Don’t stand up for yourself

Well said and I agree completely, brotha! Have a great day

 

I disagree. It was being used as a verb, not a noun.

 

so you socked a dude for hitting on your girl? Guess violence wasn’t the right answer.

 

It’s interesting that you think the whole family beat the one up must mean the victim was the cause. I am curious why you feel that it must have been started by the victim.

 

Thanks for your take, I like the music reference and hadn’t thought about that. My son just started college and has been discussing getting his masters in Musicology or something like that. Basically, understanding how music has followed, expressed or changed with societies changes as we have developed. He wants to be a music teacher and has an interest in history, so it would be neat.

 

I'm seriously considering making the move to the deep south because everywhere I look, it's like that Bender GIF meme. I look at the prices, laugh, realize they're serious, and laugh even harder. And that's not even counting New Jersey taxes.

 

The musicology thing does sound kind of interesting, in theory. I like music, it definitely can reflect the feelings of the time when it was written. I was a teenager in the '90s, and I still love that music. I don't know why I was so sad and angry in the '90s though, lol. I find a lot of it even more relatable today.

 

I don't think I could deal with the South. Sometimes I think I might like it, then I think about the heat and the humidity and I think I would be miserable down there.

I don't even know where the heck to go. I'd love to be out west for all the outdoor activities, but that's prohibitively expensive as well.

 

Ah yeah, Broward...there's lots of nice places in Florida. Broward aint' one of them. $#!+ can happen anywhere though. Gotta pick your battles; I don't like being skipped in line either but sometimes ya gotta look at the big picture, maybe let it go and enjoy the rest of the evening.

 

Lmao not really. We ended up trying to leave, but he kept following us around the side of the house to the front (party was in the back yard). At one point, he tried to rush me from the back, but I was watching him the whole time. When he attempted the sucker punch, I dodged it and cause him to stumble. When he got up, I punched him and he just ran to the back yard. Next thing you know, we have a crowd of people chasing us and that’s where I got jumped.

 

It’s just a thought I through out there, man. Don’t have any intel that backs my story up. I’ve seen people cause commotion and end up acting like the victims. They couldn’t handle the embarrassment and then they go cry to the police.

 

On the other hand, I've been thinking for far too many winters "this will be my last winter, this will be my last winter, THIS WILL BE MY LAST WINTER" and it's not my last winter

 

I don't really mind the winter. I never dread winter the way I do summer, I always figure if I'm cold I can just throw on another layer.

About 5 years ago I was dead set on moving to San Diego for the weather. It truly is perfect out there. The more I looked into it though, the more cost of living dissuaded me. Great place to be homeless though, I guess LOL

 

That’s my thinking, but try not to let folks know, as it’s one way to keep the tourist numbers down.

 

Dude, stop tempting me.

100 degrees plus high humidity = 4Runner in safari mode for me here in NJ. I wish I could do it more of the year, but half the time it's too cold.

 

Young couples didn’t used to live in 4000 sq ft homes with multi-zone AC and granite counters. Families didn’t used to piss away several hundreds of dollars a month on connectivity and television. Cars weren’t so costly and folks didn’t spend every spare moment driving around. Folks didn’t pay half their income to all those hidden taxes. Money was better spent in the older days.

 

Some of us can wear shorts and tee shirts in the snow. I don’t do it as much any more, but I’ve been know to shovel or snow blow in boots, socks, shorts and a winter coat (just need to keep the core warm). The last 3 days I have been a walking puddle, highs in the mid 80s and very humid. Rained this morning and stopped about 8, around 11 someone saw me and asked if it was raining out again. Yesterday, someone pointed out to my wife (we work in the same school district) how my shirt was slowly looking like it was changing colors as it absorbed my sweat, and that was while I was just sitting watching a presentation. Favorite days top out about 70.

 

https://youtu.be/2maNV8O352M

 

Did having the money for this stuff come first so corporations filled the need? Or did the stuff arrive and we now work more to get said stuff?

and yes the continued adding of stuff to vehicles continue to push the costs up, just like our appliances. I just saw an add for a fridge that they celebrate you can have it contact your family member to tell them dinner is ready. Never realized how important that would be, now I got to have it.

 

I love Wisconsin, and I love the people here. But, I can't wait to retire and move to Florida (not in the crazy areas). Kayak fishing in January; yes, please!

I've met a few people who wear shorts all winter. I don't get it.

My favorite thing is seeing all of the guys who go out roaming the town in their jogging shorts on the first 50+ degree day in February or March. Like, it's still jeans weather, weirdo. Take it easy!

 

True. I remember when I was wiring all kinds of oversized, overpriced, cookie cutter homes before the market collapsed in '08. I constantly wondered how so many people could afford such big homes. Then, we found out they couldn't.

It seems like we're headed that way, again.

I don't spend anything on cable TV. I get enough channels for free. And, If there's nothing on, I have a stack of my favorite movies that I am always happy to rewatch.

 

I think they're more concentrated in the big cities. I've spent about 2 weeks down there every winter since 2016. I tend to stay out of the exciting areas. . I did drive to the Keys last winter, and it was surprisingly cool.

Are you still down there?

 

My Mom's BF has a place on Pine Island. Super laid back. No beaches, no resorts, nothing fancy. Just dive bars and bait shops. My kind of living.

I hope to make the Keys a regular stop. I drove through the Everglades on the way down, and just, wow, what a beautiful place! It was cool seeing alligators just hanging out in nature.

No interest in Miami, Orlando, etc. I might try to get on lake Okeechobee one of these times.

 

I say the income came first. Dual income. The market will charge what you can pay. Look at what insurance has done to medical care prices.
It seems to me that perhaps if so much money wasn’t spent on the frivolous stuff and taxes most couples could go back to one bread winner and their children could be raised by the other parent. With so many single parents now it takes an even higher income to get by. As far as taxes, EVERYTHING has a tax on it even after all our payroll withholding. Insurance, phone, gas, car rentals, hotels, sales taxes approaching 10% in some areas,…..We are paying half of our income to an ever more intrusive government.
Now that I’m started, what if everything wasn’t made overseas and the stuff you buy meant more folks had a decent job producing stuff rather sitting around living on your tax dollars. Either way we pay but one way has the bloated inefficiency of government involved. Perhaps we could afford more single earner families?

 

I agree, as both parents started working, families had some disposable income, so they spent more. This increased consumerism created more employment demand, which then increases wages. How do corporations increase wages, it isn’t cut profits, increase the price. And here it really takes off.

I know folks need to earn a livable wage, but increase in wages is an immediate plus for government taxes. Does the percent of taxes you pay decrease cause you make more?

saw this last night, https://wgme.com/news/nation-world/...-despite-feds-higher-interest-rates-inflation

 

That's me. Those first 50 degree days on the tail end of winter is shorts and t-shirts weather for sure. I mean, I'll still wear jeans and a hoodie, but if I'm out running or riding, it's shorts for sure. The funny thing is, being in New England, that first 50 degree day can be anywhere between January and May haha.

 

Same! This has been a brutal summer. Quite a few days I'd get home from work and just veg in front of the AC. Even my dog doesn't want to be out in heat humidity. I can't stand being sweaty due to the simple act of just existing, I get cranky and miserable. Too many days this summer I'd be drenched just walking my dog around the block at 530am, which sets the stage for having a wonderful day /s/. I'd much rather deal with 30 degrees than 80 and humid.

 

I get it if you're exercising. I'm talking about the guys you see at the gas station, wearing like basketball shorts, but still wearing a hoodie or jacket.

We usually get a random week of unseasonably warm weather in January or February. Then, it goes back to sucking until anywhere between March and May.

 

I'm not a fan of sweating my ass off just standing there, either. One thing I did this year that helped was to keep my AC set to ~78°, so it's not such a shock walking out into the heat. I was still hot, but not as miserable.

 

No Ac here. Last time we had it, 75 outside became to warm to do anything.
On the really hot evenings, we go out to eat somewhere with AC. While we are out, the window fans are set up to move air thru the house, and it usually is ok when we get back. During the day, we can keep our house about 10 degrees cooler, until about 4ish, when it flips if we are not prepared with the fans.