JackiesFridge

JackiesFridge, 1 month ago

His Paprika soundtrack is integral to the movie. The opening theme where we see how she travels is phenomenal - the imagery plus the music is such a perfect one-two munch it makes me tear up.

JackiesFridge, 1 month ago

Okay wait seriously? 7+ years of PB&J for lunch and y’all are telling me that’s not normal?

JackiesFridge, 1 month ago

My Shorts list is a lot of random Spanish-language stuff. I don’t speak Spanish.

JackiesFridge, 1 month ago

This was recommended to me by someone who just said I had to watch it. Refused to explain. I rented it that night and went in blind. Watched it twice in a row. Need to watch again soon.

JackiesFridge, 1 month ago

Never seema to get the love it deserves.

JackiesFridge, 2 months ago

Rockbox is the GOAT

JackiesFridge, 2 months ago

Learn to repair a variety of things - sewing, soldering, basic woodworking and construction. Discover how things work so you can troubleshoot and assess if something is repairable. There are tonnes of books out there and plenty of YouTube videos.

Buy used. Broken, if you think you can fix it. Dumpster dive. Thrift everything, especially clothing. Hit estate sales for tools and other things people don’t get rid of when they are alive. Keep a list of things so you don’t forget what you need to buy.

Use your skills to help friends and neighbors to fix or find things they need. Often they have a different skillset and will help you with things you might need in the future. It doesn’t hurt to have a network.

Don’t be afraid to ask about pricing and haggle a bit, but always be polite and know when to compromise or back down. If you see something has sold for a low price online, odds are it will sell again for that if you are patient and keep watch. Bide your time.

Don’t get sucked into trends. Used books read the same, decades old video games play the same even if you get them free on their 10-year anniversary promotion.

All that said, if you must buy, go for quality. Something you use every day is worth paying extra for higher quality, and sometimes quality means excellent customer support or a robust warranty. Quality tools make your job easier, but even cheap hand tools can be worth it if you only need them occasionally.

That’s it, I can’t think of a cool way to close this. This is just how I manage to do okay without spending a bunch of my hard earned money.

JackiesFridge, 2 months ago

Thank you but I dont have the patience to write a book! You can usually find DIY books used. Flip through the chapters to see if it explains things in a way that works for you.

Black & Decker released a book on DIY home repair with easy to follow steps & photos, broken down by the type of repair (structure, plumbing, electric). There’s also a bunch of websites like thisoldhouse.com with DIY tips and walkthroughs.

You used to be able to find Haynes repair manuals for most cars & trucks, but vehicles are so computerised these days I’m not sure if they still do. Your car’s owner’s manual should have all the basic information in it for regular maintenance, and YouTube is a good source for car repair videos. If you have the money, most technical colleges hold classes on car repair that cost less than a couple trips to a mechanic.

Power tools and sewing machines are cheap on the used market if you’re patient. A lot of people these days just dont bother with them, so if a family member dies their adult children just get rid of that stuff. Learning to sew a basic straight stitch is easy on YouTube and there are online Singer sewing machine groups that are very helpful for machine repair and maintenance. Find an all-metal vintage Singer, like a Model 15 or 99. These things were built like tanks and are easy to keep running with regular oiling & use. You van make and repair clothing, bags & accessories, and anything you want. With the right needle you can sew leather as well. Hand-sewing is a great skill for minor repairs and popped buttons.

Basic soldering is also very straightforward, and you can get a decent kit for around US$20 or so. YouTube has lots of videos that walk you through the process, and there is no end to broken electronics to practise on.

If these’s a maker group in your area, find them and see what’s up. They can dial you in to all sorts of good info.

JackiesFridge, 2 months ago

Are…are cows birds? Can we call it Moo Flu?

JackiesFridge, 2 months ago

The books weren’t even well written, they just hit right at the time.

JackiesFridge, 2 months ago

This is true. Sadly, our system of representation is limited to two viable parties, one that’s Not Great, and one that’s Demonstrably Evil. If you send the message that you dont support the Not Great party by not re-electing them, the only thing that benefits is the Demonstrably Evil party.

Both parties have proven historically that they dont care about people who won’t vote for them by simply not engaging with groups they consider a lost cause. This frees up their time and money so they can gin up the groups that do (or might) support them.

The ONLY way to make sure you have the representatives you need is to start now and hope future generations will benefit. Establish a viable independent party starting in local elections - school boards, city councils. These people make decisions about local education and infrastructure that will directly benefit people in your community and prove that this new party truly has their backs. From there, this party and their reps will move higher up into state and federal governments with recognition and an established voting record.

True representation takes a lot of time and effort, and if we start now, maybe our grandchildren will have a better life. It’s a long game, like it or not.

JackiesFridge, 2 months ago

I mean yeah. You can barely scratch the surface and find who these laws were written to protect. The racism is right there.

JackiesFridge, 2 months ago

Along the lines of “fear” I would also add that ubiquitous gun ownership is a large reason for the militarisation and overzealous violence in American police departments. Since anybody could be bristling with guns, the police approach many situations armed for the worst. This makes nobody safer.

JackiesFridge, 2 months ago

Well of course. No human being would actually use her personal struggle to call attention to the need for systemic change. Let’s just complain the government is corrupt so we can dismiss it all and justify our own complacency.

JackiesFridge, 2 months ago

Found a brand new (still with original tags) Duluth Trading Co. “flannel jacket” for $7. It’s an oversized, fleece-lined flannel shirt. Nice quality, very warm & soft. The retail tags read $59.99, discontinued/clearance $29.95 with a date of 2013. Discontinued over a decade ago and it finally has a home (and I love it).

They do still sell these, with a few design improvements (side pockets), but they’re around $80 now I believe.

JackiesFridge, 2 months ago

Millions of people not voting because it would take millions of people voting to elicit positive change and nobody is doing that is one of the most frustrating things.

JackiesFridge, 2 months ago

I thought we already knew this months ago.

JackiesFridge, 2 months ago

Honestly something I got for my partner - a silicone microwave popcorn bowl kinda like this one. I stumbled across it at Goodwill, still brand new.

It’s a medium sized, black silicone bowl with a vented cover - fill a recessed space in the bottom with normal popcorn and microwave for a few minutes.

No extra packaging, no grease, easy cleanup, and you can use cheap (or super nice) popcorn as you like. And it collapses down for storage.

JackiesFridge, 2 months ago

I haven’t seen anybody mention failing systems. These consoles are all old enough that some TLC may be required soon to replace failing capacitors, etc. If you’re good with that and the (light) headaches involved in connecting old consoles to new TVs, there are solid recommendations in this discussion.

If you’re okay with emulation, the Anbernic RG351MP (or the newer 353) will play games from Atari 2600 through PlayStation 1, including arcade machines and old DOS games. The Anbernic hardware is very nice and exceptionally portable.

Steam Deck and Nintendo New 3DS are also phenomenal emulators for old games, but require some setup.

JackiesFridge, 2 months ago

No that’s funny. Android autocorrect has been garbage WAY longer than iOS.

JackiesFridge, 2 months ago

Aw it’s good. Subtle humour generally does not play well on the internet.

JackiesFridge, 2 months ago

Ah the Koss PortaPros! Excellent choice.

JackiesFridge, 2 months ago

• USB power bank
• multi-tip charging/data cable (C/micro-B/Lightning)
• bandages
• ibuprofen
• nail trimmer
• small Maglite
• tiny tin of petroleum jelly (I dont like chap-skick)
• reusable silverware + chopsticks
• iPad Pro 10.5 & pencil
• Samsung Note 8 +512GB card (for music, podcasts, notes, OTG storage)
• headphones (Moondrop Chu2)
• pen & pencil
• sewing kit in a tiny mint tin
• Dirtywave M8 music tracker (my current obsession)
• Leatherman Juice Pro + Victorinox eyeglass screwdriver
• Leatherman Squirt S4
• cotton bandana & eyeglass cloth
• combination USB-A/C microSD card reader
• elastic band(s)
• OM System LS-P5 field recorder
• aux cable

I’m sure there’s more I’ve forgotten but there is a cat on me so I am unable to move until he leaves. Sorry, I dont make the rules.

JackiesFridge, 3 months ago

Serious discussion about what, the genocide?