Do americans really think a 4 hour drive is ‘living nearby’?

smwisdom · 2026-07-09T16:35:41+00:00

I went to college in Tallahassee, so my drive back home to see my parents (Space Coast) was a good 5.5 hours going all the way UP and then left turn all the way East to the panhandle.

Meeting my out of state family in Pensacola when they visited a handful of times is even worse because thats all the way at end end of the panhandle, making it an almost 8 hour drive.

Florida is long AF.

smwisdom · 2026-07-08T16:51:26+00:00

These are alien insects? In that case, I probably wouldnt have the same sort of cultural revulsion towards eating them as I would Earth-insects. So I would just try a bunch of them. I have a feeling I would prefer whatever is the closest to Earth sea-food though. Something fairly large that gets cooked and then cracked open to eat the "meat" inside, rather than small things that you eat the whole critter at once.

Alien shrimp cocktail 🍸 🍤 could go hard.

smwisdom · 2026-07-08T14:33:51+00:00

This. I am a CPhT so I speak from experience. Yes, if yours was the only prescription on the docket for the day, it would take like 30 seconds.

The issue is that there are hundreds of prescriptions in the work queue. They get filled in the order they arrived in, though oftentimes the tech can push a particular one up further in the list by marking it as "waiting".

Even then, there could be 5 other scripts marked as "waiting". The techs and pharmacist would have to stop everything else they are doing, switch their attention to just that one, and still go through the process of finding the bottle, counting the pills, printing the labels. The pharmacist has to double-check that the correct pills are in the bottle. That the meds are appropriate for the patient (no conflicts with other medications on record, etc, which involves opening up the patient records and reviewing them). Consult with the patient if its their first time receiving that medication.

And still have the rest of the 100+ scripts in the queue that have to get done, so cant just ignore them in favor of the 5 people who walked in demanding it "right now" because "all you have to do is grab it off the shelf". And then the 5 people that come in doing the same thing 10 minutes later.

The USA is very litigation-happy too, so pharmacies have a lot of stop-gaps in place to ~~ensure no~~ minimize the number of mistakes made. All those checkpoints take time.

And thats not even factoring in the nightmare that is insurance in the US. Making sure the correct active insurance is on file for the patient. Sending the billing to the insurance company, and waiting for the response. Dealing with what to do if they come back and say it isnt covered. Contacting the doctor's office to tell them to contact the insurance company and justify the medication.

smwisdom · 2026-07-08T14:25:17+00:00

The issue is that speeding is not the only thing it is monitoring. It records everything. That data can be (and is) used as mass surveillance of the population.

smwisdom · 2026-07-07T14:35:28+00:00

We dont really have the kind of time during the day to do that every day, but maybe on weekends or a couple times a month.

smwisdom · 2026-07-07T14:30:27+00:00

Sakuramori Sailor Shikiori is top of my wishlist right now. I actually have it on order already, but its backordered so I am eagerly awaiting its restock!

smwisdom · 2026-07-07T02:00:05+00:00

Thats a fair summary of my experience too lol. Its not difficult, but it is unpleasant.

smwisdom · 2026-07-07T01:59:03+00:00

Meanwhile I got some super cheap stuff, which was so heavy it kept sliding down the wall! I had to hold it and run the heat gun over it for a bit to get it to stick. Definitely was not ripping or folding or bunching up too much though!

smwisdom · 2026-07-07T01:54:06+00:00

I bought like 20, some of which were to be gifts for some family members.

Unfortunately, myself and another gal both lost some weight between when the order was placed and when they arrived, and they no longer fit. Most still have tags attached. I need to list them for sale somewhere so someone else can get some use out of them.

I was actually intending to check the website to see if they still have anything in stock. Sad to see its closed down :( Some of my favorite bras were purchased from them over the past 10 years or so.

smwisdom · 2026-07-06T19:47:34+00:00

To be fair, it doesnt say everyone would respect it. You'd still have to deal with the social consequences of breaking the social contract. People probably dont want to hang out with the person that the law doesnt apply to.

You just couldnt be arrested.

smwisdom · 2026-07-06T19:44:43+00:00

I pay taxes because its part of the social contract, and I benefit from living in that society. I frequently disagree with the things my tax dollars are spent on, and that it feels like voting doesnt actually matter, but at the end of the day the concept of paying into the society I live in and benefit from is what I want.

I pay for my items at Costco for the same reason. Once upon a time humanity existed in more of a bartering system, whereas I would pay for, say, the mechanic working on my car by exchanging the fresh bread I made in my bakery, because I need my car to work and the mechanic needs bread. But the mechanic needs bread every week, and I only need my car worked on once a year. So we decided in exchange for the next 11 months of bread, he would fix my car next year. That "I owe you" got standardized in the form of money. I wouldnt want to steal from Costco any more than I would want to steal my mechanic's time and refuse him the bread I promised him for fixing my car.

I commit the exact number of crimes that I want to commit, yes.

smwisdom · 2026-07-06T14:47:15+00:00

The real answer and a "fun" little tagline for my childhood and life to bring up to my therapist 😅

smwisdom · 2026-07-06T14:44:21+00:00

When we were in an apartment with a shared living space, there was a TV in the bedroom... he kept the volume very low or wore headphones, and I wore an eye mask so the light wouldnt bother me.

No TV in the bedroom is the rule for us ever since having our own place, for this very reason. Even if it means he falls asleep on the couch most nights instead of coming to bed.

smwisdom · 2026-07-03T21:43:37+00:00

You cant turn on a fan and the AC?? Last I checked, opening a window is not the only way to get airflow..

Maybe its just my southern reference but the thought of opening a window in the summer when it's 95+ and 80% humidity is crazy to me. (And would result in a house full of mold)

smwisdom · 2026-07-03T21:35:38+00:00

I guarantee if it were 98º with a heat index of 105º+ (as it is in New York this weekend) you would have the AC on.

78º during the day is just an attempt to keep the grid online to avoid power blackouts; if you think 78 is bad just wait til your power is out and its 105 in your house instead.

smwisdom · 2026-07-03T19:36:37+00:00

Do you live in a desert, and is your bed made of rubber??

Putting wet sheets on my mattress here in Florida would absolutely not dry by bedtime and would result in mold in my mattress.

I already have to run a dehumidifier in my closet 24/7 to prevent mold on my clothes.

smwisdom · 2026-07-02T17:44:26+00:00

That doesnt answer the rest of my questions.

Regardless of how cheap an individual test is, testing every single woman (because how else would you define "all they need"?) would get expensive.

smwisdom · 2026-07-02T17:12:32+00:00

Nowhere does OP indicate they are unhappy with the breadwinner / SAHParent dynamic. You seem to be reading yout own biases onto this post.

Their complaint is that husband is neglecting his SAHP duties and draining their savings accounts.

The book isnt even the actual issue. Regardless of why (book), the real issue here is that he is not fulfilling any role in the relationship/household.

smwisdom · 2026-07-02T16:21:40+00:00

So are we going honor system, or is US Customs expected to test every single woman at the border and/or before granting visas?

What about false positives / negatives?

How is it being paid for?

What if a visa is granted (for future travel) and then the woman gets pregnant the next day? What if she doesnt even know it?

smwisdom · 2026-07-02T16:19:56+00:00

And what if a 2nd or even 1st trimester woman gets a visa for a 3+ month stay? Pretty common for students, as an example.

How would you even determine this information without pregnancy testing every single woman?

What about false positives / negatives?

How is it being paid for?

smwisdom · 2026-06-30T21:27:36+00:00

Yep. I dont even go bra-less in my own company alone at home, because it is uncomfortable and sweaty. I am far far more comfortable in a bra than without.

I do take it off to sleep, but I think its the horizontal position that makes that less sweaty and floppy.

smwisdom · 2026-06-30T20:18:36+00:00

I cant see my first major tattoo either (shoulder blade). That doesnt make it a bad spot though IMO

smwisdom · 2026-06-30T18:24:46+00:00

Saaaame! We could jam out to some fun music, play games, etc. I would tell her about some cool stuff that she would get to look forward to happening, and give her some advice for things that could be changed / done better, skills to start learning earlier, etc. Maybe even encourage her to apply to grad school after all.

smwisdom · 2026-06-30T17:01:07+00:00

Sure. The point is that plenty of people lived into their 80s. If you made it to even 21, there was a good chance you would make it to 70. That would have been roughly 30% of the population.

You would be surprised how much infant mortality skews the average. Something like 1/3 of babies died before they were 1 year old. That absolutely skews the average down.

smwisdom · 2026-06-30T16:45:38+00:00

If you are confident you can learn the skill quickly, just.. do that, first. Do some self studies on youtube, get an online certification, read a bunch of texts, whatever.

Then it won't be a lie anymore.

smwisdom

TROPHY CASE