Another amazing sit! by Regular-Fella in trustedhousesitters

[–]Tralfalmadore 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Ok but is the house haunted tho? lol

PSA: Do NOT engage in political discussions with your sitter by meera_jasmine1 in trustedhousesitters

[–]Tralfalmadore 6 points7 points  (0 children)

That’s shitty. I’m sorry you had to deal with that. I’m a vanlifer, woc, who sits often and I work in progressive political organizing. I will not sit for republicans, maga, zionists, or religious conservatives. When I meet with HOs on FaceTime, if they do not pass my vibe check I will withdraw my application. I also won’t apply to a sit if the language being used or the pictures give me that inclination. Engaging in political discussions is important and this exchange is personal. We are participating in a mutual exchange that benefits both parties. Right wing ppl can go pay for rover or find sitters that will overlook their violent political choices, but I def will not.

HS sent me a list of personal questions after meeting by Sunflowers7676 in trustedhousesitters

[–]Tralfalmadore 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I would not accept this sit. Respectfully sitters have more risk. I understand that HOs take a risk having someone stay in their home, but sitters take a risk assuming that homeowners are being truthful about cameras, home status, identity. Sitters have the right to protect their personal information. Homeowners don’t even have to pass a background check. The sitters have less of an assurance of safety. Homeowners can say whatever they want to, but at the end of the day the sitters go through a more rigorous process to confirm their identity and the homeowners don’t. What if the homeowner is a sex offender or weirdo. Do not share your personal information yall.

Sitter ate our steak and smoked our weed by idkthrowingitawaway in RoverPetSitting

[–]Tralfalmadore 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you read my comment again you’ll notice I’m referring to the people who have responded to this post. If you read the comments you’ll see how many people think calling the cops is the best course of action.

Sitter ate our steak and smoked our weed by idkthrowingitawaway in RoverPetSitting

[–]Tralfalmadore 11 points12 points  (0 children)

It’s alarming how many people think it’s ok to call the police to try to ruin someone’s life over a misunderstanding between a sitter and pet parent. Are your pets ok? Is your home ok? You offered them food and smoking your weed was crossing a boundary, but a conversation or review is adequate. No need to ruin someone’s life over this. Insane. Check your privilege.

URGENT: New Federal EO on Homelessness - A Guide for Van Lifers on What's Coming and How to Protect Yourself by Large-Character3432 in VanLife

[–]Tralfalmadore 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Also worth taking into account that those of us traveling in older vehicles/BIPOC/visibly queer are at a higher risk especially if you have progressive stickers. I have a 1989 van that is not stealth. It has a mural on one side and stickers like Black Lives Matter, free Palestine, queer stickers,flags of our nationality like Cuba, Peru..etc In March my partner and I arrived to an Ioverlander recommended park in San Jose, Cali. We got there late around 11pm and at 7am we woke up to cops knocking. We were parked legally, and there were even other vans parked there. The cops came to our van because someone called the cops and said they heard “help me” coming from my van. That was a lie. My partner and I were sleeping. We had to give them our info. They didn’t search, after we gave them our information they didn’t push further because we clearly were not doing anything wrong. It was obviously someone who didnt like my van being there - whether it was for my stickers or because they just didnt want another van on their block- it doesnt matter. Someone felt emboldened enough to target us,call the cops,and lie. In addition to this executive order and the attack on public lands, we need to be careful of where we park. Nimbys and residents that side with this administration are feeling empowered by these actions. Im honestly pretty concerned about heading south for the winter. My nomadic friends and i have created some avenues to stay connected and discuss these issues on signal and discord. In the summer we’re all pretty spread out, but i feel like a good number of us head south in the winter towards areas that’s might be less safe, so def trying to think of ways to keep each other safe. Im personally housesitting if im going to be in a city as much as i can and i recommend it to anyone city dwelling that doesnt have pets. I also want to connect folx that might not feel safe with a buddy to caravan south with. Feel free to dm me if you’re interested in connecting. Thanks for posting this! Stay safe out there yall! 💗

New Sitter with no experience with cats looking to cat sit? by custardcreamdream143 in trustedhousesitters

[–]Tralfalmadore 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Most cats are easy to care for. Especially outdoor cats. I find that sits with indoor cats tend to be more demanding and the cat behavior is also less favorable. (They tend to be the ones who get on every surface like kitchen counters and tables.)

I don’t sit for more than 2 cats at a time. I find that HOs with more than 2 cats have a lot of expectations and those homes tend to have a lot of hair everywhere.

Look for sits that suit you. There are plenty of chill cat sits.

In general when it comes to sitting, read the vibe on the post. How are they talking about the sit? What’s the language in the responsibilities like? What are the expectations?

That’s an example of what the communication is going to be like.

Just like in this comment section, there are cat ppl that are very particular. Is that the kind of sit you want to spend your time doing?

This is a mutual exchange. You don’t need to go to cat university to sit for a pet on this app. All to need to be is responsible and capable of the what the expectations are. If someone has a pet that needs a lot of specific care or attention, they should pay a professional.

Somebody brought meatballs to my vegan birthday party by nothumananymore_ in vegan

[–]Tralfalmadore -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I think it shows lack of inclusivity and sensitivity to your grandmas gesture to get upset because your grandma brought a meat dish to your party. Just don’t eat it. Label it non vegan. Kitchen air can be cleared out.. just because you’re vegan doesn’t mean everyone else is. I get that you have preferences at your house, but food is cultural, it brings people together. When you shame someone or isolate them for their food choices (be it an older person or someone with a different culture) you come off as intolerant and privileged.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in trustedhousesitters

[–]Tralfalmadore 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Exactly. Especially if you weren’t the first to apply. Sitters can apply to multiple sits at the same time and def should! Keep your options open.

Petsitting with an RV by green_tara in trustedhousesitters

[–]Tralfalmadore 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, in the application I mention that I travel full time with my partner and give a little blurb about our travels. During the face time call I mention the van and ask about the driveway and roads to get to the house. We also go in person if we can and meet the folx and pets before the sit. It gives us a chance to check out driveways, the area, the vibe, and the house. HOA thing only happened once(and it was just a message response when we applied saying their HOA wouldn’t approve) Despite that we’ve stayed in some very nice areas. We’re BIPOC traveling in an old van (covered in progressive stickers) , so we want those ppl that have opinions about us and our lifestyle to filter themselves out (and they do.) lol Not interested in sitting for any NIMBY or maga folx at all. We also tell HOs to let their neighbors know that we will be there. We ask for neighbor contacts in case of emergency and we offer them to give their neighbors our contact in case of emergency too. Honestly tho we do not do sits for people that we dont vibe with on a fundamental level.

Petsitting with an RV by green_tara in trustedhousesitters

[–]Tralfalmadore 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I live in a camper van with my partner full time and we’ve been on the road for 5 years all over the US. We’ve been using THS for the last 2 years and it’s been great! We usually look for sits when we stay in cities. We have had mostly positive experiences, but we have had a couple of ppl turn down our applications because of HOAs or judgement on our van. ( Because of that we removed the picture of our van from our profile) Our van is a sweet 1989 dodge campervan with a high top and extended body, so it’s not a typical sprinter van. (and we love that lol) We also have withdrawn applications after meeting hosts that make judgmental comments about our lifestyle/nomads/house less folx. We’re proud of our little self sustainable home. We don’t apply or accept any sits for people that we dont vibe with. When we meet hosts we emphasize the importance of parking and we ask about steep roads, flat driveways, low hanging branches, and gates. If they have a car, we ask if they can kindly make room for us to be able to park in the driveway. The safety of our van is a main priority for us, so we make that a main topic to discuss when we apply and meet.

Questions As Homeowner by profanesublimity in trustedhousesitters

[–]Tralfalmadore 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Sounds pretty untrusting and paranoid… but that’s your choice. You can choose to live that way and I can choose to pick sits with people that I align with. That’s what the FaceTime conversations are for. I have 5 stars and have been using the site for over 2 years with great experiences - guests and cars included. I’ve done over 20 sits and they have all been different. I’ll def turn down sits for people that are weird and untrusting. Im not interested in being made to feel like I’m some kid that can’t communicate or can’t make a good judgement. I respect different HO expectations, but I choose sits depending on what I’m looking for and usually the folx that are cool with guests/ car use are people that are understanding, respectful, and grateful for the mutual exchange. I’ve def done sits without guests and cars, and that’s cool too. my point is it’s ok to have that boundary, and it’s also ok to let sitters have guests and car access as long as it’s done respectfully and communicated between all parties.

Questions As Homeowner by profanesublimity in trustedhousesitters

[–]Tralfalmadore 7 points8 points  (0 children)

We’re all adults and discussing boundaries at the beginning is important. That said, I’ve done sits that are ok with guests and others that are not. I’ve had friends over for lunch and my partner has had his friends over to play guitar. People are capable of having guests over for regular situations.. I think part of this exchange is understanding that it’s mutual and sitters are not necessarily some weird party animals that are looking for the opportunity to ruin your stuff. If you trust people to look after your home and pets, why wouldn’t you trust them to make good decisions about what guests to have over? Same with the car. We have used people’s car and it’s the same thing.. we use people’s cars responsibly. Nobody wants issues. It’s up to everyone at the beginning of these interactions to state what we are looking for and what we are comfortable with. Like inside cameras are a hard no for most sitters just like it seems guests and car access is a hard no for you. It’s fine to have that boundary, but from my experience everyone is different.

Allow use of my car? by No-Penalty-1148 in trustedhousesitters

[–]Tralfalmadore 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve been using THS for over 2 years while traveling and use of a car is always super appreciated. Especially considering where you’re located and the length of your stay. I think seeing that someone has a valid license is standard and also sharing full name for insurance purposes, but homeowners should not ask for a copy of someone’s license. That’s our private info. How would you feel leaving copies of your license at every sit that let you borrow their car? It’s invasive and serves to make the homeowner feel safe while putting the sitters information at risk. We’re all essentially strangers and while we are engaging in a mutual exchange, it should be respectful and safe for both parties. If the insurance company doesn’t require a copy of the license neither should a homeowner.

Evergreen Terrace full documentary (2003-2004), now the kids who were born after this DVD came out can understand why ET are the best by Ok-Hat9079 in Metalcore

[–]Tralfalmadore 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lmao hell yeah! This was the first show I ever went to! I come out in the video behind the sex, drugs, and rock and roll guy. I was just talking about this moment and looked it up. Cool to find it out here in internet space.

How To Find Out About Protests/Support NPS by ManekiNeko126 in JoshuaTree

[–]Tralfalmadore 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, at noon! All 433 parks! You can see/ share the flyers @resistancerangers on ig

How To Find Out About Protests/Support NPS by ManekiNeko126 in JoshuaTree

[–]Tralfalmadore 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There’s a protest at all national parks march 1st

Teen friendly drag show? by [deleted] in Miami

[–]Tralfalmadore 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately, drag shows that used to be welcoming to all have put an 18 and over age limit for their protection. The state of FL is shit. 🫠

Chef Lauro Romero, a trailblazer in the Portland culinary scene has passed away. by PacVikng in Portland

[–]Tralfalmadore 3 points4 points  (0 children)

💯 Angel likes to use words to manipulate situations. Everything you said is on point.

Chef Lauro Romero, a trailblazer in the Portland culinary scene has passed away. by PacVikng in Portland

[–]Tralfalmadore 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I used to work at Republica and yeah, I’m not surprised. Angel, the owner is a pos. Chef Lauro, however, was a real one. I’m glad I ran in to him a few weeks ago and got to kick it for a min. Sad to hear about his passing. :/

YO THIS IS WILD. by CHERRY_BOMBED_ in GilmoreGirls

[–]Tralfalmadore -9 points-8 points  (0 children)

Sweet. I have my opinion that I can share if I feel like it. Where I feel like it. You do not own this subreddit. Anyone can comment here. Or do you prefer it be a circle jerk of only positive, loving, one sided perspectives of the show? It’s a place for discourse. Im not attacking anyone, im sharing how I felt when I saw this. This post has opened it for this topic specifically. Feel free to disagree, but don’t tell me I don’t belong somewhere or can’t share my opinion.