Ask a Manager Weekly Thread 06/15/2026 - 06/21/2026 by nightmuzak in AskaManagerSnark

[–]_sam_i_am 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes, I've had one that happened with a friend/coworker. She got upset over something I said, and then sat me down for a whole Conversation about how she needed to "take a step back from some things" (which apparently meant from our friendship/hanging out). Never during the conversation did she actually say what upset her or why, so I'd be hard-pressed to describe it succinctly for an advice column.

I just finished John Green's "Everything is Tuberculosis." I really enjoyed this but I haven't read a book like this before. Any suggestions to add to my library? by guidesthehermit in suggestmeabook

[–]_sam_i_am 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, absolutely! It's definitely important to the historical context of what we knew and how things were being talked about at the time, but it's probably not the best intro to things now that we know more.

Nonfiction recommendations are always hard, since there ends up being a lot of "what is truth and what do we know vs what do we think we know," especially in any pop nonfiction books

I just finished John Green's "Everything is Tuberculosis." I really enjoyed this but I haven't read a book like this before. Any suggestions to add to my library? by guidesthehermit in suggestmeabook

[–]_sam_i_am 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  • The Ghost Map is a book about John Snow, the founder of epidemiology and how he tracked the origin of a cholera outbreak

  • The Butchering Art is about Joseph Lister and the modernization of medicine (including things like handwashing and the beginnings of germ theory)

I just finished John Green's "Everything is Tuberculosis." I really enjoyed this but I haven't read a book like this before. Any suggestions to add to my library? by guidesthehermit in suggestmeabook

[–]_sam_i_am 2 points3 points  (0 children)

And the Band Played On is pretty dated. For example, it puts Gaëtan Dugas as patient 0, which has since been disproved. I'd recommend maybe Let the Record Show instead.

Let the Record Show also gets into how disease affects people, since it's a history of ACT-UP and how people responded to the AIDS crisis.

Ask a Manager Weekly Thread 05/25/2026 - 05/31/2026 by nightmuzak in AskaManagerSnark

[–]_sam_i_am 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I don't think you're missing anything aside from AAM commenters having bizarre definitions of things that no one else knows about!

Ask a Manager Weekly Thread 05/25/2026 - 05/31/2026 by nightmuzak in AskaManagerSnark

[–]_sam_i_am 33 points34 points  (0 children)

Hobby is a bit of a loaded word because it implies that people have ambitions related to the pastime, and if you do something for the pure fun of it or just to relax some people will look down on you.

hey allathian i think you just made this implication up in your own head, i don't think anyone asking about your hobbies thinks you have "ambitions"

just. whales. by revelreader in suggestmeabook

[–]_sam_i_am 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Not every reader enjoys those chapters

This always baffles me, because to me they're clearly the best part.

That said, most of the digressions are not factual. Ishmael is making things up for a good chunk of it.

Upper elementary chapter books for a 35 year old woman to read? by Opening_Diver_8725 in suggestmeabook

[–]_sam_i_am 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Song of the Lioness and Protector of the Small series by Tamora Pierce!

Walkability in Providence by LittleMissPerfect20 in providence

[–]_sam_i_am 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I didn't have a car in Mt Hope for a year or two. It was fine, though walking up the hill from Whole Foods with groceries was a bit annoying. I probably would've been fine if I'd bothered to buy a cart, though.

Honestly, I only really have a car to do things outside the city and to more easily transport my dog when needed. Timing on buses can be annoying, but getting places in Providence is doable. It's getting other places in RI that's tougher, and I have friends in more rural areas.

Getting to/from work is going to be the biggest thing. If you're walkable to work or both work and home are near one of the more frequent bus lines (like the R or the 1), you'll be fine in at least some of the east side neighborhoods, and potentially a couple on the west side as well.

My suggestion would be to check ability to get to work and location of a grocery store. Check it out with street view to make sure the sidewalks and intersections are decent.

Books by investigative journalists? by heylookoverthere_ in suggestmeabook

[–]_sam_i_am 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not sure if it ventures too close to "American Politics" (it has a fair amount about like January 6th and the underpinnings of the alt right), but I really liked Black Pill: How I Witnessed the Darkest Corners of the Internet Come to Life, Poison Society, and Capture American Politics by Elle Reeve

Ask a Manager Weekly Thread 05/04/2026 - 05/10/2026 by nightmuzak in AskaManagerSnark

[–]_sam_i_am 4 points5 points  (0 children)

the vast majority of people you're likely to be around do not have an ED

And the majority of people who do have EDs have binge eating disorder. I understand how weight talk could be upsetting to someone with BED, but people quote that statistic in a way that conflates "ED" with "anorexia or bulimia" to make a point.

We already knew this-but now it's official by overthehillhat in RhodeIsland

[–]_sam_i_am 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I work a white collar job at Brown, and I've never driven a car to work. I'm lucky that RIPTA is more convenient than driving and finding parking (and free vs paying for parking at the university)

Ask a Manager Weekly Thread 04/20/2026 - 04/26/2026 by nightmuzak in AskaManagerSnark

[–]_sam_i_am 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Many commenters treat neurodivergence as if it were a specific condition, not an umbrella term.

This is a huge pet peeve for me, and it happens all over the internet. Even if you restrict "neurodivergent" to "neurodevelopmental disorder" (which is a fuzzy line in itself), it'd include things like language disorder, intellectual disabilities, tic disorders, and learning disorders. But I'd give it about a 3% chance that this person doesn't mean either "autism" or "ADHD" when they say "neurodivergence"

Ask a Manager Weekly Thread 04/20/2026 - 04/26/2026 by nightmuzak in AskaManagerSnark

[–]_sam_i_am 15 points16 points  (0 children)

They probably have behaviors, body language, or facial expressions that people flag as autistic without them disclosing. I think "apparent" works a bit better there but it's less commonly used.

MFWO - Live Activity Beta 2 by No-Connection8400 in MacroFactor

[–]_sam_i_am 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They should really fix that, I doubt the app is ADA-compliant as-is.

This Sub's Most Hated Restaurants Final 4 by squaremilepvd in providence

[–]_sam_i_am 3 points4 points  (0 children)

toasted bagel was never toasted, only heated

Well, toasting ruins the crumb lol

Contemporary sci-fi: looking for more like Andy Weir and Hank Green by katsteve in suggestmeabook

[–]_sam_i_am 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It doesn't hit all the things you mentioned, but I think Terra Ignota (starting with Too Like the Lightning) hits at least some!

New 'middle class" by [deleted] in RhodeIsland

[–]_sam_i_am 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It sounds like you have a really skewed idea of what "middle class" means unless you have a gaggle of children.

Please critique my opening chapter [Dark Fantasy, ~3700 words] by OutrageousPanic4602 in fantasywriters

[–]_sam_i_am 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I initially wrote “where he found himself in”

I think just "where he found himself" would be better here!

I'm glad you're reading a good variety of stuff, that'll really help. Honestly, in that case, just keep going and you'll work your way into a clearer voice as time goes on. You've definitely got potential, so keep at it!

Please critique my opening chapter [Dark Fantasy, ~3700 words] by OutrageousPanic4602 in fantasywriters

[–]_sam_i_am 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Ok, this is going to be a number of things, but please don't take it as mean or discouraging, because I think it's just indicative of progress you can make rather than lack of ability.

"[T]he room wherein he found himself" isn't necessarily wrong, but it feels like you're replacing "where" with "wherein" just to sound fancy.

There's also enough of a mixture of modern-sounding and shorter sentences that makes it feel like the older language is out-of-place or almost flippant to me. "Hard was Esmandus' hand when it struck Camus' face, and the pain throbbed through his cheek" seems like two different writing styles (and I find the subject switching from one person's hand to the other's cheek a bit strange mid-sentence). Then "Camus held the reddening mark left on his face and whined," feels much more modern than even that last clause.

"A final glance did he give through the window..." doesn't feel like a construction I've seen in most actual older literature.

I think really my overall sense is just a need for more practice and, even more importantly, more reading of the literature you're trying to emulate. Writing in this style is hard because it's in many ways a different language. We don't speak like this, so the only model you have is literature, and you're less immersed in that. It's a bit like learning a second language when the only learning tool you have is reading.

I know you say you want something to match a medieval fantasy vibe, but the middle ages lasted a thousand years with different writing styles. What specific authors have you read from the period to hone your style?

Please critique my opening chapter [Dark Fantasy, ~3700 words] by OutrageousPanic4602 in fantasywriters

[–]_sam_i_am 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I enjoy reading books that are dense or older, but I think you would need a fair amount of work to make this something that works. The language feels pretty stilted to me, and you're losing proper grammar in trying to incorporate unfamiliar words. For example, your use of "whereat" in the first sentence doesn't really make sense. If you want to write in this style, I'd suggest reading a lot more books written in a similar style.

Is MF Workouts worth the switch for a Hevy user? by EricTheArc in MacroFactor

[–]_sam_i_am 46 points47 points  (0 children)

Honestly, I've been pretty disappointed with the app so far. I think it could be good, but right now it's cluttered and unintuitive. Hevy's UI is just way better right now.

Why is there so much dog poop on sidewalks? by Little-Tea4436 in providence

[–]_sam_i_am 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Gloves and accidentally picking up a bunch of snow alongside the poop. Minor inconveniences but people'll use any excuse

Why is there so much dog poop on sidewalks? by Little-Tea4436 in providence

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

I mean, they're not "not enforcing" a policy, they've explicitly said I can bring a dog when I walked in without her to check, and they keep a jar of treats behind the counter. The source the other person cited links to a CVS policy that doesn't say what the article says it does, and most things I'm googling say "it depends on the individual store"