• 9 Posts
  • 88 Comments
Joined 2 years ago
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Cake day: June 16th, 2023

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  • I used to browse certain subreddits for negativity bait. Eventually I decided that I didn’t want to immerse myself in a negative mindset so often.

    The trick for me was to recognize those moments when I was on auto-pilot and navigating to those spaces because I was bored and it was a reflex. I would remind myself that I know it’s bad for me, and then force myself to do literally anything else. Go to some other website. Vacuum the floor. Put on some music and go for a walk. Eventually I lost that reflexive instinct, and now I have no desire to go back to those places.

    I’m not going to pretend that what worked for me will work for anyone else, nor will I say that I’m now a better person for avoiding those spaces. I’ve probably replaced that habit with an equally pointless one, it’s just nice to not always view things from the context of tearing others down.


  • Eh, maybe. Back during feudalism, emancipation of serfs was also considered theft from the nobles who owned the land (and thus the serfs who worked it).

    Sometimes governments implemented programs to reimburse the nobles for losing “their” serfs, and sometimes not. Now that we’re a couple centuries removed from that drama, we generally accept that the destruction of feudalism was a good thing, regardless of whether it was theft.










  • If you’re doing activities outdoors: Always bring an extra bottle of water. That is to say, bring a bottle to drink, and then another for when you get thirstier than expected. This season is relatively cool, but you really don’t want to be caught unprepared. Also: Arizona has a law requiring businesses to serve water for free if you ask. Don’t let anyone bullshit you and ask for money.

    Keep an eye on the weather reports, and do not hike down washes, ravines, or narrow canyons if there’s a rain storm anywhere nearby. Heavy rainfall several miles away can turn a sunny, dry ravine into a raging torrent that can kill. If you see a road that’s currently flowing with water, don’t try to cross it, even in a big car. You don’t know how deep it really is, and even just a few cms of fast water is enough to sweep a person off their feet and drown them. It doesn’t take much more to get a car stuck.

    If you’re going to Northern Arizona, bring warm clothes. People can be caught unprepared when they leave Phoenix for a day trip and it’s 60⁰F, but when they get to Flagstaff 2h later it’s snowing.

    If you see a Jumping Cholla:

    Don’t get too close. Their spines are longer than they look because they get so thin as to be nearly invisible.