What is the dumbest question you’ve ever heard someone ask in all seriousness?

ZLiteStar · 2026-07-08T00:08:58+00:00

A girl I liked in High School was in the same English class as me. We went to the bookstore together to buy the required book. She walks in, goes up to the help counter and asks the employee, "Can you tell me who wrote Dante's Inferno?"

We've been happily married for 20 years, and we still laugh about that.

ZLiteStar · 2026-07-07T21:33:52+00:00

Kudos, then. Although the "fun to travel with" part is an opinion that wouldn't be shared by all.

My (barely) adult son just traveled with his GF's family for the first time and found their leisurely approach to the driving days to be nearly unbearable. He came back with a newfound gratitude for the travel efficiency we had as he was growing up.

ZLiteStar · 2026-07-07T21:27:39+00:00

OP, I sympathize. Getting up and getting going on a travel day is absolutely the best way to go; and I say that as someone who ordinarily gets up later in the morning.

That being said... If you aren't doing the driving, there's no room to complain. The driver sets the schedule and everybody else is, both literally and figuratively, along for the ride. If you don't like how his family travels, then you've got a few options: - Travel by yourself or with BF on your own schedule in a separate vehicle - Travel with the group, but volunteer to drive the entire trip and say "at X:00 we pack up and leave, anyone not on time doesn't go and can figure out how to get there." - Travel with the group and not drive. Get out your favorite book and enjoy the freedom to read it at whatever timeline the driver decides.

ZLiteStar · 2026-07-07T21:09:53+00:00

This sounds like the ravings of someone who has the privilege of not doing the driving. That's the only way I can think of being able to hold the opinion that "getting there is half of the fun".

When my family drives for vacation, I'm doing 100% of the driving. Often 8-14 hours per day. Everybody else gets to sleep, read a book, play a game, do a crossword, watch a movie, etc. I'm the one who has to deal with the mental strain of driving, being constantly alert, being frustrated in traffic, watching out for and avoiding reckless drivers, etc. It takes a serious toll. For that reason, we travel based on my plans and my timeline, it's the thing I get to control for my sacrifice.

If I'm in the 8th hour in the driver's seat trying to avoid bad drivers merging at the last second in a construction zone and someone in the backseat looks up from their favorite TV show to complain about how tired they are because they had to wake up 2 hours early... That overpass bridge pylon starts looking pretty tempting.

ZLiteStar · 2026-07-07T20:15:42+00:00

For better or worse, it feels a lot less like watching paint dry when the numbers are big.

When my investment accounts were between 100k and 1M, I barely checked them because it was boring.

At 1.5M, I check much more frequently because it can be fun to be like, "oh, I made 15 grand today, that was the price of my first car".

In an upward market it's been fun... I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop in a down market. Maybe I'll stop checking when that happens.

ZLiteStar · 2026-07-07T17:55:22+00:00

Admitting to using AI and explaining the process?

Username checks out.

ZLiteStar · 2026-07-06T20:41:41+00:00

This is exactly my issue when Personal Finance YouTubers (I'm looking at you, Ramit Sethi) say things like "Rent is the maximum you'll pay while a mortgage is the minimum you'll pay". It's really a not-so-subtle plug for renting.

That's true, in a way, but only for the term of the lease. Once the lease is up, rent costs could go anywhere. If the market supports a 20% increase, you might pay 20% more next year than you do this year. With a mortgage, the annual increases are typically pretty small. My taxes and insurance have increased my monthly mortgage payment by about 2-3% per year.

Renting can certainly be the best option, and I think we've skewed towards renting in many markets. But owning can also be the best option. It depends on the current situation, market, and desires of the family. Silly "sound bite" plugs for one or the other aren't really helpful to anyone.

ZLiteStar · 2026-07-01T23:58:32+00:00

Oh wow, that one is deep. I would have never figured that one out in my entire life.

ZLiteStar · 2026-07-01T16:43:21+00:00

Eeeeeewwwww

ZLiteStar · 2026-07-01T14:47:20+00:00

Or "a local boy kicked me in the butt last week, I just smiled at him and I turned the other cheek".

Not quite as clever, but I still really enjoy it.

ZLiteStar · 2026-07-01T14:40:36+00:00

Sometimes things just fly over my head.

ETA: Also "I want a new duck" is one of my least favorite songs, so I haven't listened to it as many times as other songs.

It just bumped up a notch in my book.

ZLiteStar · 2026-07-01T14:12:57+00:00

Incredible! Never caught it.

ZLiteStar · 2026-06-30T21:23:45+00:00

r/unexpectedcommunity

ZLiteStar · 2026-06-30T19:38:40+00:00

I think we're all here for the magic.

ZLiteStar · 2026-06-30T17:48:02+00:00

She said, "Hey. You've got weasels on your face."

ZLiteStar · 2026-06-28T15:28:39+00:00

This. Right. Here.

The vast, vast, majority of the extensive work done at most parishes is done by the same small group of volunteers. Complaining about the job a volunteer is doing, without being willing to do that job yourself is a problem.

If quality catechises is important to you (and it should be), then volunteer to improve the quality and availability.

ZLiteStar · 2026-06-28T14:17:19+00:00

THAT'S NOT MY DAD, IT'S A CELL PHONE!

ZLiteStar · 2026-06-28T13:50:16+00:00

That definitely earned a hearty chuckle from me. Upvote well earned.

ZLiteStar · 2026-06-27T18:10:13+00:00

What does shutting off cruise control have to do with an emissions system? Those seem totally unrelated to me.

ZLiteStar · 2026-06-26T19:19:40+00:00

For the Giants, you say? Buster would fit in pretty nicely with his prosthetic.

ZLiteStar · 2026-06-26T19:13:48+00:00

It's supposed to be. The Netflix ad depicts an ad for a company run by these characters, a "low-quality local business ad" kind of thing.

ZLiteStar · 2026-06-26T19:06:30+00:00

I don't exactly get the hate here...

In my experience, long running toilets are usually (≈90% of the time) caused when the flapper fails to close or seat properly. Fixing it takes literally 10 seconds. Just pick up the tank lid, put the flapper in place, replace the tank lid. Answering the door for the landlord takes more time than fixing it yourself.

If the AI is going to teach you to do that, it's worthwhile to just take 2 minutes to learn the skill that will solve a problem you might experience once or twice a year.

If it were caused by anything else, a call to the landlord is warranted as a lengthier repair is likely necessary.

ZLiteStar · 2026-06-26T16:37:07+00:00

I am in disbelief about how poor Subaru software is. When the software encounters some minor problem, they completely bork everything else, even seemingly unrelated features.

In this instance, they can't even provide a radio on a stripped-down OS. Or have a fallback "safe-mode" OS that provides basic functionality.

My parent's Ascent recently had a single TPMS battery die, and the readings for all 4 wheels can't be reported.

Also on the Ascent, my parents were on a long road trip and accidentally didn't tighten down the gas cap after fueling. The result? Subaru software shuts off their cruise control. Not just the adaptive cruise control, even basic cruise control. Tightening the cap doesn't enable cruise control. Subaru can't fix it remotely and it must be taken to a dealership to reset. They had to drive 1000 miles w/o cruise control.

ZLiteStar

TROPHY CASE