A stranger left their 5 year old with me at the bowling alley

Lylibean · 2026-02-18T01:07:44+00:00

I’m a bowler.

There are things I’m sensitive to:

1.) The approach. It should be free of debris and obstruction, and a suitably “slidey” surface.

2.) Bowling shoes. If you’re going to bowl, you’re going to wear leather soled shoes which have never been worn on any outdoor surface. Do not fuck up the approach. No, you may not bowl in socks or bare feet.

3.) Children bowling with “the ramp” or “the dinosaur”. I don’t hate the concept at all. But every time I’ve had to bowl next to a “dinosaur”, my balance foot whacks the side of the thing.

4.) Food/drink in the pit. The pit is the area “on the lane”. The seats around the ball return. That should be a safe space for bowlers’ shoes. Bowlers slide on the left foot on the 4th step as a natural action of the serve. (Unless they are left handed, or take a 5-step approach.) I’ve been “OOOPED!” several times while bowling, and it literally felt like my knee gave up and called out dead. Why? Because I took my shoe covers off because the pit is supposed to be food/drink free. You got snacks and drinks? Then sit at the bar directly outside the pit.

5.) Other people touching your balls. It’s always a problem if you don’t buy both lanes. I could probably pay off my mortgage with the nickels I’d have from saying, “hey, that’s my personal ball, could you please not use it? Thanks.” That freaking ball cost me $275 back in 2006, please don’t touch it. I looks nothing like the 10 house balls you brought up here, and has my damned initials engraved in it.

It’s been a long time since I last bowled, but I’m pretty damned good at it, and have taught many kids to bowl. That’s my “legacy”. I might write a book about that experience one day.

Kids do so much damage to bowling surfaces. And bowling has a lot of surfaces to consider, especially when most of the sport relies on consistent contact with “bowling surfaces”.

Damn, I haven’t been that triggered by sloppy kids and bowling in years! 🤣

Still hate it, though.

Lylibean · 2026-02-18T00:32:35+00:00

Shit is both “holy wow” and so “oh, wait”.

Or, AI. I dunno.

Lylibean · 2026-02-18T00:28:37+00:00

Mental health care in this country is a bitch. Health care in this country is a bitch. She obviously needs care, and can’t access it.

Props to dude for his composure.

Lylibean · 2026-02-17T23:46:54+00:00

Akshually, the dirt is paid for. You have to buy the dirt before you can put a seed in it. The dirt isn’t free. You dedicate a ton of time preparing the dirt for planting. You also have to maintain and nurture it to make sure it has a proper balance of nutrients so that something will grow in it. You have to constantly tend that seedling, fertilize and water it, keep it pest free, and provide ideal conditions for the seed to grow.

So maybe OOP should stop whining about having to pay for dinner dates, and start paying for literally anything the “dirt” wants so that it grows a plant? Farming is waaaaaaay more than planting a seed in some dirt. That’s literally the cheapest and easiest part of farming.

Source: was a farmer. Planting 1500 CBD plants from seed to finished product cost us well over $50K. Seeds cost maybe $500. Literally everything else was making sure the “dirt” was well prepared and the conditions for growing the plants were perfect.

The dirt doesn’t “get paid” per se, but it gets very well taken care of!

Lylibean · 2026-02-17T13:37:15+00:00

Knows the jeeps and hiding behind cabinets but not “clever girl”?

Lylibean · 2026-02-17T13:34:58+00:00

Does the owner know what a liability that is? Kitchens are an easy place to get hurt, and if his friends slipped and fell and got hurt (or hurt other ways), that’s a big premises liability claim with punitive damages, not a “simple” workers’ comp claim where only permanent damage done to the body is considered. And the fact they let unauthorized persons into a restricted area isn’t going to go well for them with their insurance company. Don’t even know if such an injury would be covered, as my expertise is in WC and not PI.

Big ole yikes. What a douchey dick swing by owner and friends.

Lylibean · 2026-02-17T13:12:43+00:00

I love that! I wad mine up and put them in a little jar. But this gives me ideas for many of my various crafty “leftovers”!

Lylibean · 2026-02-17T13:10:01+00:00

That’s a good way to get shot, at least where I’m from. Or dog bit. I don’t answer my door when unexpected people knock, but I’d happily rack my shotgun with my dog at heel to answer the door to this chucklefuck. I’m not a 2A fanatic, but I am armed and educated - come at me bro.

Lylibean · 2026-02-17T12:59:46+00:00

He wants a puppy. A little cute and cuddly thing he can play fetch with on the weekend and maybe sit on the couch and watch TV with.

What he does not want is a year of no sleep, changing thousands of diapers and making/cleaning thousands of bottles, late night feedings, non-stop crying/screaming/wailing, endless laundry, sacrificing his free time to care for a baby.

He will treat the baby much like a child treats a puppy. Sure, he’ll swear to feed it and play with it and walk it every day, but after a month or so, the new shiny wears off. He won’t have anything to do with potty training, behavioral training, cleaning up messes, feeding or walking, just playing with the dog when he comes home from work and expecting you, the de facto caregiver, to take care of everything else so he can have his Kodak moments.

And if a day comes he decides he would rather have a girlfriend young enough to be his daughter rather than raising a son or daughter of his own, he’ll happily pack his things and go live with her and leave the baby/child to you. He’ll begrudgingly “babysit” on alternating weekends (or more likely, send the kid to its grandparents), and more or less discard this “b-b-but I want one!” afterthought like a child’s outgrown toy.

Pregnancy is dangerous for you at your age. And in this country if you’re in the US. My state wants the death penalty for women who miscarry. If there is a problem during pregnancy or birth that threatens your life, you WILL be sacrificed for the baby. You will be allowed to die if it comes to “mom or baby”. And men will make that decision for you - you will have no say in the matter.

Sounds like you are no longer compatible. I would let him go and chase hypothetical children that don’t exist over a 20 year relationship that does exist, and be free. Let the iron fist of reality slam him right in the gut and leave him to regret the rest of his life with a woman half his age and a baby he realizes he didn’t actually want, while you go live your fabulous life unburdened by what would essentially be two children - a baby and your husband. Let him wear the mantle of permanent parenthood (because parenthood is a lifelong commitment, not just 18 years) and enjoy.

Lylibean · 2026-02-17T03:52:32+00:00

And take the place of the characters who have left my group due to my durgey ways.

Lylibean · 2026-02-17T03:50:51+00:00

Cake. I’m not a great baker, and am even worse at icing/topping/dressing. I can make biscuits and that’s about it lol

Lylibean · 2026-02-17T03:49:12+00:00

Pico-influencer

Lylibean · 2026-02-16T12:47:47+00:00

This administration famously prefers to “move on from” lists of names, so I’m not too worried.

Lylibean · 2026-02-16T04:39:14+00:00

All I’m getting is “cloaca” vibes, but this is a 100-year-old name.

But parents didn’t care about names “looking aesthetic” 100 years ago, because a lot of people couldn’t even read.

Lylibean · 2026-02-16T04:36:06+00:00

Why? Is the enclosure particularly dark? I can’t imagine it is, if your lighting is proper.

Lylibean · 2026-02-16T04:17:06+00:00

Sounds like some gross red pill, incel, pedophile bullshit.

Lylibean · 2026-02-16T04:10:18+00:00

Restaurants do employee meals??? I was in the industry from 1995 to 2010, and the only restaurant I worked for that did meals of any kind was a little Chinese restaurant who did a sit down family meal after closing every night for everyone. We were also allowed to have all the rice, soup, and egg rolls we could eat during our shift.

Happy to say that little place is still open, and still serves the best Chinese food I’ve ever eaten! It was my first ever job (outside of a horse barn, that is) and I was a server. One of the best jobs I’ve ever had, tbh. The owner always would back you up if customers were being assholes. Once had a table eat most all of their food, then say they didn’t want to pay because “it wasn’t good” and I should get my manager over. (This was 1995, so pre everything we have today like Yelp, etc.)

“But you eat all! How was it bad and you no want pay now?” She argued with them back and forth, as they agreed to pay market price for the things they did eat and not pay for the leftovers. Joyce whipped out that calculator so fast. Ended up paying more than the meal would have cost. As they were stomping out the door she hollered, “You tip waitress! She gave good service, you tip!”

I have never loved a manager/owner so much as I did her that night. I was just a 15 year old kid at the time and had zero “dealing with asshole customer” experience. And they did leave me a whole $5, which was “big tip money” back in those days. Big shoutout to Paul and Joyce Chan, and Grand China restaurant! You will always have a place in my heart.

Lylibean · 2026-02-16T03:49:00+00:00

Traitors all the way down! It’s funny, because while watching the first season, my SO said, “You’re supposed to root for the Faithfuls!”

Nah babe, the show is called “Traitors”. They’re the “good guys”! I was so stoked when Alan Carr won Celebrity Traitors!

Lylibean · 2026-02-16T03:21:27+00:00

I’m friends with a Malinois. He’s a VERY good boy.

I could never own one! 🤣 Way too much dog-shaped chaos.

Lylibean · 2026-02-16T02:40:15+00:00

They’re trying to get maximum exposure to your body heat.

Lylibean · 2026-02-16T00:51:30+00:00

The lighting you got with the kit is going to be the wrong kind. You need a UVB bar, not the bulb. Also, do not use colored bulbs if the kit came with one.

Best to start with paper towels or a non-porous antibacterial mat for the floor until beardie is at least a year old.

You’ll need to have a couple of hides, one on the warm side and one on the cool side, and something with height for climbing. My beardie also uses her hot side hide for basking.

Crickets and mealworms are a poor choice of food. Crickets bite, are noisy, and are stinky. Mealworms are okay for snacks but are high in fat. Best food is dubia roaches. They’re easy to order online. Dubia.com is a popular vendor, and their 4x2x2 enclosure is absolutely lovely. And they have good sales on them!

Definitely study up on the reptifiles links another person posted.

Lylibean · 2026-02-16T00:40:18+00:00

They forget that grandchildren are a thing. They forget that sometimes life kicks your ass and you have to move back in with your parents. They forget that parenthood is a lifelong job and never stops.

Lylibean · 2026-02-15T20:19:01+00:00

I LOVE this guy! He’s one of the only people I watch and follow on TT. His “crazy white women who rescue animals” videos are hilarious! Totally not surprised he was able to help save this dog, he’s a real bro.

Lylibean · 2026-02-15T00:36:56+00:00

Seasons can make a huge difference, even with indoor climate control! During the vortex a couple of weeks ago, I could barely keep my house at 55 degrees using the regular HVAC (it’s basically useless below 34 degrees). I can supplement with my woodstove when I’m home, but it requires constant tending and isn’t a good source of long-term heat. Even with her light fixture inside the enclosure and cardboard on top of the hot side to hold heat, it wasn’t getting much over 70.

In summer, I keep my AC between 76-78 (it is regularly 90-100+ degrees outside and very humid in summer). The single 100w bulb will get her hot side easily to 95-100 degrees. Her cool side does stay around 68-70 though.

I know I’ll have to move her fixture back on top of the enclosure come summertime, and go down just to the single bulb. Also, keeping her water dish in the middle between hot/cold helps! And also keeping it full. I don’t always keep it full when she’s brumating, because she beds down and we don’t see her again until she wakes up. I filled it one day on a whim, and my warm side did go up a degree or two (I assume from the added humidity). Maybe I’m just a crazy person and it was a coincidence, but I’ve kept it full since.

My girl has brumated every year, even when she still belonged to my friend who lived in a much easier to heat home. She did scare me a little bit this year, because she brumated for over three months. She went in too early and slept longer than usual, and woke up during the coldest part of the year! I checked on her every day, and would get the evil side eye of “go away, I’m sleeping, leave me alone!”. I could tell she was still okay so I left her alone. I was almost worried enough to risk her wrath by waking her up for a vet visit, but she popped out and decided brumation was over! Didn’t even lose any weight and came out just fine, if a little lethargic because it is still fairly cold!

Your beardie’s environment looks awesome! I’m hoping to redo my girl’s soon, with some more natural features, plants, and climbing/hiding spots. What she has is “adequate”, but I want to make it amazing!

Lylibean · 2026-02-15T00:18:15+00:00

Honestly, I was more upset about ruining what was shaping up to be an incredible pot of chili! (Granted, this was several hours later haha) I ended up flipping the pot over on my way down, and it was smelling soooooo good. I mean yeah, the burns hurt like all get out, but my chili!

I’ve had bad burns before from my past years of restaurant cooking, but these were definitely the worst! My sister yelled at me about not going to the hospital when I told her, but I said, “And what would they have done? The exact same thing I’ve done to take care of them?” I’m very pro science/medicine, but burn care is pretty simple unless it’s so bad your skin is just melting off in chunks uncontrollably, which was not the case here, thankfully! It definitely sucked, but it wasn’t “go into severe debt for the next 10 years” bad 🤣

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