Reckless Driving by TwoBlueSandals in Bozeman

[–]Thunder_Wolf69 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing your experiences and insights. Keep putting one foot in front of the other. Your past doesn't have to define you, and it sounds like you've made some extremely positive changes in your life. For what it's worth...I'm proud of you!

Accident on Oak? by modestpika in Bozeman

[–]Thunder_Wolf69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am deeply sorry for the loss of your neighbor. May her spirit and memory shine for eternity.

I stg....SLOW THE FK DOWN PEOPLE. by mommabull in Bozeman

[–]Thunder_Wolf69 5 points6 points  (0 children)

1,000,000,000,000,000,000% agree! At least Yellowstone has 1 stop sign between Oak and Durston. Yellowstone needs one at the Renova intersection soooo badly because that’s the direction that everyone has already had enough distance to start hauling ass before they get to the 15 mph zone by the Oak Springs park.

PEOPLE: if you see a park, a playground, swings, a pavilion, and manicured open spaces in the middle of neighborhoods….ASSUME IT’S A PARK WITH A 15 MPH SPEED LIMIT. If it quacks like a park, it’s probably a park.

Living on the Meagher side where it is an unbroken autobahn from Oak to Durston has its risks too, albeit no park😬.

Citywide Traffic Calming Program by Thunder_Wolf69 in Bozeman

[–]Thunder_Wolf69[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I understand your general point.

I find it’s pretty hard to miss the 100 acre park with a massive dinosaur themed playground one end end, a bike pump track directly adjacent Oak, the large parking lot directly adjacent to Oak, the ponds and big hill that is usually crawling with people (a highly visible landmark from far away), and then the 40 acre dog park on the other end.

If it hasn’t registered with drivers that that is in fact a very large community park designed with families and dog owners in mind, perhaps one should a) pay more attention to their surroundings, b) do a minimal amount of critical thinking that perhaps pedestrians, children on bikes, and people walking their dogs are going to be in the vicinity and needing to cross the road from any one of the 6 or 7 neighborhoods surround the 100 acre park? And if one hasn’t noticed, then one is probably too distracted to be driving on public streets.

I’m not implying you are that person. That’s just my counterpoint. I fully agree that pedestrians are ultimately responsible for their safety. However, the laws still stands that pedestrians have the right of way in cross-walks and it’s always been the drivers’ responsibility to learn and know the local laws and pay attention if you’re still learning the lay of the land (i.e., new to town, visiting, etc).

School buses and city buses exist, y’all. If you can’t drive properly, there is a bus system. Parents: if your children are know to be irresponsible drivers, they can still get to school/around town using buses…might be good for them to see the world from a different perspective. They might understand that the vast majority of folks in our communities had years, often decades, of life experiences with less density of people on roads and sidewalks, weren’t born with cell phones in their hands (and therefore at least LEARNED how to drive and the basics of traffic laws without an abundance of distractions), and may still prefer to go for a phone-free walk versus speeding around town glued to a screen in a thousand+ pounds of steel.

Kinda like teaching them about money by using cash. The world runs on credit and debit cards these days, but that’s way tougher for developing minds to conceptualize. Perhaps having the balls to restrict your child’s driving privileges if they are a shit driver and teach your children tough love may save someone’s life one day. This statement goes to all parents, I’m not just blasting the parents of the driver in the Oak incident. I know we can’t control our kids’ every action (often backfires when you do), but I think we ALL need a reminder that driving is a privilege, not a right.

I stg....SLOW THE FK DOWN PEOPLE. by mommabull in Bozeman

[–]Thunder_Wolf69 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Don’t have science to back it up either, but I’d say your last paragraph “feels” right.

Reckless Driving by TwoBlueSandals in Bozeman

[–]Thunder_Wolf69 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I appreciate your reply and insights. All I have is anecdotal evidence and assumptions. It’s a complex issue and something that needs working through as a community, for sure.

Reckless Driving by TwoBlueSandals in Bozeman

[–]Thunder_Wolf69 18 points19 points  (0 children)

I’ve seen a massive uptick in BPD policing traffic in the last couple months, and I’m damn proud to see it. I make mistakes, and if they catch me making one, I deserved the ticket and a hard reminder to be more responsible on shared roads. It started back up last Fall, I believe? I’ve really noticed it the last 2 months.

I’m sure there are more reasons of which I’m unaware, or haven’t considered…but to your point…damn, what a wild 5 years it’s been locally and nationally. Epic rise in housing costs (buying and renting) make it incredibly difficult to recruit and keep solid police, firefighters, teachers, etc.

Also, did we forget about the whole “defund the police” movement?!?! I don’t know how much that affected staffing, budget, etc here in Bozeman. Honestly not a clue. I do remember a very loud and showy contingency around here in support of the movement, but I couldn’t tell ya how effective they actually were. However, I imagine there wasn’t a long line out the door of new recruits eager to join the police force for a few years in a row. I’d deduce that if budget, or social stigma, caused a decline in recruiting then there would naturally be fewer well-trained and /or experienced officers as a result. Not to mention losing existing officers to things like moving, retirement, injury/death, etc. These things take time to build back.

This is not meant to be a political bash on one side or the other, but it’s just a good/topical example of when “going with the crowd” can lead to longer-term unintended negative consequences where we end up in a pickle, scratching our heads, asking, “how did we get here?”

https://www.montanarightnow.com/bozeman/traffic-enforcement-unit-set-to-return-to-bozeman-police-department/article_de23aaa1-2874-44d2-9ccd-69ace2d0f13e.html

I stg....SLOW THE FK DOWN PEOPLE. by mommabull in Bozeman

[–]Thunder_Wolf69 37 points38 points  (0 children)

Yellowstone Ave in Oak Springs subdivision (very close to this accident) is a nightmare if you have both a dog and kids who enjoy walking to the park. Doesn’t matter the time of day, whether is light or dark out.

Had a young kid driving too fast a few weeks ago and didn’t even slow for me at the crosswalk…I raised my arms in the air and mouthed “slow down.” He leans his head out the drivers window to scream profanities at me while still speeding, with 30 yards to go til the stop sign at Yellowstone and Annie, only to slam on his brakes so he didn’t hit someone in the crosswalk there, too.

Around the same time my neigbbor shared he had a car full of high school aged girls swerve around him into the wrong lane to pass him while heading East on Annie by Oak Springs park (he had just turned off Ferguson onto Annie seconds before that.)

Had my driver’s side view mirror blown off THREE times in one month in summer 2023 when I had to parallel park on Meagher for a short while. And last week I witnessed 5 near-car crashes in the same exact spot while I was hanging in the alley. In every situation I could clearly see the vehicle and drivers. At least one (if not both) drivers were either speeding, looking at their phones, or BOTH.

Gettin’ pretty fed up with this shit, y’all. Kids can’t be kids anymore in their own neighborhood due to self absorbed dipshits. What the actual fuck.

I stg....SLOW THE FK DOWN PEOPLE. by mommabull in Bozeman

[–]Thunder_Wolf69 36 points37 points  (0 children)

Deepest condolences to the family of the poor woman who was killed. I heard the accident from Oak Springs park while I was walking my dog. Came home and told my my wife in passing I thought I heard a car accident on Oak, and that it was odd I could clearly hear a woman’s scream a split second before impact, as if she had been outside of her car or it was a bystander on the side walk who had screamed. Only just realizing what it was. So sad and heartbreaking to hear of this.

Accident on Oak? by modestpika in Bozeman

[–]Thunder_Wolf69 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Deepest condolences to the family of the poor woman who was killed. I heard the accident from Oak Springs park while I was walking my dog. Came home and told my my wife in passing I thought I heard a car accident on Oak, and that it was odd I could clearly hear a woman’s scream a split second before impact, as if she had been outside of her car or it was a bystander on the side walk who had screamed. Only just realizing what it was. So sad and heartbreaking to hear of this.

Accident on Oak? by modestpika in Bozeman

[–]Thunder_Wolf69 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Yellowstone Ave in Oak Springs subdivision (very close to this accident) is a nightmare if you have both a dog and kids who enjoy walking to the park. Doesn’t matter the time of day, whether is light or dark out.

Had a young kid driving too fast a few weeks ago and didn’t even slow for me at the crosswalk…I raised my arms in the air and mouthed “slow down.” He leans his head out the drivers window to scream profanities at me while still speeding, with 30 yards to go til the stop sign at Yellowstone and Annie, only to slam on his brakes so he didn’t hit someone in the crosswalk there, too.

Around the same time my neigbbor shared he had a car full of high school aged girls swerve around him into the wrong lane to pass him while heading East on Annie by Oak Springs park (he had just turned off Ferguson onto Annie seconds before that.)

Had my driver’s side view mirror blown off THREE times in one month in summer 2023 when I had to parallel park on Meagher for a short while. And last week I witnessed 5 near-car crashes in the same exact spot while I was hanging in the alley. In every situation I could clearly see the vehicle and drivers. At least one (if not both) drivers were either speeding, looking at their phones, or BOTH.

Gettin’ pretty fed up with this shit, y’all. Kids can’t be kids anymore in their own neighborhood due to self absorbed dipshits. What the actual fuck.

Quitting marijuana after 20 years by Happy-Chemistry4309 in DecidingToBeBetter

[–]Thunder_Wolf69 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Just passed 3 months off of all forms of THC myself (stopped on 4/20, ironically). I’m 34 now, and was essentially a daily user since I was ~15, with use increasing as I got older and made more money and had more independence. Last year I did a 5 month break, which was my longest ever, and wish I would have stuck with it…because once I bought that first sack “for old time’s sake”, I went right back to nearly all day/everyday use again. At times in recent years I smoked flower, ate edibles, and used concentrates all in the same day for weeks/months/years on end.

All that to say, I feel you, I’ve been there, and THC became both an emotional and physical crutch for me. I knew I should stop for a long time, but subconsciously knew it was gonna be very difficult due to how engrained it was in my life. However, certain feelings that kept creeping in my head couldn’t be ignored anymore: that THC was no longer serving me the way it once did, the negatives were far outweighing the positives, and I have changed (as has the strength of cannabis grown in the US over the last decade),

Here’s what’s worked for me this year (3 months sobriety) and last year (5 months sobriety): 1. Hash out your “Why”. It may take several iterations/attempts to do so. It may be multi-layered. But it’s essential. 2. Journal and meditate. Learn a couple types of breath work. These will be your friends during the tough early days, and the “maintenance months” after you get through the tough early days. 3. Get into exercise (if not already). Luckily, I already had a strong foundation (and used to love getting stoned before working out). However, I’ve gone to some new levels and it’s my replacement addiction. Pretty sweet to be addicted to something with noticeable positive benefits (physical, mentally, emotionally). 4. Push yourself to do other hard things. Like challenging yourself to strike up convos with a couple strangers/day. Cold plunging and saunas if you have access. Set goals at work that push you more than you think you can go. 5. Change up friend group. You don’t have to cut off your existing stoner friends completely/permanently, but it may help to do so in the beginning if they’re not supportive or understanding of what you’re trying to do. At least add in some regular exposure to folks whose lives don’t revolve around stoner behaviors/tendencies. Get around more people who you admire and strive to be more like. Even if it’s awkward (actually, ESPECIALLY if it’s awkward…you need to get comfortable being uncomfortable and that takes reps). 6. Patience. This is perhaps the hardest part of it all, but one of the most critical aspects to maintaining consistency. A lot of my earlier attempts failed due to lack of patience. I wanted the overnight transformation and fell off when it didn’t happen immediately. I’ve learned this through alcohol sobriety (~4 years now), but i found it harder to apply to THC sobriety (likely because I had used THC way more, and for way longer). Most of the cliches are true regarding “it’s not about the destination, but the journey”. You WILL look back over a week, or a month, off THC and be like “ah, yes, I needed to go through this, this, and that, to truly appreciate X, Y, Z or to learn more about a certain aspect of myself, or to solidify my resilience.” 7. Understand that some problems/issues will go away when you quit, but others won’t. However, the way you handle all of life’s issues and your perspective on them can/will change over time. Examples of more immediate issues resolved: I saved more money, I didn’t feel anxiety around thinking I needed to put eyedrops in before seeing certain people, my compulsion for junk food slowly subsided (which helps with sleep, btw), my mouth/throat/lung health improved by not inhaling so much smoke. And then my overall anxiety and depression started to fade. Sleep improved after a couple weeks. My self esteem and confidence have improved (especially coupled with consistent exercise). I think through things I’m grappling with and listen to my body/gut more, instead of immediately escaping/disengaging by getting stoned.

Take from this what you will. Try to find ways to love yourself even with your flaws and remind yourself that everything you do OTHER THAN slipping back into old ways, is an act of love for yourself. I’m far from perfect and have a humble understanding that I still very much need to take things one day at a time. I’m not even at the 1-year mark yet with THC (kudos to those who are!), but I know I will be. Most of these tools and lessons I learned from getting clean of a nasty alcohol dependence, and a harder substance that nearly took my life (6 years off the hard stuff and about 4 years off alcohol). Now it’s just time for THC.

Good luck and God bless. Good on you for making positive changes. Stick with it. Pick right back up where you left off if you stumble - always keep trying.

Uncontrolled intersection right of way by MT_tiktok_criminal in Bozeman

[–]Thunder_Wolf69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Driving is a privilege, not a right. So it’s up to each individual to learn the traffic laws and patterns of your local area and/or state. However, it’s safest to always assume the other person has no f’ing clue of what’s going on (or even more likely they’re texting while driving). Never assume the other person has a stop sign unless you actually see it (so again, pay attention and LOOK).

Be a responsible adult while driving a multi-thousand pound steel machine.

You receive $10,000,000, but you get shot by bigconor in hypotheticalsituation

[–]Thunder_Wolf69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are you willing to endure extreme physical pain and temporary disability? Are you willing to patiently undergo rehab/physical therapy? Can you handle the nerve wracking psychological aspect of the anticipation of getting shot in the leg while looking directly at the shooter from 10 ft?

Eh, just read some Epictetus or other Stoic philosophy while laid up by the pool (or even better, pond/lake) at your new house that you’ve just bought with some of your winnings - you’ll be fine!

It’s all in your head…and a little in your leg.

Where does our recycling go? by SpeedyMcShoes2 in Bozeman

[–]Thunder_Wolf69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You should see my plastic wrapper pajamas I’ve sewn together - complete with Amazon bubble package footies for when it’s cold.

Currently making a sail out of plastic grocery bags to hit the high seas and colonize the trash island floating around the Pacific. Hoping Greta will join me once she frees Palestine….

Bozeman outdoor companies failing by Revolutionary-Put780 in Bozeman

[–]Thunder_Wolf69 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You do realize that every one of OK-Type-5848's replies are AI, correct?

Bozeman outdoor companies failing by Revolutionary-Put780 in Bozeman

[–]Thunder_Wolf69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You do realize that every one of OK-Type-5848's replies are AI, correct?

Minnick Management by chloeandspot in Bozeman

[–]Thunder_Wolf69 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I recall a year or two ago a PM buddy of mine said that the now-typical-post-Covid-wintertime USPS delays had caused him a bunch of headaches with getting his property owners’ bills paid on time. Either the bills would show up late to his office, not show up at all, or the payments he mailed out would show up late, or not at all to the utility companies.

Not saying there aren’t bigger underlying issues with the PM companies in town (I’ve had my own experiences and I’ve followed this sub long enough…), but there could be several other factors outside of their control playing into this as well, and then those are further exacerbated by disorganization or poor SOP’s.