OMG yes! It would just be so overwrought and awful. How my parents can even take me seriously now blows my mind.

I should do that - just have a board of the most played out/ridiculous shit out there and see if my friends stage an intervention.

Thank you! It’s not graceful but god doesn’t always give with both hands.

That’s hugely encouraging! She’s the first one in our family to go Greek so there was this moment where we all looked at each other and blinked in silence like, “wait, what?” but I think it has been hugely helpful in terms of an organized place where she feels heard and can contribute. So I love that! it’s a state…

Absolutely. Which is why I acknowledge I am a cranky old lady :) And I guess it’s one thing to genuinely like that stuff but also another to do it because Pinterest told you to.

Haha, I try! I’m sure they think I’m insane sometimes when I go off on a Julia Sugarbaker-style rant but whatever. They’ve grown up in a small town and haven’t been exposed to a lot of varying viewpoints. They’re still in school in the same town where they grew up, but they’re doing great in their classes and are…

Ha! Love it. I feel you on the location being key for work. We’re in tech-adjacent industries so Silicon Valley is the place to be.

I’ve definitely used it as inspiration for the holidays (table decorations and such) but the DIY stuff? Ain’t nobody got time for that!

GOOD CALL, FRIEND. I do like it here (I grew up here so it’s nice to be back) and it’s a good location to be able to help care for our parents and be with any set in a relatively quick manner. But I don’t know if this is it for us super long-term?

Best of luck and please report back in case we decide to lose our minds and dive into that realm here (SF Bay Area)!!

Fucking Instagram AND Pinterest. My college-aged nieces (who both have boyfriends) have wedding boards they pin to all the fucking time. It’s a ton of crafty shit (mason jars and chalboard signs and hankies to give to Daddy promising to be his little girl forever BAAARRFFF) and also tons of gaudy rings that look fake…

BTW: I wasn’t being dismissive of your down payment comment, just live in an obscenely expensive area where buying seems impossible so a lot of people say “fuck it” and put the money towards other stuff because it’s not less painful than being outbid on houses. :)

Or literally anything else...travel, kids, put money toward retirement. The possibilities are endless!

You are not the first person to mention this and every time it comes up I do a little scissor kick with glee. Just the idea of it is great.

Haha, fair enough: food is pretty damn important!

And maybe you would have felt differently if you had no say in if/when you got to return to the land of hot running water? Even as a guide you knew when you’d be done with a trip, right, and at least had the option, right? I mean, on the weekends hanging out binge watching Netflix I feel fine skipping a shower, but if…

My ex had been deployed several times and basically said that he discovered that he could deal without a lot of the comforts of home (booze, good food, a toilet) but he missed (regular) showers. I think if it’s taken from you there’s a different level of appreciation. And of course, he was in the desert and dirty and…

Why wasn’t that set up available in my dorm bathroom/first apartment/every damn place I’ve lived since age 18?

How/why are you getting food poisoning frequently? Are you licking shopping cart handles after a dinner out?

Pan?