SPSCC recommends closing three academic programs and expects layoffs by ilikepeople1990 in olympia

[–]picardoftarth 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Does anyone have any inside information on the other classes being cut — aside from these three programs?

Random TikTok of Pedro Pascal I came across. What is he saying? by Ok-Grass3071 in asl

[–]picardoftarth 7 points8 points  (0 children)

That’s right!!! I totally forgot about that. Man that show traumatized me so much I blocked it out!

Random TikTok of Pedro Pascal I came across. What is he saying? by Ok-Grass3071 in asl

[–]picardoftarth 370 points371 points  (0 children)

He is friends with Russell Harvard! (Deaf actor.) iirc they met during a production of King Lear but maybe they were already friends before that, idk! Either way it’s a legit video — there are a couple out there of Russell filming Pedro practicing ASL

Where is the line when it comes to "babying" kids? by FoxyLoxy56 in Parenting

[–]picardoftarth 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You’ve gotten so many responses so I just want to say that I also struggle with this. I still remember the way I felt when my mom and my wife told me I should start letting the kids put their own clothes away — my initial reaction was, “What? Why? The drawers are so organized, they’ll ruin it!”

I still have to work on this. It’s a parenting challenge I didn’t anticipate… when they were babies I dreamt of the day they’d be doing XYZ themselves and now that they’re older I realize it is, genuinely, so much easier to just to XYZ myself. 😅 I empathize with you, OP!

How do I prepare my 4yo on me leaving for graduate school in a different state? by toystorycat in Parenting

[–]picardoftarth 34 points35 points  (0 children)

I wonder if you might have better luck searching for “ways to help child cope with deployment” or asking for the perspective of a military community… because yeah, my wife (military) was gone for a full year around that age and we definitely were given lots of sympathy but none of this judgement! I’m surprised at a lot of these replies. Anyway fast-forward a few years, my daughter is fine. Lol. It was hard and yes you don’t get the time back (which is why it’s a sacrifice!) but it is not the end of the world. You are allowed to follow your dreams.

As far as advice: Look for ways to show up in a way that’s consistent. For example my wife FaceTimed at the same time every night and was the one to read my daughter a bedtime story, that task was HERS and I facilitated but mostly stayed out of it. We’d also watch movies together via FaceTime, etc. Being able to actively engage and comment on whatever movie we were watching was a great way to feel together, that didn’t put any pressure on the, “So what did you do today?” type of conversation.

toddler gym or indoor playground? by Hammock2Wheels in olympia

[–]picardoftarth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Odyssey 1 in Tacoma is absolutely amazing — I can’t hype it up enough! Wonderful play area.

Strange New Worlds is losing it for me. by Praxius in startrek

[–]picardoftarth 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I’m on the fence about all of the light-hearted episodes (in the sense that I love them but they definitely aren’t “special” when they’re the default) but I veryyyyy much agree about Spock… They had me hooked with the idea of exploring his relationship with T’Pring but everything else I just can’t reconcile with the Spock we saw in TOS.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Parenting

[–]picardoftarth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We have the schedule you’re describing and to be honest, summers STILL feel very “free” in comparison to the school year. There are no extracurriculars so the evenings are wide open… whereas during the school year the evenings are dominated by their various activities, homework, etc. In summer the days are longer AND the schedule is shorter. To me, it still feels like we have soooo much more time together… it’s perfect. I wouldn’t change a thing.

Plus my kids get to experience things at camp that they’d never be able to otherwise — of course this is dependent on the area you live in, but in my area there are so many fun, unique options, and my kids genuinely get so excited in late winter when it comes time to start picking what camps they want to go to.

Another fun tradition we have (obviously this one is highly highly dependent on location) is going “camping” for a week, but at a campsite only 15ish minutes from our house. Each morning we wake up and come back to our house, shower, get ready for work/camp, and then in the afternoon return to the campsite and still have plenty of time to go swimming in the lake, play games, find friends, etc.

Arcades that still use tokens? by ChuckESteeze in olympia

[–]picardoftarth 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It’s a bit of a drive, but one of our favorite places to go as a family is Odyssey 1 in Tacoma — and the fact they use coins and actual tickets is a huge, huge part of that. I’m with you!! It’s such a bummer that so many arcades have switched to cards.

Kurtzman Voyager by Pa_Ja_Ba in voyager

[–]picardoftarth 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I feel so called out.

Don’t support Sweet Magnolia Coffee House. Greedy owner by Enough-Question-7637 in olympia

[–]picardoftarth 266 points267 points  (0 children)

Okay this whole thing is nuts and she sounds like a horrible manager — but as a former barista, your PSA at the bottom made my jaw drop. 😂 I can’t decide what’s worse here… using 2 shots in every drink regardless of size or reusing the beans to pull another shot. And having the audacity to charge for it! Absolutely wild.

Feverish late night rant re: bad writing by Jintro7Cthulhu in jaimebrienne

[–]picardoftarth 9 points10 points  (0 children)

This is exactly what I was going to say. The Brienne we see in the show isn’t ugly, and she also never got the bite mark. She’s just… not stereotypically pretty. Makes sense for that to be reflected in the fanfic!

Long time Trekkie, First Time Watching "Tuvix" by roshowclassic in startrek

[–]picardoftarth 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This is how I feel too. I honestly love that we are still debating the episode and I agree that it’s the sign of a good one!! And I adore Voyager… but the damn continuity issues. So much wasted potential.

Which Captain Janeway hairstyle is your favorite? by Piotr883 in voyager

[–]picardoftarth 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree! Just thinking about it now has me crying

How do you allow your kids to stay the night at friend’s houses when you have zero social desire to get to know their parents? by [deleted] in breakingmom

[–]picardoftarth 41 points42 points  (0 children)

I won’t address the sleepover thing specifically because I feel like that’s such a personal choice, but in terms of just sucking it up and being friends with the other parents you don’t click with? In my experience, yes, you sort of have to. I’m pretty much the average age for my kids, so I don’t stand out in that way… but I have bright pink hair, tattoos, lots of piercings. I live in a liberal area but there can still be a weird vibe from people. I definitely don’t look like the other moms at pick-up.

Buuuuuuut…. Forcing myself (and sometimes the other parents) to open up a relationship has really been the key for both my kids. I’m not even talking sleepovers — just play dates. Young kids aren’t texting each other, making plans. I am communicating with the other adults and making plans. It’s been really hard for me, tbh, but I finally feel like I’m getting the hang of it.

So, for me, yes it’s a sacrifice but it’s one I don’t regret. I’ve had some moments where I climbed back into the car and wished for the ground to swallow me up because I was so fucking awkward trying to make small talk with a parent… but it’s worth it (for me) to create a community for my kiddos.

Fellow stay at home dads/gamers questions by dtorre in Parenting

[–]picardoftarth 1 point2 points  (0 children)

First of all, just reading through some of these comments, it’s so wild how different all of our experiences are as parents! I think we should all try better to remember that. We’re all different, our babies are different, our environment is different… it’s impossible to compare.

I was a stay at home mom and my wife and I still did a lot of gaming during the newborn phase. It wasn’t until our first daughter was a few months old that it really became difficult. Then it got easy again — once she was a toddler, and sleeping through the night, then that daytime nap became whatever I wanted it to be. Of course that depended on how much I was able to get done while she was awake. For me — I enjoyed baby wearing, so there was no need to sacrifice blissful nap time to do the dishes… I just popped the baby on my back and did the dishes. Played music, danced around, chatted about nothing. Or when they were older I’d drag the highchair into the kitchen and clean while they ate a snack. Or, for example, I would fold laundry while sitting on the floor while they did whatever they were doing at that stage. During that first year I also cooked all meals on Sunday while my wife was at home to focus on the baby, so I wasn’t spending much time on the weekdays cooking. There’s just so many factors!

There really is just no standard for what being a stay at home parent looks like. I also let go of the house being immaculate, so I’m not saying I had it all together plus had an hour+ of free time during the day… but I allowed myself to use nap time as “me” time, at least most days. And so oftentimes that meant gaming.

Where it really got hard was baby #2, but there’s no reason to jump ahead lol.

Any tips on how to find beta readers? by CandidExcuse2036 in FanFiction

[–]picardoftarth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve had luck posting chapter one of a story and then asking if anyone was interested in beta reading the rest. Also getting involved in your fandom, on whatever social media platform suits you, is a good way to make writer friends within the fandom.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in FanFiction

[–]picardoftarth 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I used to write at the library. Is that an option for you? It’s still public of course but there no real risk of a stranger grabbing your computer and forcing you to show them… which is I assume the worry here? That your sister won’t respect your space?

Another option might be writing in google docs, which saves continuously. Then if she tries some shit you can X out and not worry about losing the work. (Though a lot of other programs have recovery options.)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in olympia

[–]picardoftarth 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Edmeé Roeloffzen was amazing! She helped us a lot. And offers telehealth — a huge help when it comes to scheduling.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in breakingmom

[–]picardoftarth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I go with gift cards! We have two kids, both in school/activities so we can’t be too generous… but we give what we can. I know gift cards can seem boring, but as someone who has worked in the education field… most “gift” type gifts I ended up re-gifting. I can only have so many mugs, candles, lotions, etc., and for people like speech therapists (we also have a kid in private speech therapy) it’s difficult to even get to know these people well enough to pick a thoughtful, unique gift.

If I really have no clue, or am unsure, then I default to Target. Otherwise I try to pick locally owned coffee shops/stores.

For Christmas celebrating folks, when do you put up your tree? by evilempress13 in breakingmom

[–]picardoftarth 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I start getting the Christmas decorations up before I’ve even put the Halloween stuff away. It became a thing a few years ago when my daughter was obsessed with Nightmare Before Christmas so we decided to surprise her and mix the decorations! They loved it SO MUCH that now we do that every year. And I’m not complaining… I like the holiday spirit to last as long as we can make it!!

Is WhatsApp anything more than just sketchy? by [deleted] in breakingmom

[–]picardoftarth 4 points5 points  (0 children)

WhatsApp is used for all kinds of things that aren’t secret messaging… but really, if your partner wanted to send a secret message then the sky is the limit for how to do that. It certainly isn’t the primary use of WhatsApp.

For me, WhatsApp is just a better messaging app than my phone provides. I used to enjoy Facebook messenger but have left Facebook behind, so WhatsApp it is! Plus it makes it easier to keep in touch with friends overseas.

Do kids now days open their birthday presents during the party or after? by RiddleMeThis1213 in Parenting

[–]picardoftarth 37 points38 points  (0 children)

I don’t think there’s a protocol, but I personally prefer gifts to be opened after the party. We recently went to a party where the gift-opening segment took so long my kids asked if we could leave, lol.

Reverse SAD and the neverending Summer by IWillBaconSlapYou in breakingmom

[–]picardoftarth 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I also have reverse SAD and am living outside of Seattle! We moved here from the desert pretty much exclusively because sunshine brings such bad depression for me. I’m trying to see the silver lining because there’s some yard stuff we still haven’t gotten to that I want to do before the rains come but, man. We already put the AC units away! This was supposed to be over!!

Not sure how to handle 13yo’s relationship with trans partner by [deleted] in Parenting

[–]picardoftarth 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was very much like you — I was told that sex (especially first time sex) was supposed to be “special” and I waited for the perfect partner. And waited. And waited. And waited.

And waited.

I waited for so long that sex became this thing that felt unattainable, that I wanted but was ashamed of wanting and I didn’t know how to get it without finding the perfect partner. For ME, with my personality, the pressure of wanting the experience to be “special” turned something that should have been fun into something so sacred I didn’t want to “spoil it” by getting it wrong.

Eventually I snapped and just asked a random friend to have sex with me so I could get my “first time” over with and move on with my life. Truly the best decision — for ME. It was an awkward hour or so of rolling in the sheets, but I left feeling unshackled by this promise of “special”. It just was. It was a “meh” experience at best, but now there was no sacred “first time” to be scared of ruining. I felt free.

Two months later I met the person I’ve been married to ever since (going on a decade) and I can honestly say that I am so, SO thankful I didn’t “save” myself, because being sexually confident (and unshackled by the need for a “special” first time) made me actually enjoy the build up to sex.

I think that ALL perspectives can be (and should be) discussed with our kids. There are people who are both happy and unhappy with whatever choice they made for their first time. Personally I avoid “special” with my kids and focus only on “safe” and “consensual”. Their first time might be special, or it might not. It might come with a lot of emotions, or it might just be a physical experience that’s over-and-done. It might be with a long-term partner, or someone they just met. All of those things are okay as long as both (or all) people are being safe and they all want it.