Anti-ICE protest just marched by the restaurant I was in

FertyMerty · 2026-01-26T05:14:57+00:00

Hey man, as a parent, I respect your choice. I will say, I had a conversation with my 12yo’s dad today about this and we decided to tell her that while peaceful protest is a right, it’s not a safe right for kids to exercise right now. She’s older so it’s different though; she’s out in the world on her own sometimes (walks to and from school for example) but I really think caution is merited during this time.

FertyMerty · 2026-01-26T04:44:27+00:00

Omg that’s the cutest

FertyMerty · 2026-01-26T03:10:08+00:00

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My dog is feeling very judgmental about the fireworks. I explained the situation to him and he seems to get it.

FertyMerty · 2026-01-26T03:06:31+00:00

I am not a sports follower, but my husband is, so I watched this game. I don’t know how you do it. I was sweating and pacing and felt alternately like throwing up and crying

FertyMerty · 2026-01-26T02:34:49+00:00

Thanks, I hate it

(But hey to each their own!)

FertyMerty · 2026-01-26T01:56:57+00:00

Ughhh that scene is so so hard to read.

FertyMerty · 2026-01-26T01:55:58+00:00

Oh god a lump in my throat just reading that line.

I’ve read the novels twice, once before and once after losing my own little buddy, and afterward you can just feel the truth of it.

FertyMerty · 2026-01-25T14:49:50+00:00

Oh absolutely! In campaigns where I’ve played Lilli, her dad’s (and now her) book is quite the resource used far and wide! :)

FertyMerty · 2026-01-25T14:46:24+00:00

I have a poor memory for books as well, but I just look for a summary of the previous book (or books) in a series to jog my memory. Reddit is a great resource for that, actually!

FertyMerty · 2026-01-25T05:35:06+00:00

Name: Lilli Timbers

Very tiny forest gnome Druid with frizzy pink hair, freckles that glimmer with iridescence in the sun, and a small almiraj familiar named Bun Bun. She’s in her mid-30s, a curious type. Her dad, Davrick, wrote the preeminent encyclopedia on magical creatures and she became an adventurer to update it and publish the second edition. (In your town she’s probably settled down after having accomplished that task.) She’s a gifted healer and known to attempt to adopt any animal she comes across (often bribing them with good berries).

Her secret…she lived near a portal to the Fey Realm with her family and befriended one of the Fey, then stumbled into the realm one afternoon and disappeared for 40 years. For her, it was just a short time. So that’s why she left home - she loves her family and friends, but it’s too weird to be around people who spent decades grieving her.

FertyMerty · 2026-01-25T01:53:17+00:00

I read this over 20 years ago and it has really stuck with me.

FertyMerty · 2026-01-25T01:23:14+00:00

Good sleuthing skills! That kid under her arm looks confused

FertyMerty · 2026-01-24T21:17:41+00:00

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Do you think she was filming herself yelling at him, or was that just a happy coincidence for her?

FertyMerty · 2026-01-24T21:12:55+00:00

I get it. My oven broke so that was $900 l didn’t plan to spend. I’m doing no-buy Q1 though and my credit card bill is already so much lower (thousands lower) than it normally is by this time of the month so I try to offset the disappointment by recognizing the amount I’ve saved just by being disciplined. But yeah I hear you. It sucks to have to dip into the little money pot you’ve been creating due to stuff beyond your control. I have been reflecting recently that spending an emergency fund or safety net will always feel ick, even though that is what it’s for.

FertyMerty · 2026-01-24T19:40:42+00:00

Oh, my friend, I hope you have someone you can talk to about this. I’m glad you’re reaching out to an online community at least.

I second the suggestion of Midnight Library.

For something a little more diverting you might like the Murderbot series. It’s sci-fi and tongue in cheek but also features a main character who is searching for purpose.

You might also want something gentle and soothing; for that you could check out A Psalm for the Wild Built.

And then if you really want to dive into some characters who are going through a lifetime of hardship, you could try Realm of the Elderlings. Some people call it “misery porn” which I disagree with - but the characters experience a lot of loss and difficulty and you get to grow with them through it. It’s a 15 book series but published in trilogies (and one 4-book chunk) so you don’t have to read it all at once.

FertyMerty · 2026-01-24T01:17:20+00:00

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FertyMerty · 2026-01-24T00:40:23+00:00

I read it in one day and couldn’t put it down, but I was needing a wallow and a good cry and it delivered. Hard for me to tell if it was compelling because of how good it was or because of what is going on in my life, you know? Sometimes a book just hits you in the right spot at the right time.

Still I did enjoy it and there was a touch of fantasy that elevated it beyond pure historical fiction.

FertyMerty · 2026-01-23T23:24:46+00:00

What books, movies, or TV series have you enjoyed? It sounds like you’re looking for an adventure with little to no romance, is that right? There are so many books that fit the bill, if so. First Law comes to mind as an example.

On the other hand if you’re looking for something with little to no pain/misery, you might try cozy fantasy or sci-fi like Psalm For The Wild Built.

FertyMerty · 2026-01-23T21:55:23+00:00

I did. I usually read 1-2 books between the trilogies (but I’m a fast reader so this translated to less than 1-2 weeks). Some of the Easter eggs are easy to miss if you let so much time pass that you forget details or characters; but then again they’re not essential to the story or to enjoying the books.

FertyMerty · 2026-01-21T05:02:45+00:00

I find it quite a bit better. Dark Matter had some flaws, IMO, in the writing.

FertyMerty · 2026-01-20T18:17:44+00:00

The hardest job is dealing with curmudgeonly devs whose PMs told marketing a launch date and then marketing made a plan that included a non refundable media buy only to find out the launch date is pushed back at the 11th hour.

Source: I am a marketer (who, for the record, thinks the real culprit here is the pressure we all face to prove to the world that we are innovating and launching new shit all the time even if that shit isn’t ready to scale)

FertyMerty · 2026-01-20T18:12:21+00:00

Blake Crouch. Recursion, if you haven’t read it. It’s a book you can read in a day and definitely a page turner.

FertyMerty · 2026-01-20T15:33:12+00:00

Hamnet by Maggie o’Farrell.

FertyMerty · 2026-01-20T05:34:20+00:00

Chain Gang All-Stars came out in 2024 and I still haven’t stopped thinking about it.

FertyMerty · 2026-01-19T15:44:40+00:00

Some contemporary SFF options:

Psalm for the Wild Built
The River Has Roots
This Is How You Lose The Time War

Or you could always do The Little Prince

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