Hi human, I’m high. Are you high, too? Because this reads like something I would write while high. And I’m for serious.

Okay, this is fascinating … And makes me wonder how often this–what I will call “academic honorable discharge”–really occurs across institutions, well-known or not.

I haven’t delved into your sources yet, so this is my somewhat educated guess … Environmentally, this type of social breakdown makes sense with the lack of proper oversight, seasoned leadership, and organization appropriate to the study population. But did the low sodium diet itself serve any factor in the violence that occured in this botched study? Like, did kids being dietarily withheld a critical electrolyte affect the speed and intensity with which cracks in the camp structure split open?

Not trying to be too lighthearted here, but my guess in short: The kids went extra bonkers because of altered body and brain chemistry, with a lack of sodium (assuming the diet was initiated on Day 1) being a key aggressor in… making teen aggression more aggressive?

Right?! Especially if it was an off-the-cuff agreement. But if I had a few minutes to think it over, I would buy that anyone serious enough to get verifiable competitive offers using a third party would be serious enough to come back for those better offers if the current employer doesn’t bite. (This is assuming you can’t arrange new employment without the temp agency’s involvement for whatever contractual reason. Not sure how they typically work.)

Have you heard any specific reasons for the mail hoarder’s actions at your current workplace, or is it still a fresh case? I’m guessing it was nefarious, since the mail outbox was closer and seemingly more obvious than the secret stashing cabinet. Just wanted to be a dingus to intended mail recipients? I’d also be curious if it was all mail they handled or just select pieces. So many burning questions!!

I am a contractor so I don’t work in a standard office setting right now. I miss the heck out of juicy office gossip, at least about those who deserve such sordid stories! (Karen in accounting is actually really nice, Carl.)

With the rest of the house being normal-to-very clean, it’s almost like the parents were never able to make her clean her room because she was a territorial “devil” child, and they just let it slide for years and years.

Maybe what started as s genuine attempt at hangout ended up with her finally recognizing how embarrassing the situation was, leading to her cooling off during later chats?

Either that or it was all an elaborate ruse to get the wild child a free room cleaning and the parents were somehow in on it and everyone except you in this story is actually nuts!

Quite the spectrum of possibility, really. But honestly, I have a feeling your help might have helped her grow up and out of her family’s (or her own) neglect. It was a kind thing you did, regardless of the weird-ass circumstances!

I love this! Free cat scratchers might not seem like they have much value, but has anyone seen the price of those ready-made things?! They’re pushing $20 for a large-ish flat scratcher at lower volume places like TSC, but Target isn’t much better, still $10 for a 10" x 18" flat cheapy.

Down with bougie cat cardboard!!!

Alright. As I yield to yet another cannabis-laced existential crisis, picking idly, furiously, at my own damn identity and supposed role in whatever this place, space, realm is … Well, this hit me (pun shockingy not intended) and my current mental state so close to home, it’s not even funny. Except it is. In a bittersweet way, I love it.

I love this style of webcomic (bookcomic? lul) and I feel like I’m about to dive headlong into another beautifully depressing, identity-shattering rabbit hole like I did with Elan School.

Edit: I’d never seen this or the full book before, so if you do check out Elan School (which is non-fiction btw, at least in this reality, hahaha), be warned, it’s a lot longer than 22 pages. So worth it though. A wiiiild ride.

Alternative Protein … because sourcing your nutrients somewhat humanely from a farmed food animal is WOKE PROPAGANDA

She looks like she subsists on a diet made purely of literal crickets and collagen injections anyway. Gives her that hollow, sinewy vibe she likes so much. And with all that lean protein just sitting there, why would she not give the freshly slaughtered Cricket a little nibble? Waste not, want not after all. Now that is the conservative way, Kristi!

[I hate that I wrote this out and that I’m supposedly her constituent.]

Man, this is fucking rich, telling someone to hang with a better crowd, a crowd you couldn’t possibly know about, all the while insinuating they are trash and literally bringing them down.

Take a hard look at yourself, bud, and figure out which trash really needs to be taken out here.

And not to mention tough for their UNDERAGE CHILDREN!!!

^/s

Maybe she could spin that, too? Like she’s a bad girl, “Muy 'Mala” or something. That probably has too much of a sexist bent to it (in taken like she needs to be punished, she could probably spin that back at Trump again too, in that he needs to be punished), and probably too “sexy” in some of the more positive associations (romantically “baaaad”).

But overall, it could capture an audience who appreciates the inclusion of simple and understandable bits of a language a huge facet of American people speak on the daily. I don’t know, like friendly bits of inclusion flying back in the face of grotesque, obtuse exclusion?

Edit: I am partaking a bit and my high ass thinks I should frame this. Like the next pillar in the Character Counts set or something. OMG does anyone remember Character Counts?? Fairness and responsibility first come to mind.

Thanks for the link! The prudent thing would be for me to just not donate monetarily. As you said, no sense in jeopardizing my situation over what would maybe be $100.

As far as I can tell, political activity outside the building in which I work should be fine as a contractor employee and not a directly hired government employee. Maybe I can just offer to shuttle people to/from polling locations when the time comes!

I got the email at work this afternoon, and boy did I let out a sigh, not so much in relief, but in hope. Good for you for finishing your presidency on top, Biden. I hope he, Harris, and their staff are seeing the (general) commendation in communities like this. I really hope we can rally people to get behind Harris; I think it will be so much less of an uphill battle now to get the indifferent and the disillusioned and the “but they’re both old” voters out there with confidence.

I was holding back on donating, but I want to pitch in now. Does anyone know if you can donate as an employee of a federal contractor (i.e. I don’t hold the contract or a subcontract, I get paid by the contractor like any other employee, but my badge does say “contractor”). I can’t find a confirmatory answer online, and I don’t want to make a compromising donation since “not a federal contractor” is a requirement in the ActBlue fine print.

I had just opened my Max app for some Saturday night distraction when I saw CNN Newsroom suggested front and center, with the description “…the rally where President Trump was injured.”

This is terrifying on so many levels. At this point, it doesn’t matter who wins the election; the stage is completely set for violence come November.

I haven’t found any active comment threads on this yet, and I don’t even want to entertain the inevitable conspiracy theories and possible acts of retribution that will rise after this attempt, so I’ll leave it at this: I would be utterly shocked if “Donnie Van Gogh” memes don’t exist yet.

Just an FYI, although they aren’t physical products like this Roku, many apps and digital services have added the very same binding arbitration clauses recently.

The McDonald’s app for one. I ended up deleting the app after it tried to force me into binding arbitration and I didn’t want to go through to opt-out process for marginally cheaper, shitty food, so I just deleted the app altogether and haven’t eaten there since November.

Watch out for it if you drive for doordash or ubereats as well. I opted out of both, although they claimed you couldn’t opt out in an new contract when you didn’t before (a bunch of BS, if the current contract you are about to sign says it supercedes all others, you can’t make the lack of an opt-out on a previous contract hold up).

On-going services might make sense for these shitty enough clauses, but to be strong armed into it for physical product you bought free and clear … Disgusting.

It’s like all these companies are locking themselves down to minimize legal exposure because they know that their services and products are getting more awful or something.

Pardon my language, but holy balls. I knew AI was powerful and self-driving cars and five-second essays and convincing deep fakes and yada yada, but this … This is shaking me to my core. The refinement in composition, the surrealist allure, the subtle variations of cockroach positioning …

Gotdarn it’s too good.

I’ve been there! Shibuya Crossing. It was pretty cool to saunter across with hundreds of other people under the glow of the giant screens. We probably went back and forth three times, hehe. You can see the Hachikō (Akita famous for loyalty to his late owner) statue as well!

Not too bad! All things considered anyway. I started coming down with what turned out to be COVID last Thursday (sigh), 4 days after returning from an insanely fun time at Chicago’s Riot Fest (yay!). Lucky for me, it’s been the equivalent of a moderate cold, with much less fatigue and lack of desire to do literally anything than when I had it the first time 14 months ago. Then again, I slept well into Friday afternoon and now I can’t sleep again and it’s 4am CDT, oops.

Back to Riot Fest though… Oh man, I wish I could go back! Seeing 17 full sets from various punk rock, emo, indie, avant-garde, metal, post-hardcore bands was the highlight of my year. Turnstile, Death Cab for Cutie, Queens of the Stone Age, Mr. Bungle, AFI, and The Dresden Dolls were probably my favorite. Hawthorne Heights and Silverstein were solid, Bowling for Soup was surprisingly fun, and Death Grips was just inteeense. I’m really sad I missed Corey Feldman though, huehue.

Anywho, this is my first post ever on Lemmy. I have no idea how this will even show up (username? at something?) so this is fun. Cheers!