3rd-ing the suggestion for an e-reader. On those you can change and enlarge the font, and the screen is much more comfortable to look at (even more comfortable than paper IMO). And remember you are reading for entertainment and pleasure. Stop reading when it stops feeling good! Go do something else.

I just made what I wanted and let them eat or not - little kids don’t really need much food, not as much as adults think. Something like 3TBSP 3 times a day! And if they are not eating enough, and wanting junky stuff I made nothing sweet for a week or two to reset their palate.

And offered a lot of different flavors early, to help develop a palate. Olives, fruits & veg, spices, textures, variety.

But none of mine were really picky. Just sometimes stubborn to exercise their will, or because they thought to hold out for dessert foods. I can go months without sweets, child. You will get hungry long before I want anything sweet.

ETA - fake choices can sometimes work too. “Do you want carrot for your vegetable, or broccoli?” And when older I would sometimes ask them to make supper and we would buy whatever ingredients so they could make what they wanted, and the rest of us would eat whatever they made. Often, macaroni and cheese but sometimes they surprised me with lentil salad or something else healthy. But I was eating disordered as a young woman (restrictive - obsessed with calories) and I don’t want them to be like that, it’s not actually good to be that obsessive about perfect diet.

My taste is pretty diverse and I love finding new music. Much closer to you on that axis.

I went to school where I live and it was abysmal. My oldest 2 I homeschooled for a few years, eventually found a good school they could go to. Those 2 had a much better attitude towards school than the later ones who had to go from pre-K, (they felt more in control of their own education) and similar academic achievement in the end.

I sure as heck could not have homeschooled them through high school. And they did plenty of things with other kids, and more with mixed age groups than school kids do.

It’s possible the kids you met who were awkward were homeschooled because they were so socially awkward and not the other way around. Mine can socialize circles around me, and I’d say the 2 who started later are more socially adept.

ETA 2 things. Homeschooling is well supported by the school district, kids get tested every year. And no we are not religious.

When I was younger I got a lot of “what are you?” Well asked that way yeah, I think it’s rude. Also, I really don’t know, usually say mostly southern European because that I know about, and England if you go back far enough but everyone has so many ancestors at that point, it doesn’t make sense really, I think you have to go pretty far back to get to any other country, I am from here.

My youngest is a trans guy and one of the warnings on the paper from the endocrinologist said you may lose the ability to get off like a woman. I know that in both men & women T drives the sex drive, but there must be some interplay between all of the hormones. I have never been with a guy who seemed to FEEL as much as I do, though most seem to enjoy it as much. Menopause muted it a little but even now it’s pretty intense.

I am sorry to say I think all women have experience with this. For me, I mostly just was not as traumatized as I’d expect someone to be, it would be more traumatic to bring it up, so I just moved on. Only if someone asks do I disclose it. If it was someone who later became powerful I might feel different though, right? Might feel like if he did that to me, he doubtless hurt others, and it might possibly do some good.

It really depends on the cut. Some are buttery soft when rare and tough as nails well done, others are so very good cooked down for hours. I find that reverse sear or sous vide/sear are the only way I can please everyone in our household. Husband and youngest like medium well on all of them (husband can be convinced if it’s the right cut) but youngest will cut it up & throw it on a pan lol ke fajita meat. Penultimate child & I like the ones that are best “cooked on the outside not the inside” but both of the kids do prefer the pot roast or stew meat above any sort of steak.

We don’t have beef often, so if I have time I do reverse sear.

I enjoy being in a female body so much! Don’t think penis any more ridiculous looking than lady parts, so no advantage there. But we are the original design for a human, and I can always know my kids are mine. Can’t imagine guys feel as much getting off as we do, think advantage goes to the vagina on that. Though it’s more a package deal than strictly vagina related. Suppose it might be easier to smuggle drugs with more places to hide them.

Should probably create an alt for this answer but fuck it. Threesomes are also much better as a vagina owner. Unless it’s with 2 guys who are bi, every other sort of arrangement the advantage goes to the woman or women.

I grew up here in Florida without air conditioning until I was about 25.

Really just learned to be still, that helps. Keep the windows open at night if it cools off at night.

Stay in the shade, if there is a breeze it is not bad. Fans, fans, fans. Carry a parasol if possible . Shade helps so much.

And I wait for the rainy season, ours is at the same time of year yours is. Love that time, every day it gets hot but then in the afternoon the rain comes.

ETA I think India has this covered already but stay away from synthetic fabric and cotton. Linen or silk are best, and oddly, light merino wool in a loose fit is also so good in the hot weather.

I don’t use either of those, generally. Pintos make the best chili, for veg or beef chili.

But if making a chili with chicken, black beans are the best.

You won’t wreck it, it’s chili. Taste and adjust till you like it.

How long have you had these beans, that they are expiring? Don’t they last for years?

That question is too hard, so I will just answer with the latest lyrics I brought up to anyone - was listening to Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls, not a lyrical powerhouse. But the very beginning is one of the best beginnings -

“And I’d give up forever to touch you” is such a strong opening.

Usually for me it’s more a combination of the lyrics and delivery, not just the words.

Yeah my kids all got diagnosed and I still will swear that the questionnaire they brought home had almost entirely criteria I consider normal behavior. “Can your child sit still and focus on boring tasks?” Well, can you, person asking the question? Nobody can do that, right? “Does your child annoy you sometimes with their behavior?”. What the fuck? Of course they do, that also is normal. At what point do we admit that society is forcing kids into unnatural behavior, the kids aren’t broken?

I still am ok with them taking meds to get through school & life, to feel comfortable. I just think it is an unusual person who can sit and focus on something they don’t find engaging. I sure as hell can’t.

Kids are made to run around most of the day and play. Adults are not designed to sit at a screen all day either.

I have only ever seen one musician who could play the harmonica like a musical instrument. The guy from Sister Sparrow, Jackson Kincheloe. It was such a remarkable difference from the way I’d seen it played.

ETA, if you don’t mind a YouTube link, here he is.

https://youtu.be/AKzGhLTMkd4

Most things. People underestimate the labor, time, complexity, obstacles that most jobs involve. We are wildly optimistic.

I like a small proportion of what I eat to be very very spicy. Not everything, and not every day. But sometimes it’s exactly what I want and some foods are so good that way. Lots of other flavors are sort of learned too - wine, bitter greens, there are foods I tried every year until I could like them (mango and raw tomatoes, and wines, also Swiss cheese) and I am glad I did develop a palate for them. Spicy I’ve always liked, only one of my kids was like that but all of them like it now.

I guess my hot take is that just because I like milk and/or sugar in coffee, doesn’t mean I don’t like coffee. Most people who like chocolate don’t like unsweetened baking chocolate and nobody is gatekeeping that like they do with coffee.

It’s funny I was just talking to my oldest, who said “I never feel more like a middle aged Karen than when I have to call the non emergency police line about something going on” and I said “I don’t know how I didn’t manage to raise you with a healthy fear of the police. I have called them once only.”

I remember what I called them about, too. The police helicopter was circling and circling and the baby (same one who is the woman in the comment above) kept crying because she couldn’t sleep, I called 911, asked for the non emergency #, called and asked what the heck was going on, told them if they were chasing someone they had lost them. They put me on hold then came back and said it was training! I told them it had been hours and my kid couldn’t sleep. It did end soon after (probably nothing to do with my call) and hopefully at least let them know it was problematic.

No, for most people there is a low point in their midlife somewhere, then progressively happier once past that.

I’ve never been as unhappy as an adult, as I was when a child. My least happy adult time was my 30s, and from there it’s been all upward. I’m sure once I am old old there will be health shit to worry about, but for now it’s easier to be happy than it was before, and I have seen research showing that is typical.

Such good recommendations so far. If you like comics, I will add:

Saga

Lucifer

And since I don’t see him mentioned here: anything by Ian McDonald is wonderful, and I like everything by Mike Carey too. Not swords & dragons but fantasy books.

Yes, we have community radio here, and I listen & also contribute a little $ each month.

ETA: there used to be one good commercial station too, alternative rock, but they got bought out by a bigger conglomerate and now are a Spanish station, and unfortunately not a Spanish alternative station, that would be awesome but no, just a pop station, a clone of the others we already had!