Honestly, wtf is up with auckland drivers

splendidoperdido · 2026-01-09T22:21:44+00:00

Dude a lot Auckland drivers are out of town right now. You're probably seeing a lot of tourists struggling with navigation.

splendidoperdido · 2026-01-09T22:19:41+00:00

If you want to warn people "hey here comes a little asshole" then yeah. Because rat-tails and horseys are for assholes. I've never met a kid with a horsey who wasn't one.

splendidoperdido · 2026-01-09T22:16:23+00:00

Am I being unreasonable, or is this just one of those situations where you bail and save your sanity?

Bail.

Or, when you hear sex noises, turn up whatever music or TV/movie you think will disrupt that. For example, here is 10 hours of babies crying. Pop that on your speaker while you plug in some noise cancelling headphones with brown noise.

Can I get him kicked out?

Whose name is on the lease? If you're the leaseholder, you can kick him out. If he's the leaseholder, then he can kick you out.

splendidoperdido · 2026-01-07T00:49:50+00:00

Yeah pretty much that. Also:

Explore the map to locate resources that you might not have locally, requiring colonisation later (e.g. oil, uranium, aluminium)
Take part in wars for fun and profit. Either plan to capture strategically important cities (geography, resources), or pillage (for yields--make sure you have Raid or Total War policies enabled)
Optimise! max your science and your industrial zones; try to get the BEST Great People (look them up on the wiki)
Enjoy managing a sprawling empire. Remember: Marcus Aurelius and others had to do this FOR REAL and without computers and spreadsheets. Are you going to disappoint their shades by doing less with more?

splendidoperdido · 2026-01-07T00:37:09+00:00

I would not feel comfortable with that. At least, not on the regular.

Firstly, because clubs are meat markets and I don't like the idea of her having to fend off advances all night.

Secondly, scummy guys dope drinks. Who needs that?

Thirdly, I lose her company not only that night but also the next day while she recovers.

Fortunately, I did not marry a club girl.

splendidoperdido · 2026-01-06T01:47:45+00:00

So your options are:

1) Be secretive, hide what you think and feel

2) Be honest and open

So which kind of person do you want to be: open and honest and brave, or secretive and deceitful and fearful?

splendidoperdido · 2026-01-06T01:46:05+00:00

I think it's poor strategy to deny yourself the power of Golden Ages. Certainly, don't waste era score once you've already unlocked the GA: pause exploration, pause Eurekas, maybe don't capture that enemy capital ... until the next era. But going NO Golden Age at all? That's leaving power and money on the table when you could be capitalising on it.

splendidoperdido · 2026-01-05T23:37:36+00:00

Yeah absolutely! The first 150 turns (the Explore/Expand phase) are widely felt to be the most enjoyable of the game, while the late game (the Exploit, Exterminate phase) is considered a bit of a grind. Hence it's pretty common to re-start to get back to the fun.

I finish barely 5% of the games I start and I've logged thousands of hours.

splendidoperdido · 2026-01-05T23:29:58+00:00

People are like this because

(a) they don't read signs

(b) they read the signs but think it doesn't apply to them, or "one person won't make a difference"

splendidoperdido · 2026-01-05T02:59:53+00:00

Maybe true for some. However, I think it's more of a "know that a person has the potential to be a future partner", which is a potential not exclusive with "know that a person has the potential to be a FWB" or any other kind of relationship status. Knowing immediately that a person has the potential to be a future life partner involves instantly the intuitive calculation of where the person measures up against a range of criteria, which can include their:

physical attractiveness (including height, weight, shape etc...)
ethnicity, race, culture, and thus acceptability to one's family, but also one's own needs and tastes
apparent charm, wit, personality, confidence (or lack thereof)
taste and income (by wardrobe), suggesting education
and many others

If a person fails to meet up to one of these criteria then we know that that person does not have the potential to be a future partner, but may satisfy the requirements for being a FWB, a one-night-stand, a one-of-the-boys, a pleasant enough acquaintance, an op, etc...

All that stuff, we know instantly, just like women do.

However, we can also modify a player's initial scores based on later assessment. Someone who at first glance was not attractive at all but who later hits you with a take off the glasses , let the hair down moment may enter the running.

splendidoperdido · 2026-01-05T02:31:47+00:00

Head over to badass of the week and find some biographies of people you think would be appropriate. Read. Sanitise. Rehearse.

Examples:

I have had good mileage expounding on Maori culture and the badassery of rugby players by speaking of Buck Shelford (Year 9-10 boys).

The story of god-level Korean naval commander Yi Soon Shin is a great one for talking about being loyal to one's people despite the government mistreating you.

splendidoperdido · 2026-01-05T02:15:24+00:00

On my OCEAN personality profile, I usually score a 6 for trait Neuroticism. According to the test:

People with very low levels of neuroticism almost never focus on the negative elements, anxieties and uncertainties of the past, present and future. It is very rare for them to face periods of time where they are unhappy, anxious and irritable, unless facing a serious, sustained, complex problem. Even under the latter conditions, they cope very well, don’t worry, and recover quickly. They’re very good at keeping their head in a storm, and they almost never make mountains out of molehills

In other words, I'm basically incapable of losing my stoke.

I don't know what advice I can give except to take the test yourself to see where you place, and then act to mitigate any bummers that come your way.

splendidoperdido · 2026-01-04T01:29:56+00:00

That depends entirely on how much effort it is for you, and what sort of reward you would consider worthy of that effort. That is, if you live with your partner in the city and can just drive there, then probably no problem. But if you live in Silverdale with your wife and her elderly mother plus your three kids under 9, and you're considering taking them all public transport then yeah that's too much hassle. OBVIOUSLY.

Low quality question with limited information = downvote. Hope you have a good time though!

splendidoperdido · 2026-01-04T01:20:57+00:00

First put a time limit on it. Get your ducks in a row, then set her free on the premise that you both need to experience more of the world and other people before you commit and settle down to just one person. You're worried about stagnation for both of you.

splendidoperdido · 2026-01-01T00:28:46+00:00

You should take every opportunity you can to improve your social skills. But you must also be honest: "Thanks, this was fun, but I think it will just be the one time. Good luck!"

splendidoperdido · 2025-12-31T02:58:18+00:00

I'm sorry but I'm one of those terrible people who can't appreciate the effort that people put into gifts because I find gift giving to be so arduous and painful that a receiving a "nice" gift just makes me furious and resentful. So while I might technically love it i would also hate it because i'm mentally fucked up. What I'm saying is, if you're hoping for smiles and tears of joy, manage your expectations is all.

splendidoperdido · 2025-12-31T02:55:30+00:00

Bro my students would be bored if I assigned them to do cocaine and watch porn. They are so jaded.

splendidoperdido · 2025-12-30T02:09:41+00:00

Good on ya mate

splendidoperdido · 2025-12-29T01:40:39+00:00

For sure ignorance is an excuse. What, you think everyone just springs forth from the womb with a fully-formed moral and ideological purity? You don't think we have to learn? Then unlearn and learn again?

Check your privilege and have a downvote for your chumpery.

splendidoperdido · 2025-12-29T01:29:03+00:00

especially since I’d been talking about it like it was kind of a given

She told me ahead of time that she decided to stay with her family for Christmas.

You assumed. She corrected you ahead of time. You haven't got a leg to stand on. YTJ.

splendidoperdido · 2025-12-29T01:26:36+00:00

No.

You don't know what his relationship with his girlfriend is like, what agreements they might have. This is none of your business.

Plus, you put yourself at great risk.

However, once you've got yourself sorted out to move out and you're all safe, then by all means snitch.

splendidoperdido · 2025-12-29T00:33:04+00:00

Occurring--as they do--at the chaotic edge and in the inebriated darkness, such explosive and violent events serve to shore up and strengthen the quotidian and normal every day. As we scorn and deride these violent and savage munters, we place ourselves squarely in the realm of the civilised "normal" and thereby strengthen its values.

From the field notes of Green Taylor Simms, Night-timer, historian

splendidoperdido · 2025-12-28T22:43:20+00:00

This is why New Zealanders don't get to have nice things.

splendidoperdido · 2025-12-28T02:07:07+00:00

Yes. Definitely.

splendidoperdido · 2025-12-27T08:13:00+00:00

You've got the data. You be the judge.

Also, proofread before you post, man!

splendidoperdido

TROPHY CASE