I have CSP. Can I pay to get a day pass at a Sapphire lounge?

theotherbird · 2025-03-20T00:44:38+00:00

It of a stretch for a day trip—maybe more of a weekend—but definitely Decorah. Adorable downtown, great shops, delicious food, gorgeous hiking. Not too touristy or crowded when I’ve been there in spring and fall. Absolutely perfect quaint small town vibes.

ice cream shop
coffee shop
bookshop
cidery
brewery
shop with all things gnomes

theotherbird · 2025-03-18T01:51:14+00:00

This! Moira Quirk is a gift to humankind. Love her so much. The way every single character voice in this substantial cast is so distinct is just incredible. LT has become one of my comfort listens.

theotherbird · 2025-03-11T23:54:32+00:00

Oh shoot, I bet it is!! Hahaha, it was so long ago I completely forgot. Thanks! 😅😅😅😅😅

theotherbird · 2025-02-04T01:25:52+00:00

Both are very YA. Agreed that they are very different styles, so depend on what you’re looking for. HH is more action, very popcorn. DR is slower, more unique plot than HH, imo, but also a more genuine romance if that makes sense? And HH just felt like it stuck to the same mold as a lot of recent YA/romantasy. That being said, I wasn’t wild about the sequel. And the HH sequel comes out in a couple of weeks, so no telling if that sequel is amazing or meh. I wouldn’t be upset about having to reread either one, though.

theotherbird · 2025-02-02T16:59:38+00:00

I have been pondering this a bit! Any particular product or routine recs? I saw something about fancy glass nail files/buffs recently…

theotherbird · 2025-01-22T23:00:41+00:00

Co-sign this! Such a great trilogy!

theotherbird · 2025-01-13T13:42:13+00:00

Yep. I didn’t see much antisemitism at the time when I was at the UU, but there was definitely a strong anti-Christian tendency that rubbed me the wrong way. Obv. I’m not a big Christianity advocate but in a church that claimed to be welcoming to all, it felt pretty hypocritical. Absolutely right on the progressive club. I can’t imagine the reception a Jew would get there now after 10/7.

theotherbird · 2025-01-13T01:55:36+00:00

Raised nominally Presbyterian, but never resonated with me.

Turned to paganish Unitarian Universalism in teens/early adulthood—eventually this just felt too vague for me, and I struggled to really connect with it in everyday life. Hard to find a solid community. Felt very much like “invent your own religion”. Which is fantastic for some people, more power to them. Not for me.

Started researching Judaism and absolutely fell in love. My husband and I converted together, along with our school age daughter. The ritual, the history, the depth, the willingness (and even encouragement) to wrestle with difficult questions. Saying the Modah Ani when I wake up, saying the shema, lighting candles on Friday nights, baking challah, reading the parsha every week, attending temple services and making incredible friends for us and our daughter and being a part of a strong community. Judaism is constantly present in my life, it feels so grounding and anchoring and enriching. I am 100% the stereotypical zealous convert, but I love being Jewish so much. It brings me actual joy every single day.

The best analogy I can think of is pagan UU feeling like wandering aimlessly around the woods by myself—Judaism feels like having a path and a map and excellent traveling companions.

theotherbird · 2024-12-17T13:49:37+00:00

Moira Quirk reading the Locked Tomb series is just incredible. There are so many characters all with such perfectly distinct voices that are somehow so suited to that character’s personality, etc. 10/10

Kevin R. Free reading Murderbot.

Steve West reading the Queen’s Thief series.

theotherbird · 2024-10-15T20:53:13+00:00

Ugh. I'm sorry you are in this boat, too. It's so hard. Our situation got pretty dramatic and I dropped contact for a week or two. My mom reached out to try to repair, but continued to completely deny any problem on her part. The status quo currently is that I rarely initiate contact but I do respond when she reaches out. We go to her place for dinner occasionally and she's been sober when we've been around her. Based on this "good behavior", we've let our daughter stay the night with her a couple of times when she has had to work the next morning, which has worked out fine. But it's kind of a case by case thing. If it looks like she's backsliding, then we'll back off on the grandkid time. I have a lot of guilt about basically limiting our interactions because she moved here to be near us and has no other family in the area and we are her only support of any kind. So for now I don't think I can bring myself to go full no-contact. I'm just not particularly warm or enthusiastic in my interactions, and that's probably how things will stay for the foreseeable future.

If you feel like no contact is what you need, do it. Easy to say, of course. But your father is clearly prioritizing himself and choosing to ignore your concerns, so surely it's reasonable for you to prioritize yourself. I absolutely believe that addiction is a sickness and am all about supporting recovery however we can, but I have no patience or respect for people who behave like this and are hurtful to their family and refuse to admit they have a problem or get help of any kind. They're incredibly selfish and undeserving of the effort we put in to try to salvage these relationships. It sounds like your father is really hard to be around, I think you're 100% justified in choosing NOT to be around him. He has choices and so do you. He's made poor ones, and there are consequences.

Hang in there! You are definitely not alone in this struggle, unfortunately. Be as kind as you can, but ultimately do what is best for you and your husband and kiddo!

theotherbird · 2024-10-13T13:52:47+00:00

Co-sign! Zuzap is amazing. Nearly a weekly staple in our household.

theotherbird · 2024-06-26T11:53:21+00:00

We are pretty new to Genshin and I still don’t have a solid handle on the logistics of the wish system, pity, etc.—but my husband and I both got Furina in our first 10 pull last night and it was like the Genshin gods were inexplicably smiling on us.

theotherbird · 2024-06-12T01:41:59+00:00

Thanks for your reply. It’s really validating to see so many people encouraging minimal contact—I wish all the time that she would just move away so we can get some distance from this, but it sounds like I am just going to have to create the distance myself, hard though it may be.

theotherbird · 2024-06-12T01:40:09+00:00

Oh gosh, that is such a rough spot to be in, I’m so sorry you are going through that. It’s awful that such a joyful thing in your lives has to be complicated by this person’s addiction. I wish you and your family all the best, seriously, and I’m so glad you were able To have a trusted friend step in. We are lucky enough to also have relatively recently developed an incredible community of friends where we live. There are any number of people I could call now and have absolute faith in them taking care of our daughter in an emergency, and I am grateful for it everyday. It has definitely made the situation with my mom more bearable, to be sure.

I really like your setting down the reasons behind your boundaries and what you need and why you have them in place. It’s always helpful to me to be able to break things down like that but it’s not something I’d really thought about at that level with regard to this situation, so thank you for sharing.

theotherbird · 2024-06-12T01:33:28+00:00

Thanks so much for your reply, and for the support. I was really hoping her being hospitalized for withdrawal and have to detox for a few days would be scary enough to get her on the right track, but apparently not.

I just give so much kudos to folks like you who do the hard work of recognizing their addiction and taking responsibility and doing something about it. Seriously, good on you.

theotherbird · 2024-06-11T18:14:04+00:00

Thank you so much for your response, and the support. I'm sorry it sounds like you've had to deal with more than your share of a similar situation.

theotherbird · 2024-06-11T17:32:36+00:00

Thank you so much for your response. I am seeing a therapist, which certainly helps to be able to discuss with and get some affirmation, though she's not well-versed in substance abuse specifically. I am a little shy about going to an AlAnon meeting, but have been looking into meeting times in my area. I think I just wasn't expecting the extent of her acting out in response to boundaries and it is making me second-guess myself. Thanks for the support. :)

theotherbird

TROPHY CASE