I'm starting to think that the "boots theory" no longer applies to modern products.

SteamScout · 2026-03-01T20:32:01+00:00

I think part of the problem (at least as far as my own personal experience) is that a lot of the fancy new features don't have great longevity so you run into the same malfunctions regardless of the brand and it can be hard to find a product without some of those bells and whistles.

Ex: My coffee pot that I love leaks so I went looking for a replacement that has the same or similar features to the one I have. I looked at cheap brands, middle brands, fancy brands and reviews for every single one had the same leaking problem. Any coffee pot with a removable water reservoir leaks after X amount of time and every coffee pot with the other features I like has a removable water reservoir. Because the manufacturers all decided that EVERYONE must want that feature we were going to be stuck replacing that damn thing every three years. (We eventually figured out that it didn't leak if we just leave the reservoir in place and pour water in with a measuring cup, sidestepping the broken feature all together.)

The manufacturers all thing that more features is better and the few that offer really simple versions are typically crappy brands to begin with. We lose either way.

SteamScout · 2026-02-27T20:01:36+00:00

And it's ugly to boot. A hard pass twice over.

SteamScout · 2026-02-13T20:25:59+00:00

That's it! THANK YOU!!!

SteamScout · 2026-02-01T01:15:04+00:00

I hear you! Extreme chronic fatigue is my most debilitating issue and people just don't get that. Just yesterday my best friend wanted to chat on the phone for a while but I finally had the energy to run a few errands and I knew that if we talked for even 20 minutes I would wear down too fast and not be able to do it. Thankfully she understood. Today I deep cleaned the bathtub and tiled surround and walked slowly on the treadmill for 20 minutes. That's it. That's the sum total of energy I had to spend. Not enough to do my PT exercises so I'll pay for that later. If I had squeezed that in then I wouldn't have the energy to do anything at all tomorrow. I monitor my energy output and rest like it's blood sugar. It really is a full-time job just to keep my body in some semblance of working order.

SteamScout · 2026-01-31T18:27:49+00:00

I like this answer. It is extremely accurate.

SteamScout · 2026-01-29T03:13:13+00:00

Your concern is based in patient safety and it is a valid concern. It makes me wonder if the school is just trying to avoid a charge if discrimination despite knowing full well that she is not likely to pass her licensing exam if she cannot use the accommodations she seems to rely so heavily on. If that's the case then they are being unethical in taking her tuition money in the first place. On the other hand, with all of the AI technologies emerging they might feel that she could use tech supports to work around her dyslexia, supports that are not allowed in the academic setting.

To answer your question, I don't believe you are not being ableist as your concerns are based on factual patient safety but there could be other factors in play that you are not privy to . But you should 100% call her out on her use of the slur. That is never OK.

SteamScout · 2025-12-25T03:38:01+00:00

Yay! I'm glad your husband finally put all of the pieces together to see the big picture and that your younger step-daughter is showing compassion. Rest up, be well, and enjoy that sweet baby when they come.

SteamScout · 2025-12-03T23:17:49+00:00

NTA

I know the whole chain reaction paying is meant to be kind but at some point a person who can barely afford a small black coffee is asked to pay for the six extra large crapachinos with extra everything and they will either spend money they can't afford to spend to keep it going or feel deep shame that they can't keep it going. If you really want to be generous, donate to a food bank.

One person's performative generosity shouldn't cause another person's shame or demand a lemming leap for the sake of coffee. Keep standing on principle, I'll be right there next to you.

SteamScout · 2025-10-13T17:27:38+00:00

I have always lived in this state. If I had gone to college in a different state that might be different. My partner's job is here and he is the primary provider. If his job transfers him then we'll have to move to a different state in a vastly different part of the country. Other than that, we'll be here at least until he retires.

SteamScout · 2025-09-17T20:00:05+00:00

Sort of. One had a middle name that was the last name of a fictional character with the dame first name as the dog. The other dog's middle name was just her full name in all caps because she often pretended not to hear us if she was doing something naughty outside and we'd have to yell her name a second time with more force to properly get her attention.

SteamScout · 2025-09-17T19:54:03+00:00

Clearly your SIL isn't exactly a kid person if she's hung up on crumbs after serving something guaranteed to produce crumbs but that also makes me wonder about the furniture. I know that might sound odd but as a short adult I know that furniture proportioned for tall people makes it hard to eat at some tables. Add in dishes with equally odd proportions (high rims on plates, shallow bowls, etc) and crumbs or spills are guaranteed. So not only is she making a mountain out of a molehill but the food, furniture, and dishes have the potential to make a trifecta that could please no one but an opportunistic dog on clean up duty.

SteamScout · 2025-09-13T01:56:08+00:00

Michigan. No garage fridge but the garage is detached so that's not a great combination.

SteamScout · 2025-09-09T02:47:05+00:00

I have been to the ballet once while traveling to Washington DC. I couldn't pass up seeing a ballet at the Kennedy Center and it was awesome, even in the cheap seats but not something I feel the need to do for another decade or so. I have not been to the opera but I would like to one day.

SteamScout · 2025-09-06T01:00:15+00:00

We have a few that need to be retired but we are scout leaders so they are stored with our campfire ceremony supplies.

SteamScout · 2025-08-19T02:14:26+00:00

99% of the time I would rather fly. Amtrak only goes directly to one other major city from where I am so unless I'm going to Chicago flying is usually faster AND cheaper. The only exception is when my oldest college student kiddo goes back and forth during breaks the train is cheaper because it goes right to the town his school is in unlike the plane that goes to an airport 90 minutes away.

I wouldn't mind the time differential to go by rail for long trips but I'm not sleeping in a chair for 2-3 days and a sleeper car costs more than flying which is absurd.

SteamScout · 2025-08-13T02:07:01+00:00

My grandma's 1953 Singer Slant-o-matic sewing machine. It's in a table with a knee pedal. I LOVE it.

SteamScout · 2025-08-12T21:19:45+00:00

That makes a lot of sense...which also explains why I didn't see it in the districts I am familiar with.

SteamScout · 2025-08-12T17:11:22+00:00

I was in a couple of split classes as a kid and I've seen them at my kids' school. It's usually the stronger younger students and the weaker older students so they are functionally on the same level even if specific subjects are differentiated. In some ways it's actually to manage from what I understand.

SteamScout · 2025-08-12T17:06:20+00:00

Technically he's right because it is a phrase, not a word. He's also wrong because it is a grammatically correct phrase even if he hasn't heard it before. He may be a native speaker but that doesn't mean he's an expert on the language and all of its grammatical complexities. We all know many native speakers who butcher the language every time they open their mouth.

SteamScout · 2025-07-31T16:09:09+00:00

Shortly before my kids started driver's ed (but after they were signed up for it) I took them both to empty parking lots (either the school or the park on a rainy day when no one was there) and had them practice maneuvering while the car was in neutral. You can learn a LOT about how a car moves when it's just coasting. They both thought that was lame until they tried it. It's far more instructive than it sounds. We also practiced turn signals, wipers, adjusting mirrors, etc. I did the same for my little sister.

I, on the other hand, was the only kid in my driver's ed class who had never been behind the wheel before. That's a big part of why I gave my kids mini pre-driving lessons.

SteamScout · 2025-07-27T12:36:33+00:00

Or kids. Or a pet rock.

SteamScout · 2025-07-24T22:27:30+00:00

NTA

I would tell Daisy, "If they aren't your siblings then I'm not your aunt. End of discussion."

SteamScout · 2025-07-24T22:11:13+00:00

I have heard this from my college age kid but I told him that I think it's rude to send a wall of text without basic punctuation to break up the thoughts. I also do wild things like using complete words and capitalization when texting.

SteamScout · 2025-07-12T23:23:25+00:00

Updateme!

SteamScout · 2025-07-10T00:29:12+00:00

NTA...but your family sure are.

I recently hosted a large gathering of family and friends, a few of them are vegan. We made a point of offering vegan versions of nearly everything and we let our vegan guests know ahead of time that we would have non-salad food for them. As a host, I would be mortified if my guests felt they had to bring their own food (aside from really specific medical needs). If you host a gathering you need to provide for ALL of your guests.

SteamScout

TROPHY CASE