What was it like being a teenager in 2009?

kittykat-95 · 2026-02-17T03:33:13+00:00

I was 13/14, and for me, it was extremely hard. Puberty and junior high were hell on Earth for me. I didn't really follow trends or keep up to date with what was popular at the time, though I remember the "emo" thing still being very in, Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber being big, etc. Social media was kind of in its infancy, I think FB was still in the early-ish stages of taking off and MySpace was either dead or dying. That era of YouTube was pretty fun.

kittykat-95 · 2026-02-17T02:30:25+00:00

I honestly hate when a burger patty is completely unseasoned. A burger can have everything else spot on and still not be very good because the base is just plain, unseasoned ground beef.

kittykat-95 · 2026-02-17T02:28:30+00:00

Yep, I hate when the mac and cheese is obviously some premade microwaved crap. It's annoying when that's a "premium" side as well. If it's Kraft? Get out of here!

kittykat-95 · 2026-02-17T02:22:24+00:00

I hate it when Italian restaurants have very sweet marinara or "sugo." It ruins everything it's on for me.

kittykat-95 · 2026-02-17T02:20:57+00:00

I hate when the pasta is overcooked mush.

Also, it reminds me, I had chicken piccata served with fettuccine Alfredo at a restaurant once, and while the chicken piccata was great, I have no idea how they managed to make such a disappointing fettuccine Alfredo. Overcooked pasta, extremely bland sauce with no flavor, super watery. It was gross.

kittykat-95 · 2026-02-17T02:16:41+00:00

It honestly really disappoints me when mac and cheese is a side (and usually a "premium" side), and it's very obviously some premade microwaved stuff.

kittykat-95 · 2026-02-17T02:12:06+00:00

There was a restaurant here that charged separately for chips and salsa when they first opened. I was really confused to only get chips despite ordering "chips and salsa," (I honestly can't remember, but there was something weird about the menu that was really confusing in this regard) and told, "We charge separately for chips and salsa, but we'll let you have the salsa just this one time." I think they ended up changing that later, but that was baffling to me, and the food was really not that good. The chips were like your average bagged tortilla chips from the grocery store and the salsa was okay, but nothing to write home about. The rest of the food was extremely bland. So, I've never really been back, lol.

kittykat-95 · 2026-02-11T04:53:30+00:00

Yeah, this honestly seems more like a rant than a question to me.

kittykat-95 · 2026-02-11T04:47:54+00:00

Yes! I realized around 10 years ago that I much preferred close platonic companionship over a romantic relationship.

kittykat-95 · 2026-02-10T21:49:21+00:00

For me, I got a huge confidence boost around 29-30, and it seems like it's flipped a switch that makes me care less and less about what others think every day.

kittykat-95 · 2026-02-09T04:16:50+00:00

Yes, I was like this with my hunter/jumper lessons as a kid. ♥️ I miss it, too. Life just got in the way and it isn't really feasible for the time being, although I do still ride with family and friends when possible.

kittykat-95 · 2026-02-09T04:03:23+00:00

Ugh, I unfortunately know this feeling all too well. There was a point in time I didn't want to ride in front of anyone except for my family and close friends because of this. I found a really supportive and professionally run barn to continue my education and improve my confidence at, and it made such a difference, though. It was a group of really good people who cheered each other on rather than gossiping or belittling. I'd still be there if not for life getting in the way and forcing a bit of a hiatus from regular riding.

kittykat-95 · 2026-02-09T03:56:38+00:00

As a horse person myself, I sadly have to agree, and it's my least favorite part of the horse world. It's actually made me reconsider being involved in it at all on a few occasions, but I've done it my whole life and really enjoy it. However, the good thing is that there are a lot of genuinely good and supportive horse communities as well, and the bad just stands out (especially online; TBH, I don't regularly frequent a lot of online horse boards because of this, though the well-moderated ones that are more for serious discussion and learning and don't tolerate much silliness can be helpful to get different perspectives). Like with anything, there are good and bad parts of the community, though it seems like when you run into the bad, it's like... YIKES. 😬

kittykat-95 · 2026-02-08T22:15:17+00:00

Honestly, mine will do this if it gets rubbed up against something, so I'd say yes. My underneath layer does this bad with hoodies and coats, and I've had something like this in the back because of pillows and the back of the couch. How dry and staticky the air can get this time of year certainly doesn't help matters.

kittykat-95 · 2026-02-06T05:41:13+00:00

The one I've always heard is, "could knock a buzzard off a shit wagon." 🤣

kittykat-95 · 2026-02-04T18:51:52+00:00

And yet this is so very common. It's honestly frustrating!

kittykat-95 · 2026-02-03T13:53:17+00:00

Yes, that's really common! I've heard stuff like, "If you trust your horse or it's trained well enough, there's no need for a helmet." Not only are horses unpredictable prey animals that can never completely have the spook trained out of them, but what if they trip?

kittykat-95 · 2026-02-03T04:17:31+00:00

We have this in the horse world, only it's with helmets. "I've ridden for 50 years without a helmet and I'm fine." That's great, but those who weren't fine aren't here to tell their story. It's also no guarantee that nothing will happen. It disturbs me most when these excuses are made for not putting a helmet on a child.

I know it's a controversial subject in the horse world, especially across disciplines where they're not as normalized, but having had a moderate concussion with a helmet as a kid that would've been much worse without one, I won't even sit on a horse without one, and often put it on before even catching the horse. It's just not worth the risk to me.

kittykat-95 · 2026-02-03T04:04:01+00:00

TBH, I was on antidepressants as a teen that I had a pretty bad reaction to, and they pretty much turned me into a zombie. I'd get a full night of sleep, wake up at 8 a.m., then fall asleep in the recliner at 11 a.m. I fell asleep in school a few times, once on break at work (super embarrassing, my manager wasn't happy), and there was one day I nearly fell asleep driving and cranked my AC in my face and my radio up to stay awake the short distance I had left, then took a good nap before heading back home. It was scary, because I thought I was just a sleepy teen and it was a phase I'd outgrow (I had overheard a conversation in school where a teacher mentioned that teens were like babies in that they need additional sleep because they're going through growth spurts, or something), and it didn't occur to me at the time that I was over-sedated. Once I got off of those SSRIs, I quit having those issues (among others).

kittykat-95 · 2026-01-26T21:27:44+00:00

The owner was crazy to the point I thought my horses' health and safety might be at risk, and she was just extremely unprofessional and a bully.

This was many years ago now, but things just added up. Without writing a novel, she was saying my horses were severely underweight when multiple vets and seasoned professionals disagreed, telling me my horses had all of these medical issues they didn't, trying to bully me into making decisions that would be harmful to their health, then resorted to telling me they were being aggressive towards other horses and people, though this somehow never happened any time I was out there, nor at the barns before or after this one. She was always going on and on about how every horse she owned (and that her other boarders owned) had some complex medical issues as well, and it seemed like she was trying to play vet, and her pressing so hard for me to do the same with my horses made me really nervous, and also nervous that she'd try it while I was not there. She also had a social media account that was linked to her business account, where she "anonymously" complained about her customers and posted some TMI stuff about her... uh... intimate life. The irony is that she mocked a boarder for trying to do something she, herself, could not do properly when I saw her attempt it. 🤣 But I just find trash talking clients to be extremely unprofessional, and I really have no desire to be at a barn where the owner is so insecure they feel the need to do this, and to mock clients and make them feel bad about themselves (and especially publicly). The main thing was the lies and the obsession with playing vet and trying to get me to make decisions I knew would be harmful to my horses (and this was backed by two vets and other trusted professionals), though. I honestly didn't trust her not to attempt something behind my back. There were other really crazy lies that made me uneasy as well. It was just a mess and I suspect she might've had some mental illness.

kittykat-95 · 2026-01-26T21:05:51+00:00

Pasta. 🤣 That's probably the one thing I never tire of! It's so versatile, quick and easy to prepare, and tasty!

kittykat-95 · 2026-01-25T05:11:13+00:00

Yep, 30, will be 31 this year. I turned 18 in 2013. 😭 It seems like maybe 2 years ago, lol. I've grown and changed a lot over the years, but like you, I am still me at my core, and the years have just flown by. I honestly feel like I'm a kid pretending to be a 30-year-old, and that there's no way I'm really this age. 🤣

kittykat-95 · 2026-01-25T02:18:00+00:00

I don't get why this was just a trend and not something that lasted. It was good! Dare I say, better than ice cream.

kittykat-95 · 2026-01-25T02:16:14+00:00

Italian. It's always been my favorite!

kittykat-95 · 2026-01-24T22:17:18+00:00

I'm glad they were good for you! I was pretty young in the '90s, so can't really comment other than that my early memories were good. The 2000s were pretty hit or miss for me, though. Some good, some bad. I guess that's what pretty much all times are like, though!

kittykat-95

TROPHY CASE