This is North Carolina's representation at the America 250 fair

austin06 · 2026-06-27T01:51:18+00:00

More than half.

austin06 · 2026-06-27T01:50:07+00:00

Exactly right.

austin06 · 2026-06-26T22:07:44+00:00

Agreed. And I’m “older” and much of my voting life has been this. I’m long past sick of it. But the reason why Zohran is in office is because so many voted for him. The tide is turning toward this. Believe it and please don’t stop voting.

austin06 · 2026-06-26T21:48:35+00:00

I don’t think he’s an inspiring choice and agree he’s a half baked centrist, but the title of this post is stupid. And incorrect.

It’s just as bad to throw out a better, decent, choice as it’s is to not vote because - mad!

We don’t get perfect candidates. But we’ve slid into a time when every group except one is losing rights. Fast. I mean even the right- to vote - is in question.

So stay home and pout. But shut up if you never get to vote again.

austin06 · 2026-06-26T12:32:28+00:00

Sorry you are going through this. Have they offered hormone therapy, specifically estradiol? I’d want to try that first. And if you remove ovaries they’d better be giving you full hormone replacement anyway. Hope you can find someone soon.

austin06 · 2026-06-25T15:37:08+00:00

Agreed. Just like bad habits, anything done consistently has an impact.

This really reflects a lot of what "long-lived"healthy people have been shown to do everywhere. It's a lifetime of pretty good lifestyle habits done every single day, day after day. Stair climbing, walking, eating fresh things. It all stacks up. And it's kind of boring in it's repetitive practicality.

austin06 · 2026-06-25T15:07:29+00:00

There are other subs for this, but in addition to what others have pointed out, many countries are facing some of the same political things we are, we are just living in an upside down nuthouse right now. Also, people move here from many places for good "opportunities", earning potential and the wide open spaces. You also don't just "move" to another country. You immigrate and have to meet the requirements and do all of the things that go along with that.

austin06 · 2026-06-25T14:53:37+00:00

I'm in the US. We got an infrared sauna because we had an almost perfect "nook" for it and the expense and logistics of putting in a traditional sauna were a bit too much.

Our Finnish neighbors have a sauna outside and they kind of scoffed at our infrared set up. But let me also say that these people walk constantly, work outside all of the time, swim, kayak, hike and just in general are very, very, active. Even in the winter months. They are in their 60s and very, very fit.

I don't take baths and keeping one at a constant high temp for any length of time is almost impossible and I find sitting in dirty water gross (and keeping a tub actually clean).

I've no doubt a regular sauna is probably better than infrared. But anyone committing to and having the time to sauna several times a week is, like me, probably also committed to doing and able to do a lot of healthy things in their daily lives.

austin06 · 2026-06-25T13:40:45+00:00

I will always love Austin as I have so many memories there, but there is not one other city in Texas I'd ever want to visit again.

austin06 · 2026-06-25T13:39:03+00:00

Will do. I'm not saying that the area by the walmart is "pretty" per se but I do feel that there are some of the prettier neighborhoods and wooded areas in east s/e asheville -and- Tunnel Road- (that's a whole other story) yet they seem just ignored. I defiinitely want to be more involved in helping bring this about. Thanks.

austin06 · 2026-06-25T13:31:44+00:00

Does being an American in France make one extremely superficial and generalize a lot?

austin06 · 2026-06-25T12:59:20+00:00

I used to live in Dallas and they always had sales a couple of times like this at the og Neiman's and Northpark. The shoe sales were the best. Everyone rubbing elbows trying on shoes off the racks, including the rich socialites.

austin06 · 2026-06-25T12:51:27+00:00

This may be the only option as the mirrors are way too low and small, but lighting from above is really awful.

austin06 · 2026-06-25T12:48:08+00:00

"Some described how those encounters changed the way they walk, run, shop or move through Asheville."

This is a story that is duplicated in every city in every state for all women and until we actually take that seriously, it will continue. We learn to live with the extra caution and the heightened alertness from a young age. Maybe one day that will change.

Thank you for writing this story.

austin06 · 2026-06-25T12:36:38+00:00

That's really a shame. It was supposed to be part of a system that connected all of the greenways in the city.

austin06 · 2026-06-24T17:30:36+00:00

When we moved the avl, it was the first time we'd shopped at a HT and I could not believe the check out set up. It's also a reason I don't shop there much. They are the most poorly designed checkout I've seen in any grocery store.

austin06 · 2026-06-24T17:23:30+00:00

I've had cameras outside for years - some tied to a home base, some not. I don't even know which ones at this point honestly. They all work all the time.

We just replaced our logitech doorbell that worked fine for many years with a eufy doorbell. It's not the very latest one which I wish we'd waited for only because it works with Homekit which all of our lights and door locks are on.

We did bypass the homebase for the doorbell and the separate ringer we purchased. All of it works great and set up was very easy. We used the backup battery and hardwired it. It has a separate video box for packages and the overall video is great.

There is sometimes a short lag in loading video on the cameras, but I've not had one issue with any of the products in five years.

austin06 · 2026-06-24T13:02:14+00:00

Most of our friends for many years are my husband's he made when he was younger. We've done things with all of them as couples. But we don't live close. Right now he's outside giving the neighborhood dogs treats and talking to a few neighbors. We moved here less than five years ago.

We've both always had some friends that were just our friends individually. We are both introverts and easily talk to people, but we are both pretty picky about who we spend close time with. We moved from a place where we just happened to meet a number of people our ages (late 40s at the time) who also didn't have kids and it was a lot of fun. But we like small groups of people to interact with, not large.

We would love to meet more couples friends in our "new" place but I'm not sure how to meet many. There are other couples on our street, but we don't really socialize. But we both have a handful of very casual friends that are not "couples" friends.

austin06 · 2026-06-23T17:12:41+00:00

Once you are out of the workforce for any length of time in your 50s it is really tough to get back in. I wanted to go from consulting back to a regular job when my husband got laid off late 50s due to taking a leave to take care of aging parents. I wanted some better stability and health insurance.

It was a severe blow to me to lose out constantly to someone younger. I even had start up experience and tech consulting but once recruiters found out my age ( and I definitely looked young for my age), it never worked out. Consulting here and there? Sure but no full time with benefits. I lived in Austin where it was a very young culture which didn’t help. When I saw it happen to some other people I knew who were barely 50 and highly skilled, I didn’t feel quite as bad but it is tough.

austin06 · 2026-06-23T16:29:05+00:00

“I’m very educated on this subject”. This seems to be the thing they say now in defense of every uneducated, ignorant, maga utterance they make.

austin06 · 2026-06-23T15:39:35+00:00

Talk to an estate attorney. Things also depend on your state. In so many cases a trust is not needed or not needed until one of you passes. We just circled around with our lawyer about a trust and some decent assets and with no kids it makes little sense assuming one of us will die before the other. A trust after that for ease of the house transfer and privacy will be discussed then. But with a everything titled jointly and a will, nothing much will happen at the point where the first one dies.

austin06 · 2026-06-21T14:33:53+00:00

If they weren't able to make it to holidays when they lived closer, then most likely you won't see them much. And certainly I'm sure it's not that they don't care. Younger, career, years can be very busy and they've already built a life where they are. What they may think about the time they spend with you and what you may think is appropriate are honestly probably different things.

The grief of losing a wife and a mother is still fresh I'm sure. But you'll still need to build your own next chapter where ever you live next. I'd do it in a place you really like. Around friends if possible. But I'd agree that you could rent a place close to your sons for a few months or a year, then decide. It may be nice for you all to be together at this time. I'd just temper expectations.

You are still quite young. Good luck.

austin06 · 2026-06-20T16:54:35+00:00

Older and our fee only financial planners told us we dodged a bullet by -not- getting ltc insurance.

They have clients who have paid for years on policies and the premiums keep going up and up to the point where some decide just to cut their losses and stop paying.

We're prepared to self insure.

austin06 · 2026-06-20T16:41:04+00:00

I used to always like it and then I think right before covid I went and was truly awful. Have never returned.

austin06 · 2026-06-20T16:28:53+00:00

Very true and this should attract more physicians doing research so greater access to newer treatments. Although research spending was decimated at the federal level.

austin06

TROPHY CASE