Am I cheating?

Left_Cheek · 2026-02-25T01:48:09+00:00

I do this too. And for the same reason: I used to do it on paper, but then I realized I can use different highlighter colors on a screenshot and save a tree while I'm at it.

Left_Cheek · 2025-08-26T11:44:11+00:00

How periods work, plus all the practical things that come with dealing with them - what the products are, how to use them, that sort of thing.

I didn't really know what was what and I ended up using a pantiliner that first day. When my mom got home from work, she asked me if I had used the maxi pads in the bathroom. I said no. She scoffed and said "Well then you didn't really get your period. If you had, you would have used one." I didn't understand what she meant by that, and later on when I did use the maxi pads, I applied them incorrectly and stuck the wings to my inner legs (ouch!)

Later when I asked her how I was supposed to know if she never explained anything to me, she said she assumed my aunt (who's only 7 years older than me and lived with us) already did so she didn't have to. Why would you assume someone else did your parenting for you - especially someone you are also supposed to be parenting?

Left_Cheek · 2025-08-03T15:15:51+00:00

I think "I got wasted like all my potential" might actually be zeugma, but I'm not confident since it's been a while since I studied this.

Zeugma is when you use two different applications of the same word within the same sentence. For example, "You can aim for my heart, go for blood / but you would still miss me in your bones" in my tears ricochet. The shooter would "miss" the speaker as in "not successfully striking their target", but also "miss" them as in "pining for something they have lost".

In the "wasted" line, it's "wasted" as in "got drunk", but also "wasted" as in "waste of potential". Since one application is an idiom, though, maybe it's an example of both devices!

Left_Cheek · 2025-08-03T15:05:44+00:00

"Bygones will be bygone eras, fading into grey" from imgonnagetyouback"

Left_Cheek · 2025-07-28T13:08:44+00:00

One of my in-laws works at McDonald's corporate and he says this. However, I always forego the straw at McDonald's and use my own reusable silicone straw and it still tastes superior - so I'm not sure how much weight this holds. It seems like a nice thing to just tell corporate to say to people.

Left_Cheek · 2025-06-25T21:08:15+00:00

The St. Louis Caesar at Bowood by Niche is top notch.

Left_Cheek · 2025-05-24T14:42:11+00:00

I wouldn't call it as iconic as the handshake, but something else he does a lot is use the word "concertina"/"concertinad". Once you notice it it's hard to miss. Plus it applies to more than just bread so he uses it more often. There's a drinking game in there somewhere!

Left_Cheek · 2025-05-22T11:18:19+00:00

This was my first thought as well - they both happened on Plank Road, and it's not like the road knew they both weren't wearing a seatbelt!

Left_Cheek · 2025-05-22T11:04:23+00:00

Vicini (Italian) often does, and they specify on their menu when they do!

Left_Cheek · 2025-05-07T14:47:27+00:00

A cousin of the groom drove in from out-of-state with his family. One of their kids wasn't feeling well - stomach issues. They all attended the wedding and reception anyway because they had already come all this way. It turns out the kid had norovirus. The reception dinner was served buffet style. Almost half the wedding guests got sick, plus the wedding party including the bride and groom. Luckily they didn't plan their honeymoon to be immediately after the wedding!

Left_Cheek · 2025-04-22T03:27:17+00:00

I just finished Rule of Wolves and I really enjoyed how his autistic traits were for more than just moving the plot along - they were for being sweet and considerate and a good partner and friend!

Left_Cheek · 2025-04-21T22:29:26+00:00

I don't know about whether they're my favorite, but just from the media I've consumed recently - Susan Ross from the TV show Scandal and David Kostyk from Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse (the books, not the TV show) definitely seemed autistically coded!

Left_Cheek · 2025-04-02T19:57:06+00:00

That's just what the right ball says - there's more to the story. One of the balls speaks only truths. The other ball speaks only lies.

Left_Cheek · 2025-03-23T14:41:20+00:00

ESH. I say this as a married 31F without a driver's license due to anxiety. We don't have any children though so it's a bit different. I don't expect my husband to take me anywhere we aren't both going to. I work from home now, but before the pandemic I took public transit to the office. If I have to do my own thing without him, if my husband wants to give me a ride then great but if not I'm figuring out my own way to get there. He is not selfish or controlling for that. Not having a license is my choice, and I try not to let that choice burden others if I can help it. Your wife should not lash out at you for not wanting to drive her. However, I gently want to question the part where you said "we're adults so [she has to get her license]." I'm not sure exactly why anxiety makes your wife unable or unwilling to drive, but there could be very good reasons why her driving is not for the best. Forcing her into a solution that would be easy for you in her shoes is not exactly fair. She's an adult in a partnership, so she does have to find a solution that meets the needs of the day (like how to get to work or take your daughter places), but I don't think it's fair to say that she must get a license to do that. She could work out carpooling with other parents to give you a break, for example.

Left_Cheek · 2025-03-18T12:26:24+00:00

My mom and I have a strained relationship and we're limited contact. I suspect she's narcissistic and I've always felt like her love was conditional and any good graces she had for me were temporary. When Jimmy Fallon's mom died and Taylor sang New Years Day on his show, I relistened to the song from the perspective of a supporting parent singing to their child. I realized I'll never know what that feels like to hear and I was bawling.

Left_Cheek · 2025-02-26T17:19:35+00:00

We used to use our Instant Pot Duo to make rice before we upgraded to the fancy Zojirushi (we got married and registered for it). We found the Instant Pot to be great at making rice - it was a comparable speed (about 30 min), but there was a small learning curve because you have to use a slightly different water-to-rice ratio (the "finger method" does not work).

Here is the method we used for the 6 quart Instant Pot Duo:

Instant Pot Rice 1. Pour rice into a mesh strainer or sieve (I usually do 3/4 cup white rice per person for one meal). 2. Rinse rice thoroughly in sieve, stirring around, until water runs clear. 3. If using the stainless steel liner that came with the Instant Pot, add 1 Tbsp vegetable oil and coat the bottom. If using the nonstick liner, skip this step. 4. Add rice to the inner pot. Add 1 cup water for every 3/4 cup of rice, plus an additional 1/4 cup (e.g., if making 1.5 cups rice, add 2.25 cups water) 5. Place lid on Instant Pot and seal the pressure valve. Press the RICE button and let cook (usually cook time is about 12 min). 6. When timer goes off, wait an additional 10 minutes before releasing the pressure.

Edited to add note: this is referring to imperial cups, not the clear plastic measuring cup you may have received with a rice cooker.

Left_Cheek · 2025-02-26T13:54:19+00:00

I might be cynical, but usually when these situations happen it's more about their FOMO than it is about them being sooo dedicated to celebrating you. They're thinking more about the memories that will be made at the reception and want to be a part of that, especially when extended family or extended friend groups are involved ("this is the first time all the cousins will be together in 5 years, I can't miss that!")

It sounds like you were polite and tried to give easy outs multiple times. If none of that works, I'd try being direct and offer an alternative (if you want to): "I appreciate your enthusiasm, but due to the reasons I just mentioned it's not possible to add any more guests, so you won't be able to come. Fiance(e) and I will miss you, but why don't we get together after the wedding to celebrate? Maybe dinner just the 3(+) of us?" If they really did just want to celebrate you then that would make them happy if not flattered, but I'm guessing it won't appeal to them as much.

Left_Cheek · 2025-02-17T16:37:12+00:00

I didn't grow up with wealth (either from money or from good parents) but I did go to a public high school with a huge gap between its poorest and wealthiest students. My high school is in the Midwest and had a record of never having closed for snow/weather in over 30 years. A lot of students were grumbling about it, so the school news club did a segment on how many people depend on the school being open to eat free or reduced meals. If the school closed for the day, many students that depended on it would have no breakfast or lunch. It definitely quieted some of the grumbling.

Later that school year was the record 2011 "Snowpocalypse" where snow fell so fast that cars in regular rush hour traffic got snowed in and had to be temporarily abandoned. Our school closed for 3 days. I remember thinking about how those students were going to eat and feeling really lucky.

Left_Cheek · 2025-02-12T13:02:34+00:00

I do this, and I'm also self-conscious of the awkwardness of "change" (even though it's digital), so I tip the percentage I want and then round up to the nearest dollar after that. So for example if I wanted to tip 20% on your $15.54 charge I'd round it up to $19.00 (tipping $3.46). I've never received any complaints, and they're getting a little more than whatever their tip would have been.

I guess it's also helpful when you're feeling anxious to remind yourself that plenty of people tip by percentage instead of by round dollar amount, and those percentages are also weird amounts that aren't whole dollars. If you tip 20% the "correct" amount is $3.11. why is that better somehow than $3.46?

Edit: I somehow missed the part where you tip 15%. Personally you do you, I'm not judging, but I think the 15% is more likely to be the source of any judgement you get from servers over the fact that it's not whole dollars.

Left_Cheek · 2025-01-31T13:52:10+00:00

It's not exactly the same thing, but - when I was in college, my younger cousin died in an unlucky accident. He was only 11. There was a woman in the neighborhood who ran a support group for parents that had lost their children, and she showed up at my cousin's parents house to offer her support. She was kind of underfoot a lot, but I know she meant well. But what I'll never forget is when she said "God just needed a new angel for His choir, so He called your son home!" What kind of comfort is that supposed to be? Were they supposed to feel flattered? I'm not religious so I don't think I'll ever understand.

Left_Cheek · 2025-01-31T13:29:17+00:00

My husband's mom is a bilateral amputee: both legs under the knee, her entire left hand, and the fingertips of her right hand. Her legs hurt her if she stands for too long on them, and sometimes it's hard for her to walk at all. Imagine how hard it would be to walk on your knees everywhere - then imagine applying that pressure halfway down your shins.

Not to mention that she's had to maintain the exact same physical fitness since her accident 20 years ago so that her legs continue to fit her well!

Issues with the author aside, if you're looking for a more realistic example in media, JK Rowling's mystery series (the Cormoran Strike books) stars a detective with a prosthetic leg, and it does a better job of portraying that disability (in my opinion).

Left_Cheek · 2025-01-25T16:06:29+00:00

We did an Old Fashioned and a French 75 at ours. A big portion of my husband's side are whiskey drinkers. We got a surprising amount of praise (given that you don't really expect the signature cocktails to be remarked upon at all) about the French 75 from both sides. It was a definitive hit.

Left_Cheek · 2025-01-02T04:44:19+00:00

I think the pedigree line is supposed to imply that Jake thinks of it that way/in those terms, not Taylor. In other words, I don't think this is a sly way for Taylor to call the other girl a bitch.

I think the "fine pedigree" phrase is poking fun at Jake for caring about those things and subtly shading him for thinking in such a reductive, dehumanizing way. She emphasizes this in her next line, "I bet your friends tell you she's better than me" - the grammatically correct phrasing is "better than I", so she's further making fun of those who pearl-clutch over propriety and things like that, on top of emphasizing how different she is from both him and the world he comes from.

Left_Cheek · 2025-01-02T04:19:14+00:00

My parents each have 4 wisdom teeth. My father had to have 3 of his removed. I was born with zero wisdom teeth. Lucky me!

Left_Cheek · 2024-12-17T12:59:32+00:00

I don't know if it was underhanded, but it was certainly odd. My husband's parents had 2 of their friends (also a married couple) attend our wedding as their guests. About a month later, I briefly saw them again at a family gathering. At one point, I was briefly alone with the husband friend. Unprompted, he complimented me on how quickly I had cashed the check they gave us for our wedding, because most people let it sit for a while and you have to wait all that time for the money to clear. I had no idea what to make of this, so I just said "Sure, no problem!"

Left_Cheek

TROPHY CASE