often are looking for fleeting pleasures to mask trauma or other mental health challenges.

I thought I told you to stop reading my journal.

Oh, he gets butt nekkid.

What is a juggalo?

This is exactly it. I’m glad you could explain it better than I could. I still don’t understand it necessarily, but I don’t understand a lot of what I lived so I’ll survive.

I mean I really only solved it by having accounts I don’t look at (emergency fund, retirement), accounts I use regularly (bill pay, “entertainment”) and an accountant who helped me set it up so I wasn’t spending every dime. It can be done by yourself but I wasn’t psychologically prepared. I’m also the only employee of my LLC so there’s a business account but it’s just taxes, my salary, and enough for a new computer every few years. That’s not my account and I never personally touch it.

I was planning on a good afternoon of crying anyway.

Struggling taught me that if I don’t use my money right now it’ll be gone.

And I’m not saying that to contradict you. It’s funny how different people learn different lessons from the same experience. I grew up dirt poor. If I didn’t spend my money as a kid it might be called upon. And that’s the lesson I took for years. I didn’t really start saving seriously until I was closing in on 40. I have money in retirement now (and will likely retire early), but it’s because I did without for a few years trying to play catch up while making good money. It’s not a tactic I recommend. If I had started it back when I was 18 I could be really close to retirement right now.

Depends on the day. Between a few hours and a few days. If I’ve got something due at work later in the day, hours. If I have no hard deliverables for a few weeks then one of the bars where I’m a regular and play music would be the first to figure it out. All the bartenders and sound guys know how to get in touch with me.

Mom would figure it out in a month or so.

I drop off the earth pretty frequently but I always keep my gig and work commitments or call if I can’t. So it depends on my next commitment, which happens pretty much weekly.

But did you do it again at half past 2?

In Trump’s letter to the Persians, chapter 14 verse 88.

Oh, and I just read your username. We’ve played the White Oak Music Hall if your name is a reference to Houston. Used to play Acadia back when it was open.

Oh trivia is great as well! There are a few other things depending on inclination. Some of the local joints here do paint and sip, line dancing, salsa dancing, wine pairing potlucks, and a bunch of other activities. If you add in breweries or distilleries you can find even more stuff.

But I say that knowing bars aren’t for everyone for a variety of reasons. Not every area has breweries and distilleries.

And yeah, karaoke is a different level of outgoing. I enjoy it in small doses and will fill in as the KDJ if someone needs me to, but doing that every week (or 3 times a week like some of these folks) is a bit much for me, and that’s coming from a dude who has a hobby of playing music in bars.

I do like local live music shows for that if you’re into local music, especially if you hit up the same venue every week for a bit. You’ll meet the other regulars.

A buddy of mine goes to karaoke every week, rain or shine. He moved to a new place a few years ago and within a couple of months he already had a group that he could hang out with elsewhere.

Survivorship bias.

He went to Greece for the flood.

A big city not in the South. Houston and Dallas are #4 and #9. There’s public transit but it fucking sucks both places.

My childhood buddy lost half his teeth that way.

I’m thinking that’s what he’s doing here. He’s threatening to fracture the furthest right to get what he wants and he’ll spend a pile to do it. I’m convinced this is his play to buy the Republican party.

They watched Point Break one too many times.

Yep. Pepper plants as well. I just give mine a good shake unless I’m crossing specific varieties in a wind-less environment looking for specific outcomes.

If I’ve got a cool cross I’ll put it under grow lights in the garage and pollinate it by using a cotton swab. If everything works out in a few generations I have a neat new breed by self pollinating a cross breed.

Edit: I’m not growing peppers in a Windows environment. That’ll teach me to comment while drunk! (No it won’t)

Hear me out. Have you tried them grilled in garlic butter with a little sprinkle of parmesan?

If it’s not for you then you won’t get any hate from me. I just wanted to throw that out there.