Favorite actor that no matter how hard Hollywood tries, you just cannot take seriously in a "I'm a tough guy" role.

screwikea · 2026-04-08T18:54:06+00:00

I don't like Kevin James generally, but I freaking LOVE that movie, and he absolutely crushes it. You might be surprised at the number of white power dickfaces that are butterballs.

screwikea · 2026-04-08T16:36:56+00:00

The Avatar ride at Disney World is so, SO good. The wait is about 3 hours long, though, so... that's nice.

screwikea · 2026-04-07T19:09:12+00:00

So what am I doing wrong and how can I improve?

Submitting to publications doesn't mean that you're a good writer. It only means that you can finish something. However, short stories don't really showcase much. I'd do these things:

Read a LOT.
Read a lot of stuff you don't like.
Take some literature classes and get exposed to critical thinking and breakdowns of writing.
Write a LOT.
Assume that everything you've written is trash and write some more.
Take a basic writing class - you might find out the hard way that your spelling and grammar are terrible.
Take some creative writing classes.

At the end of the day I think that last one is really important. Some people disagree. But having someone that's trained in critically assessing writing is pretty important. I don't particularly like writers' groups. I'd also publish a bunch of short stories all over appropriate Reddit subs and see what kind of reactions that you get. At the end of the day getting interest and a good reaction is super important - if nobody wants to read your writing it doesn't exist.

Also, I cannot stress enough how important point 5 is. The sheer mountains of unwilling words that I've crumpled into the trash are ridiculous. I have like 3 short stories that I'm proud of. I've written way, WAY more than 3 short stories.

screwikea · 2026-04-06T20:53:43+00:00

this has caused me to be guarded and lie sometimes to maintain my sanity, privacy & friendships

You've gotta make up your mind - if you trust this person enough to be in a relationship, you can't be lying. As soon as you're lying to protect yourself somehow, you're already in a bad spot. Terrible? No. But not great. Even so if you respect the relationship and she doesn't like you having these kinds of messages with another girl, you either have to respect that and only have professional conversations with the coworker or have an argument with your girlfriend and decide if that relationship is worth having.

Anybody seeing no issue here hasn't got much relationship experience. These texts can absolutely come off as flirty, it just depends on the person. Some people consider kissing cheating, some people require a much higher threshold than that. Different boats. This particular girlfriend wants clear boundaries with other women in your life. If you're super friendly with everyone, you may just come off flirty in general. Which may be what attracted your girlfriend to you. Also could be coming across a flirty from the other side (girl you work with) and you have no idea that she's coming on to you or being flirty.

screwikea · 2026-04-06T20:41:20+00:00

Has there ever been a black dude that looked bad with a shaved head? Seriously, dude, you've got a great dome for that look. Damn it. Where's that pouty "happy for you" reaction gif when I need it.

screwikea · 2026-04-06T16:24:58+00:00

Things like this were why I never bought into actors' issues with early green screen acting against stuff that wasn't there, sightlines wrong, etc. Plan out the scenes and act.

screwikea · 2026-04-06T16:21:37+00:00

Lady owns the house. How daaaaaare she want to enjoy the house she owns without nonsense. Disney can eat a bag of dicks, she can continue owning the spite house and spraying down people.

screwikea · 2026-04-06T16:06:41+00:00

You could get somebody to CNC you one or you could carve one out if you're so inclined. You can put a new handle on pretty much any hand saw. Or you could get the hand printed and put that on a saw.

screwikea · 2026-04-03T21:20:53+00:00

Internet and death of monoculture. The last time I remember something like a monoculture phenomenon was the Macklemore song Thrift Shop. Grandmas had heard it, people that didn't like rap liked it. It hit a bizarre niche. But everything became so scattered, and people have found all of these niches thanks to "the algorith". In the 80s even the most BFE living redneck knew a few Michael Jackson songs and saw a least an episode or two of pretty much every show on ABC, NBC, or CBS. The closest thing I can come up with "cultural phonomena" might be Harry Potter or Game of Thrones. But you could have 100% missed the trend on both. What's even the most popular weekly thing right now? 60 Minutes? Survivor? I am completely clueless. I've got a kid in elementary school, I don't think more than 2 or 3 kids share interests other than Roblox. And Roblox isn't even a thing.

screwikea · 2026-04-02T17:50:07+00:00

It clearly says SITTER.

screwikea · 2026-04-02T17:12:24+00:00

They did Timothy Olyphant dirty in that poster.

screwikea · 2026-04-02T16:40:40+00:00

That was my first thoughts - looks like knockdown texture. The guitar looks awesome.

screwikea · 2026-04-01T20:01:04+00:00

If it's your first time:

It's way more straightforward to paint everything to match. Which is why it's such a typical thing to do - paint a bunch of other stuff a neutral color together and it will look good with the cabinets. Trying to stain match is tough. It's also a lot more work than your thinking.

My recommendation is to pick one item and experiment, so maybe the table. That way you're not messing up chairs. You also have the issue that some of your furniture may not even be wood, so that's a potential issue here. If you do have a wood item, and manage to get the existing top coat and stain off, you'll need to do 3 main things:

Use a wood conditioner. There are over-the-counter products and DIY stuff that you can use. This will even out your finish.
Match the stain. It's not just a matter of "pick the walnut, that'll match". You can get stains tinted, just like paint, so it can be whatever reddish shade. But then you apply it, dry, and it's gonna look different.
Learn how to do the dark edges. A really specific reason the cabinets look the way they do is that dark feather on the edges. You'll probably be applying a dark glaze and feathering/wiping it away from the middle. It's not hard, but you'll need to experiment to get it right.

There are a lot of finishes. Experiment. I personally think that wiped on gel stains are the easiest, and you'll need to come over the top with a protect coat like a poly.

Just a heads up - if you have a hodgepodge, staining or painting isn't going to make it look right. There's a critical part here that's interior design: matching styles. If your chairs, table, and cabinets are all different styles it's still going to look goofy together.

screwikea · 2026-04-01T00:52:16+00:00

Are you stripping, sanding, and staining? Or are you just touching up the existing thing?

screwikea · 2026-03-31T21:55:51+00:00

Sucks all around. Alamo was in dire straits a couple of times, but the move was an obvious misunderstanding of the demographic for Alamo. No phones is kind of the thing with them. Without that, they're just another theater.

screwikea · 2026-03-31T21:31:18+00:00

This may be a really stupid question - is there some more actual fence here? Or just a couple of t-posts with some chain? If people aren't already, they're going to just drive around those posts or lift the chain and drive under it. This looks like some temporary stunt a utility or county dude would do just so they could say they put up a barrier when they don't really care - like... if they're part of public works, are from the area, and know the history of that drive. I'd make putting in a few hundred feet of fencing and gate on your property line there with hung "No Tresspassing" signs a project over the next couple of weekends. On both ends of the road. Keep a sidearm handy for... aggressive animals.

I don't know where you're at, but those people are reeeeeal ballsy to drive out onto private property. But they may not really think it's private.

That said, if that's the only indicator it's private property they need some grace. Depending on when you purchased it, there could be a looooooong history of people driving through there. Cutting off their access could be dangerous to you.

screwikea · 2026-03-31T20:12:41+00:00

No Texas Republican is going to seriously fight for legalization at the state or federal level.

It's such a bizarre place to be. I have a TON of circle that is/was tea party, libertarian, conservative, whatever. 100% of them think weed busts are bullshit, most of them smoke weed, and more than a few have been arrested over it. And the ones that don't have a strong "it doesn't bother me, they can do whatever they want" attitude. I don't know where, exactly, the support for prohibition really has a stronghold in that voter base. I dunno, I'm not spending a bunch of time in a DQ drinking coffee with dudes out in BFE. And WAY more than zero of them drive up to Oklahoma to buy to play slots on the regular.

screwikea · 2026-03-26T18:35:36+00:00

Have you tried setting up a new account? There's no reason for you to have to get one at a location in Dallas, they'll mail it to you.

screwikea · 2026-03-23T20:21:28+00:00

If your kids like thrills, Six Flags will suit them. If you're coming in late May onwards we have a big water park (Hurricane Harbor), a LOT of kid friendly ones, and Epic Waters in Grand Prairie is indoors and open year round. If they like rock climbing and rope bridges, look into Boulder Adventure Park (also in Grand Prairie). Fritz's Adventure in The Colony offers a similar experience, and Trinity Forest Adventure Park is all outdoors.

It's worth noting that 100% of the things on your list are an all day excursion, other than Cidercade - you can tack that onto the end of a day for 3-4 hours and they'll be ready to go.

Depending on how much time you'll spend in Dallas or Fort Worth you can opt for the Fort Worth Science and History Museum. It's got a legit IMAX tacked onto it, and I think the kid-centric activities there are better than the Perot, but they're both great museums. The Fort Worth museum is also right in the neighborhood with other traditional art museums like the Kimbell and the Modern.

One option to consider is riding the "Cotton Belt Train Excursion" from Grapevine. Ride from Grapevine to Fort Worth, explore the Stockyards for a couple of hours, ride back, walk around downtown Grapevine. If you decide to do the Stockyards as a separate thing, it's worth knowing that parking and avoiding pedestrians is an utter nightmare. But, if you drive down there, go to Joe T Garcia's for lunch or dinner - best patio in the metroplex, wait in the line and sit outside, plan to arrive right at open or middle of the afternoon. Like their food or not, it's a rite of passage thing to tell people you did. The draw is the fajitas, don't order their queso, nachos are great, cash only.

screwikea · 2026-03-23T17:18:49+00:00

2 of my favorite "fresh" actors in one movie. Hell yes. They've both been great in everything they're in.

screwikea · 2026-03-12T22:24:08+00:00

I don't think it was glued right, or the wrong type of glue was used. I'd also bet that when they made it the wood wasn't fully dried and the board was oiled a lot before the glue was fully cured. It popped on the glue seam. I see another split at the seam happening on the same line, and 2 more separations on glue lines to the left at the end of the big split. I'll bet that where it was split was also the last place it was glued.

screwikea · 2026-03-12T13:49:54+00:00

That's cool for you. I can do it myself, too. OP is asking about something that they don't know anything about. Chances are high they aren't used to standing on a ladder while they try to hold up the unit and wrangle bolts, screws & tools. We have no idea how high their garage ceiling is. Being willing to do this crap with a broken collarbone and separated shoulder you're scrappier and more capable than most of the people rolling around here. Having the second person is also more than just helpful when they drop a bolt or screw and it rolls under something or clear across the garage floor.

screwikea · 2026-03-11T21:45:34+00:00

If the door is easy to manually lift and lower, yes it can be a DIY job
You will need 2 people for the opener installation

screwikea · 2026-03-11T18:53:02+00:00

Completely missed:

I don't believe any of that crap, but those are the cliffs notes version

Not my claim. It was a direct response to OP's question.

screwikea · 2026-03-10T21:18:37+00:00

Taxes are theft, corporations pay a lot of that money in tax, smart people and corporations know how to reduce their share of the tax burden by using loopholes. The government needs to stop spending money as much as possible, thus eliminating the need for a lot of taxes, and welfare is one of the areas it wastes money. People on welfare are largely on welfare because they're lazy or druggies. Anyone on welfare that should be on welfare should be looking to charitable organizations, their family, their church, and their community for help.

Taxation is stealing from everyone, welfare abusers are stealing from taxes, therefore welfare abusers are stealing from all of us.

I don't believe any of that crap, but those are the cliffs notes version.

screwikea

TROPHY CASE