kat

I surprisingly enjoy purling but I can only do it English style. Continental purling makes no sense to my brain. Continental knits and English purls for me are the same tension so that works out even if it's a bit odd.

I feel like it's more about money and international implications than whiteness. If China attacked a country like Taiwan or Vietnam, there would likely be a ton of press over it as well. An Ethiopian civil war has less economic implications globally.

Plus it's a civil war. I grew up in the Balkans and I can tell you that people gave so few fucks about the war of my country, that when the Ukraine war started they weren't bringing up Yugoslavia as a recent European conflict, they were talking about WWII. If your country isn't gonna make a huge impact on the global markets, nobody cares (even if you're blonde like many ex-Yugoslavians).

Also, don't make the mistake that smaller parrots mean less commitment. Parrotlets and lovebirds are smart, feisty, bite pretty hard, are extremely loud, and still live like 25 years. Budgies are a bit dumber and nicer, but still live a long ass time. Cockatiels have a very nice personality and are musical, but they have 25 year life spans. Consider any small parrot to be a "25 to life" deal.

Also chances are, your parrot (of any kind) either won't talk, or won't shut up about the wrong things. Hope you like hearing the Teams call music at all hours.

Rats carry all the personality of dogs and cats. In theory, you get a pet that you'll enjoy for 2-3 years. In practice, you'll be devastated after your intelligent best friends start dying one by one. Most people cope by buying rats constantly.

As cool as Earthships sound, I feel like they aren't a good fit for all climates. I'm in Canada, and unless you live in BC (and I'm talking Vancouver or the island), your only sustainable building option is straw bale.

Even if I could go further south to a more temperate climate, part of my fear is that anything south will get unbearable soon. Even Europe is going to be hot as hell.

My parents favourite music artists finally popped up on Spotify about 5 years ago. It was a dry run until then - I was PISSED when my brother lost my CD of a band I liked when we went back home on vacation.

I don't think the timeline works for Cracked. They were still publishing original content in like 2010.

Fuck that, I like you.

Stop buying stuff for a fantasy version of yourself. Even though the cost of living is insane, many consumers are still buying loads of useless crap that they hardly use or enjoy. People buy food they don't want to eat, appliances to make that food that they won't use, clothes for occasions that'll never come and bodies they'll never have.

If you're someone who can only eat vegetables in burrito form, do yourself a favor and buy some refried beans, canned veggies, and slice up fresh veggies you'd like to have in a burrito. You'll likely never be a green smoothie health nut, so you don't need a blender, juicer, or organic food subscription.

I also think it's wise to only buy clothes when you need them if you need them. You'll pay more when buying a wedding outfit last minute, but you'll pay more in the long term if you're constantly buying special occasion clothing "just in case". You can end up with a closet full of "just in case" that's too dressy for normal life. It's even worse if you're shopping for a version of yourself that is doing something hard. Buying cute workout clothes won't make you a 5 am runner. Stick to comfortable old rags when it comes to running, and see if you can actually commit to running. Then after a few months of being a runner, upgrade your gear - if you need to. Some of the fittest people in the world are poor and don't need the latest and greatest gear to be in shape. In winter, I run in thrifted wool and cashmere sweaters because they're warm and wicking. It sounds crazy but it works for me - and human beings have been doing hard labor for millennia in those very fabrics.

If you can swing it, consider a uniform. A dude at my office wears a suit every time he's in, but he truly only seems to own 3 suits. Nobody can tell it's all the same clothing. Steve Jobs, who was an evil prick, still had a good idea by picking that turtleneck and jeans outfit. It meant he never had to be in style because he never was. Consider a non offensive uniform that suits your lifestyle - if you're a graphic designer, you may be better off in a black hoodie and dark wash jeans, if you're in IT then golf shirts and chinos may be the right choice. Uniforms help you stay within budget, and mean you're never shopping for a cool person that doesn't exist.

Technically none, but my partner pays for Spotify and I'm on a shared YouTube Premium plan. I used to have 5-6 subscriptions and cut them off in January 2022. No regrets! Even buying an old machine second hand, an external storage, and a VPN still costs way less than my many subscriptions. It'll be hard to give up Spotify... Too convenient.

Thanks for all your help! Unfortunately I'm not near Ottawa and don't go there too often. I'll check out what my local yarn store has on sale. Unfortunately the online retailers don't seem to have the best deals (or maybe that's just the way I feel).

My hooks are mid quality, I think? I'll upgrade to something better after I get a bit more experience under my belt. I've been known to orphan hobbies so I don't want to drop too much cash up front.

I find crochet intimidating. It's funny because I think most people feel that way about knitting?

Disagree. Celsius is super helpful for determining if it's gonna snow or not, a key weather thing where I live. Humid and cold and below 0? Snow. Humid and cold and above 0? Rain or freezing rain.

Also helps with plants. Below 0? Frost.

I'd argue you can't get more intuitive than 0 is cold, below 0 is very cold. Celsius also plays nice with round numbers, every 5 or 10 degrees is a change in feeling. 0 is cold, 5 out is cooler, 10 out is cool, 15 is moderate, 20 is comfortable, 25 is room and warm, 30 is hot, 35+ is very hot. Every ten degrees we're doing big changes. 0 is frozen, 10 is cool, 20 is comfortable, 30 is hot. 32 being frozen doesn't feel as intuitive.