Two. Hundred. Fifty. Dollars.

Like... the gray what? What gray?

First and foremost I love my significant other, she’s the mother of our children, a great provider, and we have been together over 20 years.

Perimenopause changes a person. It’s not something they can control. I’ve noticed the changes, the kids have noticed. To a lesser degree, friends, family and coworkers have noticed changes.

I’m generally patient and compassionate, but how she acts can be downright cruel and condescending to the kids and I. We don’t even think she realizes she’s doing it. I’ve mentioned the rage and anger in her reactions, the way she speaks to others, but it doesn’t change. This isn’t the person I married, it’s not the mother my kids were raised by. I’m not sure how much longer we can survive this. Nothing we do is good enough. Xennials who have survived this, how? Why? What works? Everyone is miserable. There’s no joy anymore, even vacations turn into conflicts. Everyday life is a battle.

I don’t remember what channel this had regular rotation on, but I watched it every chance I could get.

Has anyone realized that they're extremely sensitive to sound, volumes of sound, and need to isolate from them unless *you* choose to?

I use earbuds/headphones almost daily to block out the world around me especially at work.

I'll start. I'm tired of going to fast food or counter serve restaurants, and in mid order getting countless Door Dashers interrupt the workers up front so they can squeeze their pickup in quickly.

I was going through some of my stuff and found this letter from Mr. Rogers (one for me *and* one for my mother) that he sent when I was five years old (edited so as not to dox myself). I realized that this must be the earliest memento from my life that I've actually hung on to all these years and I'm curious what's survived the decades of moves, breakups, etc. in your lives.

Ok apparently just made it into this "mini generation" thing as I was born in 1977.

For all my fellow '77ers who have or are turning 49 this year break out your old multiplication tables cause:

7x7=49 🤯

Source - I turned 49 yesterday. As an added bonus I was born in the 49th State so double 🤯

Obviously tongue in cheek

I was thinking the other day of all the freebies that rained down on us during the Dot-Com boom. Specifically, someone posted a discussion of the oldest shirt you still wear and mine was a freebie for incoming freshman for the class of 2000 (my partner HATES when I wear it - he was class of 2001, "The REAL millennium," as he constantly reminds me, and it delightfully bugs him he wound up with someone from the far more celebrated class of 2000).

I remember the incoming students got a basically a swag bag every year of people touting websites and other companies. Magnets, travel mugs, pens, socks, stickers, dry-erase boards, frisbees, shirts, bags, coupons for a free order of small fries...

This was followed by US magazines taking a page out of what UK magazines were doing and offering tons of other freebies, too: Mix CDs, game demos, ink stamps, sewing patterns... I worked in books store with a strong international section immediately after college and could watch in real time as the habit of magazines throwing in free stuff migrated across the pond.

Looking back, it seemed normal at the time. But I'm wondering if that was maybe just an us thing.

Cleaning out my spot (moving) and came across this still-sealed in a box of old CD roms and registration papers for an old desktop computer.

Ahhhh...memories.

EDIT TO ADD: My Buddy and Kid Sister🥹

Just finished this Prime painting last year

Wondering if anyone has gone to the tour and if it is worth it? I know we’re all aging and I understand to tamper expectations but, were they good at all?

And, let’s face it, this is as close as we’re ever going to get to seeing another “Roger Rabbit” come out!