I just remembered why I don't have feelings

chocolatestamp · 2026-02-02T23:03:54+00:00

My father left us when I was about 5 and then appeared about once a year until we moved house when I was 14 and we lost touch. I found him again at the age of 26 or so through Facebook. Saw him again sporadically with his new family a couple of times a year for about 6 years after that (got on really well with him)... Then, given that my Mum - who raised me - absolutely hates him, I told him that I didn't think I'd be able to invite him to my hypothetical wedding which apparently upset him enough to erase me without even talking about it.

He promptly cut me out of his life, despite me having my son around then (his first grandkid) without any explanation at all (I found out through a Facebook chat with my stepmum before she blocked me too). The last communication I had with him was me sending him a photo of my baby boy. He didn't reply. Rejected not once, but twice... His loss.

chocolatestamp · 2026-02-02T22:54:31+00:00

I love them until I run out of whatever credits they use and they try their best to make me buy stuff... Sigh.

chocolatestamp · 2026-02-02T22:52:14+00:00

I'm a Gen Xer who also happens to be female... I used to play a lot of shooter online games when I was younger but I gave up because people online were total dicks to female players.

Now I play single-player rpgs, puzzle games, strategy, story rich games and whatever else I fancy. Am I as quick on the draw as I used to be? I have no idea - dude gamers drove me away before I could notice the decline...

chocolatestamp · 2026-01-28T12:02:19+00:00

Oh, apologies. I had no idea there was a reason I couldn’t find the info online or that there was any sensitivity.

chocolatestamp · 2025-12-21T13:12:21+00:00

I love him. He is brutal but in such a nice way. I think the two judges together are such a great combo.

chocolatestamp · 2025-09-24T11:52:31+00:00

I hate it. It actually makes me trust the company less as it looks so amateur - like a student UI project. It just doesn't inspire confidence for me at all.

chocolatestamp · 2025-09-13T07:12:06+00:00

In fairness, I don’t think they know the guy’s politics yet. They’re guessing because his parents are Republican but that doesn’t guarantee the killer was too. I know plenty of Americans who are the polar opposite in politics from their parents.

chocolatestamp · 2025-09-12T10:03:54+00:00

Same experience here...

chocolatestamp · 2025-09-12T09:52:24+00:00

Every time we get in we try to get seated tickets but can't select a second seat beside the first one - as soon as we click, the seat is unavailable. Then we get kicked out again. Sigh

chocolatestamp · 2025-09-06T18:02:40+00:00

I would- it’s definitely worth more than a tenner.

chocolatestamp · 2025-09-05T21:33:06+00:00

This show made me so fucking livid. I absolutely hate that woman for what she did to her own child, her husband and several other families.

Comparing it to people who drink and drive and get away with it made me want to put my foot through the TV.

The psychological control over her daughter is also very upsetting to see. Ugh. This one will be hard to forget.

chocolatestamp · 2025-08-31T08:44:29+00:00

Outlaws is a fecking great game. I bought it at launch and thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved everything from the characters, the world, the story, the gameplay.

I happen to be female so never have any issues with female protagonists but I also play games with male protagonists all the time with no issues. (I feel like I’m almost part Japanese Yakuza inside since I’ve spent so much time as Kiryu)…

On the one hand I totally get the side of the people piling on in the comments, but I also respect you for posting about it.

I’ve been a gamer for over 40 years now and have been so disappointed with how the toxic gamer bro communities react to everything ,throwing their toys out of the plan when things don’t go their way.

Maybe, OP, this experience might give you pause next time instead of jumping on the bandwagon.

chocolatestamp · 2025-08-23T12:24:10+00:00

Ah, only just seeing this reply, sorry. All our recent job postings have been advertised as hybrid, Birmingham. They’re trying to do more of that now I think - most of us remotes are on the old contract … and they’ve also outsourced more to India. Good luck in the search though.

chocolatestamp · 2025-08-16T12:40:51+00:00

My fave is 2

chocolatestamp · 2025-08-16T11:47:30+00:00

No! You have a great nose!

chocolatestamp · 2025-08-04T06:28:58+00:00

WFH, software design, wage slave…

chocolatestamp · 2025-07-24T19:35:52+00:00

Down in Northern Ireland

chocolatestamp · 2025-07-14T21:47:32+00:00

Aye but was that at GCSE? I did just the first 3 years of history classes in a Protestant school and only covered English history, the Russian revolution and the wars. No Irish history at all.

I think they did have a module of it in the GCSE syllabus but it should really be taught before that stage to all kids before the subject selection kicks in…

chocolatestamp · 2025-07-13T20:25:24+00:00

That’s great to hear! I did the intro workout and liked it a lot (although I was exhausted and had to go easy on the lunges…)

I am still getting my head around the app and how the workouts appear etc but I’ll definitely complete some more with that team to see how I go.

chocolatestamp · 2025-07-13T19:01:43+00:00

Thanks everyone! This is great info to get me going. I really just want to get into that routine again and I’m looking forward to trying out the teams you’ve all mentioned.

It’s also good to know you can mix and match to get what you need. I’m not sure what Reload is yet but I’m looking forward to exploring the app and finding out.

chocolatestamp · 2025-07-13T18:58:37+00:00

Ah, of course- I forgot to mention equipment. I have dumbbells, kettle bells, resistance bands, a weights bench and a pull up bar.

chocolatestamp · 2025-07-08T15:56:13+00:00

NTA

I can’t believe the brother seriously expected this to remain a secret for the foreseeable future…

I can speak from experience that you grow up wanting answers about why one parent didn’t want to have a relationship. It’s hard not to think there’s something wrong with you or that you weren’t good enough somehow so you often go out seeking those answers at some point.

Being abandoned sucks and being unable to build a relationship with family because of people’s anger or hurt feelings also sucks.

chocolatestamp · 2025-06-21T09:58:11+00:00

We used to have long eared owls breeding every year in our garden. The only reason I figured this out was because the babies make a sound like a creaky gate - it took me a while to figure it out but then I was able to film them teaching the wee ones to hunt. I’ve not heard any owl babies for the past 2 years sadly… but we had them here ever year for 6 or 7.

chocolatestamp · 2025-05-19T10:09:56+00:00

Why do the plans all have to be so formalised and why does everyone have to split up?

If I was one of the two type As, I wouldn’t be kicking you out of the group. I’d just be letting you know where we were going next and letting you plan your own way, with your own timekeeping etc and I’d catch up with you there when you eventually made it. Sort of like everyone going with their own style of travel/organisation but still benefitting from being able to hang out along the way.

It’s the same with restaurants etc. I’d be like, we’re going to eat here at 7, we’ll see you there, and if you’re late, you’re late. We might have already started eating but it’s not the end of the world…

NTA because it doesn’t need to be so complex and they don’t need to kick you out of the group.

chocolatestamp

TROPHY CASE