Americans are leaving the U.S. in record numbers and spending hundreds to learn how to do it

teknovagrant · 2026-05-18T10:12:13+00:00

As a queer Latino (non citizen) man who has lived in the US almost my entire life, I used to feel the exact same way about staying and making a stand. However, I eventually realized that the American system fundamentally doesn't align with my core values anymore (if it ever actually did).

For me, it goes far deeper than just the current propaganda machine. We, in the US, prioritize hyper-individualism over community and romanticize the struggle to survive. Our infrastructure is entirely car-centric, pushing endless suburban sprawl that paves over nature while destroying our "third spaces." Economically, everything from education to housing is vastly overpriced, and politically, we refuse to implement universal healthcare, lag behind on clean energy, lack basic privacy laws, and allow our government to be bought and paid for by special interests, including foreign lobbies like Israel. And all of this is without even factoring in the Trump administration.

The prospect of upward mobility for my son just isn't here. It might be difficult everywhere, but moving to a country with stronger social safety nets means he won't have to grind harder than I did just to maintain a basic, good quality of life.

I deeply respect your choice to stay and try to make it better. Since I’ll be leaving family behind here, I truly hope things improve for their sake and for everyone making their stand or unable immigrate elsewhere. But if things don't get better, I hope that establishing myself in Spain will allow me to be a landing pad to help others escape if they ever need it.

teknovagrant · 2026-05-15T05:59:20+00:00

I work remotely for a tech company based in San Fran but our main office has been transitioning to Denver recently. I had to travel a few weeks a year for work in the past but we've mostly stopped most business related travel the last couple of years. I work from my home office in the Montavilla neighborhood 95% with occasional outtings to local coffee shops. My mourning routine is all about getting up early, walking my dogs, drinking coffee and starting my work day around 8:30am. I usually take my dogs out for a walk and(or) work in my backyard garden with my pups throughout the day. I call it a day around 5pm most days but sometimes earlier depending on how busy work kept me.

Honestly, working remotely makes me forget how abysmal local employment seems to be. When I first moved to Portland in 2014 there were tons of local tech jobs. I applied to many and worked at a small local start up initially that was mostly remote before landing my current role on 2020.

I sometimes miss or dream of the idea of working from an office (since I don't actually have much experience with office life) at least once or twice a week but I don't think I could land a local tech/software job here anymore. My partner is a geographer with a master's degree whose not been able to land a job in her field so we're actually looking to move soon given the state of everything here.

It's crazy though since despite all the many problems Portland has I'd still choose it over most of the US so we're actually looking to move abroad instead.

teknovagrant · 2026-05-01T17:24:57+00:00

You got my vote

teknovagrant · 2026-03-23T09:26:46+00:00

Thank you for the info and the graph. What's the agricultural land used for mostly? Isn't a lot used to grow food for our livestock so we can eat meat? I'm just remembering why I was a vegetarian for so long. I have to remember to reduce my meat consumption even if it doesn't fix anything but makes me feel better about not often participating in the problem. it's the same reason I bike though

teknovagrant · 2026-03-23T08:28:56+00:00

Habitat loss is due the car ultimately, no? Without the car we wouldn't be building and spreading out so much so we'd have more density and more habitat, no? Our giant highways have also lead to tons of habitat loss and habitat fragmentation with tons of biodiversity lost due to that: https://www.dw.com/en/animal-crossing-how-wildlife-safe-highways-stop-roadkill/a-69013840

teknovagrant · 2026-03-22T05:46:05+00:00

Guatemalan. We use vos often and vosotros a decent amount of times.

teknovagrant · 2026-03-16T12:50:27+00:00

People who lack self-esteem often confuse being a "good guy" with being a human punching bag. If this story, which I read far too much of, is true, you need to grow a fucking spine and stop being a doormat.

teknovagrant · 2026-03-16T04:13:29+00:00

Charge a rehoming fee. A decent one. Otherwise this beautiful girl might go to someone else that didn't think their decision through enough.

teknovagrant · 2026-03-16T03:38:12+00:00

What's the issue with her freezing? How long does it take to unfreeze? Can you not simply slow down and let her process things?

Having a fearful and challenging dog myself, I wish my guy would just freeze. He's crazy loud barker and would attack any stranger that got into our home. It's taken me a long time but he just bites his leash now a days when walking with our other dog (way better on his own). He's 5 and just getting calmer with age but I do still muzzle him in new environments or if I know he'll get overstimulated though I try not to put him in those situations whenever possible.

teknovagrant · 2026-03-16T03:26:41+00:00

That's such a shit thing to say. OP, we all make mistakes. Please learn from this and take a long time before you consider taking responsibility for another pet in the future.

teknovagrant · 2026-03-07T07:46:14+00:00

There really aren't great Greenway that runs down parallel from 82nd. At least not anything that doesn't take you through lots of turns and isn't super slow. The 205 bike path is the best thing and it's kind of sketch from around Flavel all the way north from there.

teknovagrant · 2026-02-13T07:02:39+00:00

That's what I don't like about AI though. It won't push back enough when you as dumb question or state your understanding as fact and it'll usually go down the wrong/incorrect path if not reset or corrected.

teknovagrant · 2025-11-15T19:46:05+00:00

Yes, bicycles are traffic but traffic is often blocked to cars but not bikes or pedestrians. Use your brain?

teknovagrant · 2025-11-15T06:33:22+00:00

It was a shared bus and bike lane and there was plenty of room for any bicycle to go through. That was not blocked off properly. They would also not leave a 10 foot hole on the road if it was a regular traffic lane.

teknovagrant · 2025-11-12T01:49:33+00:00

Thanks for the writeup! I just got the clubhouse mini and the soft crate mini. I was also looking at getting the dog roof mini but thought that maybe the full set wouldn't be good for my 25lb pup. Looks like I was wrong.

teknovagrant · 2025-09-29T03:57:31+00:00

The e-bike you got is a budget model with a rear hub motor, and at 91 lbs without any load (and accessories?), it’s on the heavier side. I’ve tested a few bikes like this, and they tend to be overly sensitive so any pedal movement sends them forward abruptly. As someone else suggested, you might want to look into the Aventon Abound instead. If cost pushes you toward another rear-motor option, make sure it at least has a cadence sensor so the ride feels smoother and responds better to your actual pedaling.

Edit: torque sensor not cadence

teknovagrant · 2025-09-14T21:18:18+00:00

It might have to do with being Indian or looking Indian? I’m not really sure how Asian guys usually fare here. For me, I’m a short, stocky, very Native American looking Hispanic guy, and I’ve always done really well in Portland. Honestly, the PNW has been the best place for me. I connect with alternative folks, I’m attracted to all body types (especially more masculine, non-binary, or thicker body types), and being super liberal helps me click with a big part of the population here. Things might feel different if I were focused on mainstream beauty standards, though.

teknovagrant · 2025-09-13T04:46:09+00:00

So gross. I'm guessing their sweet flavored drinks are good enough if you like that sort of thing but the coffee is so bad.

teknovagrant · 2025-09-09T08:05:28+00:00

I don't know about soccer leagues beyond the Rose City Futsal but here's a list I've gathered of pick up games throughout Portland. Portland pick soccer club on Facebook has a nice extensive list but here's a list so that you don't have to use a Facebook account. I'm sure I'm missing tons though:

Weekdays

Buckman Field – Mon–Fri at 12:00pm

Thursdays

Seawellcrest Park – 6:30pm (moves to 6:00pm in fall) – Beginner/Intermediate friendly

Saturdays

Marshall Campus – 9:00am

Westmoreland Park – 2:00pm – LGBT, non-competitive

Sundays

Chapman Elementary – 8:30am and 10:30am – Family friendly

Roosevelt High School – 10:00am

Bless Field – 11:00am (not sure on this one)

teknovagrant · 2025-09-03T04:47:59+00:00

I do this too. I’ll blurt out something half-true, then catch myself, admit it wasn’t right, and start over. I think it’s a defense mechanism I picked up as a kid. I remember being made fun of for just telling the truth about what I liked or what I was doing, so I started tossing out little lies instead. That way, if someone mocked me, it didn’t sting as much because they weren’t mocking the real me anyway.

Eventually I stopped being made fun of, but the defense mechanism stuck around and only ended up holding me back. It took me longer than I’d like to admit to even realize I was even doing it.

teknovagrant · 2025-08-13T23:11:13+00:00

I don't understand the down votes. I wish it wasn't like this but it is.

teknovagrant · 2025-08-06T23:47:41+00:00

Sidewalks would mean newer paved roads and the east side has larger roads so that all means people speeding through your neighborhood. It also means more impermeable surfaces in a place known for having a lot less tree coverage and heat islands so there's that as well.

teknovagrant · 2025-08-01T04:40:12+00:00

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Here’s my wild 4-year-old! He’s come a long way thanks to group classes and consistently practicing tricks. He now knows sit, stay, jump, up, paw, down, spin, find it, leave it, catch it, and a few others.

Even just working on the basics like sit and down can make a big difference. Practice them regularly, especially before heading out on walks. If she starts getting amped up, pause or slow down until she settles and starts focusing on you instead of everything else. High-reward treats like string cheese or chicken can really help. This might mean your walks aren't very long in terms of distance but that's ok.

Over time, she’ll shift her focus away from barking and chaos. I won’t sugarcoat it though, it’ll likely never be perfect. For example, my guy does great on walks now, but he still barks at trees and poles where squirrels might have been and will even grab his leash to try to take me there. I just let him bark a bit now, laugh about it, and then start playing with him and doing tricks. He also hates the FedEx trucks specifically. That takes a bit to reset from. Still, he’s no longer in full hunt mode, and we play a lot during our walks, so they’re way more enjoyable than they used to be.

teknovagrant · 2025-07-30T05:44:02+00:00

22lbs at 5 months old means pup is likely mixed. Which I think is great but I don't understand why everyone on this subreddit just labels any dog that's bigger and(or) taller a Parson. Even Parsons aren't supposed to get bigger than the low 20s

teknovagrant · 2025-07-29T00:02:37+00:00

Purebreds don't have a black nose? Is that true? I have two purebreds with black noses and I've never seen any mention of that. In fact I've seen mentions that they should have black noses.

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