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2,2,1,1,1,1

One and a little bit, and husband lived in Chile, so one degree removed person-wise.

I am kind of like this (bicycle novice) because I cannot overstate how much I hated biking before the e-bike, the ridiculously painful saddles, the effort to pedal, I literally walked to work when I didn’t have the car, rather than take the goddam bicycle. This electric bike is like having a slow bike-shaped motorcycle that you pedal to help it go. A moped, if you will. Upright posture, seat relatively comfortable, feels steady when moving fast. I do try to ride mostly in the road, sidewalk only when nobody’s on it and there is traffic (so cars are moving slow enough that it makes sense and is safe enough).

Yeah I hate riding a bike but oh how I love the electric bike. I got the new Velotric Discover cruiser, it’s heavy but so much of a joy to ride my whole family takes turns riding it around the neighborhood.

My main problem is how steal-able bikes are here. I take it to work and park it inside (we are a sports company, it’s not unusual) and home and park it inside, to yoga and pop the battery out, lock the bike where it’s not visible from the main road and keep the battery inside with me, but can’t just go get a diet coke or groceries or whatever and not expect it to be gone when I come out of the shop. I do have theft insurance, but there’s no good place to lock the bike most places.

Secondary problem is dangerous roads but work/yoga I can get to on 35mph speed limit roads, and there are two groceries within same circle. Bikes just get stolen so much.

I think so, yes. Always OK. Is it always the best possible way to go? Probably not.

And no, I don’t think it matters if it’s physical or mental, what matters is balancing the risk of the drug vs. the benefit. So for example my kid takes Adderall for ADD, I don’t, because I know how much I like speed and also have a (very far past) history of disordered eating and still occasional anxiety about eating - I judge the potential risk too high even if it would “fix” my mind in one way, and make me better in that way.

But yeah, if it will improve you overall why wouldn’t it be ok?

I think it’s ok for everyone to pay something, and income tax is progressive.

Social security tax is regressive, and sales tax is regressive. So I’d remove the cap on social security, tax unearned income more, and exempt more necessary items from sales tax, if looking to get more from the more wealthy, as income tax is the only one working right - when I was poor my federal income tax was 0, when I was poor with kids I got a little more back than I paid in, now we are doing well, paying lots because we make more at work.

At my job? No. That would not happen.

And it’s funny you ask about outside the US because the way I learned this was our head of finance in Germany was visiting and as I passed the office where he was I heard him talking and it was just fucking this, fucking that, fuck so many times just in the time it took me to pass the office.

Now should you be cussing out customers? No, of course not. But no one in my office bats an eye and we often hear “what the fuck, Microsoft?!” when something doesn’t work.

Right, you are proportionate, waist to height as a measurement means a 7’ tall guy would be healthy with a 40" waist, but a lady (or man) who is 5’ tall really does need smaller than 30" to be in shape.

Waist to height is the only proven metric. And the problem with BMI is not that it is overestimating fat, it’s that it’s underestimating fat because it completely misses skinny-fat people, and the number of those is much higher than the number of jacked overweight not fat athletes.

Add to this the complicating factor that it’s really torso fat that is metabolically active and dangerous to your health.

Waist should be less than half your height, you don’t even need a measuring tape. Get someone to cut a string as long as you are tall, and see if it can go around your waist twice, with at least some extra length. If so, you are good, probably don’t have too much torso fat.

ETA I don’t understand why they need that complicated formula, why not just a ratio? The only inputs are waist and height. Never understood the point of squaring height to get BMI either, it’s also just a mass to height comparison, why not a simple ratio?

About a new baby? Yes, show me pictures. Also your new kittens, kitchen, a cake you made, a painting you painted, sure, yes.

Vacation not so much.

But these weaker social connections are so important to life and to society. You can’t sort people into friends or strangers, care and don’t care. There is a lot of room in between - people you know but aren’t close with are most of the people you know. It doesn’t matter if you are just following the forms, that’s fine. Keep on doing that, be nice.

This may not be helpful, but since you asked for experiences:

I had allergies as a kid, so never could breathe through my nose easily, even as an adult when the allergies eased. Yoga unexpectedly fixed it. The breathing exercises in particular, at first nothing opened but over time my nasal passages opened, or healed, or whatever had to happen and I now breathe easily and comfortably through my nose.

So if the drugs aren’t working and it’s a nasal thing, no itchy eyes, etc. it’s worth trying yoga, and when gunky maybe the neti pot (boiled and cooled water, a little salt). I really had no idea yoga would have that effect so pretty sure it’s not some placebo thing.

No, I don’t do that, or need to, but if it was comfortable the whole workout, seems like it must fit the way you’d want it to.

Because it’s 90F and 100% humidity? Walking to work I get sweaty so I want an electric bike not an effortful bike. I hate riding a bike but got a chance to try the e-bikes at a city event. That is like a dream of a bike, you pedal, it moves. No pushing, and no uncomfortable seat, it’s comfortable and a joy to ride.

Bike or walk? I’d much rather walk. Electric bike, though? Electric bike is fun.

Posture is so important for health, both as a practice and an indicator.

As a practice, stacking your body up in a good position lets it work better and protects your joints.

It is also an indication of strong enough muscles and bones, very weak people or those with osteoporosis often can’t achieve good posture.

It’s also free, nothing to buy, a free intervention that can only benefit you, so why not practice it?

I’m going to second (third, fourth, fifth) the Roth IRA recommendation. You can set it up with Schwab or whoever and can make recurring contributions too (set it and forget it) there are income limits so if you are really raking it in one year you can’t contribute that year but whatever you put in there is still (usually) going to grow in value. If you have an emergency situation and need the money you can withdraw contributions, not earnings, ahead of retirement, so it’s not lost to you, but working for you and much easier at tax time, no worries about how to report it.

I have no HOA, I need no HOA,and want no HOA. I do not care if my neighbor puts his car on blocks. City code enforcement will eventually move on any outrageous lack of upkeep.

If I put something by the road, instead of in the bin, it is because I want someone to take it. Yes take it. If you are unsure, go up and let them know you want it,I can say with absolute confidence, they will say to take it.

It is kind of tough to make friends as an adult. My kids tease me that I have a husband and relatives and coworkers but not friends. That’s not quite true, I keep up with one former coworker by text and occasional visit, and a couple of coworkers are friends, like we go to concerts together, they come for Thanksgiving. But really, two “sticky” people in so many years and one of them is just really good at making friends, that’s not me, he collects people. I do have an enormous family though, and only so much bandwidth.

Are you lonely in fact, or just feel some sort of pressure to have a large group of friends? To me it sounds exhausting, I am happy with having a very small set. Friends who come from former lovers are real friends, I don’t think you need to qualify that. If you feel understimulated but not lonely, just saying yes to things and extending some offers works pretty well. 5 people is a good gathering as long as it’s what you were expecting, though I do think 30 would have been fun in a different way (we have a massive chaotic Thanksgiving here and I love it) and understand that’s disappointing.

I think we each have some limited capacity for close relationships, I really had only one close friend from middle school and one more from high school, and now a husband, my attention seems to be good for one close relationship only and I’m ok with it.

ETA: the one event I can reliably get coworkers to is a happy hour after work on a Friday. My house is near the office so we have had them here, I can even get them to invite their spouses and girlfriend/boyfriend/close friend to those. Partly because I make absolutely delicious drinks and they know that, but also the convenience.

Believe it or not, Merino wool thong is the best I’ve found for sweaty work and workouts. Hard disagree with the cotton recommendation, cotton holds so much moisture and keeps it next to you, worst fabric for workout thongs. The wool is somehow miraculously not itchy, antibacterial, wicks away moisture better, dries much faster and doesn’t feel nearly as gross when you have to pull it back up if you go to the restroom to pee.

Second choice is a synthetic, but it’s a distant second. Cotton I never will again - it’s fine for work or relaxing at home but absolutely not for sweating.

ETA, since you asked for specific recommendations, I like the ones from Branwyn. They are expensive so it took awhile to build a collection but they are all I wear now, for workouts and most everything else.