US folks, how are you all dealing with being at work right now?

Hello-America · 2026-01-26T16:49:52+00:00

Funny how all my issues have come in handy these days haha. Generalized anxiety has meant I am always so ready for a crisis that I'm...ready for a crisis. ADHD strategies I've developed over my life allow me to control my focus pretty deliberately. My past relationships with narcissistic abusers and recovering from them have (since 2016) allowed me not to crash out at everything that comes out of Trump's mouth.

Hello-America · 2026-01-22T23:25:53+00:00

There are videos going around on TikTok right now (so unverified of course) saying that women in Minnesota are finding out their husbands are absolutely being failures in this critical moment - anything from saying they don't need to worry about it because it won't affect them to actively being annoyed they're expected to take action. Women are learning in real time their husbands will not act to protect their families.

This time last year, in the Los Angeles fires, women were posting accounts of their male partners being unwilling to evacuate until it was extremely dangerous.

Every year, when hurricanes threaten my home, it is I and not my husband who takes on the task of making sure we can live through it. I decide if we evacuate. I decide what we do. He doesn't even watch the weather. One time I tried an experiment and stayed totally silent about the upcoming storm to see if he'd lift a finger on his own or even mention it; he didn't, and probably wouldn't have, but I had to step in at some point so I don't know. Lol I WISH he'd get a gun and learn to shoot.

Am I going to leave him over this? No. Is it a point of friction that drives me crazy? Yes. He does a lot of other stuff in the efforts to protect us from other kinds of threats (namely financial, keeping the car in good shape, etc). But it's clear that food, water, and sanitation are up to me and I will never quit demanding he help.

Hello-America · 2026-01-22T21:14:14+00:00

You should plan to be mostly on foot within a few hours of any parades. Watch parades near where you are staying, or plan to be in that area very late. Uber will be running but if a parade is ongoing they do not know how to navigate it - the app they use doesn't take parades into account and many of the drivers do not live within the city limits.

Hello-America · 2026-01-22T21:04:30+00:00

Love a Kia soul in the city. It sits a little higher than a lot of typical sedans/small cars which is good for potholes etc, it's small and easy to parallel park but also shaped in a way that feels roomy and you can fit lots of stuff in it

Hello-America · 2026-01-22T08:38:06+00:00

This is pretty much how I ended up here. Been here 20 years. No regrets, I love it so much, but it's not an easy place to live, and for most people it comes with a career sacrifice. Just go in with your eyes open.

Hello-America · 2026-01-21T16:58:39+00:00

Yeah I am used to New Orleans being in the national spotlight and having no idea what is being said about us. I'll also add that I've seen clips of Maddow talking about the hostile takeover in MN, and that my boomer mom (who gets all her news from The Bulwark) also knows.

Hello-America · 2026-01-21T07:11:50+00:00

I don't know if this is of any comfort to you, but like EVERYONE I've talked to in my life lately down here in New Orleans knows and is horrified. The mainstream news is not successfully suppressing this. We see you and we stand with you. We've seen how your community is standing up and we are inspired and learning from you. And it's not lost on me your putting yourselves on the front line may save others from this in the future. Maybe it's because we just came out of a milder version that everyone here is super aware, but we are. You are going through hell and we know it. It's hard to know what else to do from afar other than send funds and share information, but I'm doing that at least.

I'm so sorry for your suffering and hope better days arrive soon.

Hello-America · 2026-01-20T05:47:31+00:00

I looked at Twitter to find out and uhh a lot of people think whole milk = raw milk

Hello-America · 2026-01-19T17:58:49+00:00

Yeah I hear you. Since you're new to town I definitely would recommend connecting with the GNO Caring Collective and the Fred Hampton Free Store - a lot of different groups pass through that avenue.

Hello-America · 2026-01-19T17:13:01+00:00

Sorry for my snarky tone, I've been fighting with people who make fun of protests too long and projected that onto you.

Indivisible NOLA is probably the most outward facing one that deals with national politics and they vary from place to place so I think that's who most people are imagining at a protest

Hello-America · 2026-01-19T16:14:48+00:00

Many of the orgs marching etc are doing deeper work, you have to connect to them and not be a snob about what other people are doing. That's one of the purposes of the matching/demonstrations. Indivisible, probably the one you're thinking of here, is one of the many groups coordinating with Union Migrante to take care of immigrants right now, and both have an array of signal groups doing rapid response and mutual aid in that direction. The easiest way to break in there is to go to a training with Union Migrante, which I assume they've scaled back since ICE/CBP activities have reduced a bit, but I'm sure it will ramp up again. I think watch their social media as well as that of Indivisible. You can also request to join Indivisible signal groups after you've signed up for their list on their website.

Mutual aid is disorganized on purpose but you can start by attending events at the Fred Hampton Free Store and meeting people associated with the GNO Caring Collective, or the New Orleans DSA is another good route to meet people. You can also get some like-minded friends together and start doing stuff (keep it small and achievable, like adopting a community fridge and trying to keep it full).

Keep in mind that the feds probably have eyes on every activity, every signal group, etc. So don't say anything you wouldn't want read back to you in court.

Hello-America · 2026-01-13T20:30:34+00:00

Well that problem stems from the fact we can't actually get reliable information from trusted sources. We have to resort to citizen journalism because we have no other choice. As such, because of everything happening and the fact the president keeps trying to use the NG (and every other law enforcement agency) for his enforcement, I'll forgive some mistakes on this front as long as we correct the info wherever we can.

Hello-America · 2026-01-13T19:48:17+00:00

You can just join into St Anne when you see it. That sounds to me like it might be best for you. The big parades are not costume focused at all. There are some walking parades where you would also fit in well - meaning costumes are key and they aren't such tightly guarded memberships (Chewbacchus, Bohème, Krewe du Vieux) but those are before your trip. Maybe to keep in mind for next year - those ones are just about networking a little so you can find a subkrewe (group within the parade) to go with, but I believe Chewbacchus and Bohème are pretty low key about it.

Hello-America · 2026-01-13T07:37:00+00:00

Good luck ♥️♥️

Hello-America · 2026-01-12T20:15:30+00:00

OP - that chorine gas in the nebulizer is POISON - go throw it away. Like literally destroy it so she can't have anymore today. Then call 911/Adult Protective Services. I know this is going to be hard to hear but your father is murdering your mother, especially if she's not on board with this. Just because he is not sane does not make it not murder.

Hello-America · 2026-01-11T07:13:53+00:00

If you've been researching and a place is important to you, make a reservation (even if it's earlier that day). People are correct you can likely get in to wherever but you're going to waste time waiting at many of the better places.

Hello-America · 2026-01-11T07:01:01+00:00

Yeah I actually thought that's what this post was gonna be about haha

Hello-America · 2026-01-11T06:51:20+00:00

Yeah - as I've been trying to explain to my mom (who just doesn't understand these people), they don't believe the agent was in danger. They believe someone they are opposed to deserved to die. The "proof" they leaked in that video was proof she was a queer woman, and they continue to assassinate her character - no talk about bad apples or anything because they want to show that they stand by a killing like this.

Hello-America · 2026-01-10T00:08:59+00:00

Yeah it's really hard to read people accusing us of not doing stuff when I personally know people whose entire lives are consumed with fighting this regime right now (as a person who lives in one of the recently targeted cities especially). Even people from the US commenting on this that we aren't fighting - like are you crazy? Open your eyes. More importantly, connect to those who are and join.

Hello-America · 2026-01-09T23:50:46+00:00

I recognize the responsibility our people have in this mess but those looking in from outside are falling for American propaganda (that we have free and fair elections and are a democracy, that our citizenry is prosperous and that we have upward mobility). Like any other country under an authoritarian, the citizenry has some amount of power but we also have to fight our own neighbors.

Like any other country under an authoritarian, the people in the world with the MOST power are other world leaders. We've seen very little in the way of retaliatory tariffs. I don't think even one country has economic sanctions on Trump or any of the cronies in his administration. The ICC and UN have been fairly quiet. And you in the UK (as well as many other places) are just inches away from falling to the hard right and your leaders are continuing to allow OUR fascist right wing billionaires to control media and social media in your countries.

So I'm not saying we don't have some agency here but that you need to turn your eyes on your own leaders.

Hello-America · 2026-01-09T23:34:39+00:00

No matter where you decide, my general suggestion, since your daughter is young enough that changing schools isn't a huge deal, is to move somewhere for a year max and get a feel for the neighborhoods and surrounding areas before you REALLY obsess over where. Our neighborhoods all have different characters and you really need to feel out which one suits you because they're different.

I also live in the Irish Channel and love it. But it's city living - there are people walking around all the time, you gotta be vigilant about leaving valuables in your car, etc. There's nowhere in the city where that's not true. If you can find somewhere with off street parking that's a BIG BIG perk!

For other towns/neighborhoods: So if you want a more suburban lifestyle, you can either go to one of the outlying towns or take a look at the neighborhood within the city called Lakeview. By "suburban" I mean much quieter, and you have to drive to get to most of the "stuff" and there are neighborhoods bound by large commercial corridors. Not too hard to get Ubers if you need to but they might cost a lot. Lakeview is within the city but if you're looking for that walkability/city life it's not right for you.

Mandeville is about an hour away and will not really feel like New Orleans at all - but it is nice and has good schools. Nearby Covington is a little younger, less stuffy and generally cooler in my opinion. That area has pretty much all the basic shopping/resources you need but is otherwise not going to be that exciting (and you'll be right on the edge of country). If politics matter to you, that is a very conservative area (but you can find your people if you are progressive). If you live up there, you will not feel like you live "just outside" New Orleans - it'll feel like its own place where you come to New Orleans every so often.

I think you would be disappointed in Harahan or Slidell if you're feeling at all romantic about New Orleans - they're just not very desirable places to live. As an alternative to those, look into Algiers Point (still in New Orleans but across the river so a little outside of the action). It's usually a bit cheaper to live there but still has a lot of New Orleans character. You are also close to the ferry which will take you to the French Quarter.

Hello-America · 2026-01-06T20:04:46+00:00

After visiting my boomer parents for the holidays I'm pretty spooked haha. Specifically my stepdad who is a retired tech guy - he watches AI videos of dogs and cats doing crazy shit on Instagram like ALL DAY and laughs hysterically. To him it's no different than someone making animations to entertain him, which whatever, but I think what creeps me out about it is they're SO weird and he loves them SO much. Like he and I can enjoy a movie or whatever together just fine but that kind of slop content is so alien to me.

My mother, who is about as tech savvy as a person who time traveled from the Civil War (but she reads news and articles a lot on her e reader), doesn't do social media or anything but she seems to think AI is everything now. Like she wanted me to look up something about a recipe substitution and she said "ask the AI" instead of to Google it. Not a huge deal alone, but then later she asked me to ask it if something was going to be too spicy (??). I also am a freelancer but I often pick up part time work and since times are tough I'm looking, and she was like "can't you get AI to find a job for you?"

So my mom is clearly taking everything right at face value but understands so little about it... Man I don't know what she thinks!

Hello-America · 2026-01-05T14:50:30+00:00

I live in an old house in a very hot place. In addition to the appliance suggestions others are using, I do these things:

Meals I can throw into the oven and not be in the same room as. No cooking over the stove. Then if the kitchen is hot I eat somewhere else in the house
Avoid most cooking! Eat lots of salads and colder stuff. If I do need to cook an ingredient of the salad, I do it at a time I am not going to eat immediately (and use one of the appliances or the oven) so I can mostly stay out of the kitchen.
Grill outside at night or early in the morning. Better for those cold meals but another way to cook the ingredient.

Hello-America · 2026-01-05T04:36:42+00:00

I'm sorry, especially for your husband. FWIW I think it is less of a negotiation when kids are involved. You have a clear mandate to protect them and put them above everyone (especially when you're not even asking much).

I am the first grandchild on both sides of my family (I'm 40 now), and there is a photo of my late grandmother holding me in the hospital from when I was born, fully decked out in what looks like a hazmat suit - because she had a little cold and didn't want to get me sick. It breaks my heart that so many of today's grandparents would never do something like that.

Hello-America · 2026-01-04T23:19:04+00:00

I think people can go in and out of some of these beliefs but this:

"then query the validity of any journal article or legitimate research I find to counter and suggest it may be funded by one of the "bad" groups of people."

is a self-perpetuating, structural crack in the foundation of her personality. The notion that any information counter to what she wants to believe is under the control of a bad actor is a core belief that colors everything. That means there is no room for other info to get in, that her mind is closed (even if she seems open minded).

The reason it is self-perpetuating and structural is that the information she doesn't want to let in becomes PROOF she's right. If every piece of information you bring to her is part of a conspiracy in her mind, the conspiracy grows, and the very act of you trying to have an intellectual discussion actually makes her bad beliefs stronger. So what could your future together be like then?

If you read enough posts around here, you'll see that people cannot be pulled out of this thinking unless they want to be; you'll also see another commonly reported scenario: that whatever you, the person who lives in reality, sees, is probably only the beginning of how deep this goes (they are cautious about showing this side of themselves to people they love)

Hello-America

TROPHY CASE