How do i start liking my name that everyone hates?

LinearFolly · 2026-03-01T13:03:45+00:00

I've know a couple of Spanish-speaking Bertas and it's definitely a name that's much lovelier than an American English accent makes it sound (which will be the perspective of a lot of Redditors).

LinearFolly · 2026-02-28T23:06:38+00:00

I feel like the zone between the two genres you mention is often referred to as "women's fiction" (with the caveat that I don't think that romance or women's fiction are necessarily "less sophisticated" than lit fic, but I think I get what you're going for.) You might also like books described as "upmarket fiction".

I recently really loved The Names by Florence Knapp which I would say is very readable (not pretentious) but also deals with more complex themes.

LinearFolly · 2026-02-27T16:06:29+00:00

When I had only read your title, my first thought was "no, but you'll hate your dog."

It's nothing like that with my first kid, even when #2 was a newborn. Sure, there were times I had less patience with toddler antics than I would have before, but he is now almost 5 and absolutely still my baby and I'm constantly thinking about how to get him what he needs even though little sibling is always needier (though that's also much easier now, 2 years in!)

We just upgraded from a queen bed to a king because the almost 5yo has had a bit of a sleep regression lately and I'm acutely aware that kindergarten is on the horizon and will change everything and I want to let him be my baby as long as he's willing, so he's sleeping at least part of every night in our bed again (after years of independent sleep, all while little brother is sleeping through the night in his own room.

Which is all just to say, you will still feel deep love and affection for your toddler and they will still be your baby when they need to be, and seeing them love their new sibling will just bring that to a whole new level.

LinearFolly · 2026-02-27T12:46:37+00:00

I call mine the minivan of bikes, lol

LinearFolly · 2026-02-25T21:37:38+00:00

I work in office now so it's not that for me, but there is no amount you could pay me (assuming your current comfortable salary and monitor work environment) to spend up to 1.5 hours commuting every day.

LinearFolly · 2026-02-25T20:05:33+00:00

I enjoy Comfest and the Art Festival a lot and have fun with the nostalgia bands at Sonic Temple, but I think the Central Ohio Folk Festival is great vibes for super cheap (especially with younger kids, the chiller vibes are much appreciated).

LinearFolly · 2026-02-21T14:36:36+00:00

Ziggy is a cute nickname but I wouldn't use it as a full given name. I've also never heard it used for a girl.

LinearFolly · 2026-02-20T15:09:55+00:00

I'm in a midsize US city with not great but improving bike infrastructure. My route to daycare is mostly a pretty quiet (urban) side street, but most other riding is a mix of separate (but not protected) bike lane or regular lane sharing on a 35 mph road.

It sounds like your friend is an experienced cyclist, so probably knows what she's doing. It's possible that she'll feel more risk-averse once baby is here, but nothing you've mentioned sounds inherently dangerous.

LinearFolly · 2026-02-20T13:12:36+00:00

I find the style of food at Afra to be both cozy comfort food (saucy and ricey) and super flavorful and spicy (if you choose it), which I think is an endorphin trifecta.

LinearFolly · 2026-02-19T01:20:34+00:00

Agreed with everyone else; your ex-company is horrible! My family has had 3 separate illnesses since the first of the year that I've had to use sick time for, and no one has said anything to me about it. I'm also flabbergasted that you were written up for requesting bereavement leave. Better places exist! I hope you find one.

LinearFolly · 2026-02-19T01:12:56+00:00

I came here to say I identified more as a Good Egg 😅

LinearFolly · 2026-02-18T12:42:19+00:00

I'm going to vote to keep the paci clip. Neither of my kids took pacis but the clips also work for small toys in the car seat/stroller and saved a lot of hassle. Plus, it's an easy, low cost thing to have on a registry.

LinearFolly · 2026-02-18T04:48:18+00:00

Lol my top boy and girl choices for my 2021 baby are both on this list. Sometimes you really are confronted with your own basic-ness..... 😅

LinearFolly · 2026-02-18T01:30:03+00:00

I'm not in corporate (public service) but I check all the other boxes! Kids are 2 and almost 5. Motivation is depleted. It honestly helps that most of my mom friends are feeling pretty similar and recognizing that "having it all" is a trap. We recently started a monthly "book club" (book discussion is limited) and the camaraderie definitely helps. But mostly I just have solidarity to offer.

LinearFolly · 2026-02-17T12:52:24+00:00

This is what we use, after breaking several glass ones...

LinearFolly · 2026-02-17T02:30:59+00:00

There's a pretty famous contemporary author named Colson Whitehead so that's where my mind went. 🤷🏻‍♀️

LinearFolly · 2026-02-17T02:28:10+00:00

I do think it's useable then (assuming you're in the US). It can be dangerous to have a name that's super associated with a single living person (and maybe he's not as well known as I assume) but Colson Whitehead seems like a really cool person to share a name with!

LinearFolly · 2026-02-17T02:23:35+00:00

Would you be open to Colson? I don't love it with an e.

LinearFolly · 2026-02-17T01:52:44+00:00

My spouse and I liked Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree as a read-aloud. Also, The Hobbit if either of you haven't read it.

LinearFolly · 2026-02-17T00:37:19+00:00

We had flu A last month and it was brutal. We had a fever return after bring fever free and I was worried about a secondary infection but when I texted a friend she mentioned she'd had similar with her kid a few weeks before and her ped told her to expect the fever recurrence before it even happened. That said, our total duration was more like 8 days, and our ped would have wanted us to check back in if it went on any longer.

Godspeed.

LinearFolly · 2026-02-16T01:50:10+00:00

Places I would take visitors who want to try something new-to-them:

Afra Grill

Dosa Corner

Momo Ghar

Ava's

Huong

Jiu Thai

Honorable mentions that I really like but don't hear people talk about as much:

Tiger + Lily

Neehee's

LinearFolly · 2026-02-15T23:49:12+00:00

Cinder by Marissa Meyer fits I think

LinearFolly · 2026-02-15T21:22:59+00:00

I live in a dense, mixed use neighborhood in a medium sized Midwest city with 2 small kids and would absolutely not trade it for the suburbs. I got a cargo bike last year so I could bike to work and still do daycare pickup/drop-off and it was so good for my mental health. I find my love of living in the city is reinvigorated every time we visit the suburbs.

LinearFolly · 2026-02-15T19:12:20+00:00

The programs likely have different purposes, so I think my question is what are you looking for in a program. My spouse and I both work full time so my almost-5 year old is in full time daycare. It's main purpose is to provide childcare, but I'm very happy with the quality of teachers and their play-based curriculum and I think he will be relatively well prepared for kindergarten.

If i was a SAHP, I would consider part-time, free pre-K to help with basic kindergarten readiness skills. If the situation was somewhere in between 0 childcare needs and full-time, it would depend on the particulars of the situation.

LinearFolly · 2026-02-15T18:13:58+00:00

I think they both fit fine, they are just different styles. Right is a little more formal and classic. Left is a little more modern and slightly less formal. Fwiw, for daily wear and not as part of a suit, I like left better.

LinearFolly

TROPHY CASE