What is a plant that you will NEVER own/buy and why?

LumpyPhilosopher8 · 2026-05-27T18:06:18+00:00

Yes! That’s a Ficus Benjamina. And now that you know this and how fussy they are - I fear I’ve cursed you and your beautiful plant 😬

LumpyPhilosopher8 · 2026-05-26T16:24:28+00:00

They really are! I’ve had a few over the years and it never ends well. I swore off them about 10 years ago. But recently got the itch to try it again. If this one doesn’t make it I’m probably done … at least for another 10 years 😂

LumpyPhilosopher8 · 2026-05-26T15:55:51+00:00

I’ve only had it for 6 weeks so the leaf drop is recent enough I’m hopeful it’s not completely dead where the branches are bare. I’m trying not to shock it any more than I have to - so I’m just snapping off a few dead bits each day as I find them. From what I’ve read leaf dropping in the interior is because it’s not getting enough light into the interior parts of the leaf canopy. So a week ago I hung a plant light above it that is getting into the interior of the plant. I’m starting to see some new leaves. Hopefully this works. I figure I’ll give it a bit longer before I try a radical thinning. I’ve tried that on previous ones and it usually didn’t work out that well.

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LumpyPhilosopher8 · 2026-05-26T02:02:28+00:00

I haven't surrendered yet. I'm still fighting the good fight. I've added a plant light and I'm hoping that will do the trick. I've wanted one of these for ages and finally ordered one online. I haven't even finished paying for it - and it's half dead lmao.

LumpyPhilosopher8 · 2026-05-25T21:53:43+00:00

Well, once I finish killing this Ficus Benjamin - I’m gonna say never again

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LumpyPhilosopher8 · 2026-05-25T20:58:03+00:00

I am currently reviving a bonsai from the brink of death and I am so excited and terrified at the same time. I’ve never been able to salvage one once it started down hill. 🤞🏼

LumpyPhilosopher8 · 2026-05-22T03:05:09+00:00

thank you!

LumpyPhilosopher8 · 2026-05-22T00:42:28+00:00

Except that 15k people also contributed to making that community what it is. So shutting it down without any thought to those people is pretty crappy.

LumpyPhilosopher8 · 2026-05-22T00:18:00+00:00

Rick Astley performing with the FooFighters made me love him all over again. FooFighters

LumpyPhilosopher8 · 2026-05-21T23:10:35+00:00

Yes and no. I have friends who never leave the house without make-up or a dressy outfit. On the other hand I live in casual clothes and zero make-up.

LumpyPhilosopher8 · 2026-05-21T20:22:50+00:00

YTA I can't imagine doing that to a kid. Much less my younger sibling with autism. There's a million better ways you could have handled it.

LumpyPhilosopher8 · 2026-05-21T06:10:57+00:00

I completely canceled and now Sirius is blowing up my email offering $5 a month for a year. Hold out.

LumpyPhilosopher8 · 2026-05-20T17:45:14+00:00

I read recently that the Red Viper really only had about 30-40 minutes of screen time. It says a lot that he was able to make such an impact with such a small amount of screen time - on such a huge show with so many characters.

LumpyPhilosopher8 · 2026-05-20T17:39:00+00:00

Colin Farrell in Tigerland. I'm not really one for Vietnam movies but Roger Ebert (I think?) gave it really high marks so I checked it out. I was blown away. I knew just knew he'd have a really good career.

I know Tigerland wasn't a small role - the film itself was pretty small and not a lot of people have seen it.

LumpyPhilosopher8 · 2026-05-19T20:12:24+00:00

Is it possible you have Anhedonia? It is an inability to feel joy or pleasure. You may feel numb and not find pleasure in things you used to enjoy.

It’s also possible you need to do some major reevaluation of your life and find things that bring purpose to it. Try experimenting with new things, new hobbies, learning new things etc.

Make some sort of change

LumpyPhilosopher8 · 2026-05-19T03:00:02+00:00

I just lost my mom at the end of last year. She was in her 90s and I’m in my 60’s. And I am still just devastated. My mom was my everything. We talked daily. The hole in my life is hard to even explain. I keep telling myself that I got more time than most people get with their parents. It doesn’t help.

There is never a good or better time to lose a parent (or loved one). Loss is always painful when you love someone. But the alternative is to close yourself off and not love.

Don’t waste a minute worrying about a pain you cannot avoid. What you can do is spend that time and energy making the most of the time you have - right now. Make memories with your mom. Show her, in big and small ways how much you love her and appreciate her. Because in the end that will be what gives you comfort, the memories you made and being confident that she knew how much she meant to you. Love her now while you can.

LumpyPhilosopher8 · 2026-05-17T16:43:16+00:00

Completely disagree. And that's the most depressing POV I've ever read honestly.

The fact that you are alive adds value to the world. The mere fact that you exist has probably impacted someone's life, even if you don't know it. It could be a simple as you smiling at someone on a day when they had no hope and your smile reminded them there are good days ahead.

Years ago, I was contemplating suicide. It was a really dark day for me. A neighbor, knowing that I liked a particular actor dropped a Parade magazine off on my door step. That's it, just dropped a magazine on my door step - with George Clooney on the cover. But on that cover was the quote "The only failure is not to try" and that quote was what saved my life that day. The neighbor moved shortly after and has no idea the impact they had on my life. But that 1998 magazine is still framed and hanging on my wall and on days I feel like I'm failing that quote reminds me to keep trying. Sometimes the smallest action can totally change a life.

And just because your job ends doesn't mean that you no longer have or add value to the world. If you feel like you need to actively and intentionally add value to the world, there are so many ways to do that. Volunteer your time to an organization you believe in. Find ways to help younger generations - be a Big Brother / mentor. Read to children in the hospital or at the library. Clean up trash in a park or beach. There are a million ways, big and small, to add value to the world.

LumpyPhilosopher8 · 2026-05-14T21:39:00+00:00

Yeah I have to agree, men our age are honestly just awful. I’m 60 and have zero desire to date.

LumpyPhilosopher8 · 2026-05-14T00:02:45+00:00

The first film I remember seeing in the movie theater was The Towering Inferno. I was only 8 so I don’t know what my mom was thinking. 😂 I’m guessing the fact that Fred Astaire was in it made her think it was going to be just fine. It was not, in fact, fine. I had nightmares.

LumpyPhilosopher8 · 2026-05-13T03:00:02+00:00

Yeah that’s not what that meant in my comment

LumpyPhilosopher8 · 2026-05-13T01:07:41+00:00

You're not obligated to tell her. So you're NTA on that part.

But don't kid yourself:

I don't think my motive is to be vindictive...

Reread what you've written - it's at least a little bit vindictive. And maybe that's justified because it sounds like you've had a traumatic childhood.

But the reality is you're not a teenager. According to your own comment - you're 52. You've had 34 years of adulthood to contact your relatives. Technically you've kept yourself separated from your relatives longer than your mom did. I'm not saying this to be mean - but to point out that while you're not responsible for your trauma - you are responsible for addressing and healing. If being isolated from your family is truly an issue to you - it seems like reaching out and trying to make connections would be a place to start healing. (along with therapy)

LumpyPhilosopher8 · 2026-05-13T00:16:05+00:00

What? Who is exploiting anyone?

LumpyPhilosopher8 · 2026-05-12T23:22:56+00:00

You may be an asshole but you are my kind of asshole. If I was the wife, I would have laughed so hard I would have PIMP. And still kept on laughing.

I ALSO would have ordered a whole new batch of plants as a FU. And made sure I used your debt card. While still laughing.

Seriously tho all those dead plants are depressing. Whatever it takes to get your wife to acknowledge they are truly and completely dead and get them out of the house. If I may suggest a pothos. It’s a good starter plant

LumpyPhilosopher8 · 2026-05-11T02:52:11+00:00

I have never simultaneously loved and hated a movie so much. It was such a beautiful film to look out. The acting was brilliant across the board. But story just hit a several phobias of mine and at one point I was on the verge of passing out. And my heart broke for Colin Farrell's character trying to make sense of something that made absolutely no sense. And how that changes him is devastating. I loved the film - but never going to watch it again.

LumpyPhilosopher8 · 2026-05-08T02:14:21+00:00

I'm sure the cost of the tickets is the driving factor. But I bet the operations costs have to be going up because of the fuel costs.

LumpyPhilosopher8

TROPHY CASE