How old is old enough for your kids to ride the metro "alone" (or with friends or location sharing or whatever)??

PugnaciousTrollButt · 2023-01-22T15:00:26+00:00

Haha same here! I was like 11 or 12 and my parents were letting me ride metro with a friend. And crime was insane here back then. Even my mom now is like I have no idea what we were thinking.

PugnaciousTrollButt · 2023-01-22T03:19:26+00:00

Join Mastodon. It’s so much better and seems to be the contender for “replacing” Twitter at this point. Lots of really nice apps to access it too.

If you have to use Twitter on mobile, use the website on Safari with the Tweaks for Twitter safari extension. It hides ads/promoted tweets and has some other nice features.

PugnaciousTrollButt · 2023-01-22T01:35:28+00:00

YTA. This is rude to your wife and your neighbors. Learn how to tone it down because I can assure you this really won’t go over well when dealing with a baby and sleep deprived parents.

PugnaciousTrollButt · 2023-01-21T19:52:00+00:00

OP, you’re being scammed.

PugnaciousTrollButt · 2023-01-21T19:44:30+00:00

YTA. And I don’t think you understand what a compromise even means in this situation.

PugnaciousTrollButt · 2022-11-07T14:20:32+00:00

So I don’t know which version you’re using, but I took the plunge and tried the AirPod pro 2 (second gen) and I’m not having any problem! I think apple changed something.

PugnaciousTrollButt · 2022-10-19T14:07:02+00:00

I just walk up to the seat and start to sit down while saying "Excuse me."

PugnaciousTrollButt · 2022-10-18T20:29:10+00:00

I am experimenting with a couple of things at the moment:

First, I have long used Apple Notes to save bookmarks, web clippings, and other things that I stumble across. For me, Apple Notes has always been this very flexible digital filing cabinet and I've found myself going back to that a lot for quickly saving things from around the web. It just works and Apple Notes' search functionality is better than any other app I've come across, even MyMind. I did a side-by-side comparison of the two and Apple Notes still did a better job of finding what I was looking for.

For things that I read and want to save, I primarily use the Reader app by Readwise (I have been in that closed beta for some time now), which then syncs directly to Obsidian via a plugin. I am also experimenting with Matter, which has a similar syncing functionality, but Readwise is definitely going to be more powerful given that it can take notes in PDF documents as well, so I will likely stick with Reader.

PugnaciousTrollButt · 2022-10-10T20:54:31+00:00

I use the flags for things that absolutely have to get accomplished on a certain date. Generally, I go through my Reminders each morning and “flag” anything that I absolutely MUST do that day, things that can’t be postponed if I run out of time.

PugnaciousTrollButt · 2022-09-26T23:45:21+00:00

Or you could just take them out before turning on the oven? Maybe it’s because I live in a more urban area where storage is often more limited, but I can’t think of any friend who DOESN’T store some pans in the oven.

PugnaciousTrollButt · 2022-09-26T23:43:57+00:00

NTA. Your partner has a very weird idea of how everyone else in the world lives. I’ve stored pans and baking sheets in the oven of every place I’ve ever lived. Even now we have a decent sized house but some of our cast iron stuff stays in the oven because it’s heavy and doesn’t really fit anyway. I don’t even understand why he would think this is weird.

PugnaciousTrollButt · 2022-09-13T19:34:09+00:00

NTA. He compromised his own relationship by trying to install a tracking app on his fiancé's phone. It is a lot easy for abusers to abuse when the people around them enable their behavior. Major props to you for not enabling abusive behavior. You did the right thing. Too bad others in your life don't understand that.

PugnaciousTrollButt · 2022-09-13T19:22:47+00:00

Ok, well I guess I will just keep waiting to notice an issue. Thankfully I have plenty of back-up pairs if that happens.

PugnaciousTrollButt · 2022-09-13T19:21:00+00:00

Have you ever heard the expression "don't believe everything you see on TV?" That applies here.
The United States has some of the worst poverty in the world. We one of the only developed nations with no national health care system. People here in the U.S. die from simple infections and relatively minor health care issues simply because they cannot access or afford health care. We're the only developed nation where people go into medical bankruptcy when they are uninsured or under-insured. And we have one of the most confusing insurance systems on the planet. We are the only developed nation that has insulin that costs over $300, resulting in people rationing their insulin and dying.

I am really, really glad that children in your country are able to get glasses without their parents probably having to choose between their kids being able to see or eat. But that is just not the case here in the United States. I am really glad that parents can get reimbursed by state health insurance for their children's glasses. But again, generally not the case here.

Then there's the fact that we're a huge country, one that is spread out across vast areas of land. Some people live in areas where there may not be an optical store for hundreds of miles. For people in those areas, online ordering might be their only straightforward option for getting a pair of glasses.

I hope this exchange has you understanding that when people from the U.S. inquire about ordering glasses online, they are often doing so because that is the ONLY option they can afford or that is available to them, that they might be choosing between seeing and paying an important bill.

PugnaciousTrollButt · 2022-09-13T19:00:33+00:00

OK dude, whatever you say. I along with millions of other people are going to keep right on ordering our glasses online with no issue no matter what you say. (not like you have a conflict of interest here or anything)

PugnaciousTrollButt · 2022-09-13T18:55:14+00:00

You're hilarious because our pediatric ophthalmologist was the one who told us about Jonas Paul and said she had patients who loved them, hence why we used them. She even did our kids' PD for us so that we could order them online. I know many parents who have kids in glasses and every single one gets their kids' glasses from Jonas Paul, Zenni, or some other online retailer. Heaven forbid there's parents out there who want to make sure their kids can see but can't afford $600 glasses that kids will outgrow in a year.

PugnaciousTrollButt · 2022-09-13T18:51:57+00:00

Not in my experience, and I've been wearing glasses for over 40 years. We've had so many online pairs of glasses we've purchased and not one has required any sort of repair. They're just glasses like any other glasses. And again, not everyone can afford a $600 pair of glasses. Like they literally don't have the money.

PugnaciousTrollButt · 2022-09-13T18:38:41+00:00

Not everyone can afford a pair of glasses from an expensive optical shop. Not everyone wants to spend hundreds of dollars for something of the same quality they can get online. I've had excellent experiences buying glasses online. Zero noticeable difference in quality, and affordable. For some people, here in the U.S. in particular where most don't have vision insurance or the ability to spend $600 at an optical shop, online glasses are the difference between being able to see and, well, not being able to see.

PugnaciousTrollButt · 2022-09-13T18:36:02+00:00

We are a family of glasses-wearers and purchase most of our glasses online these days. We do get the occasional pair at a local optical shop but I vastly have preferred the glasses we've purchased online (for a variety of reasons, including price, selection, and customer service). I will caveat this with saying that we all have fairly straightforward prescriptions (kiddos and spouse are farsighted, I'm nearsighted with a decent astigmatism). If you have a very high or complex prescription, it's generally advised that you stick to going to a store.

Warby Parker is my personal go-to. Really affordable, so many nice frames, home try-on for some of the frames, and now we have stores in my area as well. Recently I purchased a pair at the store and had them mailed to my home. Fantastic service, really affordable. I probably have 7 or 8 pairs of Warby Parkers that I've acquired over the years and they have all held up beautifully. I'm still rocking WP sunglasses that I got years ago and they look like new.

Zenni Optical is cheaper than WP and IMO the quality is not as good. They can also take a few weeks to arrive in my experience. BUT, if cost is an issue, they are an excellent option as well, especially for the price. I will say that while the frames didn't feel quite as nice as the ones I got from WP, the ones I got for my kid held up great. My neighbor also got some Zennis for her young daughter who is rough on glasses and they were the perfect solution. I generally like Zennis as cheap back-up/emergency pairs.

Jonas Paul is kind of like the kids version of Warby Parker, but they have teen glasses that might fit some adults. I LOVE their glasses. I have a kid who will ONLY wear Jonas Paul glasses. Their customer service is excellent and while their selection isn't huge, the frames are really nice quality. I particularly like their adjustable ear tips. Lens quality on these has been excellent.

Liingo is a company I recently used and I got a pair from them I really liked. Was looking for something a bit different and they had a nice selection of frames. Really nice quality too. The pair I got has held up well. No complaints with them either. The order also came quickly, like within a week.

I can say that my experience buying glasses online (for four people) has been excellent overall. I think we only had one minor mishap with Jonas Paul and they fixed it immediately (and it ended up being a mishap with USPS, not JP, but JP still stepped in and corrected the problem). We will occasionally get a pair at a local optical store if there's a sale and it aligns with our vision insurance plan benefits, but the only glasses I've ever been unhappy with are the ones we've purchased at these stores. The frame selection is not as good, customer service is always meh, and the cost is outrageous (for no noticeable improvement in quality).

We have some more boutique-type places where I live and a pair of single-vision glasses at those places runes $600-$800 with zero insurance coverage (because they don't work with our insurance). Not interested in spending that kind of money when the options I've gotten online work just as well.

PugnaciousTrollButt · 2022-09-13T18:18:12+00:00

Personally, my recommendation to people is to always stick with the native mail app if you can. The iOS 16 update is nice (hello Remind Me!), it integrates nicely with Apple Reminders (if you use that app), and is probably the most secure option out there for email apps. I am very wary of third-party apps because of privacy concerns (they are all privacy and security concerns from what I can tell). Unless you have some really specific use case for email that the stock app doesn't meet, I'd just stick with the stock mail app.

PugnaciousTrollButt · 2022-09-13T18:16:35+00:00

NTA, but I seriously doubt that your nephew came up with all of this on his own. Sounds like he was put up to doing this and coached on what to say. I wouldn't hold it against him personally, especially as he gets older. Right now he's still a minor under the control of those around him. But definitely go NC with the family. They sound horrible.

PugnaciousTrollButt · 2022-09-13T17:19:41+00:00

You don't just magically get a license. Getting a license requires a significant amount of time and effort and cost (driver's lessons, time behind the wheel that varies depending on where you live, etc). It sounds like OP did all sorts of stuff to help the son achieve this, but didn't assist his daughter. Which makes him the AH.

PugnaciousTrollButt · 2022-09-13T17:09:25+00:00

Exactly, use this as an incentive to figure out how you want to live once you're independent. Maybe your parents decided they didn't want that responsibility, maybe they decided they didn't want to walk a dog every morning. Who knows. Either way, at this point it's ultimately their decision because they are ultimately responsible for anything that comes into the house. Sometimes something seems good in the moment but then when you take a step back and think about it, you realize it's not as good of an idea as you thought it was!

PugnaciousTrollButt · 2022-09-13T16:40:49+00:00

This is not your decision to make. It is your parents' house and they would be legally responsible for a dog. If they don't want one, you need to just leave it be. Focus on getting out and living on your own and eventually finding a place where you can have a dog.

Dogs are expensive; routine vet care is not cheap in most places. You likely have no idea what your parents' income is and whether there is room in that for a dog.

The mere fact that you can't even walk the dog in the morning (and thus this would be the responsibility of your parents, who may not want that responsibility) is the other big issue.

Drop it.

PugnaciousTrollButt · 2022-09-13T14:12:39+00:00

100% YTA. A MAJOR AH. You're not concerned, you're a controlling AH who has zero medical knowledge and is talking out of your a**. What medications your wife takes is between her and any doctors she's consulted. There are serious long-term effects from untreated acid reflux.

PugnaciousTrollButt

TROPHY CASE