I went to it, and that seems right. It’s an interesting website.

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As an older millennial this is the most amazing description of this gum that I wish I would have thought of.

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Ahhh I see. Well I’m not gay, but I’m not really straight either. However, I never picked anyone up from the gay bars. This particular gay bar was a private club. That means that when all the other bars closed at 2am. This place was still open. Hell, this particular gay bar was open on Christmas morning. I’ve gone in there on Christmas morning and it’s just 3 people sitting there me included.

Honestly, I felt like an asshole not helping, and she didn’t offer them anything for their help. Looking back maybe that was a sign. But yeah I thought that these 2 guys that got her car running deserved at least a 12 pack of beer each (remember we are talking mid 90s prices). So, I gave them a 20. Plus if I’m being 100% honest. I was probably trying to look cool. It did not impress. Heh

Well, when she and I talked, she said that she had an arrangement with several bars around the city. Where she would buy those test tube shots and walk around and sell them. Then give the bar a cut of the profits. She went to gay bars and country bars, and dance clubs.

I think the seedy gay bar part says more about me than her if I’m being honest. Heh.

Right. What I was saying is. Calling the civil war the “war of northern aggression” may make some of the racists that currently live in the northern states upset.

I meant northern as a literal geographic area. Like how Oregon is in the north. As opposed to some arbitrary line like the 31st parallel, or the mason Dixon line.

No, much like I said in my comment. Now, just like then. The racists are everywhere. They are in the north and the south. Trump welcomes racists from all over the US irregardless of geographical location.

I think everything on the internet should be taken with a grain of salt.

Even my ramblings. I tell them to the best of my memory, but memory is a funny thing, and your only hearing my side of the story.

So, one day I’m riding down the road. I’m like 17 or so. I see this super hot red head chick broke down on the side of the road. At the time (in the mid 90s) I was driving a 73 Volkswagen super beetle. Because of my shit car I knew what it was like to be stranded. So, I decided to pull over and see if she needed help.

I get out of my car and immediately realized that these 2 greasy looking middle aged guys were working on her car. I told her I just wanted to make sure she was ok. But it looks like she already has help so I’ll leave.

That’s when she says “Wait, your MJGS right?” I’m like,”Why yes I am”. She says “I’m Stephanie smith we went to school together.” She then says “Please stay, I don’t know these guys and I don’t trust them.”

I agreed and we talked for close to two hours. We laughed and talked about what happened to people we went to school with. Everything was perfect.

The two guys got her car running and left. I gave the guys like $20 or something for their help. It was all I had.

So she and I go to leave, and I stop and ask her if I can have her number. I figured we could go out sometime. After all we had just had a great time chatting it up.

All of a sudden like someone poured cold water over her head. The smile was gone and she looked me in the windows of my soul and said “You used to make fun of me in school.” I said “I swear I don’t remember that, but if I did I’m sorry.” She said “Yeah, you were a real ass hole to me fuck you. The answer is no.” That was one of the only times in my life I was left speechless with my mouth open. I just bowed my head, got in my car, and drove off.

I guess the moral of the story is. Sometimes making a joke at someone else’s expense may not be a huge deal to the person making fun. But it’s a big fucking deal to the person on the receiving end. To this day I don’t remember ever saying anything bad about her. I’m not calling her a liar. I probably did. I just don’t remember it.

I didn’t escape school unscathed. I had people that were super shitty to me too. But that’s a different story. For a different time.

I ran into that chick again about 6 years ago. In our mid 30s. She was a “shot girl” in a seedy gay bar. We talked about the good ole days for a long time. I did not ask for her number again.

The north is racist too. He wouldn’t want to alienate them. After all Montana has the highest concentration of white supremacists per capita.

California apparently has the most hate groups by total amount.

https://thehill.com/changing-america/respect/578513-the-10-us-states-with-the-most-hate-groups/

I verified Montana with another website. If you want to know the full list of per capita. Just google it. But all that hate isn’t trapped in the south. Though, I admit that there is more than enough to go around down here.

As an Alabamian I came here to shit on Alabama. But you guys have already said everything I could say, and said it better. Probably because of my shitty Alabama education. Anyway, it makes me happy that someone is seeing what kind of nonsense goes on here.

Play Deep Rock Galactic. If you want a Halloween hat from 4 years ago. This Halloween will have new hats, and all the previous hats. All the gear is like that.

Rock and Stone!!!

I am very glad I’m not dating in this day and age.

I met my partner by “sexually assaulting” someone.

She had thrown a house party. There was a guy there causing a problem. She wanted him to leave, but didn’t want a fight. This is the first time I met my now partner, but I volunteered.

The guy that needed to leave was sitting on the floor right next to a doorway. I just pulled out the ole wang jangler and leaned against the inside of the door way. My floppy bits were mere inches from his face.

He turned his head and noticed. He made a disgusted noise and moved. I chased this guy around the party with my John Thomas hanging out. Every time he sat down somewhere, there we were. After about 30 mins of that he got the picture and left.

My partner has always said that was the moment she knew she wanted to get to know me. Just to be clear it’s not huge or anything. I’m guessing it’s a confidence thing, but yeah I scared away an asshole, and convinced a woman I am the one. All by running around a party with my spicy bits hanging out.

I have a feeling that would be frowned upon these days.

Edit: Also, when I was a homeless heroin addict. My partner was the one that took me in, and paid for my treatment. That one decision has affected my life in more ways than I probably realized.

I had tile many years ago. Back then and this may have changed all you could do was make the tile thing beep. Which isn’t very helpful if some child stuffed your keys into the sofa or you left you wallet in the car. Air tags actually lead you directly to your stuff. They don’t just beep. They say your thing is 15’ that way. As you get closer the feet count down. That proximity thing is all I use.

That’s awesome. As long as they are the ones doing the recycling I have faith it’s being done. Shipping it to China (although I think they stopped taking trash) or India or wherever. I don’t trust that. But in house in Sweden, good on them.

Where does Sweden actually do the recycling? Like do they have their own recycling facilities, or do they ship it to China or somewhere like most countries?

I put air tags on all my shit. I have an air tag on my wallet. I have an air tag on my keys. I even hid an air tag in my pc so that if it’s ever stolen I can hopefully track it down. I have an air tag on my tv remote.

They have literally changed my life. Living with 3 other people. One of which is severely autistic and will pick up things and set them down under the sofa or some such nonsense. I spend a lot less time being angry. Air tags are the best thing that Apple ever invented.

iPhone is ok, but I miss my HTC touch pro 2. Apple Watch is superfluous junk. Air pods pro? Pshhhhhh whatever! Air tags, they will change your fucking life man.

So, here is a story I like to share about learning kindness and empathy.

A little background. I grew up in a poor city right outside Birmingham, Al. All the kids I grew up with including myself had racist, homophobic parents. In return all the kids I grew up with including me were also racist and homophobic. When you grow up where I did with a silent generation dad and greatest generation grandparents from rural Alabama. You aren’t taught “hate”. You’re taught the way it’s always been.

I dropped out of school in the 9th grade. I got my GED and graduated college, but while I was working on all that I worked at Walmart when I was 16. I dated a girl that worked there and when we broke up I started dating a different girl that worked there a few days later.

Fast forward a couple of weeks and this loud and flamboyant twink named Joe that was our age tells my ex and current girlfriends that I dated them both at the same time. Then proceeded to drive both of them to my house where both chicks came in my house and yelled at me for a bit. When I walked outside I saw Joe in the driver seat of one of the girls car.

I figured that they probably met up at Walmart and I was going to beat the shit out of Joe. So, I jumped in my car and raced to Walmart. When they pulled up for Joe to get his car. I was sitting on the trunk of Joe’s car waiting. Fortunately, they left, and what follows is not great, but was necessary for me to learn a lesson.

After they left I was so angry that I used my key to carve the F slur so big that it took up Joes entire trunk lid. Nothing came of it for a few days. Then my phone rang. I can remember it like yesterday. A grown man asked for my name. I said I was he. He said that his name was Ronnie. (If you’ve read my other stuff this isn’t the same Ronnie that killed people.)

Anyway, Ronnie explained that he was Joe’s boyfriend. He told me that what I had done didn’t hurt Joe. He explained that he (Ronnie) was going to have to pay to have the trunk fixed. He appealed to my empathy, but he also treated me like a man. Could/should he have called the cops? Absolutely, but instead he decided to approach me like a man and explain the situation.

After he was done. I told him that I’d have to make payments, but that I’d pay to fix Joes car. Ronnie said that was fine. He invited me over for dinner and said that we’d discuss the terms. I agreed.

I don’t remember how much he said it would be, but I know that I paid him installments until it was paid for. During that time I got to know Ronnie really well. He had a monster truck and collected muscle cars. He had 2 Shih Tzus. He was much older than Joe and I. His previous partner had been someone important with State Farm insurance, but had died back in the 80s (this was mid 90s) and left Ronnie money and a house.

All this happened when my dad and I weren’t getting along. I still remember the first time I called Ronnie and asked if I could stay the night. He said yes without hesitation. I got there and he told me the ground rules. He said that I was always allowed at his house, but personal items like toothbrush, razors, and stuff like that were off limits. He said DO NOT MESS WITH THEM.

I was young not stupid. I had seen the real world. I knew that he was probably HIV positive. It wasn’t long before he and Joe broke up. Ronnie started calling on me. Ronnie lived in the country. I lived between the country and big city. He would call and say hey a couple of my friends are sick and I need to take them some food. Would you ride with me.

Anyway, Ronnie was the first person that I had actually interacted with where I had been forced to face someone that I had been lead to believe was different to me. Ronnie gave me a safe place to be when I wasn’t getting along with my dad. I can remember my “friends” at the time making fun of me for hanging out with a gay dude. I didn’t care.

Ronnie taught me more about being a man than my own father did. When he should have just called the cops he took the time to turn hatred into a teachable moment.

If you’re wondering what happened to Ronnie. I hung out with him fairly regularly until I got on drugs really bad. After my family deserted me. I deserted my friends because I couldn’t live with them hating me for what I had become.

After I got clean I started trying to pick up where I left off. I called all of the good friends I could think of. So, I called Ronnie. A man answered and I asked if Ronnie was there. He quickly asked who I was, and I explained that I was a friend. He said that he was Ronnie’s brother and Ronnie had passed away a few years earlier due to complications from HIV. He said that he got some kind of dementia.

We talked about 2 hours. I told him about how Ronnie had taught me about empathy. He said Ronnie had done the same for him. Ronnie was one of the greatest men I’ve ever known.