40 here, scored a 19. I’m fascinated that you were able to avoid checkbooks all this time. Back in the day it was the only form of rent payment my landlords would accept, so I didn’t have much choice.

I’ve also had to use them in oddball situations recently, like paying a passport application fee. The passports weren’t even for me. I was just the only one in the friend group that still has checks from when I first opened my account… almost 20 years ago. They’re my age, so maybe it’s me who’s the outlier here, haha.

No sorries required, and you brought up a good point. I actually snapped off at my family when I was younger, because we had an issue during Thanksgiving one year and everyone expected my aunt and I to just quietly take care of it. We had worked our asses off all day to give the entire extended family a nice meal, and they sat around like spectators when something broke afterwards and made a mess. That was the straw that broke my back, because I felt like all the care and effort Auntie and I put in to make the day special for everyone else wasn’t appreciated, or even acknowledged. You’re absolutely right in pointing out the expense and effort putting on a huge feast requires, and no one should be expected to shoulder that if they don’t want to or can’t for any reason.

If it’s a forced thing I agree, but for some of us this is our time to shine. Cooking has been a hobby of mine since I was helping my own aunt with holiday meals as a kid, and I absolutely love making a big meal for a large group. I ended up doing the majority of the cooking for my ex husband’s family holiday celebrations, because I genuinely enjoyed it and liked giving everyone else the time to just be and enjoy the day.

All I’m trying to say is that, for some people, cooking a feast for their loved ones is one of the ways we show love. It’s a tradition that tends to exploit women, but that doesn’t mean the whole thing is trash. We should just be more mindful of how we navigate this holiday. I bet a lot of boys would fall in love with cooking like I did if they were included in the preparations like women are.

Alligator on a dictator

No, probably just someone with empathy who recognizes the shit situation humans created and how it’s going to play out in the lives of New Zealand’s cats.

Considering how long ago that ad campaign ran, he’s dead.

Talk shit, get hit. Buhbye.

I love the juxtaposition of sugar free Coke with sugar added Jack Daniels. Dodging and weaving against diabetes.

Nah, I think this is a no embarrassment zone. Get cozy.

Hey, it’s not necessarily shit to change primary doctors! Most places have biographies and patient reviews you can look at. I have similar issues to manage, and seeing people with my same issue give feedback in reviews was so helpful. I ended up finding a provider I’m very comfortable with, and he listens to me. Every visit. I

t’s so possible! Please let me know if I can help. You’ve got this. It’s just a temporary setback, and you’ll joke about it later.

Added to cart. Thank you!

I work at a small, premium pet food manufacturer. People already complain about our prices. While most of our ingredients are sourced domestically, specialty meats are not. Lamb, duck, venison, goose, etc. going up will dramatically raise our prices.

Many of our products are chicken, pork, or beef-based, and these ingredients are sourced domestically. The fun twist is the rise in popularity of breeds and designer mixes that are predisposed to ingredient sensitivities or allergies. Many of these breeders advise against chicken or beef in these dogs’ foods.

You’d think people spending 3-9 thousand dollars on puppies would be in a position to afford special diets, but my experience says otherwise. It’s about to get a lot worse.

We’re lucky, in that we’re one of the few brands who utilizes mostly domestically sourced ingredients. I would expect pet food to jump generally, which doesn’t bode well for the increased pressure shelters and rescues are already facing.

Absolutely. I moved from urban Southeastern Wisconsin to the upper peninsula of Michigan in a rural area. I love visiting that spot, and I got a job offer five years ago while on vacation. I snatched the opportunity to move to my favorite place and uprooted my life in under two months. I didn’t last two years before coming back.

The amount of times I got into verbal altercations with strangers and acquaintances over their use of racial slurs, most often the N-word, made me become a homebody. I was a bartender, though, so you can’t exactly hide.

That’s not to say I haven’t heard it in public all throughout Wisconsin. The difference was how comfortable people felt using these words and sharing openly racist views and stories like they were bragging about it. It felt like an area where people breathed a sigh of relief and took their hoods off. I couldn’t stomach staying in a place where certain friends of mine couldn’t comfortably visit.

Still, all that is nothing compared to what I saw and heard living in Tennessee. It’s sad and frightening how many communities are like this.