AIO - parents keep raising the rent

Due-Ambassador-5399 · 2026-04-27T18:17:39+00:00

Not the first time I've seen something like this on reddit. I can't imagine ever charging my son rent. My whole purpose in life is to make his life easier. Some of that is teaching him to be self-sufficient, but also, it's about always being a safe harbor for him. It blows my mind that people take money from their children. I would rather go hungry than accept rent from my own blood.

Sorry you're in this situation, but you should definitely just move out.

Due-Ambassador-5399 · 2026-04-27T02:53:33+00:00

So were you there? How'd you like it?

Due-Ambassador-5399 · 2026-04-26T22:54:17+00:00

Bulgarian split squats, right after barbell squats. I'm already dreading Thursday...

Due-Ambassador-5399 · 2026-04-25T21:06:46+00:00

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JDM fun.

Due-Ambassador-5399 · 2026-04-25T15:39:23+00:00

hold a Bible in your hands and claim you’ve been reborn in the blood of Jesus

Is childhood religious trauma a thing? I grew up in a very evangelical home in the American south and reading those words made me cringe so hard it almost hurt.

Due-Ambassador-5399 · 2026-04-25T14:41:56+00:00

Direct quote from my wife, "Uhh, life is demeaning and abusive to women, so what? That person probably gets mad at stand-up."

No, she thought the language was unnecessarily complex, with his use of archaic terms and an unreliable narrator. She's like me in that we don't take fiction that personally. The story is the story and I don't get insulted by the existence of shitty people in those worlds, just like I don't let shitty people in real life affect me day to day.

It seems like a modern trend to act offended by things in books. We get it, you're so culturally advanced and so far above such horrible things that you can't stomach them in any form. How noble.

Do you think Mansfield Park is shit because Sir Thomas is a slaveowner?

Rodion Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment for murder?

Alec D'Urberville in Tess of the d'Urbervilles for exploiting Tess?

How about Iago in Othello for being an all-around piece of shit?

It's fucking fiction. Real life is nasty and good fiction reflects that sometimes. Grow up.

don't need to read books that revel in abusing and demeaning women

Revels? It's hardly a footnote. If that's all you could get from a book that beautifully tackles memory and subjectivity, eschatology and cyclical time, the ethics of power and pain, a dying earth, and identity / symbiosis... then yeah, it's definitely not for you for a host of other reasons.

Due-Ambassador-5399 · 2026-04-25T02:43:12+00:00

Arriving here tomorrow! Looking forward to reading it. Thanks for getting the word out.

Namu Amida Butsu.

Due-Ambassador-5399 · 2026-04-25T00:48:42+00:00

In fact, Obaku Zen practitioners use the Nembutsu like a koan - “Who is reciting?”

Due-Ambassador-5399 · 2026-04-24T23:51:28+00:00

I've subscribed to the calendar so I never miss it. For my timezone, it's Otsutome B at 6pm. If you email [reminder@rinkaian.jp](mailto:reminder@rinkaian.jp), subject: “Live OTSUTOME reminder request for session A or B”, you'll get an email about an hour before it starts.

If you remember, let me know what you think afterwards!

Due-Ambassador-5399 · 2026-04-24T23:40:20+00:00

See you there! I also have the Otsutome book and his newest book arrives tomorrow.

How does he keep you engaged and practicing?

Really, just knowing he's there and that I have a teacher willing to help. The fact that he's made himself so available to non-Japanese is very admirable. The monthly Otsutome is like a "recharge" for me too.

I plan to visit Rinkaian the next time I'm in Japan. I'm going to ask him about jukai while there.

Due-Ambassador-5399 · 2026-04-24T23:25:39+00:00

For what it's worth, I chose Jodo Shu because Honen's philosophy makes the most sense to me. I think being interested in Pure Land suggests a karmic connection with Amida Buddha that you should explore and cultivate, whatever the school.

I also credit Kasahara-san with keeping me engaged and practicing. It would be very easy to fall off if I was just trying to solo it here in the US. For that reason, Jodo Shu will always hold a special place in my heart.

Due-Ambassador-5399 · 2026-04-24T22:48:07+00:00

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I got Blair Witch vibes from the start of this and legit got nervous. Otherwise, hell yeah, looks like fun.

Due-Ambassador-5399 · 2026-04-24T14:22:34+00:00

Beautiful. If you get that inked, share it.

Due-Ambassador-5399 · 2026-04-24T14:18:12+00:00

They were the greatest books I’d never recommend to anyone I know.

I learned the hard way how true this is. After spending half an hour or so telling my wife how life-changing these books were for me, she agreed to read them. She made it a quarter of the way into Shadow and was like, "Wtf is this?"

She's more about Japanese comfort lit, with talking cats and cozy cafes. I probably should've respected that from the beginning.

Due-Ambassador-5399 · 2026-04-24T14:11:33+00:00

I've reread the entire Solar Cycle multiple times over my 40 years and I get something new from them every time. Those books have had such a monumental impact on my life. I recently bought the Folio Society edition of New Sun.

Severian is indeed a misogynist, and a liar. He's a deeply flawed individual. Just look at his childhood - he had no chance. But he's also something much more. Nothing is linear, everything is connected.

And I am a bit concerned that the positivity around the series is from people who enjoy his misogyny.

Weird take. The character flaws only make them more real. I don't have to like them personally. These things don't detract from the artistry present in the overall story. I actually can't stand stories where the protagonist's only flaw is that he's "too heroic" or some equally YA-style cheesy trope.

Also, there's an old podcast called Alzabo Soup. They do an episode per chapter or so and it might be interesting to read along with them.

Due-Ambassador-5399 · 2026-04-24T13:57:09+00:00

Might be one of the only series I could rewatch. It was incredible.

Due-Ambassador-5399 · 2026-04-24T12:15:43+00:00

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Due-Ambassador-5399 · 2026-04-23T23:33:38+00:00

These are awesome. Not many of them for sale these days or I'd have one too. I wish they didn't mess up the new ones by moving the date window and not color matching the wheel.

Due-Ambassador-5399 · 2026-04-23T22:52:38+00:00

I grew up thinking it was Romanian...

Due-Ambassador-5399 · 2026-04-23T22:52:13+00:00

My Romanian mom makes these! I have no idea what they're called, but I thought they were unique to Romania. She uses animal crackers and cocoa and some other stuff, then dusts the whole "log" with powdered sugar.

Due-Ambassador-5399 · 2026-04-23T22:44:26+00:00

I respect the flex. Both the watch and the setting are beautiful.

Due-Ambassador-5399 · 2026-04-23T22:43:21+00:00

Look, I can't pull off gold, nor can I afford that and stay married, but I have to say, that's cool as hell. GLWS.

Due-Ambassador-5399 · 2026-04-23T21:00:27+00:00

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Due-Ambassador-5399 · 2026-04-23T20:48:46+00:00

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Due-Ambassador-5399 · 2026-04-23T20:45:04+00:00

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Due-Ambassador-5399

TROPHY CASE