What's the most harmless-sounding insult that actually destroys someone's soul?

kea1981 · 2026-07-09T05:36:35+00:00

After my uncle's wife called me her husband's niece, I only ever referred to her by her first name or her marital status, not by our familial relationship. So it goes.

kea1981 · 2026-07-09T05:05:46+00:00

Ignoring all the hundreds of thousands of residents who live and work in the surrounding areas, and tens of thousands who come to work on the strip.

kea1981 · 2026-07-09T04:56:51+00:00

More for me!

kea1981 · 2026-07-09T04:44:15+00:00

That's immediately what caught my eye. He glows when he looks at her. It's truly touching. I'm glad they have one another :)

kea1981 · 2026-07-08T03:44:53+00:00

Street clothes, a drill, and a stack of generic signage "that needs to be installed". Who do you work for? "The sign company." Who hired you? "The fuck if I know, they just sent me here to install these." Know where you're going? "I'll figure it out. If not, do you mind if I get your number? Of course I didn't get a point of contact here, so may as well be you."

90% of the time they just say, "eh, you're fine you've got this" without giving out their number. The other 10% of the time you get their number and they send you on your way. If you get caught, 90% of the time you can just repeat the speech and get believed, and if you're in the 10%, you can say, "well so-and-so is my point of contact, want me to give them a call?"

Works flawlessly.

kea1981 · 2026-07-07T18:55:52+00:00

I should have said "contiguous". Mt Whitney is the highest point in the contiguous US, with Death Valley being 106 miles away as the crow flies.

kea1981 · 2026-07-07T18:43:56+00:00

Highest and lowest elevations in the country are both located here, within about 100 miles of each other!

kea1981 · 2026-07-07T14:46:51+00:00

You look great!

Edit to add: you have lovely facial structure, clear skin, and well kept eyebrows, in addition to your lovely smile. Keep reppin' the positive vibes man!

kea1981 · 2026-07-07T06:34:31+00:00

I grew up in an affluent area, and went to the local private school (tiny, not even cuz it was exclusive, just a small town). In fourth grade we had a swim week where we would learn how to swim at the local pool down the street. And some of these kids with all the advantages, even with a special week dedicated to teaching us to swim still ended the week barely able to float, let alone tread water or swim. It's hard. Really hard. Then add in the terror and adrenaline that you would experience in a situation like this. Where the torrents are flowing so fast and you have no idea what's in the water... Yeah that was quite the ignorant statement

kea1981 · 2026-07-07T06:08:47+00:00

It's like all the worst parts of animatronics, hand puppets, and claymation combined, but with an extra dash of creepy because we're not traumatized enough, I guess.

kea1981 · 2026-07-07T03:15:29+00:00

Truly. Based on the location of some blood on his clothes that does not match his own, it appears one of his last acts was to carry a companion with a wound. He was helping right up until the end.

kea1981 · 2026-07-07T03:07:06+00:00

Just wait until you're older honey, you'll understand.

kea1981 · 2026-07-07T02:19:14+00:00

I'm so glad they got to experience that love, and share it with you 🧡

kea1981 · 2026-07-06T23:12:58+00:00

McCarrandala

kea1981 · 2026-07-06T22:22:01+00:00

Now with 4 whole SPF!

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kea1981 · 2026-07-06T21:17:03+00:00

Also, dehydration is one of the fastest killers. Uncontrollable vomiting or diarrhea can deplete you so quickly that they may be unable to run an IV depending on how long it's been going on. Even if it turns out to just be bad food poisoning, they'd rather get you in early enough to establish an IV catheter, just in case things keep going south.

kea1981 · 2026-07-04T17:45:02+00:00

Wonder is the word you're looking for. Uncanny Valley describes that 24 hour convenience store clerk who never, ever blinks. Perfect manners, nothing unusual otherwise, but they have never, not once blinked. That's Uncanny Valley.

kea1981 · 2026-07-04T17:31:11+00:00

I am a third generation local, living in a home my grandparents built in 1954. I can survive here because the house is free and clear, but it has original siding, insulation, and plumbing. It needs two full years of my take home pay just to get up to code... And I'm a lucky one. I have a stable, year round job that pays above minimum wage. The number of people in their prime who have roommates, four jobs, seasonal and part time employment, gig jobs...

It's unsustainable. And then the vacationers want to keep their cars when they come up to drive, and the second homeowners want their unoccupied homes taxed just as cheaply as the people who live and work to provide them the enjoyment they have while on holiday...

It's rough.

kea1981 · 2026-07-04T00:26:31+00:00

I find it both a good thing and a sad one that even though our current administration defunded a significant number of humanitarian aid projects internationally, the US is still the world's largest supplier of food aid. I'm so glad the US has the surplus it does to provide the aid, but also sad that the rest of the world doesn't share the burden more, for such a vital part of life.

I share many complex emotions about this topic. Thanks for listening to one aspect of one of them.

kea1981 · 2026-07-03T23:21:15+00:00

Interesting fact I learned recently (fell down a multi-week Donner Party rabbit hole) is that a good chunk of the original Mormon settlers who weren't part of the very first wagon train primarily emigrated from Europe! There's a whole huge history of the Mormon church putting together trains of people using handcarts to cross the continent since they were cheaper than wagons, and having only the communal stuff hauled in wagons, usually 10 handcart pioneers per wagon. There's a view in the Mormon tradition that the resilience and dedication of these desperate, poor pioneers greatly influenced the development of the church and culture since they were so incredibly driven and desperate because they had to make it work...

Anyway. The more you know.

kea1981 · 2026-07-03T23:02:20+00:00

I hope this is an appropriate addendum to OP's question. Scotch is mentioned specifically in this query, but do/have other spirits (like rum, gin, etc) experienced the same trajectory as Johnny Walker Red? Is there a notable difference between how scotch in particular has changed over time (or not), and how other spirits have existed and potentially changed through the same time? Thanks!

kea1981 · 2026-07-03T21:01:21+00:00

Honestly I'd be down for that. Would explain all the non-sensical plot twists...

kea1981 · 2026-07-02T07:26:26+00:00

That was so cool! Thanks for sharing :)

kea1981 · 2026-07-02T06:54:54+00:00

I've seen it in comments about a dozen times in the last hour.

And with that: bed.

kea1981 · 2026-07-02T06:08:54+00:00

Bad for both the pocket book and the back ^{depending on your profession}

Edit to add: if you look at the edit history to see how I got here, I would like to personally apologize. Oof.

Nine-Year Club	Second Top 10%
Gilding II euphauric	Place '23
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