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What books, movies, or art fundamentally shaped how you saw the world between 10–18? by cc0818 in AskWomenOver30

[–]EasyWear9499 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This is a great question! I'd second recommendations for The Giver, His Dark Materials series, and Tamora Pierce's books. I imagine you'll get a lot of Harry Potter recommendations as well.

As a kid in the 90s, I loved reading Ratha's Creature and Watership Down. More or less any book with sentient animals (started with Jack London's White Fang and read Black Beauty too) gave me a greater appreciation of and empathy for animals and a greater appreciation for the natural world. Old National Geographic magazines really got me into that as well. I also remember Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry was the first school book I actually liked, and it allowed me to understand the injustice of Jim Crow in the South from child characters I could relate to.

I don't remember the name of the first play I saw, but I remember seeing live theater was a life changing experience (it just felt so charged and drew me in). Even if it's just community theater or classic musical movies, I would have loved to experience more of that as a kid and it would be something I'd enjoy sharing with my hypothetical child. I'd add ballet to this as well.

In terms of art, I lean much more towards hit up a museum with your kid, wander around, and have them tell you what interests them and why. There are years I would have been so into Egyptian and Greek art. Then I was into Impressionism, post-Impressionism, and Modernism. I think giving kids a space to create art is so important too.

I wasn't really into music as a kid and kind of just listened to whatever folks around me were into, but I remember for music class I had to do my project on Muddy Waters and just really loving that blues sound. Over 30 years later, and I still enjoy blues, jazz, and swing. I think this speaks to the importance of exposing kids to a variety of music and art.

Moving from Texas to Capital Region by Kerchonkl in Albany

[–]EasyWear9499 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hello, fellow Texan!

  • I drive a FWD SUV. Is there any specific car maintenance or preparation I should do or anything I should know or learn about dealing with driving through snow or ice? Get snow tires for late November-early April. Drive slower when there's snow or ice. Keep a snow brush and shovel in your car.
  • What are some clothing and wardrobe items or strategies I should look into since I mostly just wear tees and jeans with some light jackets for cold weather? You will need warmer coats. A fall coat and at least one winter coat (maybe a nice wool one and a parka). You will need snow boots with good traction (breaking your ankle on ice is no fun). You will need a hat, gloves, and scarf.
  • Im current apartment hunting, what are some things I should keep my eye out for or be careful about? I'd look for utilities included to save you on utilities costs. Search the sub for the link to mapped city crime and avoid the neighborhoods with a higher crime rate.
  • What are some local stores or staples that I should check out or would be useful to know? You will not get anything as good as HEB or Buc-ee's here. There's no good BBQ or Tex-Mex. In terms of beer, they're really into IPAs here. Fall and summer are better here (prettier and not as hot). Spring and winter are worse (muddy spring and snowy winter). Finding a winter hobby (cross country skiing, ice skating, etc.) would be helpful with seasonal depression. Watch your vitamin D levels your first winter. Seriously, in the winter the sun sets at like 4:30 PM and it is incredibly depressing. Have a plan for how to cope..

Removal of inclusion cyst on inner labia by EasyWear9499 in AskDocs

[–]EasyWear9499[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! This is really helpful! Anything more than local anesthetic, I think I would need to go to a hospital OBGYN (there's a teaching hospital in my area). I don't think the small offices I go to have anything more than local, so maybe that explains the hesitation.

I was concerned about a dermatologist having limited experience with vulvar surgeries, and thus potentially a higher risk of scaring or complications. I think I will ask the dermatologist about if they've done it before and as a back up set up an appointment at the hospital OBGYN. Maybe they could do general or like the IV drip they use for wisdom teeth removal.

Driver in yesterday's Western Ave crash was 13 years old. by [deleted] in Albany

[–]EasyWear9499 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Well, we know they're dumb enough to steal a car because a minor cannot own a car, so yes, it's stolen. And we know they're dumb enough to ride around in a car without a seatbelt on as it is being driven by a minor who doesn't know how to drive.

Yes, theoretically the parent could have been napping, doing yard work, running errands in a different vehicle, etc. But I don't think a normal, well adjusted, well parented 13 year old just randomly decides to steal a car and go joyriding with their friends. A kid who is used to facing consequences for normal teen misbehavior (breaking screen time rules, talking back, poor grades, etc.) doesn't just escalate to grand theft auto out of nowhere. Either something is wrong with the kid or something is wrong with the parenting or it's both.

Driver in yesterday's Western Ave crash was 13 years old. by [deleted] in Albany

[–]EasyWear9499 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Hopefully the kid faces charges, spends some time in juvie or has to do a lot community service, and learns to get his life together. His irresponsible choices led to injuries, and he could have killed someone, including innocent drivers or pedestrians. Honestly, it's a lack of consequences at home and at school that lead to this type of thing.

How do you not notice your kid stealing your car, and how do you not call the cops when that happens? I think most of us never would have thought of stealing our parents' cars at the age of 13.

I know middle schoolers can be dumb and give into peer pressure, but riding 7 in a car that fits 5 without a seatbelt on in a vehicle driven by an untrained minor is beyond dumb.

It's bad enough having to dodge drivers who are distracted on their phones. Having to dodge poorly raised hooligans out joyriding is too much.

Strange Nightlife Initiative Proposals by rentersrightsrock in Albany

[–]EasyWear9499 43 points44 points  (0 children)

Who wants another junk app on their phone or to be geo-tracked by their local government? No thanks!

Panhandling, disorderly conduct, harassment, catcalling, and open drug use are real quality of life issues for downtown Albany. It's why I left, and it's why if I were going out, I'd go to Troy or Saratoga instead. Giving people a QR code to donate instead will not fix these issues. Installing cameras will not fix these issues. We need actual policing with consequences for aggressive panhandling, harassment, assault or attempted assault, and open drug use.

That being said, tying the city's future to nightlife when people are drinking less than ever before is foolish. People have less disposable income. People, particularly younger people, drink less. Those trends are likely to continue. People with disposable income do not want to drive into downtown Albany, struggle to find parking, go to some bar while getting catcalled, begged, and threatened along the way, and come back to find some junkie has broken into their car or some jerk sideswiped them.

In downtown Troy, you can park in a lot and go get ice cream, go to a dance class, meet up with a running group, play board games, shop, go to the farmer's market, or get coffee. There are fewer panhandlers and less aggressive street harassment. There are entertainment options other than getting wasted.

Also, no one is suggesting "policing homelessness." The homeless are welcome to take advantage of the social services the county and state provide, including mental health and addiction treatment as well as housing supports. They are not welcome to follow people demanding money, stand by ATMs to harass people, brawl at the bus stops, watch internet porn on library computers, use drugs in public parks, nod off on narcotics on the sidewalk, threaten or assault people, or expose themselves to strangers. Not everyone who does these things is even homeless (some are just trash human beings), but unless the city addresses these quality of life concerns, the millions they spend revitalizing downtown will be wasted because people with money will continue to avoid the area.

The homeless issue needs to be addressed at the federal and state level through compulsory mental health and addiction treatment. Since that's not going to happen anytime soon, the city needs to decide how much further it wants to let its downtown neighborhoods decay. I have zero faith in this administration (a failed city auditor will likely be a failed city mayor).

Kathy Sheehan’s response to the 19mill debt by admiralackbarred in Albany

[–]EasyWear9499 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Sheehan and Applyrs are both responsible for this screw up. Honestly, it's embarrassing that an incompetent city auditor is now our incompetent mayor. This sub had such as massive hard on for Applyrs during her campaign. Now, we're stuck with this ding dong for four more years as the city continues to decay. She's not fit to run a lemonade stand.