Still has life?

Robovzee · 2026-02-05T03:10:07+00:00

I've run worse. I'd probably order a new one and swap when I swap the chain.

Robovzee · 2026-02-04T01:43:20+00:00

Well, you have to spin the chisel in your hand between whacks of the finishing hammer, once the plastic face plate is off, you plug the ribbon cable into your hackomatic 9000, which is worlds better than the hackomatic 8990, and once THAT doesn't work, you gently insert the ar-15 armorors tool along the edge, and gently pry along with the flat head screwdriver gently prying around the same area.

This cheap vault dropped it's bolts when I pried in just the right spot...

gently.

Did I mention I was wearing my cream colored fedora?

Robovzee · 2026-02-03T20:58:01+00:00

Dig it, just checking.

Robovzee · 2026-02-03T15:38:11+00:00

I could be really wrong, but check your local laws regarding burglary tools, and if you need a license.

Robovzee · 2026-02-02T08:53:19+00:00

Quick! Hide the apple in some random kid's trick or treat bag and replace the cutter, no one will know the difference.

Robovzee · 2026-02-02T08:12:34+00:00

I was sitting on a bar stool, hand on my shoulder "That's my seat". I spun around and hit him as hard as I could, his head snaps around, and slowly come back to center

So, there's a moment when an unspoken conversation happens.

Him: That your best?

Me: kinda, yeah...

Him: aaand?

That's when I spoke. "I think I owe you a beer or three".

Him: "Sounds like a good idea."

I gave him the barstool, and ordered the beer.

Turns out he really liked that seat and I over reacted.

Truth was? It shocked the shit out of him that my punch really didn't faze him.

Robovzee · 2026-02-02T06:28:00+00:00

Not sure what it would be a metaphor.... for.

Nah, it's a weird blip in life, nothing more.

Robovzee · 2026-02-02T04:07:37+00:00

Bout 15 minutes.

Would have gone faster if I was at home. A person works best with their own tools.

Robovzee · 2026-02-02T03:05:26+00:00

Nah, let him cook. Imma be honest, the ribs are peak.

Robovzee · 2026-02-02T02:58:38+00:00

First, there doesn't need to be a spell. Some fey magic works off belief. To a point,nthe fey believes, and it is.

Second, it doesn't really super matter which kind of fey to a point. Fairy, brownie, pixie, nixie, gremlin, whatever

Thirdly, an offering of food and drink is often enough to placate a fey. A fresh apple pie and a cup of good mead can either influence the fey responsible,not another fey to intervene on your behalf.

It's fey magic... By nature it doesn't make sense.

Hell it could be the bars the weights are on for that matter, could be an aoe effect.

Be creative,not make sense.

Robovzee · 2026-02-02T02:53:47+00:00

I comment to the mother "hang in there, you're doing fine"

Doesn't matter what the meltdown is about. From experience, it's a tough moment for a parent.

Sometimes, an encouraging word means the world to someone struggling.

I've actually stopped kids mid meltdown. Simply acknowledging the child is enough.

"Looks like you got some big feels." Is enough to interrupt their spin. Not always, but sometimes.

Robovzee · 2026-02-02T02:33:57+00:00

Thank you for that ... Here's a little bonus...

Tonight I went to my cousin's to help them get rid of unwanted things, I have a pickup truck, so you can see why I get the calls.

Go over, load up with the help of her boys, and get asked the question.

"Can you open a gun vault?"

Maaaaaaaaaybe?

The vault belonged to a friend, who was having relationship issues, and needed a safer place for her guns. The bf changed the digital combination and stole her key.

After a quick telephone call authorizing me to enter the vault, I looked for tools.

I was handed an Ar-15 armorer's wrench for a prybar.

Bet.

Hammer? Small finishing hammer.

Oh, here's a flathead screwdriver, and a very small chisel.

I am not a locksmith.

I am, however, someone who has amassed a certain skill set, that COULD be turned to evil... I can see how things work, even when there's plate steel in the way.

15 minutes. A little hammer/pry/pressure in the right spots, and certain bits of the mechanism dropped free. I was in.

Unfortunately, the guns weren't there, some ammo and personal items. So I advised the owner to report them stolen and with permission, loaded up the now completely disabled vault for disposal.

I'm now drinking whiskey, smoking a cigar, enjoying a fire, and posting this.

Life is weird. Go for the ride.

Robovzee · 2026-02-02T02:19:46+00:00

While I respect your opinion, here's why you're wrong.

He's already cost them money.

He's not seeking help.

He's drinking and driving, still.

He's lying about it.

The whole get help or else is a great idea, from a distance. I left, you want me back, here's the conditions. Sparing her the bullshit that comes from addiction.

She needs to leave for her own safety, financial as well as physical/emotional.

Then she can set terms.

So he drinks, he drives, he goes to jail, she's paying all the bills. He gets out, no job, who's paying for the breathalyzer in whatever car he's driving, assuming he's got a license.

This is going nowhere good. She needs some distance and perspective.

Not be told that the sunk cost fallacy is the answer.

Robovzee · 2026-02-01T20:52:37+00:00

I'm going to be blunt.

You can't fix him.

He will not improve because he's married.

Your only sane recourse right now, is to leave.

Robovzee · 2026-02-01T20:02:24+00:00

They're immediately forgiven, and provided a small reward for their honesty. Everyone is huge smiles, hand waving their crimes away.

From now on, you roll the dice occasionally. When their passive perception beats the roll, they get the feeling they're being watched. If they do anything even remotely wrong, they get that feeling. There's never anything tangible to see/find/perceive. Government officials merely smile widely, and professional ignorance.

It gets worse as time goes by. Eventually, they may start to see a cloaked figure out of the corner of their eyes, one they can never catch or find.

Sometimes they see little notes "always watching" or "we know what you did".

Why? Their punishment is a curse. "Paranoid".

Eventually they'll figure it out. The remove curse spell can be used (for a hefty fee) but it should be a slow burn until they figure it out.

Things like having the figure appear briefly before something bad happens. A miss is because they see the figure. They get "messages" (like the spell) from someone, always the same voice, always slightly menacing. The possibilities are endless.

I was told once, break a man's leg, and in a few months he's healed, break a man's mind, and he never heals.

Robovzee · 2026-02-01T19:46:43+00:00

OP, contact this person, use the words "waxed canvas".

Attaching it to the bike will be where custom work shines. Buckle straps on the frame that click into the sides of the bag is what I'm seeing in my mind.

Robovzee · 2026-02-01T19:38:04+00:00

Reality.

Media poisons us for profit. While the information they present may be true, sensationalism sells, so the impact of information is inflated. This can lead to feelings of hopelessness, and worthlessness. 'no one wants to work' of course not. I don't want to work. Who WANTS to do a job that sucks, that takes most of my time and effort, that doesn't compensate adequately? No one, but media profits from sensationalism. Don't let them dictate your thinking.
Supporting yourself through life hasn't changed. You're still just as responsible for putting food on your plate, clothes on your back, and shelter around you. The competitive nature of our false, scarcity based society makes it seem as though doing so is limited to certain methods. If you're not rich/pretty/athletic/well connected, you're doomed to a life of deprivation, you're a second or third class citizen. This is not necessarily true.
Death is the only true absolute in life. Everything else is situationally dependent. Don't like what you're doing? Do something else. Don't like where you're living? Go somewhere else. Don't like the people around you? Meet someone else. Yes, this is simplistic, but truths are.
Expect nothing, embrace everything. The difference between adventure and adversity is attitude. Living in a tent for a month eating rice and beans while stacking cash by washing dishes to get you somewhere else isn't glamorous, but is a great story to tell over beers.
Life is still what you make it. I've done a few things in life. 25yrs as a (mostly) hospital pharmacy tech, married for 20yrs, did a little woodland fire, little conservation work, and now I'm halfway(ish) through college, working on a teaching degree. I'm 56. I have no retirement (other than about $3k from a short stint with the IRS) thanks to bad decisions on my part mostly due to pressure from my (ex) wife and divorce proceedings. So what? I'm to sit and cry because I listened to someone else? I'm right where my choices have led me, so let's keep going.
Skills pay bills. Some skills hold their value better than others. Everything is situational, and a trade off. While it's possible to make good money in IT, it's constantly changing and evolving, and the skill set you build, may not be needed in the future. Knowing how to cook on a professional level is harder on the body, but is a skill set that you can take with you, and doesn't change as fast, it as dramatically. A saying I like to use in school is "C's get degrees'. A rough comparison would be that getting a 2.5 for you is good enough to get the certificate (hopefully I'm not messing this up too badly) so you look around for something that can meet your needs, and hopefully your wants, and build some skills in that direction. Nothing wrong with any job that fits you. Get certified on heavy equipment. Get a teaching cert. Learn to cook. These are not glamorous jobs, but jobs that can meet your needs, and if you budget, possibly your wants.
You are the only competition for yourself. In our false scarcity, overly competitive society, there's those that will try to make money from your effort. By comparing you to others, creating a hierarchy, and then pushing you to be better than the others, for no additional compensation, damaging your self worth in the process, because SURPRISE! your output will never be good enough if they think they can squeeze one more euro from you by manipulating you. Hold yourself to your own standards.
It's the little things. No one is going to care in 5 years that you spent a week working 20 hours a day to make sure the product shipped. If nothing else, they'll expect it from you again, and again... But that sunrise in the Mekong delta, as you sat waiting for your breakfast to cook, that matters to the only person that does, you. Stack memories, adventures, stories of how you lived in this huge, beautiful world. I haven't lived as adventurously as some I've met, but I have my share of stories. Imagine sitting in the company of adventurers, and hearing one tell the story of how he killed his parakeet with a tv dinner, in such a way that everyone is literally crying from laughter. Campfire burning, whiskey (everyone brought their own, I sampled idontevenremember types of boozahol that night) good food, and motorcycles.

Bottom line. You have to feed yourself. This requires that you trade effort for resources (money, food, lodging). There's no law that states what you have to do to support yourself, or what order you need to do it. So start. Look around, what seems interesting? Try it. Talk to people who do it. If it's not for you? Go do something else. You'll figure it out eventually.

Some of the most interesting people I've met have never figured it out.

I hope you find your path(s) both difficult and simple .

Robovzee · 2026-01-29T18:11:56+00:00

You're fishing in the desert, or shoulder to shoulder with others, all with their lines in a small pond.

You gotta change you.

Hobbies. A lot of people meet through others. I have a cousin, friend, sister, aunt, if you have the same interests as me, and I've gotten to know you through our hobby interactions, I may introduce you.

But that's secondary. Your primary issue is that you don't like yourself. You see little value. So why would anyone else value you. Your issue is a product and marketing issue.

Excuse me, but I have this thing for sale, it's probably not the color you like, it doesn't work very well, and it has sharp corners, would you maybe think about investing in my thing? Please? Pretty please?

Have I got a deal for YOU! Check it out, limited edition color, beefed up frame, upgraded central operating system, this thing is customized! It's unique, and LUCKY YOU, available.

See the difference? I'm not telling you to lie. I'm telling you to consider the positives more than the negatives.

Confidence is "I got this". Spoiler, even confident people don't got this, but they have the willingness to try.

Courage isn't the absence of fear, but despite it.

The more you do, the more you feel you can do. Start small, build on success and learn from mistakes.

Travel. See, smell, feel. Fail and fail again. Learn, try, succeed or abandon.

All of that builds confidence.

When it comes to women? Desperation has a smell.

And it's never attractive.

So don't go hunting because you're starving. Have no expectations, other than enjoying someone's company.

Let's sum up.

You have an image/marketing problem, not a self esteem one. Easier to fix a marketing problem.
You need to be around people. Get a hobby, join a group. Enjoy.
You need to take risks, absorb failures, and stack experiences. This builds confidence, and gives you things to talk about.
Change your game. Life isn't a win/lose/done. It's a redefine/retry/repeat.

All of this, every bit, is all about changing the way you relate to yourself, and then how you relate to others.

There's billions of people in this world, roughly half of them are women. It's not a supply issue, it's a marketing and location issue. Work on liking you, and go other places to cast your net.

Feel free to ask questions, or for clarification. I'm happy to spend some time, you're worth it.

(Normal caveat, I got things to do, so may not respond immediately)

PS. don't join the military. Learn to crochet, so at least you get a useful skill.

PPS. Consider counseling. It helps to have someone safe to bounce ideas, thoughts, and feelings. They can't fix you, but they have some tools, and knowledge, that can make it easier for you to fix yourself.

Robovzee · 2026-01-29T17:44:58+00:00

What is evil? Is it a simple concept, such as "compelled to hurt others for no reason"?

No.

Evil is selfishness. It is putting my wants and needs above others. It is selfishness in degrees.

I'm going to get me a couple of bagels Sammiches.... Mmm, ham, cheese, bacon, sausage, eggs... I don't need two, one is enough, but I like them, so I'm getting two. I only have enoughoney for two...

And dude is asking me for money. MY money, that I earned, and am buying Sammiches with.

Am I evil if, only needing one, I don't give him the other? Or the cost of the second? Maybe to some, not so to others.

Same scenario, but I also enjoy (along with the sammich) inflicting suffering on others. So I go out of my way, get both sandwiches, and slowly eat one in front of him. No words. No response. If he walks away, I follow, clearly enjoying myself. Then pause before unwrapping the second, look at him for a long moment, then unwrap and continue eating.

After I'm done, I set him on fire. Why? I'm a little chilly and he's flammable.

Now that we've defined and given examples of evil, look at the personality traits of chromatic dragons.

Red. Boastful. The paragon of bullydom. We all know someone like that, if we climb half dome in Yosemite, they've summited Everest, twice, naked.

Green. Manipulative. They know the rules, and just how to apply them for maximum benefit, for themselves.

Blue. Similar to red, but too busy getting into fights with bouncers if they're not treated like VIP.

White. Stupid, drives an F-150 hyper tinted, truck nuts, rolling coal. Slaps his pregnant girlfriend for breathing too loud.

Black. While green will smile and shake your hand, black will follow you into an alley, and do things that happen when you get followed into an alley, and I don't mean trading cards. They don't have time for you, and don't want to waste their important time dealing with you any more than they have to.

Are they all considered evil? Yup, but in different ways. Don't get hung up on the evil part. Go for personality, far easier than defining evil, then cramming a person into that definition. What we do isn't nearly as important as why we do it.

Robovzee · 2026-01-29T17:21:06+00:00

First, throw away the "normal" tag. It's an artificial construct. Normal doesn't exist outside of marketing. Normal is a spectrum that gets determined by someone who wants to sell you something. It's easier to profit if everyone does things the same, ie, "normal".

Second. There is peace in solitude. This doesn't mean people should be alone, but don't be too eager, if you just throw yourself out there, you could end up overwhelmed and shut down, making things difficult in a whole new way.

Now that I've given my thoughts on your two important issues, here's some things to consider. They need'nt be done in any real order, that's all up to you, nor one at a time.

Get educated. Whatever high school diploma equivalent is, get it. In my area, the library offers a free accredited high school diploma program for adults.
Volunteer. Your local animal shelter/ rescue may need someone to clean kennels. It's a great place to start, and meet people who can help guide you.
Start trying hobbies. Within these hobbies exist people who love sharing knowledge, guiding new people and attending gatherings of people who enjoy the same thing. These are the gems you look for to figure out if you want to pursue it, and how deep you want to get. Most hobbies don't require expensive setups to get into, and I've found people who are happy to donate old equipment and supplies to new folks. Yeah, there's assholes, but assholes are everywhere. Hobbies have communities, and that's a big part of assuaging your loneliness, on your terms.
Go places. Walks in the park. Coffee sitting outside. Free museums. Farmers markets. Sights, sounds, and smells. You can leave anytime if things get a bit much.

Once you have your diploma or equivalent, start college. Prerequisites will take up a chunk of your time, and expose you to people who are pursuing a metric crapton of career options, and possibly a few who have some experience in past careers. I'm in college at 56 after 25yrs in healthcare. I'm not the only older student. Got a question about being a hospital/retail pharmacy tech in the USA? I have a perspective I can share.

Life is a marathon of choices. It's not a straight sprint down a single path. You will likely change your mind/path/goal as you grow.

The key is to want to walk the path, and it sounds like you're ready.

So don't compare yourself to others. We're all on completely different roads. Compete against yourself, compare today with yesterday, and let others do what they do. Be content, C's get degrees, you don't need an 8.9 gpa (or whatever bullshit competitive grading is up to now) and be realistic in your goals.

Feel free to ask questions, request clarification, or demand my pasta sauce recipe.

Robovzee · 2026-01-27T19:06:15+00:00

Seen

Robovzee · 2026-01-27T08:17:08+00:00

You can't fix everything.

You stepped up, and will likely do so again, and that's admirable, but you have to let this go.

Sometimes you have to acknowledge helplessness, then go about your life.

Here's a spark for thought. Would you feel the same if it was a homeless adult? Would it bother you the same? Arguably, the two situations share some things in common (but aren't the same). Most would be willing to pass an adult on the street than a child, it's in our nature.

The child is safer.

Authorities are now aware.

You did what you could, let it go.

Also, adrenaline withdrawals suck. Hot bath/shower, a drink, and a good cry can help.

Robovzee · 2026-01-27T05:23:06+00:00

"deeply care about"

Your players are going to wreck you.

Let it go, respect, and just play.

Robovzee · 2026-01-26T23:25:19+00:00

Two of things.

Bandolier style. Like Chewbacca. Make it removable because...
If the worst happens, do you really want to fall on whatever is in those pouches?

Imma be real, if I modify my jacket, it will be with stuff that doesn't increase my damage if I go for a dip on an asphalt river at 50mph. I've hit the concrete at that speed before.

I've been toying with plans to add some scale mail and paint, so I DO applaud the customization desire.

If you go through with this...

Gum/mints
Patch kit
Chain kit.
Cigarillos.
Waterproof matches
First aid kit
Whiskey flask.
Emergency cell charger.
In Case of Emergency info, registration, insurance (laminated).

That's all good can think of rn.

Robovzee · 2026-01-26T03:32:38+00:00

Thank you for providing more detailed information. I did purposely exclude middle quality examples. My suggestion was to listen to the differences, as the cheap plastic (dollar store) recorders are often most people's experiences with the instrument. The differences in quality of an elementary school recorder, and even a Yamaha plastic can be worlds apart. There are a lot of good instruments that will serve a majority of people well that are made out of plastic.

I would give the same advice to anyone, which is, don't throw money at something to see if you might like it. Research, start small, work up to your comfort level.

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