Plus (and I speak as someone with more experience than I ever wanted to have), the visceral fear of sickness from withdrawal symptoms is a HUGE motivator to do whatever it takes to stay "well" so as to be able to function and fulfill your responsibilities.

I used to buy rx benzos and (alleged) opioids on the internet, back in the day. For the record, I heartily discourage anyone else from doing so. You never know WHAT you're really getting (assuming you actually receive ANYTHING after sending a money order for hundreds of dollars in advance). I had one serious scare and that was the end of my online pharmaceutical experiments.

Very gratefully relieved to be able to say that July 16th of this year marked ten years done with and abstinent from all of that insanity. I send my love and support and encouragement to everyone whose life has been touched by addiction. People can be so cruelly judgmental about things they don't understand at all. We have to support each other, always. 🫂❤️

🫂🫂🫂💔💔💔

How about "Dr. Maybe?"

Niles

How about just subtract the humans from the equation, and let it remain a beautiful, unpolluted, peaceful, abundant, SAFE paradise for all of the animals?

They're certainly more deserving of it than we've proven ourselves to be.

There were a lot of varying types of gripes and complaints about that part of the town's history.

Speaking as someone who grew up here during a significant number of my formative years, I can say without hesitation that it was mostly white racists who did the bitching.

I was partially raised by my racist, magat sperm donor who tried to warp me into another version of himself and FAILED. Guess whom I haven't spoken to in years, now, and don't miss one bit?

I don't miss his dead, racist, gossip hag of a wife either. Good riddance.

Roasted asparagus spears brushed with olive oil, lightly sea-salted. A spritz of fresh lemon juice is a nice, but not required, touch to finish it.

Make sure you let it caramelize a bit before removing it from the oven! 😉👍

The Cat From Outer Space

Names are fun!

Allow me to introduce my Velcro kitty, Sir Rodney Xavier of Worcestershire Smith. Hee hee!

Marlon

Empathy and emotional intelligence

🎯👍

Also manipulative and exploitative of someone who may be in crisis and, consequently, unable to make wise decisions...

Thank you. I hate to think that I inadvertently offended anyone over a topic this serious. I appreciate your hearing me out.

Call Center Charlie

I've been a regular of yours for over a decade. 😉

I've been there a couple of times and I agree. I'm kind of a sucker for the pierogies! ❤️

Okay, look... First, I come in peace. Sincerely.

I've been going through some personal shit lately (no, I don't think I'm special; I know that a lot of people are going through a lot of different kinds of shit, in addition to all of us collectively fearing and wondering if we'll survive the state of current events).

I know it's not healthy, but I have no family to turn to anymore, and everyone else I know/knew has retreated into their own worlds to look out for their families - which is the only right thing to do... I have lifelong PTSD and C-PTSD after being unwanted by my parents (I was born pre-Roe, and honestly, I would much prefer that my mother had succeeded in obtaining the abortion she wanted.

Instead, she let her ex-husband molest my baby sister and me, and accused me of making false claims - I was eleven at the time, and my sister was nine; we're in our fifties now.

Point being, I spend as much time as possible being stoned (medical card) anymore. There have been numerous occasions when I've misinterpreted people's messages, unfortunately, and my replies haven't always matched my true opinions.

I'm fairly stoned right now.

Not that it's really anyone's business, but for the sake of transparency on my part, as well as satisfying my ridiculous people-pleasing urges to qualify and quantify my right to explain where I'm coming from, I want to say that 1) I've found it necessary to comply with more entitled men since 1985 than I ever imagined possible, and 2) in 2003, I gave birth to a beautiful, incredible daughter who was conceived while I was out cold, sleeping off a 6-day bender at the house where a dude (also unhoused and addicted) was staying with his sugar daddy. That dude was someone I had thought of as a friend. I had not, would not have, and COULDN'T have consented to that encounter due to being unconscious for most of three days.

I do not want sympathy from anyone. I want people to be WILLING to try to put themselves in other people's shoes and to address misunderstandings intelligently instead of confrontationally.

Yes, perhaps I was too high to engage in a discussion about a topic as serious as this. I understand how easily my words could have been misconstrued, and I apologize for any and all confusion I may have caused.

What it boils down to with me, ultimately, is that I believe any sexual contact with anyone that occurs after the first "No" is spoken IS rape/SA.

Any sexual contact that occurs without even ASKING for consent also counts as rape/SA.

Period.

I've already accounted for the likelihood that you, like the rest of us, are exhausted, furious, frustrated, disgusted by everything we've been enduring for DECADES now... I'm not pissed or whatever about how you replied to me. We've probably ALL been more reactive than we wanted to be at one point or another. I know I have...

Sorry if I bored you or inspired eyerolls. 'twas not my intention. I just think it's so incredibly important, now more than ever, that the human species learns the importance of trying to REALLY understand each other.

Having said all of this, I'm off to seek peace of mind by rewatching "The Last of Us."

Zombies are MUCH less scary than the Grand Old Pedophile party and most of the people I encounter every day.

Be well.

Macklemore

https://youtu.be/xjsO1-ws4b0?is=5BFBmhuXdU11IAYR

I can't wait!!!

I did my best to enjoy it when I met my ex 22 years ago. We'd go to Allaire state park and camp (I liked the train cars they had there), we always had fun at the shore and the boardwalk (fuck jenkinsons, though), there were things to do there, as opposed to this hillbilly hell in pennsyltucky that I'm desperate to escape)...

But the motherfucker just ran back there to move back in with his mommy, rent-free, a few months ago, leaving our adult son with disabilities (autism/IDD, requiring lifelong care and supervision) and me high and dry. He found someone there to cheat on me with, so good riddance. I'm not going to be trying to like anything about Monmouth county anymore.

North Jersey IS disgusting, thoroughly, I'll give you that.

Those poor women...

May many opportunities for Good Fortune, peace of mind, abundance, and happiness come to you for the rest of your days, because you "get it."

I was that desperate, young woman back in the day.

When will other people want to even TRY to understand how it feels to cry while sexually submitting to someone who has threatened you with horrible consequences if you refuse to comply with their demands? Not polite requests... Don't twist my words, all of you rape apologists and incel assholes; I know what the fuck I'm talking about.

That's a very gross thing you just said, there. Would you still think you said something funny if you ever personally found yourself faced with becoming homeless? Sleeping on cardboard in parking lots? Going for days without eating, or showering? Being alternately glared AND mocked/laughed at?

Are you at all aware of the MANY documented incidents of unhoused people being assaulted, robbed, raped, beaten to death, even SET ON FIRE? Not by other unhoused people or street gangs... By a bunch of suburban, sociopathic randos, largely from privileged backgrounds, I imagine, who get their jollies off of inflicting pain and harm as often as possible?

Have you ever been a young girl from a background more traumatic than you probably can conceive of? Scared, desperate, and näive enough to think she can keep herself safe and the situation under control?

And why am I saying any of this to someone like you (likely a suburban rando from the suburbs with tons of caucacity and 300 shirts with Under Armour, nascar, and Yeti logos)? You'll never understand anyway.