jpreston2005

@jpreston2005@lemmy.world

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Am I a bad friend/rude for not engaging with my friends and giving one-word responses?⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago⁩:

  I know they will be there for me when I need it

  Here’s the thing, relationships take work. Not just marriages or romantic ones, they all take work. Effort needs to be made by both parties, or else the relationship will die. I had a friend that affectionately called it “friend work,” where they would spend a bit of time each day putting in the effort needed to maintain a healthy friendship, because if she didn’t, then the relationship would suffer for it.

  Not wanting to engage in the world right now is very common, and downright reasonable considering the general state of things. If a relationship you have with someone is mentally stressing you, or sapping your energy, consider whether or not that relationship is valuable to you, and act accordingly. If the relationship is important to you, and you want it to continue or grow, then you have to put effort into it. If the relationship is one-sided, and feels draining, and you want it to end, then put forth zero effort into it, and it will naturally go away.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨my version is better⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  I cannot hear this song without thinking that the background singers are repeatedly saying “cut your balls off” during the refrain

  Billy Idol - Mony Mony

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Speaking honestly, what has to happen for you personally to take to the street in protest of the current administration.⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  protesting is where you meet these communities and working groups.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Speaking honestly, what has to happen for you personally to take to the street in protest of the current administration.⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  Same. I was there for the Women’s march, there for BLM, after George Floyd, and most recently for the 50501 (which was surprisingly well attended despite it’s quick set-up). Let me know if there’s another one, and I’ll be there too. All it takes for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Hi-Rez Studios is laying off further employees and ending development on Smite, Paladins, and Rogue Company⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  the graphics seem worse somehow

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Does anyone actually know what MAGA all agree they are getting out of all this?⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  This really is the only right answer.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨What is a metaphor you like in your language?⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  When I was young, myself and a group of friends were being accosted by a disheveled man on our walk home from the bar. We didn’t really understand what he was saying, but we were able to discern one phrase, as he told us to “Put the pussy on a chain wax”

  We had no idea what it meant, and thought it was hilarious, so we’d oft repeat it at random.

  Thinking about it now, I suddenly realize what he meant. He was referring to the woman in our group, telling us to pimp her out, by putting her up against a chain-link fence that were so plentiful in rough neighborhoods where we grew up.

  So now I’m telling you, so that if you ever encounter this gentleman, you’ll know what he’s talking about 😶‍👍

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Ordering coffee in the USA triggers me⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  If you went to any other coffee store that isn’t a mcdonalds-ified chain, they would have given you what you wanted.

  This is like you complaining about not getting a medium rare burger from mcdonalds.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨In the U.S. in the 1980s, kids were told by this PSA that their teeth needed exercise, so they should chew crunchy food.⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  I can’t tell if they have rolled up jeans, or if they’re wearing leg warmers 🤔

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨In the U.S. in the 1980s, kids were told by this PSA that their teeth needed exercise, so they should chew crunchy food.⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Funny, I always figured that chewing large amounts of chewing gum for extended periods would be a better exercise. I used to do it a lot to try to increase my weak ass jawline.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Why does it seem like Americans have become so hateful and destructive in the past years?⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  When I visited Europe, I had a great time talking with strangers there. One in particular said something similar, in that he thought Americans were just inherently more violent.

  Listen, the reality of the situation is that we’re just as friendly and kind as we ever were. Americans are literally the most charitable population. But we’re also living in times of great wealth inequality, while our health insurance is still tied to employment. Something like half a million of us go bankrupt every year from medical debt. We are also all uniquely aware that some people will randomly get lucky, and get a massive windfall of money. Money here doesn’t just mean comfort, it means security, because if ever our luck runs out, there is no social safety net waiting to catch us. People can and often do go from the highest echelons of the social ladder, to living under a bridge, dying of some easily cured disease.

  In America, it’s dog eat dog. It’s a zero-sum game. Whatever money you make, is money that I won’t. And when money = security, it means that however secure you are, is how less secure I am. 300 million of us all playing the prisoners dilemma. If we work together we could all have a good outcome, but there are so many of us that have fully bought into the me vs. everyone mentality, that it’s a near impossibility of getting all us prisoners to work together.

  But a big mistake, is looking at boomer news (fox news, newsmax, oann) and thinking it reflects reality. It doesn’t. That is 100% hateful news for hateful people. If you like getting a dopamine rush from looking down on others, or doomscrolling, or in being afraid, then faux news is what you watch. Don’t mistake it with America, because it isn’t. It is actively poisoning Americans, but if ever you were to get an active faux news watcher to turn it off, sit down, and have a chat, you’d be surprised at how friendly they were. They are people who bought into the zero sum game, but even they know how/when to be charitable.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨What's making it into the good parts, my fellow philosoraptors?⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  When I was a kid, I couldn’t help but intrinsically understand that the bible is not some literal document, but a collection of fables with metaphors for life. Because way back then, without a civilized society, you needed a bit of fire and brimstone to help keep would-be evil-doers at bay.

  The only stuff I ever enjoyed, and still carry to this day, were the New Testament teachings of Christ. Love thy neighbor, feed the hungry, shelter the poor, care for the sick, welcome the immigrant.

  Oddly enough, along with the current pope, those seem to be the only lessons that most modern day “christians” have done away with. They’ll use electron microscopy to read between the lines to demonize gay people, but when their Lord and Savior explicitly says “it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven,” all of a sudden they’re stricken blind deaf and dumb.

  I follow the teachings of the brown socialist who spent his time caring for and conversing with the lowest on the social ladder. The man who overturned the money lenders carts in the street. I dunno who the fuck everyone else is following, but it ain’t him.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨what unbiased media sources do you use?⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago⁩:

  AP, Routers, BBC, Al Jazeera.

  Whenever I want to know the facts without any editorializing, I go for AP.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Would I lie To You? - When James Acaster Didn't Get What He Wanted For Christmas⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago⁩:

  James Acaster is so gosh darn funny. As a comedian myself, I’ll always respect him for that time he released like, 4 hours of standup in one go. It was brilliant.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨I'm pretty sure all of us have given up on any boomer giving us anything anyway⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago⁩:

  Considering that rich boomer parents are almost exclusively fucking terrible, I’d say having to grow up with them makes it more palatable. They may get some money, but they never got love.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨How would you describe a power-lifter-type physique specifically?⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago⁩:

  “built like a brick shit house”

  “Off-season body builder”

  “strongman”

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Excellent anti smoking ad⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  I have a disabled neighbor that I help out around the house every now and then, she’s been a smoker for decades. Long enough that she had to get tracheotomy so she breathes through a hole in her neck. Hasn’t stopped her from smoking like a pack a day. Because of her disability and advancing age, a very kind neighbor built her a house and gave it to her for free. Her smoking has ruined that cute little two bedroom, to the point that everything in there is stained nicotine yellow, and reeks. That house will just have to be torn down when she leaves, because they’d have to gut the entire thing just to get rid of the smell. It’s disgusting, and the fact that she got that house for nothing makes me all the more pissed about it.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨No one showed up to his party⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  of course, they all said yes. invited 20-ish people, hoped for 7-10, got none. They started bailing about a day before, but only 4 definitively said they couldn’t make it.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨No one showed up to his party⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  My last party went much like this. First party thrown since the divorce, went all out on a halloween costume party. Was hounding my best friend about it for months, only for him to flake saying he didn’t want to drive the 40 minutes to my house. Nobody came, spent over $1000 on decorations alone. I’ll throw another party at some point, but I’ll need to find some new friends first.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨What are your favorite 1000+ hour games?⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  DOTA 2 is my primary time waster, have over 3000+ hours on it. It’s endlessly entertaining, because there is so much variability in the games. You have 4-8 spells depending on the hero, with 6 active item slots, which means once your team has leveled up, team fights can be a burst of seconds, or a 5+ minute long affair, with each tank employing different survival strategies to block damage, heal, or escape, just to heal and get right back in it. There are multiple different game modes, but are a little challenging to find and play. Still, it is the one game I play with the steepest learning curve. I don’t think I saw myself as “good at the game” until I was around 1000 hours in 😶‍

  Smite is the only other game I have 1000+ hours in. I started playing it as a break from DOTA 2, and as a way to connect with my little brother. It’s a lot like DOTA 2, but far more simplistic. Each god has 4 spells, with no active items. Instead of left-clicking for movement on a map, you use WASD to maneuver your god. It’s fun, and you can pick it up after like 30 hours. The different game modes are a lot easier to navigate than in DOTA, but it’s also a lot less engaging. The updates and quests are all very simplistic. I was going to try out the new Smite 2, but after watching some game play, it looks… exactly the same as Smite 1.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Make sure he is a real Bear⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Honestly, if it was any other kind of car, I would have been impressed at their ingenuity and railed against the wildlife expert who outed them. But people who waste money on expensive luxury cars don’t get sympathy from me. A fuckin Rolls Royce? You thought you could get an insurance company to write off a fuckin rolls royce? If you already have the money to obtain that kind of car, you get no sympathy from me.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨is "oh boy" considered a gendered term?⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  When I was working as a line cook in college, I was one of two white guys behind the line, with the rest of our BOH (Back Of House) crew being black. One day on the line we were all joking around like we always did. One of the black cooks, named Rose (he was an older guy, with coke-bottle glasses and strong, thickly calloused hands. He had a snaggle tooth and a big ol’ pot belly), was regaling us with stories about how he has a veritable harem of women at his beck and call. He told us he was supporting like 5 different women, and all of them were entirely devoted to him.

  I thought that he was being hyperbolic, and decided that I would poke fun. I was going to say something like “Rose, I can’t believe for a second that even 1 woman would be after your ugly mug.” But my midwestern-whiteness shone through, and before I could deliver that absolute blister of a line, I decided to use an exclamation so as to punctuate my lack of belief in his statement. I started with “Ooh boy,” and didn’t get to finish.

  I was immediately accosted by Rose, his spatula gripped tightly, and he was mad as hell. The other line cooks were instantly aware of the situation and reacted to hold him back, as Rose was about to knock my befuddled ass into next week. Eventually they were able to calm him down, and explained to my dumbass that calling a black man “boy” was explicitly racist, and derogatory.

  We were fine once he realized I had no idea it was racist, I just thought of it as an exclamation along the lines of “Boy howdy!” or something.

  It was a very eye-opening moment.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Most of the trick-or-treaters have been skipping my house, and I finally figured out why⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  I loathe trunk or treat. It’s not the same as trick or treating, it’s cheating. When I was young the only way I got a bunch of candy was to run all over the neighborhood, and then run to the other neighborhoods to squeeze in more. I was out and about, acting the fool, where chicanery abounds. I’d end up at home, exhausted at the end of the night.

  Today’s kids walk around a parking lot. It’s just not the same.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Why is the price of real estate rising so dramatically?⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Here’s the nested article, i.e. the article your article is talking about: October 23, 2024, By Blair Fix; The American Housing Crisis: A Theft, Not a Shortage

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Trump cosplaying⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Wow, someone has actually died as a result of this McDiddles E. Coli outbreak? Imagine living your whole ass life, doing regular shit, being a regular ass person, and then dying to a mcdouble. WTF. Just another reason I rarely let other people cook my food.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Why do some men dis other men who sit to pee? (& follow-up questions)⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  The single greatest take-away I got from medical school, is that some doctors can be incredibly stupid. They’ll examine you, then step out into the hall and google your symptoms. I wish I was being facetious.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Why do some men dis other men who sit to pee? (& follow-up questions)⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  When I was in medical school, I had to drop a deuce during a break between lectures. While I was in there, performing spectacularly, some other guy came into the restroom (situated just outside the lecture hall) and shouted “Is somebody takin’ a shit in here!?”

  and I was just like, “…yeah, where else would I do it?”

  But I feel like that guy who openly questioned why someone would shit in a bathroom, is exactly the same type of guy that would question someones masculinity over how they choose to take a piss.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Bandai Namco reportedly tries to bore staff into quitting, skirting Japan’s labor laws⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Time to work on my screenplay/book/stand-up routine/music!

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨What Undecided Voters Look Like To Everyone Else⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Went to a local fair today in rural NC, and they had an entire tent set up for mark robinson. The self avowed nazi who wishes slavery was allowed, and who rails against abortion, but paid for one himself. that mark robinson. He had a tent, and it wasn’t actively being set on fire or run out of town. The man posted on the comments section of a porn website about how he wanted slaves, and how he likes trans porn, while being a huge transphobe.

  It’s hard to take the right seriously in any way. They’re just a bunch of clowns.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨"news" article pretends not to understand why two very different shows in two separate genres on two totally separate networks aren't judged exactly the same way.⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  It’s because Collin Farrell is a terrible actor that for some reason keeps getting big parts. He’s never been in anything good. In Bruge is OK despite him, and because of excellent performances from everyone else.