I sob like a baby when I watch Practical Magic (Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman.) Same with Disney’s Moana. Neither movie is really advertised as bring particularly deep or philosophical, but both of them have more profundity than appears on the surface. PM is about love, death, and family. Moana is about determination, joy, and redemption. Big emotions.

You said the scar is very thin, so you might get results from an over the counter product like Scargo, especially if the scar isn’t too old. I’ve used it successfully before.

I didn’t know there was an Islamic dilemma. Also, I don’t care about it any more than I would care about a dilemma in any other religion. Religion is such a cancer in the world, I prefer to keep my mind clear of it.

I binged the whole thing the other day. Addictive, although gory and laden with F-bombs.

Let’s turn the question around. You benefit from the many things other people’s taxes have provided, even before you were born. You were probably born in a hospital funded by taxes. The hospital staff was educated by public schools and federally subsidized student loans. You drive on public roads, and are (at least in theory,) protected by publicly funded cops, firefighters, and military. (I did say in theory.) You probably get your electricity, water, sewer and trash pickup from a public utility - even though you pay for your usage, you still benefit from the public expenditure to build and maintain that infrastructure.

So the real question is how is not paying taxes not theft? You’d be a freeloader, stealing from the rest of us.

Um? My whole body? I don’t really understand this question. All my body parts have issues. I wouldn’t say they’re causing problems, though. I have an illness that causes problems, my body is doing the best it can. Never blame your body for experiencing pain. It’s not its fault.

There is lots of great content on YouTube, but you need to do some work to shake it loose. On the thumbnail page, click on the dots next to the image and choose “not interested” to get rid of the same ones showing repeatedly.

Try searching for terms you are interested in. Once you watch a couple of videos on the same subject, they’ll keep trying to show you more, which one be a good thing or not, depending.

Creators come and go, so finding new ones is an ongoing process.

Don’t confuse the country with the people or the land. While many humans do seem to be an utter waste of space, the species is still worth preserving (imo.)

Alas, I understand all too well about leaving the theater before the rush. I’m liable to do that, too.

I feel like a certain amount of numb might be the best thing for you right now. The relationship is over. He is not going to give you what you want, but you keep trying to draw him back in. You’re keeping your own wounds open. The fact that he’s not emotionally healthy enough to cut you off doesn’t make your behavior any healthier.

You said you want someone to “fight for you.” What does that mean? Fight who? You’re not a princess locked in a storybook castle, are you? Real life isn’t a fairytale. It’s not a movie. Real love isn’t about drama. It’s about just normal caring. Until you can rescue your own mind from the bullshit Hollywood has fed you, you will have a very hard time being part of a genuinely loving relationship.

Cut this dude loose. Look after yourself. Let your princess out of her tower, so she can live in the real world.

To quote Kenan Thompson, “ain’t nothing gonna happen.” It doesn’t make the slightest difference what any of these monsters admit, or how solid the evidence. None of their crimes are news. They’ve been blatant all along, and we all know it. There is no Big Fix for us. We have already fallen for Lucy’s football too many times. Look at history. When it’s fascism time, the fascists will fascist, and the rest of us will just have to get down there in the trenches and fight. Together.

But…WHYYYY? The stupid show wasn’t even that good. Read the books!

Oh, that’s very interesting. I never knew what the mechanism was. I never really learned if it had a specific name. It was just something I finally figured out for myself after a lot of grief with no answers from the doctors.

You’re correct, and things like celery powder do contain nitrites. These workarounds have never caused me any problems, but I’m sure people vary. I can eat regular bacon every once in a while and be fine, it’s only after a few days buildup that I start the Big Itch (followed by the big hives.) Everyone has to work out their own tolerances.

And if all else fails, Bill Burr has a short lotion seminar for white people. https://youtu.be/RiH-_ZUILk0

Another possibility that I had to discover for myself is a sensitivity to nitrites such as you find in bacon and deli meats. Or sulfates in wine. These are not allergies, and benedryl won’t help, although prednisone will make it temporarily go away. I had to just stop eating those foods, although now they’re offering more “uncured” meats, which don’t bother me.

I’ve been buying glasses online for decades, and have never had a problem with quality. Or really any problem at all. I’ve used EyeBuyDirect, Zenni, and others, and have always been happy. In fact, I would much rather buy glasses online than in person.

Most of them have clever websites that let you virtually try on the frames and get an accurate view of how they will look. The frames are just fine, and the lenses are cut correctly and polished. My grandmother and my aunt were both opticians, and I have been wearing glasses since I was a kid, so I know a little about quality.

Maude. Everyone remembers Bea Arthur for The Golden Girls, but forgets about the hit show she starred in before that. Like GG, Maude was bold, especially for a show about a middle class marriage. At one point, Maude even had an abortion.

It’s amazing how times have changed since SOAP first aired. At the time, it was groundbreaking, a real breath of fresh air, and completely hilarious. Nowadays, it’s CRINGE! It helped to change the culture, but also rendered itself obsolete.

Here’s a very early positive thing. I used to be afraid to drive on the freeway because spinal issues make it hard for me to turn my head to check my blind spot. I’ve nearly caused wrecks like that, so I just didn’t go on the freeway at all. When I mentioned this in a forum, long before the days of FB, someone told me about blind spot mirrors. I fixed my problem for less than ten dollars, changed my life.

I don’t think that’s true, at least in the US. Patterns can be copyrighted, but since there are so many iterations of similar styles and patterns, it’s probably tough to enforce (not that I’ve ever tried.)