Got anything to recommend? I’m a dude with butt and thighs that cause me to size up in the waist routinely, else I get the “pocket handles” thing, or just rip stuff lol.

Edit to add, by way of skin in the game: I used to shop for denim with a “tapered” cut (Levis had / has one, for example). If anything I now think they made the problem visually worse, drawing attention to the situation. I now prefer a pretty traditional straight cut, BUT when I’m overweight enough those may as well feel like JNCOs lol. I’m just barely trim enough at the moment to where a typical straight cut doesn’t feel like my ankles are swimming in fabric. Guess it’s Ankle Tents or Apple Bottom Jeans for the Lads, lol. Or be less chubby, in my case.

That seems pretty plausible to me, yeah, because it’s being attempted already and we seem to be sliding that direction. Privatizing those public services sounds like precisely the way to usher in a fresh new hell like this, completely agree.

I really wonder what that may look like too and how likely of an outcome it is. I mean we’ve seen versions of it with “banana republics”, but that wasn’t quite the modern era and wasn’t sophisticated tech companies. I also think most tech companies today would not want that responsibility, just the rewards, it’s a bit hard for me to imagine them actually attempting to provide a government. I think what we’ll see is increasingly hollowed out public institutions matched with ascending power and control of the corps, but leaving the govt in place (largely for a target people can point to when they’re mad) and stopping short of overtly seizing power. Best of both worlds for the corps.

I think you’re right. I think Netanyahu is extremely clear on what he’s doing and what outcomes he wants.

Oof, somehow this escaped me, even though I participate, while hating it, and thinking at least a bit about that fact along the way. The thing doesn’t have to even be deliberate if it’s effective - accidentally-discovered techniques often work as well as planned/sought ones.

By which I mean, of course this situation is not some deliberate “super-rich cabal” silly scenario, but damn if the levers don’t work exactly that way. My and my family’s future well-being, as a strictly mandatory goal to pursue, is turned into fuel for a machine I hate (contributing to 401k), and the hope I’ve been soft-coerced into is a hope that the hateful thing spits out enough at the end for me to keep:

• a roof over our heads, not otherwise guaranteed nor likely
• continued medical care through life post-employability, not otherwise guaranteed, only somewhat likely (Medicare)
• the limited dignity of dying with some care, but true misery along the way, as it is for almost anyone who doesn’t “luck into” a sudden end…again, not otherwise guaranteed, nor fucking likely (end of life care is an absolute disaster in this country)

The folks with the resources and “character” to enjoy, exploit, and move stocks love this. The new yachts we buy them, ridiculous “homes”, and the unbelievably fresh new whatever’s on their idiot status comparison instruments are never-before-seen and even more egregiously wasteful than their awful rivals’.

The folks doing less well than me? I mean we don’t even hear their misery, except in limited outbursts at strange times in retail and food industry settings or other such. The folks actually working themselves to death, SO many of us, are too fucking busy to even properly cry out.

For real. The big tech companies are today basically approximating and exceeding what have before been exclusively state-level capabilities. Not all of those capabilities, of course, but enough that the writing’s on the wall. Meta, Google, Amazon (and others) - they truly see themselves as above “petty” things like governments. Just obstacles to work around.

The question is what will we allow them to get away with, not how far will they try to take things. We should be clear on that.

FWIW I upvoted your comment above that got so many downvotes cuz your comment (and edits) felt super reasonable to me.

With that said - it’s been pointed out to you that the reason people are sensitive about this is because of the astroturfing going on right now and the extreme harm that will come if enough people are convinced again (like in 2016, myself hoodwinked by that episode) to not participate. We will get the worst outcome (like in 2016).

No one is mad at your point of view, I don’t think. I bet most downvoters share it, actually. But the stakes are too high, the recent campaign to disillusion voters too successful (2016), and the time remaining too short - you need to quit it, now, or you’ll be rightfully seen as an enemy to progress.

Your points are important. There are more important things right now, though. As hideously distasteful as that is, that is the situation we’re in today. It isn’t my fault or yours, but here we are.

Edit to add: there will be lots of room to push on policy in every direction once this election is over (and “settled”, woof). Any president on their first term tends to work hard, eventually, to secure a second. That’s our best hope of the changes we want, to push on the Harris/Walz administration with everything we’ve got, for round two. Shitty, but again, these are the cards in our hand. We don’t get to deal or swap them now, we only get to play our hand. If we fuck this up, we really may not get more decent hands than this for a long time (and incalculable suffering, borne by the most vulnerable, until we get there).

Thanks, I probably wouldn’t have bothered to watch it if you didn’t post it (just due to fatigue basically), and I’m glad I did. He’s a class act, a real rarity among politicians, and our nation really fucked up by keeping him sidelined.

Your mom’s grass

Nicely done. Despite your best efforts, finally, neither Yar nor Riker are attractive any longer.

Well, uh, not very attractive any longer. Uhh…nevermind.

I think it’s probably like the other commenter said, just money. I think it may be “the other thing”? Where you can have whatever rules and policies in place at the govt level, but if there’s a “work hard / sacrifice for dumb reasons” culture solidly entrenched at work…well, writing’s on the wall. Do that or be soft-ostracized.

I do think the rules make an impact anywhere there’s a functioning government, just by slowly shifting what people see (accept?) as “normal”.

an exercise in precision engineering with wood

With wood, an hilariously imprecise material (for anyone who doesn’t know). It refuses precision on principle first, and then just on occasion, at every opportunity later.

That delicious (infuriating) imprecision is probably why it can sound so frickin great, though, so…

Oh, tbh I was just commenting the sort of “pithy” way to say what commenter above me was saying. I wasn’t actually commenting on the situation, screw McDonalds and Taylor both lol

Look, the image is fine. The transcription you provided, on the other hand? Just way better.

“Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the merely good” is one (imo important) way to state it.

For real. This is my basic approach to parenting too and I feel the same way about both substances (while also enjoying both), but I’ve never seen it expressed in just the right way like this. It’s perfect. Another one I’ve found useful is “drinking is borrowing happiness from tomorrow”. Applies to certain other substances to a degree but damn if it isn’t exactly right for alcohol. A loan is not always a bad idea, to be clear, but it’s good to be clear on the terms of any loan, lol.

Must be satisfying, having the pond you built part of the experience too. I’m just stumbling into the realization that I’m probably going to be in one place for a long time, for the first time, and if my luck continues the WFH will too. In other words I’m realizing I need to widen my scope for how to enjoy my home, to a longer term and to things like that.

My policy as well. Non-negotiable hard no. But I’m fortunate enough to have at least some choice with regard to employment.

Bro.

Okay thank you! Fully understand the subtle difference you described, and it’s interesting. If you feel like saying more, what led you to use these characters? Are there spaces where they’re used more commonly that I’m just ignorant about? I personally found it harder to read, but I’m probably just old lol and would need a bit longer, I do basically like the idea though.