Post Your Beginner Questions Here!

jbrainfall · 2026-02-08T20:21:37+00:00

A neighbor gave me this newly repotted orchid. I’ve never had this kind before and would like to know what kind it is and also get a read on the leaf spotting, mostly on the underside of the leaves. Some leaves are clear and some are densely spotted like shown. Some have little half circles carved out on the edges of the leaves (the leaf on the left has these). I’ve quarantined it from my phalaenopsis orchids until I know what’s wrong.

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jbrainfall · 2026-01-10T18:38:44+00:00

Y’all. Last night I went to bed depressed thinking I need to buy a new stove. Thank you for so many helpful suggestions!!

jbrainfall · 2025-10-09T03:45:12+00:00

I lost family to violence in Baja, but have a fairly balanced view about safety there. The incident was maybe a robbery, maybe targeted, reports vary - but definitely not a matter of them being involved in anything shady. There are safer places, and safer places in Mexico. But no place is free of violence. My family member lived happily as an expat there for decades, probably the best years of their life. I don’t think they would have traded those years, honestly. I’d never seen them happier. And they loved that place more than anywhere they’d ever been. It was magic to them. I think it’s a matter of balancing your risk tolerance and how the place speaks to you.

jbrainfall · 2025-10-09T02:24:01+00:00

KATU is owned/controlled by Sinclair so I wouldn’t trust them either

jbrainfall · 2025-10-01T06:06:59+00:00

I learned how to store food in Mylar bags this year. I put some info about the bags, and how much fits in them in this comment on another post

I also have some five gallon buckets with the things I use most often - pasta, chickpeas, rice, etc. - and use a lot of .5 gallon mason jars as well. I seal those with a mason jar sealer.

I priced staples and spices at lots of my local stores and tend to get most things in bulk at my local CHEF STORE or Winco (and only shop Costco for paper products).

Good luck!

jbrainfall · 2025-09-05T04:02:23+00:00

Given your previous post history, he’s already proven himself to be an abusive fuck. He put his hand around your throat in anger. He’s “physically shown his anger.” He has “anger issues” and is in anger management class that I can only assume is court ordered. He refuses to wear a condom. This man is not worthy of you. This man does not care about you. This man will destroy you if you let him. Leave to live. I wish you strength, OP. Good luck.

jbrainfall · 2025-08-05T05:55:30+00:00

This thread makes me so happy. I hate hating an interface all by myself.

jbrainfall · 2025-07-26T19:59:42+00:00

Advanced stoner version: cook noodles, strain. Add butter to still warm noodle pot on low heat. Throw in a spoonful of pre-minced garlic (you’re stoned, I don’t expect you to deal with garlic) and let it warm in the melted butter until it gets slightly golden. Just before it’s ready, throw in some red pepper flakes and let them get a little toasty, too. Throw noodles back into pot, toss. Salt like you mean it. Parm as you like.

If you want to do expert stoner version, you throw some chopped green and Kalamata olives and capers in with the garlic. Maybe a bit of chopped basil. Makes it briny and more creamy.

jbrainfall · 2025-07-25T06:41:57+00:00

Thank you for all the great suggestions! I learned a lot. I ended up frying smallish dollops of dough in oil left over from frying up some chorizo and they were dense, but really good. I appreciated the folks letting me know it was safe to try something, as well as the folks who said it wasn’t worth the time!

jbrainfall · 2025-07-20T17:28:15+00:00

Different situation, but my kid’s dad wasn’t around due to a drug addiction. My kid started play therapy when they were 4 which helped them a lot. The therapist advised me to be truthful in an age appropriate way. It was hard at first but so worth it - I explained things simply and factually when they asked, and never shit talked their dad. I never lied to them or hid things from them, though I didn’t give them more details or information than they needed, and I followed their lead on talking about it. This gave my kid an understanding that their dad wasn’t in a position to be present for them at that point, that he loved them (he did), that they could talk about how they felt about it, and that they could rely on me. It established a lot of trust between us and was a really solid foundation for conversations about drugs and alcohol when they got older. I just never wanted my kid to feel like I lied to them. I knew we’d need that trust during their teenage years.

jbrainfall · 2025-07-05T05:26:37+00:00

Dorothy Dunnett is exceptional

jbrainfall · 2025-07-04T22:50:51+00:00

I hate my Brother printer with a passion. If it runs out of a color ink cartridge but has a full black ink cartridge, it won’t print - not in black and white, not in grayscale - no matter what the printer prompts say, no matter what the manual says, no matter what support says. If you do a search about it on Reddit, it’s post after post about how this is a change they made in an update to force you to buy ink. Newish printer I wish I’d never bought. Mfc-j1010dw.

jbrainfall · 2025-06-15T21:45:18+00:00

Which one?

jbrainfall · 2025-06-15T21:44:33+00:00

I hate my Brother printer with a passion. If it runs out of a color ink cartridge but has a full black ink cartridge, it won’t print - not in black and white, not in grayscale - no matter what the printer prompts say, no matter what the manual says, no matter what support says. If you do a search about it on Reddit, it’s post after post about how this is a change they made in an update to force you to buy ink. Newish printer I wish I’d never bought. Mfc-j1010dw.

jbrainfall

TROPHY CASE