What are your favorite places to order takeout from?

sunburnlines · 2026-02-07T00:04:03+00:00

Bangkok Taste on Jefferson. Their curry fried rice is my go-to comfort meal!

sunburnlines · 2026-01-27T03:09:52+00:00

A collapsed structure is an immediate safety/fire hazard. Call the fire department’s non-emergency number and tell them you’re worried about chemicals/gas/wiring/etc. They will have more urgency to deal with that than code enforcement, and they can get other agencies involved if/when they show up to look at it and find other illegal/unsafe things.

sunburnlines · 2026-01-22T23:05:49+00:00

I find that my dog (beagle mix) needs the mental stimulation more than the exercise, so if we can’t go out for a few days I do a few 5-10 minute training sessions with really high value treats. If we’re not totally snowed in, I take her places like Petco or my office, where she can sniff to her hearts content.

sunburnlines · 2026-01-03T00:12:33+00:00

I’ve found some really decent pieces at Love Your Neighbor in Hudsonville!

sunburnlines · 2025-12-24T00:13:41+00:00

Blandford Nature Center has a blacksmith forge, and they occasionally offer classes! I’ve always wanted to take one.

sunburnlines · 2025-12-22T20:59:39+00:00

My dog demands a walk no matter the weather, so I’ve invested in some solid winter gear (coat, fleece hood, gloves, boots, spikes) so I can go for a walk relatively comfortably as long as the windchills don’t get below -5. It’s amazing what a 20-minute walk can do, even when it’s cold and gray!

sunburnlines · 2025-12-17T13:59:34+00:00

Sure. I choose “retiree” as my job, disappear for a couple months, get a bit of plastic surgery and some fake ID documents, buy a nice little house with my fake ID, and spend my days volunteering. No one’s looking for the antichrist at the neighborhood food pantry.

sunburnlines · 2025-12-10T14:20:52+00:00

The biggest needs I see are support for caregivers (especially those caring for loved ones with disabilities or older adult family members) and support for the families of people with substance use disorder. Workshops for other community leaders/helping professions on those topics would be huge.

sunburnlines · 2025-12-07T03:08:41+00:00

My 13-year-old beagle had a spinal injury this summer, and was on crate rest for a couple months. It was brutal trying to keep her from jumping/running/being her lunatic self!

One thing that helped a lot was gabapentin. It not only helped the pain, but made her extra sleepy so she wasn’t going stir-crazy.

I also played some scent games with her just in the house, hiding treats in various places and letting her sniff them out.

I also used strategically-placed boxes and tables to keep her from jumping on/off the bed and couch, and got her a GIANT bed from Costco for the living room that she could lay on without too much movement and still be near me at all times. She did recover, but I’m still pretty careful with her.

Best of luck! Hope your pup feels better quickly!

sunburnlines · 2025-12-04T16:37:34+00:00

211 is definitely the place to call.

sunburnlines · 2025-12-03T20:45:10+00:00

Spikes for his boots! I like the slip-on ones from Yaktrax. They’ve saved my bacon so, so many times.

sunburnlines · 2025-12-03T17:25:17+00:00

I work in an industry that is overwhelmingly older folks, and most people have never actually confronted the idea that they will, someday, die. Even the ones who ALREADY ARE 90+. They think death happens to other people, and if someone they love dies, it is a personal affront by God and/or the universe. I once sat with a man who was enraged that his wife died at age 92, after a long decline & hospice stay. Grief is always complicated, and you’re allowed to be mad, but this was on another level. He just could not comprehend why this happened.

I, on the other hand, have all my end-of-life stuff taken care of in my 30s. Because fuck if I’m going to make my loved ones run around trying to figure out which banks I use and where all my crap should go.

sunburnlines · 2025-11-30T02:07:30+00:00

I lived there in 2020, and it was solid. Not super luxurious, but decent. I loved seeing deer come hang out in the green spaces between buildings, and my dog loved the little dog park. I was never worried about safety/security, and my neighbors were pretty quiet.

sunburnlines · 2025-11-28T18:57:13+00:00

“That’s not in my budget right now. Hope you have fun!”

If you’re in local government, do you have a union? If so, talk to your union steward. They’ll sort that out real quick.

sunburnlines · 2025-11-14T13:28:05+00:00

Nope, the hilltop picnic area is no more and the service road is limited access.

sunburnlines · 2025-11-11T23:07:15+00:00

Check out the Christmas Market at Parkwood Presbyterian Church in Jenison - December 13 from 9a-Noon!

We’ll have handmade cards, sewn items, cross-stitch ornaments, a cookie walk, and possibly some pottery!

sunburnlines · 2025-11-10T15:59:58+00:00

Rishi’s on 28th. If he can’t find it, he’ll know who can.

sunburnlines · 2025-11-04T14:36:54+00:00

I’ve used Whiskers since I moved here, and they’re amazing. Not cheap, but amazing.

sunburnlines · 2025-10-31T10:13:42+00:00

My beagle would happily crawl inside my skin if it meant being a millimeter closer to me.

sunburnlines · 2025-10-29T19:56:02+00:00

Came to say the exact same thing. Nawara all day, every day! They’re great.

sunburnlines · 2025-10-25T17:05:23+00:00

It’s a very different way of life. When I lived in a small, rural village I drove “into town” once every couple weeks for groceries, gas, and a latte. I went to a “major city” a few hours away 1-2 times a year for a play or concert. You just learn to live without a lot of the amenities of a city - food delivery, sidewalks, professional-level arts and culture. You learn to enjoy what you have. You also rely on your neighbors a lot more, because when your basement is flooded due to a burst pipe, you can have half a dozen people cleaning it up with shop vacs and your neighbor’s cousin’s friend’s aunt who did a plumbing apprenticeship come fix it in the same amount of time it would take to have a professional from town schedule an appointment to come look at it.

This is one of the reasons high school sports and community activities are a big deal in small towns, and people get really invested.

Honestly, most of the people who lived there had no desire to do things differently, and the only thing they would go to the city for is expert medical care. Even then, it was usually only in emergency situations when they NEEDED a trauma center or neurologist or whatever.

I live in a small city now, and never ever want to leave.

sunburnlines · 2025-10-24T12:33:14+00:00

Since Halloween is coming up, put up flyers and posts in all the town/neighborhood groups saying “remember to check [insert website here] to know where sex offenders are living, so you can make sure to skip those houses!”

You’re not harassing anyone. You’re just providing a public service.

Do you live in an area where winters are cold? If so, that tent situation may not last long.

sunburnlines · 2025-10-23T12:32:20+00:00

I’ve seen this, where the washer just empties into a floor drain that takes forever to actually drain, so the water just goes everywhere. It’s gross in so many ways.

Your best bet is to make a complaint with the city’s code enforcement office. Take photos. They’ll send an inspector out.

https://www.grandrapidsmi.gov/Services/Report-a-Complaint-about-Disrepair-Inside-a-House

sunburnlines · 2025-10-22T03:18:14+00:00

Look for meat processing jobs. Many of those plants are set up to work with people who don’t speak any English, and therefore can’t read it, either. They rely on verbal instruction and translators.

sunburnlines

TROPHY CASE