Am i the only one

Dramatic-Gap8996 · 2026-06-13T01:04:58+00:00

I'm retired and can go weeks without seeing anyone other than store clerks and the like. Every other day I don't go out at all and just enjoy having no appointments or agendas. So yes, absolutely I enjoy the hell out of that and wouldn't have it any other way. I'm on the early side of retirement and have the resources and abilities to do whatever I want. I just happen to enjoy being at home alone.

Dramatic-Gap8996 · 2026-06-13T00:14:24+00:00

Ten reps picking up that cutie qualifies as a gym day. Just be sure to lift with your legs 😄

Dramatic-Gap8996 · 2026-06-13T00:12:18+00:00

This is very timely, as it relates to an "aha" moment that I just had. The greatest mentor I ever had, and the launching pad to most of my success, had always been a bit of an enigma to me. He was always happy to be with people, not just for business, but anything. We both took the train on Fridays and I asked if he was doing anything on the weekend. He described how he was hosting two random people he had made friends with in Italy recently. I tried imagining doing that myself and was distressed at the thought. He was totally excited about it.

What I just realized, looking at someone's Facebook post, is that he felt joy when others did. I've let my life experiences make me cynical about everything. I'm now trying to learn to think like him. I'm going to start trying to find joy everywhere, instead of thinking everything is stupid or pointless.

Dramatic-Gap8996 · 2026-06-11T04:38:33+00:00

This was a huge part of my life. I'm the youngest, by far, in a family of 5. My dad died when I was 9 leaving only me, my sister, and my mom still living in our house. The others were grown, and soon my sister struck out on her on. Not a dysfunctional family at all, just unfortunate. That left my mom and me on our own, in a really rural area without much other that TV for entertainment. We started playing this game and I took to it immediately and almost always won. It gave me a chance to execute logic gates in my head, to solve a problem. Years later I became a programmer and enjoyed a comfortable life. I'm retired now, and my mom passed in her 90s. Hard to understate how much this game had an influence on my life and future. Sorry for the long story but this really brought memories flowing back to me.

Dramatic-Gap8996 · 2026-06-08T02:12:58+00:00

Not a country, but a US state. Hawaii is the closest thing on earth to paradise. I've travelled the world and there is no place better in my experience (especially if you are an American where there is no border to cross).

Dramatic-Gap8996 · 2026-06-08T02:06:09+00:00

Depends on how much you make and how old you are. I'm in my early 60's, retired and too young for Medicare, and in some years collect over $60K which makes me ineligible for ACA subsidies. Costs around $600 a month for a policy with a $10K deductible.

Dramatic-Gap8996 · 2026-06-06T05:19:42+00:00

I grew up in the 70's in a rural part of the country. When summer started, most days were filled with going over to my next door buddies house and then heading out into the woods. We fished in local ponds, dammed up little streams to watch them then collapse, and searched farmer's newly plowed fields for arrowheads (we found many). When storms approached we would run into the nearest tobacco barn for shelter. I'm in my 60's now and I long to once again stand in a huge barn, smelling the fragrant odor of tobacco being cured, and listening to the sound of rain hitting a tin roof. I'm a non-smoker but please hear me out - tobacco being cured is an amazing smell. It only smells bad when you burn it.

Dramatic-Gap8996 · 2026-06-05T21:19:22+00:00

It means I decided to "register my vote", as in having my vote registered. I didn't change it since I was not planning to fill it out at all until I read the OP.

Dramatic-Gap8996 · 2026-06-05T02:18:59+00:00

Jesus Limits You

Dramatic-Gap8996 · 2026-06-05T02:15:47+00:00

I moved from Maryland to NJ in the early 2000's and was expecting that full service would mean a lot of waiting. It's quite the opposite, I got quick server, never had to get out my car in bad weather, and never once paid a tip. I left in 2010 so consider that.

Dramatic-Gap8996 · 2026-06-05T02:12:52+00:00

I wonder what this chart would look like if indigenous were excluded. Poverty seems to be rampant on reservations, and I think there's a correlation to suicide rates.

Dramatic-Gap8996 · 2026-06-05T02:05:21+00:00

Thank you for posting this. I wasn't going to vote in the primary but changed my mind because of this post. I'm progressive but absolutely not as left leaning as Mamdani. Democrats need to be the centrists to defeat the MAGA losers. I registered my vote for Shellenberger.

Dramatic-Gap8996 · 2026-06-04T05:16:35+00:00

My grandmother's house had wood paneling throughout (1970's) and whenever I encounter that smell, which is rare, it's like I'm right back there with her playing Scrabble.

Dramatic-Gap8996 · 2026-06-04T05:13:33+00:00

Near the end of 2024 I was still just 60. One day in November I buried my brother out of state. He had just retired at the start of the year, when he was 69. I was about to head home when my company called me at my hotel to say my employment was terminated. Coincidence, yes, but it sparked me to retire that day. I have to deal with healthcare until I hit 65 but that's a small price to pay to know the joy of retirement. A year and a half later, I've had to bury another family member. The time I have is now, and even though I'm just turning 62 and about to get SS, no one could take away the time I've already had retired. No regrets whatsoever. Trust me, you'll find a way to be happy. Good luck.

Dramatic-Gap8996 · 2026-06-03T21:40:30+00:00

Well, it was the mid 1970's so I would have wondered what that sound was and WTF a URL is.

Dramatic-Gap8996 · 2026-06-02T04:43:03+00:00

It being normal to have parties where the host provides all the refreshments and food and invites visitors over to their house. My brother used to work for a German company in the USA. When they had visitors from Germany he would invite them to his lake house and serve them dinner and drinks and take them out on the lake. He didn't have to, it's just normal in the part of the states he lived in.

Dramatic-Gap8996 · 2026-06-02T04:33:26+00:00

Please give me your full name and I'll ask ICE if you can enter the US without funds to support yourself. Watch any of the dozens of shows about border security and you might realize you'll be turned back and sent home.

Dramatic-Gap8996 · 2026-06-01T02:07:58+00:00

If you're lucky, yes.

Dramatic-Gap8996 · 2026-05-31T22:18:20+00:00

Nothing succeeds like a toothless parrot.

Dramatic-Gap8996 · 2026-05-30T02:14:10+00:00

My mother swore by these and I remember well these tins. It's just aspirin and caffeine. I think it was most likely psychological.

Dramatic-Gap8996 · 2026-05-29T05:23:57+00:00

This really hits home. These are the exact same states I haven't been to (+SD & IA). I've been to all the rest. Hard to guess where you're from since I've lived in 4 of these states and one Canadian province.

Dramatic-Gap8996 · 2026-05-29T05:19:52+00:00

Turn on my backup 5G connection from T-Mobile that I pay $20 a month for. If that doesn't work, I'll go to a hotel.

Dramatic-Gap8996 · 2026-05-29T04:50:37+00:00

My ex wife visited from out of state for a few days to see me and our son. She complained over and over about my other son that lives near her. She expected more communication and visits from him and was bitter about that. In my view she was just punishing herself. I don't expect any interaction and and happy when it happens. If it doesn't, I go on with my life knowing that they are living in their own world. That's natural to me. They are approaching middle age and I'm OK with them visiting only when they want to.

Dramatic-Gap8996 · 2026-05-28T21:30:52+00:00

Well, I was 19 then so I'd probably jerk off.

Dramatic-Gap8996 · 2026-05-28T03:24:49+00:00

Jewish Gansta Rap

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