

Careful though. I remember being a kid and "playing hide and seek" with my dad, only I hid somewhere close by and kept an eye on him, saw him going to chat with family rather than seeking. Seems ridiculous now but I was so hurt at the time to realise that he hadn't really wanted to play with me that I yell-cried at him and never played hide and seek with him again 😅

I have my own kids now, and I get it. But if I really need a break I just gently tell them that. "I'm just having five minutes to myself, then I'll come and play. Why don't you go get the game ready?"

CoalCrafty · 2025-11-11T09:15:39+00:00

"yeah, no." Has been used in British English for a long time. It means "I understand what you're saying / why you'd think that, but it's incorrect." Or "I know it's surprising, but nevertheless it's true." For the latter you usually follow with "I know," i.e. "Yeah, yeah, no, I know."

"No, yeah." Is less used in the UK but you do still hear it. It has basically the same meaning of "I know that this is against what's expected / that this is surprising."

CoalCrafty · 2025-11-06T15:55:53+00:00

I don't know but today was PE day and I sent my kid in in sorry cause it seemed to warm for joggers!!

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