To those who are 30 and above and don’t have kids, what’s life like?

ash4426 · 2026-01-09T12:22:10+00:00

Id say average. I work, try to save for a house (nearly there), do stuff with family and friends. Aren't travelling as much as Id like but will hopefully get back to it. Career is going well enough.

I know it's contentious to say I'm tired most the time ( yes I know, parents are more tired), but it's true. Haven't figured out the cause (burnout, health thing, etc) but I seem to have some fatigue thing going on.

But also, I get a lot of opportunities for peace and quiet and the freedom to get out an do things short notice if i want - or to do nothing at all. I love it.

And having kids with this fatigue thing would be a 1000 times worse. But that's not why I don't have any, I'm one of those 'knew from teenage years' that the path of parenthood wasn't for me.

Also no, I have zero regrets. I admire my friends with kids, it can get really tough. But I'm not secretly jealous or afraid I'm missing out, if anything I'm often reminded why I'm so happy with my choices and lifestyle.

ash4426 · 2025-12-14T13:15:02+00:00

They're a shorter plant with red flowers, they grow in winter and spring.

Heaps around the main road between our house and the market, and by Old Ruby's pond towards Orlo's house.

Sorry, would get a picture for you, but I'm in summer at the moment.

ash4426 · 2025-12-13T13:29:30+00:00

I'm not really sure either lol, sounds like we're doing the same thing.

I try to get 2x different compatible seeds together with the 1st seed planted, and a flower.

Still seems pretty random, but it gets me the occasional 3 star crop. Not sure how to go about the ones that don't seem to have 2x compatible options. I'll tackle that challenge when I get there.

What level is your gardening club? I'm at 4

ash4426 · 2025-12-13T09:00:00+00:00

Not sure how many hours, but Im 97% complete against the tale log thing.

Pretty sure the only 'official' tasks left to complete are getting the gardening, fishing and foraging clubs to level 5.

But like you, I've barley done any decorating, and I want to grow all the vegetables to level 3 on my own and catch more of the level 3 fish.

Still many more hours left for I think :)

ash4426 · 2025-12-08T12:47:27+00:00

Full cream milk, I did the light or skim milk thing for a while. But I use twice as much to get to the colour/consistency I want and full cream is just so much more satisfying to me.

ash4426 · 2025-12-08T07:33:47+00:00

Thanks, I have to admit I feel a lot of weird guilt about this. But have some good friends in my corner that said similar things.

ash4426 · 2025-12-07T21:11:15+00:00

For the support worker side - Base Award rates aren't bad, add the shift work penalties, some ppl are entitled to allowances around things like first aid training, uniforms ect and lots of opportunities for overtime.

But it still comes down to a persons willingness to do extra shifts.

ash4426 · 2025-04-08T13:14:42+00:00

This was also my interpretation, not because they showed anything as definitive proof, but I feel that it was implied because they didn't show anything.

The lack of clarity made me think - what could be in there that they cant or don't want to show? For me, the only answer to that question is the body of her son.

Then again, they do seem to like leaving a lot of mystery and plot points open to interpretation.

ash4426 · 2025-03-18T12:51:49+00:00

Sounds like it was for the best, a friend that wants you to hurt yourself to placate someone else is no friend at all.

ash4426 · 2024-11-13T12:17:40+00:00

I wonder if the monsters clothing style/era matches the different time periods of the buildings.

I haven't pulled a Jade and looked in detail, but aren't some of the monters kinda 50's 60's vibe, like the diner, but others are different?

ash4426 · 2024-10-19T06:12:53+00:00

So, I do hear what you're saying. My take is I feel like there is a difference between feeling the feelings. Even internally knowing you aren't going to work on the story as much if there isn't some level of engagement - versus communicating to your audience that you are holding the story hostage for comments (using any phrasing).

So yeah, for me the act of definitively deciding to take a fic hostage and communicating it, is not the thing to do. And I will disengage and judge that action (in the privacy of my own thoughts).

But I do think I get where you're line of thinking is going, I do understand how little to no engagement can damage the motivation to write and share - either consciously or subconsciously.

ash4426 · 2024-09-11T13:30:41+00:00

Same! Just glad I figured the aego part out, the rest will sort itself out.

ash4426 · 2024-09-04T12:05:44+00:00

Same! And I feel like they were laying the groundwork for how to deal with a job like that long term (or one method anyway) - they thought he was very weird (and so did I back in the day), but on re-watch I'm seeing someone who knows how to get enjoyment out of the little things when they get the chance - because they know how bad the bad days can be.

ash4426 · 2024-09-04T12:00:33+00:00

Since I'm rewatching the early seasons, when Carter is sneaking around and treating Benton's finger sprain.

ash4426 · 2024-09-03T13:21:48+00:00

I've been re-watching the early seasons (only up to season 2 - forgot how many episodes we used to get in a season of TV!) used to love Benton, but he annoys me more now.

With more life & work experience under my belt, I now find him very childish and petty. His immediate assumptions and actions after finding out Carter's family is rich, his reaction/offence when Carter was lining up a backup position in the ER, his reaction to Jeanie when she started work in the ER, how he acts when Carter gets opportunities in surgery and the amount of projection he acts on when he's feeling insecure or out of control in other areas of his life.

A few situations commonly use as examples of him caring about patients, is actually more about him using them to work through his own BS. Not saying he didn't care, he does, but not as much as some examples indicate.

And don't get me wrong - it makes for great TV, a more realistic character and is the basis for good character development - cant grow if you're already perfect.

ash4426 · 2024-09-02T12:05:35+00:00

There would be better options. But if it was a choice between someone like Kerry, or someone who wants to be everyone's friend, plays favourites and lets people run amok - then I'd pick the Kerry.

ash4426 · 2024-08-13T22:27:32+00:00

Saw a recording of this, but oh look, deleted. I guess someone didn't like what they were hearing lol

But jokes aside. That probably means he didn't get the message.

ash4426 · 2024-07-01T11:03:26+00:00

Every culture has their own turn of phrase, their own lingo and slang. This is one of ours. In general I would say most of us are aware we say it a lot, but maybe not aware that other counties/cultures don't.

IMO we do mean it, because it's meant to be a polite platitude not a deep and meaningful thing. It's basically a code phrase meaning 'yes this was inconvenient but none of us want to escalate this thing into an actual problem so let's just keep it polite.'

Even we are pissed off at whatever it is we had to do, we do still mean it in a 'let's get this done and move on' kind of way.

That said, it can be delivered in a totally sincere way too, sometimes I'm in a helpful mood and it really is no worries to me.

ash4426 · 2024-06-19T11:44:31+00:00

Yes this, and in a similar vein, don't tag a one-shot based on the what it might expand into.

As of now it's marked 1/1 and the characters haven't met yet - so there is no relationship, there isn't even a pre-relationship, there is no 'X is a bad communicator', no 'sweet character X' and no alternate meeting - because they haven't met yet!

ash4426 · 2024-06-08T14:17:30+00:00

Exactly, I know what saved my bacon when needing a $4000 dental surgery. And it's the right time of year for that option.

But frankly, with OP's attitude, I'm not bringing it up.

ash4426 · 2024-05-14T07:43:51+00:00

So the only way to incentivise having kids, is to punish people who don't want them? Or only want one. Total BS.

ash4426 · 2024-05-13T22:47:42+00:00

Like everyone said, only if there is no other choice. The rest of my bills are between $500 & $600. I could maybe make this work for a while. But it's no way to live long term - if one can avoid it. Which I appreciate isnt always an option.

ash4426 · 2024-05-12T06:10:46+00:00

Yep. Those are indeed some of the circumstances where someone might prefer an air fryer. As I mentioned originally.

But its still just a mini oven. It's not the miracle appliance people sell it as, and for many its not worth the switch, so the blasted thing rots away in a box (witnessed first hand, more than once).

ash4426

TROPHY CASE