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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: July 19th, 2023

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  • I’ll never understand how difficult people make things by not being forthright and making things awkward:

    “Is it okay if I bring my boyfriend?”

    “…I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I had asked you on a hike as a fun first date, I didn’t realize you had a boyfriend. I’m going to bow out of this, but I can give you the hike info if you want to take him.” And then you laugh about the misunderstanding the next work day, and keep things at work from then on. No reason for it to get bad. Flirting is still fun! Just leave it at that without expecting anything more.





  • I got a puppy when I was first starting an Airman Program (prior to becoming an aviator in my branch of the military), and one of my daily responsibilities was getting fuel samples and fueling aircraft, so every day when I came home I smelled like jet fuel (which smells like it’s generating constant low level damage as long as you’re smelling it… because it is…). Now my dog loves the smell of jet fuel and loves it when I smell like jet fuel.

    So I guess what I’m trying to say is, if Stockholm Syndrome is an option, that aeroshell 64 smell could work for you.

    (This is entirely a joke, I’m not advocating any situation outside of pets that would result in Stockholm Syndrome)



  • I am not in the part of the military they would send for that. But if it were to happen in general? I am not going to pretend to know what I would do until the event actually came up.

    Incidentally, when I joined the branch I did, one of the recruiters asked me why I specifically wanted the Coast Guard. I told him if I decide to join something, and doing that put me in a position where I had to do something morally reprehensible to survive (like shoot a 12-year-old protecting his home in some far off country), the fact I had no choice in the moment would be irrelevant, as my choices put me in that position. There’s nothing morally ambiguous about saving a person from drowning. (Side note, he thought that was a terrible reason, and I think that guy can fuck himself). So not being put in a position to be used against my own country can be added to that as well (except enforcing boating safety, PUT A LIFE JACKET ON YOUR KID GODDAMMIT).

    Oh, and all that was before I learned about the migrant and drug interdiction missions in the Coast Guard, so now I just try to avoid Florida and Southern California for where I get stationed.


  • I am having this conversation with my wife. I’m 16 years into a military career (so 4 years from retirement), and she was talking about moving to Canada. So for a thought exercise, I looked it up, and with my skill set it would be pretty doable.

    But I reminded her that we aren’t the ones in danger. A cis-het white family of natively-born Americans in the military with the economic stability to fly to Canada on a moments notice for an abortion (she was worried about our daughter) is not in particular danger. But us leaving means we can’t fight against this, and makes it worse for those who can’t just leave.

    We’ll see how it is in 2029 when I’m due to retire, if the country can pull its head out of its ass or if Project 2025 goes full swing followed by no legitimate election. But for now, we’ll stay and push back.


  • Unless he was diagnosed as a pathological liar, they should not. Not that he isn’t, because he is, but as a news organization they should only provide the facts, quotes, and unbiased contextual information. That is what we should expect from the news. It should not be “left-leaning” or “right-leaning,” because they shouldn’t tell us what we should think about what they are reporting.

    They should report that some of his former (and possibly current, if it’s accurate) aids and expected cabinet members wrote, participated, or supported Project 2025. They should report what Trump’s response was when asked about it, as well as including the factual context of how many people directly surrounding him that were openly involved (to give the lie to him “not knowing”).

    We need news to stop giving opinion. Period. They should strive to be as unbiased as possible, including reporting on events based on newsworthy-ness, not trying to be “fair” to the candidates by reporting on both in an equally negative way regardless of the severity of their respective news (e.g. Obama’s tan suit vs. Trump’s children in cages.)



  • I’m an American, and I had to ask my wife what that was the first time I saw it. And then I needed an explanation on why that was a problem, because I had thought the point of text messages was that you could read it and get back at your convenience, as opposed to a phone call you have to respond to in the moment.

    Apparently I’m old.