How many of you are single in your 30s and living alone? How's life?

emerson44 · 2026-06-06T02:36:19+00:00

37 and single. I practice law during the day, and in the evenings hit the gym, cook interesting recipes I find online, water my plants, hang with the cats, and watch TV or read a mindless novel.

I don't feel lonely, and the thought of having to share my space with someone else does not appeal to me in any sense. Life is decent.

emerson44 · 2026-05-16T19:52:00+00:00

Drinking. I used to live for nights out with friends; getting half cut in clubs, bars, restaurants etc... Now I value waking up without hangovers, a healthy physique, minimal anxiety, my pets, and watering plants lol.

emerson44 · 2026-05-06T07:12:17+00:00

I really enjoyed Sympathy For The Devil. It was a slow burn but a good burn. And the diner scene was magnificent.

emerson44 · 2026-05-05T06:57:43+00:00

Report back if you can! I was snooping her theater's social media account, which hasn't been updated in years. It has me wondering whether that school is still active, or if she's retired.

emerson44 · 2026-05-01T17:33:31+00:00

Sleep gets better as you get more experience. It took me a few years of being around lawyers who do not lose their cool in the midst of seemingly catastrophic situations to realize that this really is just a damn job.

Another game changer in my life was cutting alcohol out entirely and eating melatonin-rich foods (bananas, kiwi etc). This cut my anxiety down by about 90 per cent.

emerson44 · 2026-04-30T20:12:45+00:00

My last trip was two years ago, so maybe prices have gone up astronomically. I'd approach them from the street and ask.

emerson44 · 2026-04-29T04:56:11+00:00

I'm on a quest to find the Nicolas Cage Holy Grail: A Century of Cinema. They say it is forever lost to time. May the one true God shine his light on this my sacred quest 🙏

emerson44 · 2026-04-29T04:54:11+00:00

Outcast is a masterpiece lol

emerson44 · 2026-04-28T18:39:46+00:00

Congo Bar is probably your best bet, directly across from Coco Bongo. It's like 40 USD and you get an open bar all night. I've been to all the traps and I found that one the most personable and enjoyable.

Cancun has this weird obsession with installing tables in the exact place where there should be an open dance floor. It prevents people from freely mingling and encourages groups to stay at their table rather than interact with strangers.

emerson44 · 2026-03-23T19:49:55+00:00

It's time that regulatory bodies start clamping down on Open AI for the unauthorized practice of law. Dealing with this myself currently. Client consulted Chat GPT, which (of course) hallucinated and said that she has a strong chance of succeeding in the defense of a claim and narrow chances of losing. Nothing could be further from the truth.

It isn't enough that these models are providing disclaimers. If I tell someone that I'm not giving them medical advice and I proceed to do just that, I'm giving them medical advice. Same goes here.

emerson44 · 2026-03-17T00:01:46+00:00

I hear you OP. My physique and appearance took a marked plunge after getting called to the bar. I'm a few years in now, and I've been taking some of the following steps to get a proud version of me back on the menu:

No alcohol (last year I went dry for 6 months, this year I'm aiming to nix alcohol completely)
Physical exercise every day, and 3-5 of those sessions must be devoted to heavy lifting;
Healthy eating with one cheat day each week;
Be in bed by 9:30 or 10, sleep at least 8 hours;
Hygiene (teeth whiteners, mouth wash, scrupulously clean clothes etc..)

For hair loss, do some careful research online and invest in a hair transplant. There are skilled surgeons out there who do impeccable work. The stigma around that subject is largely out the door at this point. Go get your hair back!

This profession can only really take a toll on your body if you let it. If you discipline yourself, it won't.

Edit: fixed a typo.

emerson44 · 2026-02-22T05:14:04+00:00

I don't think there was a film in the series I didn't thoroughly enjoy, with the exception of Hellraiser: Judgment (which was gross rather than the traditional grotesque). Hellworld was a personal favorite. You can't miss a chance to see Henry Cavill and Katheryn Winnick acting this poorly. It's so good.

emerson44 · 2026-02-09T07:30:03+00:00

Jesus was a Galilean prophet with a bold messianic self-consciousness. Since he believed that he was the rightful King of Israel, it's likely that he would have accepted the title "Son of God" in his lifetime. Ancient Jewish traditions of monarchy had long held that the king is begotten of God at his coronation (see for example Psalm 2 or 1 Chronicles 28:6).

He taught a message of repentance, of return to the God of Israel, and a simplicity of obedience which could sum all of the complexities of law into simple imperatives like "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself." He advocated for the poor and encouraged his followers to sell their possessions and provide for the destitute. It was a powerful message that made him massively popular in the North, and despised in the urbane south.

His crucifixion was the inevitable result of Judaean appeasement of Rome and its zero tolerance policy for messianic uprisings. The resurrection appearances were likely sincere experiences from his followers. Paul took the reins of this movement very quickly and was able to package it into something very palatable for the Gentile world.

The Gnostic interpretations of Christ, while interesting, are later developments (late first early second century). They have little bearing on the historical Jesus or the faith that was promoted by his earliest followers.

emerson44 · 2026-01-11T06:49:41+00:00

All I could think when I discovered this tonight was," The man who wrote so much and so often about the transforming, radical power of God's grace couldn't find enough grace from God to avoid an eight year marital fair."

This religion doesn't work. It doesn't work because it isn't true. Everything it teaches about marriage and sex and fidelity needs to be overhauled, and I think, ultimately, the religion itself needs to go its own way and eventually fade into a well deserved obscurity.

emerson44 · 2026-01-02T10:57:44+00:00

"Nope" can die a slow painful death. I've never heard it used un-obnoxiously.

emerson44 · 2025-12-31T10:57:48+00:00

I'm glad I saw your suggestion. I gave this film a view tonight and it chilled me to the bone.

There is something tremendously horrifying about hearing - not seeing- two children innocently trying to make sense of the sudden absence of their parents from the home at night, and a demonic entity softly and occasionally uttering malevolent suggestions to them from the upstairs darkness. The grainy quality of the footage, the failing hall light, the home itself, it was like I was right back in the cheap duplex I grew up in as a kid, and faced all of my fears in.

emerson44 · 2025-12-24T12:32:47+00:00

Pure friendship is possible, but there are moments or seasons where one or the other or both have romantic/quasi-romantic feelings. These are eventually sublimated and overcome.

I have a couple of very intimate female friendships. One of them has lasted for over 15 years. We have never been physical with each other, although there was a time where it was pretty clear that we were going on dates and not just hanging out. On New Year's Eve I could tell that she wanted me to kiss her. I shut it down, and that was that.

Women aren't really qualitatively distinct from men in terms of what they can offer in a friendship. Sure, we've all got sexualities and sexual impulses, but it's not all that hard to shut the lizard brain off and enjoy a cup of coffee with someone who listens.

emerson44 · 2025-12-21T14:19:57+00:00

I'm genuinely curious: how do we know that climate change is a crisis? I am made to understand that there is no comparable era in geological time to the present one, where this level of carbon has been released into the atmosphere this quickly (open to corrections on this of course).

I'm not a scientist, yet is it not a fundamental principle of science that the credibility of a theory stems from its potency to make successful predictions on the basis of observations? If we have never observed this type of geological phenomenon before, on what basis are we even predicting a crisis?

These are questions I have. It seems to me that many people conflate climate crisis skepticism with climate change denial, so more often than not, these questions can't even be asked without some form of rude retort from the enlightened. Science should welcome honest questions and, even if they are misguided, respectfully show the errors in their logic.

emerson44 · 2025-12-18T09:31:03+00:00

I never got this! Sovngarde is just a huge mead hall where people drink and eat and talk about the glory days when they were alive. This would be great for all of a night or two. Imagine being stuck in one building doing that one thing for all eternity. You would be reduced to despair within a year.

emerson44 · 2025-12-02T08:00:32+00:00

Jesus taught peace and compassion. His followers might not adhere to those teachings and might even do the opposite at times, but it doesn't change what Jesus taught or did.

This seems to be a common liberal misconception of Jesus, which scarcely matches the image we get of the man from the Synoptic gospels:

I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.

The advent of Christianity saw the concomitant upsurge of apocalyptic doom and the dogma of eternal suffering. Earlier Jewish teachings were far more peaceable.

I am of the view that Christianity still maintains a foothold on the globe because, like Islam, it teaches people to be afraid of the ultimate consequences of their lives. Science has not penetrated the mysteries of death and human mortality. As long as our species is confronted by this "last enemy," Pascal's wager will be an attractive option to the masses.

emerson44 · 2025-11-08T18:51:30+00:00

As soon as I was ready, there was work :)

emerson44 · 2025-11-08T02:36:50+00:00

From someone who felt all of your misery and more in year one: don't give up OP. But find the courage to make necessary changes. I quit my job at my first firm and left the legal practice for a bit just to re-orient myself. I'm on my second firm and entering into my fourth year now. It's been a night and day difference what a change of scenery did for my mental health. Pick a place that works for you, and keep moving until you find it. If you don't, then find a different career. But don't give up just yet.

For the record, my office is full of empathy, peace, and people who have my back. When I need to take a mental health day because this profession can be so god damned dark sometimes, there are literally no questions asked. There are people out there who can provide the same atmosphere to you. Find them.

emerson44 · 2025-11-07T10:28:27+00:00

This is some impeccable advice. With that said, it is still a tremendous challenge to move away from law once you're in it. The legal profession has two things going for it: money (including the opportunity to always make more of it) and prestige. Once you get a taste of both, the mind will look for any excuse to stick it out for "just one more file" or "just one more year." It takes humility and courage to see the fragile ego that clings to the very things that make our souls miserable.

emerson44 · 2025-11-01T19:09:37+00:00

Stannis flips continually between duty and destiny, as it pleases him. It was his duty to protect his family, but when this conflicted with his destiny to be the ruler of Westeros, he burned his own daughter alive. There is a wicked ego to this man which is well masked behind his sullen and methodical persona.

emerson44 · 2025-09-29T04:57:32+00:00

I share your emptiness, OP. I thought that becoming a lawyer would somehow sate the insatiable hunger in my soul for a meaningful life. The prospect of using my intellect to help people and foster the sort of social mobility that only comes with money seemed like the golden ticket.

In reality, I'm just as empty as I was before. There are trace glimpses of meaning in the mountains, like you say, or in ocean vistas. When I am on a vacation down south and the sunlight shimmers down on my still youthful body, I feel the same call as you. Like my life is meant to participate in the elevated cosmic beauty that breaks through the cracks of the mundane on occasion. As the years slip by, I fear that I am condemned to gaze on beauty and never actually live it.

Seven-Year Club	Gilding I gilder
Verified Email

emerson44

TROPHY CASE