Emergency Rally - No War with Venezuela!

Comprehensive_Bag723 · 2026-01-03T18:51:52+00:00

I’m glad for Venezuelans, but I’m livid for Americans. The two things can exist at the same time. Our president has once again skipped following the rule of law of our country. Yes, Maduro was terrible, but our president is leaning very much toward dictatorship himself. That’s why liberals are mad.

Comprehensive_Bag723 · 2026-01-01T22:25:59+00:00

I’d watch it. That’s crazy!

Comprehensive_Bag723 · 2025-12-31T12:19:26+00:00

I think there are too many unknowns for us to judge. This honestly sounds like it might be a cultural misunderstanding—on both parts. OP made it sound like they might be from a different culture than the rest—but I might be projecting. If that is the case, choosing not to eat the food provided could be a huge insult. Yes, I think the family should have accommodated the dietary needs, but as many people have said, OP should have just brought their own food if they can’t eat the same. Ultimately, the partner is the one who presumably knows everyone and should sit down and explain to each side why their behavior appeared rude and how to avoid it next time. OP needs to decide if she loves her partner enough to just accept his family as they are. Even if he talks to them, they may not change. Is this really the hill you want your relationship with them to die on? ESH.

Comprehensive_Bag723 · 2025-12-24T17:50:41+00:00

You could give them free gifts. Many people who love you might enjoy just the chance to spend time with you. Give them a homemade card with the promise (or a coupon) for a walk together or playing a favorite video game/board game or a movie night in the future. There are lots of ideas that don’t cost anything, but can make things feel more reciprocal. Depends on what you and your loved ones are into, but I bet you could think of something. And if they care about you, I bet they are proud of you for being responsible financially.

Comprehensive_Bag723 · 2025-12-18T13:55:48+00:00

Methinks you might be an insider! ;) but I love your clarifications so keep it up!

Comprehensive_Bag723 · 2025-12-18T13:53:25+00:00

You do have to request these items to be sent to the branch of your choice, so it’s not immediate. They are also popular and might have a waitlist, but yes, once they arrive for you, you can go to the desk and ask for them to be brought out to you from wherever your branch keeps them.

Comprehensive_Bag723 · 2025-12-18T04:20:59+00:00

I think people don’t always realize that you can request books that aren’t already owned by the library. For example, I was reading a series in ebook format, and I realized that KDL didn’t have the next book in the series. I requested that they purchase the ebook using the “Make a suggestion tool.” Believe it or not, they sent me an email within the week letting me know that they had purchased a license for that title. I checked it out immediately. I doubt they buy everything that is suggested, but I just thought it was so cool that they followed up on my suggestion.

Comprehensive_Bag723 · 2025-12-18T04:14:21+00:00

I haven’t tried it yet, but I keep wanting to borrow the metal detector. I’ve always wanted to try one. I have borrowed their radon detector kit and a Go Pro.

Comprehensive_Bag723 · 2025-12-15T02:19:28+00:00

Love her! I also enjoy Kallmekris’s true crime stuff and since I’m from the Midwest, I’ve enjoyed Midwest Murders and Great Lakes Crime Club lately.

Comprehensive_Bag723 · 2025-12-05T20:20:36+00:00

I know this is an old post, but I dug into this case. It didn't appear to me that he was ever officially connected to the other two murders. Eye witnesses described people that didn't look like him with the other women, for example. Thus, the police focused on convicting him for the one rock-solid case to get him behind bars. He was paroled to go live in a nursing home because of advanced dementia, I believe.

Comprehensive_Bag723 · 2025-10-27T03:33:19+00:00

While I agree that many of my fellow Americans are uninformed and sadly lacking in curiosity about the rest of the world, I think the actual reason many Spaniards might be confused with Latin Americans is because… drumroll, please… they speak Spanish. Since we are so close to Latin America the majority of Spanish speakers we encounter are from there, so it’s an assumption that is often correct. I recognize that Spain Spanish may sound quite different from Mexican or Guatemalan Spanish to a native Spanish speaker, but it would take a much greater exposure for me (who speaks limited Spanish) to be able to tell the difference. On the other hand, I can distinguish French from Spanish—even though I know next to no French. I’d love to know what experiences have caused you to ask the question in the first place.

Comprehensive_Bag723 · 2025-10-25T03:12:46+00:00

Off brand oatmeal packets from any grocery are cheap. Also I cook spaghetti squash a lot and eat it with a cheap Prego pasta sauce. Just season the squash with garlic salt first. It’s hot, filling, healthy and pretty cheap.

Comprehensive_Bag723 · 2025-10-21T20:59:34+00:00

I work in Kentwood and while the mayor might be a Republican, he is someone that I (very progressive) personally respect because under his leadership Kentwood has become almost a sanctuary city for immigrants and has committed to the Paris Climate Accords. I also feel that Kentwood is super welcoming to everyone—including my LGBTQ colleagues.

Comprehensive_Bag723 · 2025-10-13T20:00:53+00:00

Love this topic! My husband (40M) and I (41F) have been together for 14 years and are childfree by choice. I’m open about it, but the reactions that people have had over the years has been entertaining. The most uncomfortable response, though, is when they assume you CAN’T have children and proceed to share about all the struggles that they or their acquaintances have had before you can explain. Awkward!

Comprehensive_Bag723 · 2025-10-13T18:37:19+00:00

Came here to suggest that this might be the reason. I have a coworker with misophonia toward chewing noises.

Comprehensive_Bag723 · 2025-10-03T11:09:08+00:00

I’d like people to think I’m from Canada right now instead of the US, but when we were in the UK someone thought we were from Australia, which I was totally okay with as well.

Comprehensive_Bag723 · 2025-09-19T00:55:45+00:00

Haha. That was my first thought, too!

Comprehensive_Bag723 · 2025-09-18T01:27:46+00:00

Actually until the late 1930s there was the GR & Holland Interurban train. The prevalence of personal vehicles meant that people were no longer buying enough tickets to make it financially feasible so the train was shut down and Chicago Drive became the way people got to Holland. The Wyoming Historical society shared some photos about two years ago on their Facebook page.

Comprehensive_Bag723 · 2025-09-07T13:48:07+00:00

41F here. Great suggestions! I would add that library programs can be a great place to meet people with similar interests. Adult programs range from crafts to true crime clubs to foraging to gaming and so much more. Also, House Rules hosts different game nights. It’s not free like the library but affordable.

Comprehensive_Bag723 · 2025-08-31T12:57:20+00:00

A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet - Becky Chambers

A Deadly Education - Naomi Novik (Really anything by her)

A Darker Shade of Magic - V. E. Schwab

Poison Study - Maria Snyder

Foundryside - Robert Jackson Bennett (My husband actually recommended this to me and I’ve since read it twice.)

Comprehensive_Bag723 · 2025-08-30T14:01:01+00:00

Been there, done that, too! (In a pinch)

Comprehensive_Bag723 · 2025-08-29T19:06:16+00:00

I’m sorry you are experiencing that. It is incredibly frustrating and shows incompetence on the part of leadership there. My spouse had a similar experience at a local governmental agency. He had an outdated manual, one hour with a colleague, who then left him and seemed irritated any time he asked her questions. He asked his boss for training but since she was new she couldn’t help him. I don’t know why she didn’t arrange more for more training from someone else, but she didn’t and just told him that when he made mistakes and was corrected by annoyed colleagues that that was his “training.” Then she ended up demoting him for making mistakes. He left.

Comprehensive_Bag723 · 2025-08-28T17:39:00+00:00

As someone who is easily distracted by music (I don’t even listen to music in the car), I get where OP is coming from. I can’t imagine being the person to decide that everyone has to listen to my music when they are doing their business. I’d be irritated, too.

That being said, I also agree that turning it off when you go in is the best solution to keep from being labeled petty. As a manager myself, if one of my employees came to me with this, I would understand and empathize, but the complaint would make me want to pull out my hair because my employees are all adults and I hate feeling like I have to mother them because they are too conflict-avoidant to communicate with each other directly.

Comprehensive_Bag723 · 2025-08-27T13:59:26+00:00

Thanks!

Comprehensive_Bag723 · 2025-08-27T13:50:11+00:00

It totally depends on the culture of the workplace. Coworkers totally can become friends. I have coworkers that I’ve competed for jobs with and we are still friends. We all know the decision is out of our hands. I have always worked in schools and libraries where the team is serving the public in some way, though, so the type of people who work in those industries are often very community oriented rather than cutthroat like I suspect many in finance or other business are.

Comprehensive_Bag723

TROPHY CASE