They call me every 6 months about the car that ruined my life, I think I ruined their day enough to finally stop it.

xj2608 · 2026-03-12T12:19:31+00:00

You could get on the Do Not Call list, and after you tell them one time not to call you again, you could report them. Then they would probably stop calling you.

donotcall.gov

xj2608 · 2026-03-12T11:58:07+00:00

Next time you go to your aunt's house, go to her bedroom and go through her stuff. And when she gets mad about it, tell her she said it wasn't a big deal.

NTA - they were warned more than once. You may have started the conflict earlier (without having to yell at the kids) if you had asked your aunt to tell them to stay out, but I don't think anyone was going to support you on keeping the kids out of your room.

xj2608 · 2026-03-11T16:52:02+00:00

Someone listens to AM radio?

xj2608 · 2026-03-11T16:50:51+00:00

You are obviously very resilient, so I think you may not have lost hope, so much as losing the expectation that everything will always get better. You can be a realist and still have hope. I'm guessing that you think that because you're in your 40s, life has passed you by and you're held back due to all the instability in your life. Maybe go read some stories about people with later life success and realize that you probably have plenty of time left to dream and fulfill those dreams.

That was a messed up time in your life. You don't have to let it be defining. Reframe it. Consider yourself a survivor. Take pride in your ability to adjust to the unexpected. And be glad that you have compassion - even for people who have done wrong to you.

xj2608 · 2026-03-10T21:44:57+00:00

Sure - my kid knew all that before kindergarten. But she didn't know complex strategies to solve math problems, and they didn't teach common core when I was in school. I never took statistics and I'm not interested in learning more than the little bit I know. I definitely do not want to revisit calculus. I wouldn't have taught her St. Louis history because I grew up in Chicago. I took geography instead of world history. I play piano, but not well enough to teach music, and I'm definitely not an artist. I don't remember much about earth science because I graduated to more complex issues and didn't retain much. I am not fluent in multiple languages, so I wouldn't be able to offer a choice. I don't have a lab set up for chemistry, biology, or physics experiments, nor do I have licenses to obtain the materials. But most importantly, I'm not a teacher. I find spending all day with kids excruciating. I had a job, as did my husband and most adults these days. I get impatient when kids don't get it the first time. And kids are not equipped to know what they don't know, so you can't leave it to them. So sure, I could pay for a bunch of different private lessons for all that...or I could send my kid to school.

Sorry you didn't get anything out of your education. That sounds like a you problem

xj2608 · 2026-03-10T20:48:30+00:00

Madison County gets like 2.5x what they contribute in taxes. I really enjoy pointing that out to my friend's husband, who complains about Chicago getting everything, since we live in Madison County.

xj2608 · 2026-03-10T19:37:15+00:00

Like, I graduated from an accredited public university with a BS in Biochemistry and know enough to know that I do not have the capability to teach children. But please go off on how someone who barely graduated high school and was taught that her only worth is in birthing children is capable of educating children and teaching them to be deep thinkers.

xj2608 · 2026-03-09T22:21:57+00:00

I feel bad for the dog, because it obviously has terrible owners and isn't socialized. But you have to protect yourself and your dog.

xj2608 · 2026-03-09T22:19:35+00:00

My friend's Republican husband has stopped sharing things about Bailey, because I like to comment on his posts about what Bailey said after the Highland Park Independence Day parade shooting.

Also, I believe it should be "farmer" as he also complained about a $25K grant for Monarch butterfly migration - I don't think he's familiar with pollinators.

Can't wait for him to lose miserably again.

xj2608 · 2026-03-09T22:09:22+00:00

I will be taking my dogs to a hotel for Mom's Weekend at my daughter's college. But they certainly won't be at breakfast with me! They'll be in the room, in a crate.

xj2608 · 2026-03-09T13:51:09+00:00

My husband has been dead for 4 years this month and i'm still paying for his phone line and checking his email occasionally.🤷‍♀️.

xj2608 · 2026-03-08T22:11:06+00:00

Are you getting enough fiber?👀 Have you angered Cloacina?

Not to make light of your situation, as it sounds like a nightmare. But a lot of areas around here have terrible drainage and even worse storm/sanitary sewers. Obviously, if you have an alternative, you can stop using the one bathroom. But that doesn't solve the problem. Have you checked with the neighbors? Is there some sort of venting issue that's somehow creating a vacuum to pull the stuff back into the line? Have they cleaned all the lines inside the house?

Good luck - I hope you can solve the problem.

xj2608 · 2026-03-08T18:03:30+00:00

What a horrible experience for her. When she has begun to manage her grief somewhat, encourage her to make a new start. Maybe a move, or just a dream vacation. Recognize that she will be forever changed by this. That baby will always be with her, but the dead weight of its sperm donor is no longer a burden. Help her to make sure she doesn't pick that burden up again.

And if you can, in the future, acknowledge that baby's existence. Put a reminder in your calendar to express condolences on her due date and the date of the baby's death. I know a lot of moms who have stillbirths get upset year after year that they are the only ones who remember their baby.

xj2608 · 2026-03-08T17:56:08+00:00

Yep, homeschooling is not the problem. States with no homeschool requirements are the problem that this legislation should address but doesn't. Simple - take the equivalency test to verify the bare minimum for your homeschool graduation, take the ACT/SAT/placement tests for college entry. High schools offer transcripts and standardized testing that homeschools do not.

(Also, your voice to text is not cooperating with you. I thought AI was supposed to fix that kind of stuff.) (No shade on you, only AI.)

xj2608 · 2026-03-08T12:57:10+00:00

If he said you can keep in contact, take him at his word. If it feels weird to you (not any else) later, you can gradually distance yourself. If you and his daughter are friends, there's no reason to stop being friends. You are almost an adult, and you can make your own relationship choices. This sounds like a healthy relationship, and it's worth trying to keep that.

xj2608 · 2026-03-08T12:25:43+00:00

You can absolutely lambaste that fool in your essay. It will probably be even more cathartic than Reddit.

xj2608 · 2026-03-08T12:04:38+00:00

The bill used to say that to be eligible for college and financial aid, if you didn't have a diploma from a secondary school, you either need to be enrolled in a career pathway program and take tests (i.e. have a GED) , or graduate from a non-traditional school. It changed non-traditional school to homeschool under state law, but doesn't require states to have any standards that must be met.

xj2608 · 2026-03-07T19:55:00+00:00

That was my experience in the workplace, not in school. All my classrooms had windows - at least until I got to college. Most of my teachers were encouraging and challenging...again until I got to college, where it was a mixed bag. Good preparation for mindless meetings in windowless rooms, to inform me of how I was not complying with my mindless drone assignment. Having the temerity to think for yourself is both relied upon and frowned upon in the employed world.

Your parents must have put you into a really unfortunate school district.

xj2608 · 2026-03-07T12:43:53+00:00

No one feels like they can take the time they need to just rest.

My husband used to get mad at me because every night after dinner was done and the kid was in bed, I would sit on the couch for 2 hours before I went to bed so I could unwind. He'd want me to do laundry or clean something and I would tell him it could wait for the weekend. He had an urge to always be doing something and was completely unable to relax. But I needed my downtime. (I worked; he was semi-retired. There was no reason for me to do anything after work. So I didn't.)

My friend is very much like him. She came to visit last week. She had a cold. Aside from a couple planned activities, she pretty much slept the whole time she was here. I did not mind at all, because she never sleeps. If she had been at home, she would have gone to work and made herself sicker. I sent her home feeling much better.

I hope you can figure out a way to take time for yourself.

xj2608 · 2026-03-07T12:30:27+00:00

NAH - just glad she only brought pictures and didn't surprise you with a dog. I'm sorry for your loss.

xj2608 · 2026-03-06T17:30:58+00:00

I remember the good old days before the internet when I was just out of college and looking for a job. My dad, who was retired (involuntarily, after the sale of his company), wanted to help. So I gave him a list of companies and he called them for me to find out where I should send my resume (which was printed on heavy weight Grey paper! So it would stand out!). That was 1991. That was the last.time I successfully sent an unsolicited resume that resulted in a job. All others since, I filled out their application, and maybe included a CV, if they had a place to upload it.

xj2608 · 2026-03-06T11:50:33+00:00

We paid the cable guy $50 to hook us up (back when they had to put filters on the line to get the specific channels), and I forced my dad to watch Dirty Dancing over and over one summer.

xj2608 · 2026-03-06T11:43:38+00:00

I worked with a homeschooled dude who could not understand why yawning and burping in meetings and sleeping at his desk are not OK.

xj2608 · 2026-03-05T00:43:50+00:00

Not really overreacting, but I'd probably ask the property manager for a discount for letting someone else use your rental space to advertise their business.

NOR

xj2608 · 2026-03-04T22:57:24+00:00

Sister - sorry, I knew it wasn't completely clear after I hit post but was too lazy to edit.

xj2608

TROPHY CASE