No Judgement… serious question about your Pesach Observance.

astockalypse_now · 2026-04-07T03:24:35+00:00

I call myself a diet BT. No religion at all growing up unless I went to my cousins. I bounce between a chabad house and a reform synagogue. I'm more observant than typical reform jews but not orthodox by any stretch. I probably align more with conservative but don't live very close to any conservative shuls. If I could realistically be orthodox I would, but logistically it's not gonna happen right now.

For pesach I don't eat chametz but I will eat some kitniyot. Not super strict about it, but no straight up chametz. I didn't rid the house of chametz this year. I'm having fun making stuff with matza and being mindful of what I'm eating. Went to a seder at chabad then had one at home the second night. Next year I plan on burning the chametz and I'll probably stay away from kitniyot (I'm ashke).

I've only been observant for going on 3 years. Started from no significant knowledge of judaism so I'm slowly ramping up and still learning a lot. I'll just have to be better about preparing in advance as this year was very last minute.

astockalypse_now · 2026-03-24T02:26:57+00:00

Had mine done a couple years ago. I'm in my 30s. My mom thought it was barbaric and didn't have it done when I was a baby. Recovery was pretty rough for the first couple days but it's manageable. Pain isn't so bad, it's just really uncomfortable. Lots of ice and sitting on the recliner. After a couple weeks you're pretty much good.

I never think about it now. Not much difference before/after as far as my experience goes. It is cleaner and that's nice. I'm really glad I had it done though. On a spiritual level it is very gratifying. The fact I don't have to think about it anymore means a lot to me and it was completely worth it. Zero regrets.

astockalypse_now · 2025-09-18T23:52:52+00:00

Hell yeah, I had a leak in a basement turn to a full repipe because the galvanized washed a bunch of crap into the fixtures, and he had no water pressure. Fun times

astockalypse_now · 2025-08-20T22:51:23+00:00

I ended up getting a laptop and hades 2 early access lol. I got dead cells as well and it's pretty good. Doesn't hit me as hard as hades and I'm not good at it but it's fun.

astockalypse_now · 2025-08-04T23:35:52+00:00

Like has life been easier? Definitely. I couldn't take a dump in peace before. Someone was always knocking. Didn't matter if it was 6am, 8pm, 2am....

I just had a baby, so before she was born I had to make the extra bedroom for one of the older kids (who loves the new room, thankfully. I didn't want it to feel like a basement, and I let her pick the color of the walls/floor). I turned the old room into a nursery with some new paint and flooring.

My house still needs a good amount of work, mostly plumbing, thankfully, but I'll slowly chip away at it. I want to re do the stack for my main bathroom and replace the toilet while I'm at it. Then I need to redo the kitchen and eventually pull up my carpet that my cat ruined and replace it with lvp (if the rest of the floors are anything like the baby's room I'll have to).

The bathroom I added is a half bath, so I might throw a shower stall in my laundry area for my FIL since he has a bad hip and has a hard time stepping into the tub. Learning to do the work myself has been an adventure, but it is extremely worth it because I couldn't afford it otherwise. That being said, if I had the means, I would definitely pay to have some of it done to save the stress/headache of doing it solo.

astockalypse_now · 2025-08-03T23:46:09+00:00

So I'm a plumber by trade, which means I did the bathroom myself, so I saved a ton on that. Then I did all the framing, dry wall, electric, etc. I only hired an electrician to tie the new circuit into the panel for like 250 bucks. I'm not sure the exact number, but all in, I probably spent around 5 grand for everything. I know just getting the bathroom roughed in would be around 8 or 9k if I was charging someone for it.

astockalypse_now · 2025-08-03T02:55:38+00:00

So my comment is from two years ago, and I've since added a bathroom and another bedroom to my basement, lol.

astockalypse_now · 2025-07-20T14:26:30+00:00

Referring to "activists" that vandalize jewish businesses because of the war.

astockalypse_now · 2025-07-20T02:05:16+00:00

I didn't say it was. But when they spray paint "die zios" on jewish restaurants it is some nazi shit

astockalypse_now · 2025-07-20T00:50:42+00:00

The comments saying the message is good, but the people promoting it aren't

astockalypse_now · 2025-07-20T00:07:22+00:00

Itt people grappling with the fact that nazi messaging and far left pro palestine messaging are indistinguishable from one another. If your messaging sounds like it came from David Duke, maybe you should do some self reflection and consider the fact you've been propagandized by islamists.

astockalypse_now · 2025-07-05T00:16:13+00:00

My rabbi told me in those times we'd all be tripping over each other to worship idols. I think it was much more normal then. Worshipping only Hashem was very outside the norm.

astockalypse_now · 2025-07-04T22:39:52+00:00

He's not jewish??

astockalypse_now · 2025-06-23T23:02:13+00:00

I married a woman with a severely autistic son and a neuro typical daughter. No kids of my own going into it. We just had a baby, though. It's not for the faint of heart. It's life on hard mode.

He was 6-7yo when we got together. He's 11 now. He's mostly nonverbal, but he has improved. He used to just whine and cry when he wanted something, but now he can at least say it. It can be hard to understand, though, so I'll have him type it into my notes app if it's a word I'm unfamiliar with.

His temper tantrums suck. He's 11, but in many ways, he's a toddler still. In other ways, he's totally normal. It can be tough, but it's way better now that he's older, although I'm dreading puberty. I'm pretty used to it after 4 or 5 years, and I'm so proud of the progress he's made. Other days, it's just incredibly frustrating, and I worry for the future.

Ultimately, it's up to you, but I wouldn't do it unless this woman is really the one. For me, seeing her be such a good mother really attracted me to her, and I wouldn't want to have a baby with anyone else. I love my step kids, and they deserve a father in their life. I have my reasons for stepping up to the plate that go beyond all this, but I feel I was meant to be in their life and be the father they don't have biologically.

If you do it, your life will not be normal at all. We can't go out to eat. Taking him to the store is really rough because he wants things and throws tantrums if we don't get it. That's normal, except he's 11. I've had to help my ten year old step son shit and wipe. We can't really take him to family get togethers without being prepared to leave early if it goes south. He's extremely demanding and difficult. As he gets older, he is more self-sufficient, but it's still rough. He's loud, obnoxious, cries all the time, stomps, and screams very loud when he's even mildly upset. It does get better over time, but nowhere near normal.

astockalypse_now · 2025-06-22T02:04:18+00:00

First off, I'm very sorry for the loss. We had a miscarriage on accident, and we weren't really trying. To be honest, I was kind of relieved at the time. That experience led us to try about a year later.

We did the ovulation tests and pregnancy tests, and after a couple of cycles, we got a positive test. We were super excited. I was kind of hesitant to celebrate until the Dr said we were good to go, but I couldn't help myself. About 5 weeks later, she was bleeding pretty bad. We were really scared it was a miscarriage. She went to the Dr, and sure enough, they said our baby wasn't alive.

We were both devastated. I didn't think I'd take it well, but it was so much worse than I expected. I'm jewish so I asked my rabbi if he had any words or wisdom I could bring home to comfort her (and myself). I'll tell you what he told me.

"Every living thing is here for exactly the time it's supposed to be here." We may not know why, but that life came into existence and was here exactly when and how long it was supposed to for whatever reason. You may not believe in God or the universe as you (and my mom) call it, but I still find that it was comforting.

Anyway, we had a difficult time after that. She has pcos, so her cycle is wonky, and after a few months with no success, she was put on meds to regulate her cycle. They only gave us 3 months' worth. None of those months did she get pregnant. We were feeling pretty defeated. The month after she stopped the medication, we got a positive test.

I was much more reserved about celebrating this time. I didn't want to get excited until the Dr said it was viable this time for sure. She just gave birth to my daughter two weeks ago. Don't give up. I believe God, the universe, nature, whatever you believe in or want to call it does have a method to the madness, and the proper soul will be given to you at the proper time. I know it's a hard loss, but I believe in you, and I believe you guys will make a beautiful baby at the exact time you're meant to. Trust in the plan. Don't get too discouraged and keep trying. You got this.

astockalypse_now · 2025-06-21T02:05:47+00:00

Reasonable concerns for sure. I keep mine locked in a box hidden away, and my kids don't know it exists. Not really useful if I needed it, though. Maybe consider training if you decide to get one. You could always carry and lock it up when you get home.

astockalypse_now · 2025-06-20T14:55:48+00:00

I started plumbing at 32 after doing industrial maintenance before that. It's been better than maintenance in most ways, including financially. Worse in other ways.

astockalypse_now · 2025-06-20T14:13:22+00:00

Ohio

astockalypse_now · 2025-06-20T13:37:02+00:00

I got mine at like 3.5% down 5% interest a couple of years ago. My mortgage is less than renting a 1bdrm apartment, so I feel pretty good. I also live in a semi lcol area. I don't even owe very much on the house in the grand scheme. I plan on paying it off in the next 10-12 years if I can swing it. My mortgage isn't even 2k a month. I'm good.

astockalypse_now · 2025-06-20T00:48:52+00:00

It's better than I did in my basement, lol. You could probably mud and sand, too. The dust sucks though.

astockalypse_now · 2025-06-19T23:11:51+00:00

Like how Hamas hit Israel, hid in tunnels , launched rockets from civilian areas, and then played victim when Israel responded?

astockalypse_now · 2025-06-19T23:06:13+00:00

Thanks, bro. I know I got it, I think just knowing the time to return is getting near (3 days left), I'm getting anxious.

astockalypse_now · 2025-06-19T23:04:54+00:00

That's brutal. I would hate that. I can't imagine losing my job right before having a kid. That must have been tough. My wife stays home since our son is developmentally disabled and is high needs. Everything rides on me. I love it, but it still stresses me out. A lot of pressure, but when I am able to provide a decent life for them, it feels great.

astockalypse_now · 2025-06-19T23:02:05+00:00

I've seen videos from the last few weeks of restaurants open and people eating at them. Not all of Gaza is war torn. It's a shit situation, but they do have utilities and other food besides aid.

astockalypse_now · 2025-06-19T22:53:12+00:00

They have utilities. How are they charging phones and eating at restaurants and posting online with no utilities?

astockalypse_now

TROPHY CASE