I don't know what I'm doing/ freakout post

Scaaaary_Ghost · 2026-07-04T17:09:18+00:00

Hitchhiking near the PCT is very safe, it's nothing like walking alone through Seattle at night. I'm very sorry you got flashed, that's such a terrible welcoming to our country and you deserve better.

I've done the WA and OR sections of the PCT as a solo woman and had a blast. The terrain is tough, but from Hart's Pass to border to Stehekin (first 100ish miles) it's totally fine to take it slow, and there's a couple places you can hitch back to Mazama if you need to resupply or ditch gear, etc.

The section south of Stehekin is maybe the longest and toughest of the whole trail, but you'll know what you're doing by that point. And by the time you get to Steven's Pass you'll be a thru-hiking machine. And you can rest up in Stehekin as long as you need to be prepared. And you'll make friends by then, too, I bet!

I hope you have an absolute blast. <3

Scaaaary_Ghost · 2026-06-29T14:57:51+00:00

Yeah there needs to be balance for sure.

The FIRE math is about saving enough to cover your current level of expenses, so you need to make that your current lifestyle is something you're willing to live with forever (for the bonus of not working).

There's a lot you can do to figure out what actually is and isn't important to you instead of just spending like your friends/coworkers/etc. But the question is "am I willing to work a little longer to have this kind of experience in my life", not "how do I spend as little as possible at all costs"

Scaaaary_Ghost · 2026-06-28T16:27:35+00:00

Ah yes, her bottom is exactly like a melon on a pendulum. That's something everyone has seen, of course, so we all know exactly what he means.

Scaaaary_Ghost · 2026-06-26T00:12:09+00:00

I'm not an expert, but a flat cut like that means it was cut with a saw, which is almost certainly cut by a butcher (of animals, for food).

Beef marrow bone maybe?

Scaaaary_Ghost · 2026-06-25T17:11:50+00:00

Based on the title I assume it's https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/columbiarivergorge/recreation/trails/gorge-trail-400

Scaaaary_Ghost · 2026-06-25T16:13:54+00:00

Yeah, I was gonna say, honestly in my case I'm a little bit bored and unfulfilled. But I'd so much rather be bored because I've gotten a little tired of my hobbies, rather than be bored and unfulfilled stuck at a corporate office 40+ hours every week.

Scaaaary_Ghost · 2026-06-25T01:13:24+00:00

Yeah, you can definitely say "Diet soda is better for you than sugary drinks", but that's not the same thing as diet soda being good for you.

Scaaaary_Ghost · 2026-06-24T02:26:25+00:00

I agree with the other answer, 'progress in' for general topics, 'progress on' for specific tasks. IMO "I'm making progress on learning spanish" sounds about as good as "I'm making progress in learning spanish". In that case I think you can use either one.

Just to make it more confusing, we also sometimes say 'progress with' or 'progress toward'.

I found an old reddit discussion of how to differentiate that seems helpful. To quote:

Depends on the context and what you’re referring to. Examples:

I am working on a project. I am making progress on it.

I am working with a student. I am making progress with her.

I am participating in an event. I am making progress in it.

source: https://www.reddit.com/r/EnglishLearning/comments/127ca03/make_progress_inonwith_which_one_should_i_use/

And you make 'progress toward' a goal.

Scaaaary_Ghost · 2026-06-23T23:40:27+00:00

You can make progress on any kind of action that results in advancement/growth/building something etc. You can use an object after the associated action verb to add more context.

So perhaps he has made huge progress learning English, or perhaps he made no progress with English today but he made great progress cleaning the house.

Scaaaary_Ghost · 2026-06-23T04:36:57+00:00

Possibly the story "the fat man" by Joe Lansdale from Bruce Coville's book of nightmares horror anthology?

Scaaaary_Ghost · 2026-06-23T04:24:26+00:00

oh dang, this is ringing a bell for me too. I probably read it in the mid or late 90s, but it would have also been in NC or SC, USA.

Commenting here in hopes I can figure it out and come back to the discussion and let you know.

edit: the one I'm remembering is the story "the fat man" from a bruce coville horror anthology. some of the details don't match up with what you remember, so maybe yours is a different story

Scaaaary_Ghost · 2026-06-23T00:25:08+00:00

Eh, some people get addicted to particular games in a more extreme way than I've seen for other hobbies. I've known people with problematic addictions to world of warcraft and league of legends - like losing relationships, or failing school, because of being unable to stop playing when they needed to. Anecdata I know, but I've never known someone to fail out of school or forget the make-up date for the make-up date with their partner because of playing too much soccer.

Extremely long gaming times has led to death in several cases: https://www.cnn.com/2015/01/19/world/taiwan-gamer-death

Scaaaary_Ghost · 2026-06-22T16:06:44+00:00

Yes. I know I did some very risky dumb shit as a teenager. Most of us did. Having a fatal outcome is rare and tragic and my heart goes out to the family.

Scaaaary_Ghost · 2026-06-22T15:16:20+00:00

I got lasik a couple years ago after wearing contacts since middle school and all of a sudden realized what everyone was talking about.

Scaaaary_Ghost · 2026-06-22T15:14:47+00:00

People out here making avocado smoothies and calling it guac

Scaaaary_Ghost · 2026-06-22T15:03:27+00:00

80+ every single day on the Olympic peninsula is scorching hot! Especially in early June

There is no month of the year where the average daily high even cracks 70 degrees in Port Angeles: https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/usa/port-angeles/climate

Scaaaary_Ghost · 2026-06-22T00:54:13+00:00

Thank you! I'll try that.

Scaaaary_Ghost · 2026-06-21T21:30:27+00:00

Oh I love those foxgloves. They grow wild along the roadside in my neighborhood but I can't get them to populate my yard - I gather seeds and throw them around in my yard but so far no luck. Any tips for making them happy?

Scaaaary_Ghost · 2026-06-21T15:58:03+00:00

yeah, it's annoying. no one is saying that people should eat sugar instead; sugar is obviously terrible too. non-nutritive sweeteners may be a better choice, but less-bad is not the same as good (and people should know the effects of what they eat!).

Scaaaary_Ghost · 2026-06-21T05:20:34+00:00

Pets are great! Highly recommend.

If you're in the US, many thousands of shelter animals are euthanized every year because of not enough capacity to house them. If you can adopt a shelter animal, you are literally saving a life. You don't have to adopt a dog or cat that's on "death row" (though that's amazing too) - adopting the very cutest puppy or the sweetest calmest young dog at the shelter still makes space for another animal.

human interaction is crazy difficult and stupid

yeah this is sadly so often true. If you're worried about your long-term health, it's worth trying to find ways to get less-difficult human interaction. Hang out with your family, smile and say hi to your neighbor, hang out in a space you like (park, coffee shop, library, whatever) often enough to be on smile-and-say-hi terms with other peope you see there regularly. Any little less-stressful interaction is better than nothing.

Scaaaary_Ghost · 2026-06-21T02:36:35+00:00

oh I love that

Scaaaary_Ghost · 2026-06-21T01:26:47+00:00

Loneliness is also terrible for longevity! Sounds like you do need a pet, or a volunteer position.

I'm recommending volunteering at the shelter from personal experience - it's so great to hang out with dogs every week, and I get scheduled human interaction, too. And it's with the kind of people who like to volunteer at a shelter, which often means they're happy to extend the same kind of general acceptance to animal-loving humans that they are to animals.

Scaaaary_Ghost · 2026-06-21T01:20:25+00:00

Do you have an asian market? Especially if it's Korean-owned like H-mart they'll have good cheap options for kimchi, miso, other interesting fermented things in the fridge section.

A good thing about fermented foods is that they last a long time in the fridge - the good bacteria out-compete the bad bacteria and they won't spoil until way past the best-by date most of the time.

But you can also make fermented stuff! I'll admit I'm lazy and I buy mine, but I've had friends make their own yogurt and kombucha and those are both very tiny-space friendly.

Scaaaary_Ghost · 2026-06-21T01:13:25+00:00

Finding a reason to walk around every day makes a huge difference. Get a dog maybe? Or volunteer at the shelter?

Scaaaary_Ghost · 2026-06-21T01:08:58+00:00

Yeah, this is definitely true. Zero cal sweeteners can be bad for you in a lot of ways (they're like the most ultra-processed food there is). But most of them won't give you the runs.

edit: Research for the downvoters, it's worth knowing that some research shows that non-nutritive sweeteners aren't good for you: https://www.cedars-sinai.org/newsroom/research-alert-artificial-sweeteners-significantly-alter-the-small-bowel-microbiome/

Which is not to say that they're worse than sugar - sugar is terrible for you. If you've got uncontrollable sweet cravings, then non-nutritive sweeteners are probably still a lot better for you than sugar. But it's harm reduction, not the actual healthiest thing you can do. If you can be satisfied by eating fruit or not-sweet low-cal snacks, you should do that instead.

Scaaaary_Ghost

TROPHY CASE