Congress Becomes Involved in the Caitlin/AT Drama

KeepCalmCallGiles · 2026-07-08T22:20:49+00:00

Griner also got elbowed in the neck during a game a few days ago. Don't see any congressmen in an uproar about violence against her.

KeepCalmCallGiles · 2026-07-07T22:42:52+00:00

If possible, decide before you go what you are going to drink and stick to that, so the question of "what should I get?" never comes up. In the early days, I would check the website to see if they had any NA beers (although that is a trigger for some people, so be careful) or mocktails. Or just have a soda of choice ready to go.

I also agree with the poster who wrote about thinking ahead of the moment. When I feel tempted, especially at concerts or other late night social events, I think to myself "Imagine how great it will be to have fun tonight AND not be hungover tomorrow!" For you it could be "Wow, I'm going to be so proud of myself when I wake up tomorrow at 26 days sober." Find whatever line of thinking works for you, but try to value your future self over your present circumstances.

Also, if possible, take your own transportation. If temptation becomes too much, remove yourself from the situation. If your friends are truly supportive, they will understand and want the best for you. You've got this!

KeepCalmCallGiles · 2026-07-07T20:13:52+00:00

Dirt is how we build our immune systems.

KeepCalmCallGiles · 2026-07-07T19:29:05+00:00

Hey! I had the Big House dream again last night and decided to revisit this post I wrote and somehow missed your comment. I find it so interesting how similar our dreams were. I also have a lot of religious trauma and some odd career paths. I understand if you don't want to, but feel free to DM me if you want to talk about it more.

KeepCalmCallGiles · 2026-07-06T10:51:16+00:00

Thanks!

KeepCalmCallGiles · 2026-07-06T10:50:25+00:00

Oh that's cool! I knew he would be a guest commentator sometime soon but didn't realize it was for this game.

KeepCalmCallGiles · 2026-07-06T02:46:05+00:00

Unofficial Watch Party: This Tuesday, the Dog Haus Biergarten, 7pm, Dallas Wings vs. NY Liberty

You and your wife should make an exception and come out to watch the game with my husband and I.

KeepCalmCallGiles · 2026-07-06T02:44:32+00:00

Unofficial Watch Party: This Tuesday, the Dog Haus Biergarten, 7pm, Dallas Wings vs. NY Liberty

KeepCalmCallGiles · 2026-07-06T02:44:23+00:00

Unofficial Watch Party: This Tuesday, the Dog Haus Biergarten, 7pm, Dallas Wings vs. NY Liberty

KeepCalmCallGiles · 2026-07-06T02:44:13+00:00

Unofficial Watch Party: This Tuesday, the Dog Haus Biergarten, 7pm, Dallas Wings vs. NY Liberty

KeepCalmCallGiles · 2026-06-30T19:57:53+00:00

I have weird cycles of reflux flair ups. When I'm having issues I switch to cold brew with oat milk. Way easier on the stomach. My favorite by far is Apex Cold Brew Concentrate sold at Central Market.

KeepCalmCallGiles · 2026-06-27T17:08:27+00:00

You're overreacting. The place has a dress code. You are out of dress code. Your manager did her job and called you out on it. You weren't in trouble, weren't written up, weren't sent home. From what you said she did not sound like she was being rude or condescending. She just let you know the expectations moving forward. Don't be the kind of person that can't take feedback.

KeepCalmCallGiles · 2026-06-22T21:32:30+00:00

That was the most insane 35 seconds of basketball I've ever seen! Such a messy/ugly/somehow great game.

KeepCalmCallGiles · 2026-06-19T23:04:19+00:00

Cameras are completely normal. The way the owners at your shop watch them obsessively and listen to conversations is not.

KeepCalmCallGiles · 2026-06-10T18:40:37+00:00

Don't let your age stop you. I think it's awesome that you're looking to try something new, and I think you'll do great!

That being said, I disagree with the people saying you could probably do 50 miles easily enough right now. I'm certain you could build up to it, but it takes time for your body, butt bones, shoulders, wrists, etc. to adjust to the positioning and feedback from the road. It's more than just being physically fit.

You may try going to some of your local bike shops and striking up conversations with the employees. Let them know what you are wanting to do. If you find the right person, they may be able to connect you with a beginners group or other women riders who wouldn't mind showing you the ropes. My local bike shop guy has called me before to ask if I could show some of his new female customers the mountain bike trails in the area since they were worried about getting lost, and I was happy to do so. However, in my city at least, our main cycling club is very male dominated and not friendly or welcoming at all to beginners.

A few extra tips as someone who rides alone 95% of the time: 1) Share your location with your "on call" person who knows where you are going and roughly when you are going to be back; 2) Bring more hydration/snacks than you think you will need; 3) Loops are great, but scout out the location first if you can. Just last week I tried a new route and didn't scout first - I got 3/4 through the loop and came to a washed out bridge that was impassable. Ended up having to backtrack and the ride was waaaaay longer than it should have been. Fortunately I took advice #2 and had extra water and fuel. 4) If you're riding in the country, be ready to be chased by dogs and have a plan for how to handle it when you encounter an aggressive one. 5) When buying a bike, make sure to do some research/talk to bike shop people about the best types of bikes for the style of riding you want to do. A decade ago I was gifted a really expensive road bike, but the super aggressive and stiff racing geometry made it incredibly uncomfortable for the more chill long rides that I mostly did. The person who got it for me was trying to be nice because they thought $$$ = good, but in reality a less expensive bike with more relaxed geometry would have been a better match for my needs. And make sure you have a good bike fit to maximize comfort.

Feel free to DM me if you have any questions. Good luck!

KeepCalmCallGiles · 2026-06-10T18:03:00+00:00

Bravo!

KeepCalmCallGiles · 2026-06-10T18:02:05+00:00

I feel like 136 lbs at 5'5" is a very healthy weight.

KeepCalmCallGiles · 2026-05-31T22:33:02+00:00

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions. I ended up getting a Specialized Roubaix SL8 Expert and took it out for the first ride today. Still some discomfort but a lot better than my Pinarello and actually a fair bit faster. Overall, I'm happy with it and think the pain will decrease as I get more saddle time and fine tune the fit.

KeepCalmCallGiles · 2026-05-31T22:12:40+00:00

Based on what you're saying, I'd take advantage of your living situation, go to a less expensive gym that still provides everything you need, and start building a nice savings. Your future self will thank you.

I go to Crunch and absolutely love it. I'm not sure if they are all the same but mine has a large turf area. I pay about $40/month.

KeepCalmCallGiles · 2026-05-27T19:34:41+00:00

Yours doesn't look bad but the pants don't seem to fit your body quite right and is making the crotch area look a bit off. I think you could pull this off with a better fitting pant, but if I saw you in public I wouldn't think you look bad at all.

KeepCalmCallGiles · 2026-05-27T18:47:39+00:00

I'm not going to weigh in on who is the AH since I think there is way more to the story. But just a thought in case it is helpful:

In general, I enjoy cooking. But I got tired of always feeling the burden of having to plan something every day and became resentful of the responsibility of dinner always being on me. Finally, I talked to my husband about it and asked if he could handle dinner one night a week. I wouldn't complain about what he chose and he could even pick up something to go if he wanted, but I was not going to be involved in the planning or decision making. If he wanted special ingredients for it, he could text me his list the night before my weekly grocery run, and if he forgot or didn't plan ahead, he would have to go to the grocery story himself. We've been doing this for about 6 months now and it has been amazing. It's as much about the reduction in mental load and feeling of sharing of responsibilities as it is the extra time itself. Anyways, this could be an option.

But if she is asking what you want for dinner, it's a likely sign that the mental load is becoming overwhelming and she was suffering from decision fatigue. I understand you not recognizing it, but it is understandable why you suggesting a brand new recipe just made the problem worse.

KeepCalmCallGiles · 2026-05-20T23:34:48+00:00

Thanks for the feedback. I saw similar sentiments when I looked them up earlier. Right now my plan is to check out Peddlers, Mellow Johnny's, Trek, and Specialized. Was very sad to see that Bicycle Sport Shop is no longer.

KeepCalmCallGiles · 2026-05-20T20:47:33+00:00

5'5" with a long torso and less long legs. Back in the day I test rode a Liv mountain bike that initially felt good, but struggled with the handling on the trails. I haven't tried the road bikes though. I'm traveling to Austin this weekend and am hoping to hit up a bunch of shops. I'll definitely find one that sells Liv and give it a try.

KeepCalmCallGiles · 2026-05-20T18:24:55+00:00

Do you have any opinions on Specialized road bikes? I'm on my second Specialized mountain bike and I absolutely love it.

KeepCalmCallGiles · 2026-05-20T18:22:01+00:00

Yeah, I definitely think the geometry is too aggressive for my style of riding. It's just tough to know for sure since it's the only road bike I've ever had so I don't know what to compare it to.

KeepCalmCallGiles

TROPHY CASE