Lol! Thanks! I think my "new life" will include a cat. I can't afford to take care of two humans and a cat. I also never thought it would be fair to bring a cat into this stressful, chaotic environment.

There was an NPR broadcast a few years ago about a cache of old cylinders of off-color humor that were supposed to have been destroyed under the Comstock Act, but somehow survived intact. I’d love to hear them but the culture was so different back then that they might vary from cringey to hard to comprehend.

I've only had goya champaru once, it was very yummy but it wasn't in Okinawa so I have no idea how authentic it was.

@RealPlayer I love it! That's definitely MD material!!

Reminds me of the parents of the Columbine killers.

"he committed an unspeakable blunder to lose from a winning position and then pounded the table in disgust.." I can do that.

few things can piss me off more than domestic cats running at large.

For diehard NYers, especially if they got a great deal on rent, they’ll hobble up and down stairs for several floors, age and infirmity be damned. If they really can’t handle it, they’ll move to an elevator building. We live in a conventional house and moved our bedroom from an upper floor to the main floor after my wife’s second knee surgery. We’re wusses.

@Big_Al said in Working Dogs for Conservation: I wondered if piqué knows about them or the women at the heart of the organization? They appear to be carpetbaggers. I've spent decades immersed in conservation issues in the region, I've interviewed and/or am friends with all the major players in the state, and I've never heard of a single one of these people. They seem to have little to no connection to Montana or Missoula. And as someone who was on staff of a local non-profit myself in the aughts, I have to wonder if this is some kind of boondoggle (no pun intended). It works like this: Set up a cool-sounding 501c-3 and then write up a bunch of blather in grant proposals to get angel funders and you're off. The staff is ridiculously huge for a project with such a tiny niche. I find that suspicious.

See, that's why diversification is so important.

@wtg said in Real estate transaction question: But I think it's wise to remember that this is a business deal for all the parties involved. I know that was hard for me! It doesn't feel like just business! Each one of them (buyer, seller, buyer's agent, seller's agent) will be looking out for their own interests. Yep, and this is so hard, because I think people want to trust each other, and it's easy to develop what feels like a friendship with one's agent. But it's important to always keep a healthy skepticism. Your friend is lucky to have had your help! @wtg said in Real estate transaction question: Also the part about the buyer, whether they need the cash for the repair I don't quite understand this. edit: I mean it's ok to be aware of it, but he is not their financial manager. No, but what I meant was that, it's not necessarily only the agents who stand to benefit from the closing credit option, so he doesn't have to interpret his agent's suggestion of that as absolute evidence that he's going to be taken advantage of. The closing credit option could be just what the buyer needs/wants and could make it possible to close the deal. But yes, all the details matter and he should absolutely be paying attention to the small print! (And not just taking his agent's word for each detail)

@AdagioM I’ve found that the IP isn’t great as a slow cooker. It heats from the bottom, there’s no ceramic crock to spread the heat up the sides, and it runs hot. I like the results from a Dutch oven better anyway.

Karine Jean-Pierre. Dem -> Ind https://www.axios.com/2025/06/04/karine-jean-pierre-independent-new-book