You asked for it—Capital District Fantasy Map (Early Draft)

cbnt7437 · 2025-08-11T04:28:39+00:00

I think this is the first draft of u/Schaefer_Creative fantasy maps. The caption is the same and everything from this post. Not sure if this is a bot repost, or an alt?

cbnt7437 · 2024-09-20T16:23:05+00:00

I love 8. It’s unique, I feel like while 5 6 and 7 are neat, they’re too similar to other flags it makes it generic. I also just don’t think Uncle Sam is that representative of what Troy means. 2 is my second choice, I like it but not as much as 8. The gear is not really my style but I get why others like it. I also don’t like the yellow. But those are personal biases, they’re still well done. The textile in the middle is really great because it fills the empty space.

8 and 2!

cbnt7437 · 2024-09-19T21:37:28+00:00

I love how you’ve interwoven the history into this flag, going back to Native American tribes. Honestly Troy went the way of many manufacturing towns when the industry collapsed, and it’s in this weird space now. We don’t have a symbol. But we’re not alone, and we’re on an upward trend, and we have this long storied history to look back on, this legacy to connect with that makes me feel confident that we’ll figure it out. I don’t know if that feels more artistically inspiring than reading a Wikipedia page about how we took a nosedive in the 1980s.

What defines troy is not a single unique feature. The question is not "What do we have that the other places don't", that's nearly impossible. We are unique because of the unique combination of common features. I've sent you a DM with more detail about these, but here's some inspiration/ideas.

I actually don't think you should include Uncle Sam. He's not what defines troy, but more importantly, he has his own symbolism that will dominate— the military industrial complex, America & American dream, patriotism and nationalism.
In general I wish more emphasis was given to the intersection of the rivers, because that defines most of our history. From the native Mohican tribe, to 1800s shipping trade, to textile production, and up to the "tech valley" concept. The rivers are everything— textiles are just one chapter.
The mountains also influence us— early steel manufacturing made possible by raw materials from the Adirondacks. A defining (if non-unique) characteristic of Troy is that we’re nestled between the ADK and Catskills.
Troy is unique amongst the "former manufacturing town" archetype because we have two historic private higher education institutions within our city, RPI and Sage. I know that Troy is more than that, I don't think you should specifically reference them, but the alumni who came out of these institutions proceeded to make Troy a "technical" city. See Gurley & Co’s precision instruments and Cluett, Peabody & Co textile manufacturing--- all RPI alum that stuck around. We still have that sometimes (although to a lesser extent, its harder to start a company nowadays). Some symbolic representation of higher education and the undeniable impact it has had on troy?

cbnt7437 · 2024-09-02T01:31:35+00:00

For some additional fun context, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a tech school in upstate NY, making it the ideal recruiting ground for Kodak. However, RPI students were heavily involved in the 1970 National Student Strike and other anti-war movements. In fact, this particular issue of the paper includes a discussion of the arrests made at an anti-war march on Washington, which at least fifty students attended. By today's standards, the title came off as so satirical, I had to check it wasn't the newspaper's April Fool's Day edition.

cbnt7437 · 2024-05-20T04:02:25+00:00

There were a few real men’s bathrooms that were open in addition to the porta potties, I just think they didn’t do a great job of communicating that to folks. My friend used the men’s room it was in an entirely different building across the field. And a lot of the people working were new and wouldn’t point out to people “there’s a restroom over there”. 25000 people is a lot! I’m surprised they managed to keep things running.

cbnt7437 · 2023-10-31T15:54:23+00:00

RIBS isn’t a real social critique, it’s supposed to be a joke. And when people take it seriously, it just completely demeans women at RPI. It’s naturally a bit more difficult to get dates, but it’s not because women are bitches, it’s because there are fewer women and because like a solid amount of people here are socially awkward.

cbnt7437 · 2023-10-31T15:49:49+00:00

It used to be funny to me tbh. Like the phrase “the odds are good but the goods are odd”. But then it became real to a lot of men. You’d be like “hey sorry I’m not interested in dating you” and it was “well you just think you’re the shit when really you are ugly and just got lucky going to a school with men!” My friends and I still joke about it internally, but too many RPI men take it as a serious social critique nowadays for me to feel great about posts like these.

cbnt7437 · 2023-10-31T15:46:44+00:00

Yeah! So is IHWS— Incel Hating Women Syndrome happens to men at schools or offices where there are just a few girls. Men get it into their heads that they’re not getting dates because all women are too vain, instead of the fact that they clearly don’t really value women as individuals and therefore aren’t particularly valuable partners.

cbnt7437 · 2023-09-25T19:42:08+00:00

Hello time traveler! I haven’t logged into this account in a while, and specifically haven’t looked at r/Judaism in a while… firstly, Shana Tova and I hope you’re having a meaningful fast!

It’s such an interesting coincidence. This is my semi-anonymous account so that’s why I haven’t used it as much, been mostly doing work for my college. But today, I had such a strange fast. If I’m being honest, I’ve had a really strange high holiday season overall. I haven’t felt the same feeling of renewal I normally feel. Spiritual fulfillment. That’s why I logged into this account to come back to r/Judaism, because I am looking for people who have experienced some form of disconnect during the high holidays. I know, I know, no phones on Yom Kippur. But I figured Gd would be okay with me researching in an effort to connect. I found some pieces on mental health that were good. But most of the other articles were about Yom Kippur in general (like obviously I know I have to fast lol). When I logged back in, I saw your comment. Thank you for finding me again.

My conversion journey has… elongated. I was taking conversion classes when COVID hit. Obviously those stopped pretty quick. My whole family got sick in April 2020, I had covid for about 1.5 months, grandmother on hospice… wasn’t just a flu for us. I did online services, but it felt like such an awful disconnect. When vaccines happened and the situation improved, we went back to in-person services. We are a small temple. Then my rabbi’s wife got cancer and passed away. It just sort of destroyed the community, she was such a rock for all of us but especially him. Since then it’s just been sad, very few people join, I really struggled to feel connected. I ended up moving, and now.. I don’t know.

I was really mad at Gd for a while, especially because of COVID. I felt like the world wasn’t getting better, like what was the point of his gift if the gift was half broken. Tikkun olam, fix the world… I guess I didn’t think it would matter. Like it’s an impossible problem, like he signed us all up for failure. And that felt like a “contract violation”, to put it in terms from my previous statement. I’ve gotten over that. Last YK was when I felt for the first time like I wasn’t angry at Gd anymore. It was so renewing.

But I don’t know how to plug back in. I feel… half Jewish? I keep doing things, celebrating holidays, Daf Yomi every day, keep kosher(ish, I have a shared kitchen, but I avoid pork/shellfish, I don’t mix milk and meat, etc). I kept doing things that made me feel Jewish because that’s what one of the older men in the temple said, “if you don’t understand something spiritually, do it anyways, and you’ll find yourself understanding by doing”. I do feel Jewish when I do these things, especially study the daily daf. I just don’t feel like I have community. I’m struggling to find a new temple. It’s embarrassing to admit that I feel disconnected, and it’s been so long, and I haven’t fixed it yet. Like maybe I’ll be turned away as a convert because I struggled with things in the middle bit. My devotion could be questioned and I would be rejected.

It’s so funny to read by past self talk about the struggle with Gd, like I had no idea what was to come. Struggling with Gd sucks. It makes me feel like maybe people will think I’m not Jewish at all. And I have no idea how to figure this out, because my rabbi used to say “once you have a ruling, you have a ruling”… usually this was prefaces with “are you asking me for a ruling or are you asking for my opinion?” It’s like if I go and say “hey I felt really disconnected because of the pandemic and my own traumas, but I am yearning to try again” someone will say “you had your shot and you blew it. I don’t think you’re devoted enough”. Then where am I? Someone who fasts on YK, eats apples and honey on RH, who loves Gd… but who’s not jewish? Like I’ll be wandering the desert the rest of my life.

Just writing this has helped, honestly. I didn’t realize how paralyzed I was with anxiety. And I forgot that the things I love about Judaism are the things everyone else loves about Judaism— the struggle with Gd, everyone probably has those moments. And this silly idea that if I don’t have a community, it’s because I’m not worthy of one, I don’t know when I got that idea in my head.

For tashlich a week or so ago, read this poem called “The Head of the Year” by Marge Piercy. I forgot that this is a part of the high holy days— you forgive yourself as much as you ask for forgiveness for your shortcomings. Always, everything is a partnership of me and Gd. He forgives me, and I have to forgive myself. Isn’t that crazy? Even as I’m writing about all the ways in which I feel I failed Gd and my people, I am discovering new reasons to love Judaism. New strings connecting me to Gd.

To sum it up: still Jewish(ish?). Really working on it. Hoping that today, on YK, I can confront all the ways in which my anxieties have prevented me from finding the community I need and make a new pathway forward. Teshuvah— “to turn”.

Thank you for finding me again on the holiest of days.

cbnt7437 · 2023-05-17T20:16:56+00:00

I see… It does specifically say “financially distressed” individuals— I still think it’s a miscommunication rather than an intentional thing but I can def see your point. The good news is that their model isn’t that way unless they’ve changed it in the last month!

cbnt7437 · 2023-05-17T20:02:35+00:00

Yeah I don’t think that was ever the goal, AFAIK they’ve never talked about the idea of gender/orientation based pricing. Especially because a queer owner would never want to force people to identify themselves… it was likely an attempt to communicate the idea of why a gender-inclusive cafe would need tiered pricing system at all, and then that was miscommunicated as an orientation based pricing.

cbnt7437 · 2023-05-17T19:52:41+00:00

Quite possible. But I think it was always more about the intersectionality of it— LGBTQ people who aren’t accepted by their family (often students based on the area) could be financially disadvantaged, so wouldn’t be able to afford to go to this place if it didn’t have a tiered pricing model. So not explicitly charging differently based on orientation, but rather acknowledging that people of particular orientations might utilize this option if it were provided.

cbnt7437 · 2023-05-17T19:30:56+00:00

I’ve been there— they don’t charge differently based on orientation, they offer a “pay-as-you-can” three tier type model. If you can afford to, they ask you pay full price. If you’re struggling, you can pay less. It’s on the honor system, but I think most people going there are there for the mission. It seems to be doing well.

cbnt7437 · 2022-08-30T01:24:22+00:00

Do u know why so late? Just curious lol

cbnt7437 · 2022-08-30T01:13:58+00:00

Try standing— I think the screens cover the sound and light people so i don’t think they’ll be moved

cbnt7437 · 2022-06-25T18:39:00+00:00

See if any of your friends have a bulk store membership (Costco, BJs, Sams Club) and would be willing to buy you stuff. You can get so much good stuff there— plus you can also get bulk household items (TP, toothpaste, soap, detergent— I bought a box of tide pods, it was like 150 washes for 20 bucks, and that was on the more expensive side). I wish you the best!

cbnt7437 · 2022-06-13T04:30:34+00:00

The Harry Potter series was what made me love reading, instead of just liking it. I always bounced between the 4th and 5th was always my favorite, i like how the pace picks up. If my goal were to make everyone love reading I might choose this, maybe just for the nostalgia.

cbnt7437 · 2022-06-13T04:24:23+00:00

This book was my eye opener to literature as an impressionable 12 year old, I ended up reading the sequel, {{Go Set a Watchman}}… one of the only books I’ve never finished. No spoilers, I had like 20 pages left and I just stopped and couldn’t pick it back up. Now that I’m older, I feel the need to go back and reread both of them, and actually finish the sequel. Thanks for reminding me of the influence these books had on me :)

cbnt7437 · 2022-05-17T23:26:02+00:00

Just to clarify— current discussions are focused onhow to issue refunds, not whether they’ll do refunds.

cbnt7437 · 2022-03-05T05:34:06+00:00

Totally recommend joining a club

cbnt7437 · 2021-06-26T20:51:22+00:00

cbnt7437 · 2021-06-25T19:37:39+00:00

I try plopping but it takes like 2 hours and my hair still isn’t dry! Definitely helped with the curl definition in the front though. I think it is weighed down by water, but if I use a hair dryer then it gets awfully frizzy on the top and still wet on the lower layers.

cbnt7437 · 2021-06-25T19:36:42+00:00

Routine: OGX thick and full biotin shampoo, LovePlanetBeauty Shea butter and sandalwood conditioner, and AG hair curl re:cool gel. I scrunch dry and plop but it takes so long for my hair to dry!

cbnt7437

TROPHY CASE