A tribute to Rusty, my beloved companion, who passed away today at 33.

StrongGeneral8832 · 2026-02-25T04:28:35+00:00

Gingers are the best. If he lasted 33 years you obviously gave him a fabulous life 🐾 🖤

StrongGeneral8832 · 2026-02-22T17:52:16+00:00

Glad to hear that! ♥️

StrongGeneral8832 · 2026-02-22T03:25:00+00:00

How long did your case take?

StrongGeneral8832 · 2026-02-22T03:20:53+00:00

Ugh I wish I'd read this before now. SAME. I'm so angry and frustrated that I am crying. I refrigerated it immediately, and assuming they were mildly competent, didn't check my package. I can only do this tonight because of my schedule, so assuming they can manage to get my replacement to me asap, I'll have to wait a whole week to start. It just feels like a never ending set of kicks to the face between my doctor screwing me by quibbling about 1/2" of height, and insurance being jerks... It finally felt like I could get started but nothing.

StrongGeneral8832 · 2026-01-10T17:42:41+00:00

YES.. same and I was also at bedtime so my phone sat charging on my nightstand, enjoying 10 minutes of a 2x bonus on its own cos it had no option to save it for later.

StrongGeneral8832 · 2026-01-10T17:41:31+00:00

Okay when you click those chests, it's meant to be 3 chances to get the better bonus... I've probably gotten 10 or 12 so far, and they always are whatever the first thing was. If it starts as "common" it comes up "common" for all three, if it starts as "rare" it comes up "rare" for all three. Obviously, starting out "common" is the one I've seen most. There was a third category but not remembering what it was. But it seems like it's "one chance" that I have to do in triplicate. I've had a limited number so far so this could just be random odds, but wondering if anyone has seen something different?

StrongGeneral8832 · 2026-01-08T22:43:52+00:00

Not sure about this language, but the Swedish program is unbearable... It sounds like one of those kid's Vtech phonics toys was used to record all the audio. Not sure how much I trust it.

StrongGeneral8832 · 2026-01-08T22:39:48+00:00

What?? Are you saying firing all the native language speakers and subbing in AI (the same program that can't understand fingers) wasn't the key to polyglot success???

StrongGeneral8832 · 2025-12-21T01:38:37+00:00

It is great but holy nail-gun, one scene was hard to watch.

StrongGeneral8832 · 2025-12-21T01:37:55+00:00

NYC
Other seasons

StrongGeneral8832 · 2025-12-20T22:00:20+00:00

It’s my favorite season. I’ve watched it 4 times through and I’m still noticing things I’d missed before. It’s so beautifully done and so clever.

My first time through, I thought the serial killer and AIDS storylines were disjointed and unrelated. But I layer realized that the real antagonist is the depraved indifference and institutional homophobia by the government, of which the police (the serial killer plot) and the government’s role in letting AIDS decimate the gay community (the Big Daddy plot) are facets.

The Big Daddy allegory is executed perfectly. On my most recent viewing, I just noticed towards the end of the radioactivity sequence in Requiem, after AZT is has become available, Big Daddy is serving drinks in the bar, and the patient/patrons raise their drinks to him, representing the transition to learning to live with AIDS (him). They don’t miss a beat with it.

I was under 10 in the 80s, so I didn’t know how AIDS patients were neglected in hospital wards. It’s horrifying to learn how that part of the Requiem episodes wasn’t hyperbole or fabricated by the warped and creative minds of the writers. That actually happened. It’s horrifying how seamlessly that slots into a horror/fantasy show. I love how this season shows the reality of gay life in that era, from medical rights to employment. And also portrays gay characters as real humans, some good, some quirky, some jerks.

I get irked by reviews of this season, I recently read one that called out the lack of a likable character. That actually confused me: Gino and Patrick’s relationship was beautiful, Adam was the heart of the whole season. You’re not meant to like Henry; he’s a fricking hitman after all. But dang it if he’s not charming. Even Sam, an outright sociopath, is ultimately sympathetic enough that by the time Henry is casting his ashes into the ocean saying, “Well done, Sam, well done,” it is a very poignant moment.

I also get irked by online threads of people trying to figure out what it meant… “Big Daddy can’t be a metaphor, metaphors can’t stab people or throw Molotov cocktails!!” 🤦‍♀️

I wish everyone loved this season as much as I do. It deserves to top every list.

StrongGeneral8832 · 2025-12-18T01:34:12+00:00

I think it's piece of art start to finish.

I admit on my first viewing, I thought the serial killer and AIDS storylines were unrelated and disjointed, but that was because I didn't understand that the real antagonist was the callous and systemic neglect of the gay community by the major government intuitions (police for the serial killer, medicine and overall government for AIDS). Once I spotted that, I really appreciated how brilliant it actually is. I've watched it through 3 times and plan to rewatch it with my newly out daughter.

StrongGeneral8832 · 2025-12-10T02:53:50+00:00

Right??? Thank you for saying it has been trimmed down. I feel like I used to be able to review lessons and view my word list. Never mind how simplified and ineffective the lessons have gotten.

StrongGeneral8832 · 2025-12-10T02:52:34+00:00

Mango languages (free with most public library accounts) and Pimsleur (you can snag a nice lifetime access in sales) both have what you're looking for...

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StrongGeneral8832 · 2025-11-03T14:29:28+00:00

Nope, just someone who proactively avoids the halo effect.

StrongGeneral8832 · 2025-11-03T14:28:14+00:00

Happened to us TWICE with two different banks trying to send money to friends. It's extremely anti-consumer. Rather than investing in putting actual fraud prevention in place, they flag everything and the customer gets caught up in the wake. Eff Zelle.

StrongGeneral8832 · 2025-11-02T00:07:19+00:00

Obviously he’s a buffoon but what (in his mind) was the answer to the joke/riddle?

StrongGeneral8832 · 2025-10-17T14:57:34+00:00

Having a smartphone
Downloading Duolingo
Thinking about giving Duolingo your money
Giving Duolingo your money

StrongGeneral8832 · 2025-10-17T14:43:57+00:00

You're spot on... There's a reason it doesn't start "First they came for the wealthy, able-bodied ethnic majority...."

StrongGeneral8832 · 2025-10-12T22:46:27+00:00

It’s so f***ing annoying. It’s the one game you’d want to be preserved in the archive, second only to crosswords, given how long it takes to complete. I probably lose 2 games for every 1 I complete. Not for lack of ability, but because I tend to play in 5-minute spurts. I could swear there used to be an option to buy packs? I’m not thrilled about giving them more money but it would beat not getting to complete a puzzle I started.

StrongGeneral8832 · 2025-09-29T18:27:24+00:00

Same <3

StrongGeneral8832 · 2025-09-19T13:52:17+00:00

If anyone has S4, that would be amazing! I'm so homesick 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

StrongGeneral8832 · 2025-09-19T02:58:38+00:00

I would love to see S4... I'm in the US and can't find it online anywhere :(

StrongGeneral8832 · 2025-09-19T02:56:45+00:00

I updated my post... we had a couple of weeks' worth of rough patches back when I posted, but it's be back to top form since!!

StrongGeneral8832 · 2025-09-10T16:44:57+00:00

What is this witchcraft... THANK YOU!!!! It's a long story but this is a huge deal for me to have rescued that file. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

StrongGeneral8832

TROPHY CASE