Cheez-It bottom crust, compact noodle/cheese interior, loose noodle/cheese top layer, crushed cheese Cheetos top border.

How dare you smear the good name of Mac n’ cheese like that

I’m half hispanic/white. I grew up with my Mexican family and spent most summers in Mexico visiting family. I’m fluent in spanish and mostly identify culturally with my Mexican side. But my dad was a very white guy from northeast Texas, so I look very white.

While in college, I found myself serving and eventually bartending at a popular Colombian restaurant/club. I got called a lot of nasty things by Latino folks who assumed I was appropriating their culture or thought I was mocking them. I’ve also had Latino folks talk shit about me in spanish in front of me - assuming I didn’t understand.

I often find myself playing it down or pretending I don’t know spanish so as not to upset people. It has to be a conscious decision because it’s very different from how I talk with my family.

Wish I had some cool, “I showed them” story, but I was always frustrated and hurt in those situations. It’s like all of my upbringing, experiences, and familial relationships didn’t matter because I don’t look like them.

**I’d just like to add that for as many rude Latino people I’ve met, I’ve met 4x as many wonderful Latino people.

My dad was a wonderful man with a great heart, but I think in this conversation, it’s more productive to speak of his downfalls. He died when I was 15, and I was very close to him until then. He was so often smiling, and giving, and generous, and caring to everyone and anyone he met. But one of the most impactful things I remember is that he was severely depressed in the last 5 years of his life. As a child, I didn’t know what to do about it. Shit, as an adult, I wouldn’t know what to do.

If you feel depression creeping up, for the sake of your daughter - for the sake of your family - get help.

I miss my dad so much, and I hate that the dominating memories I have of him are when he was max depressed, or when he was in a coma.

I was diagnosed with Celiac disease about 15 years ago - had the endoscopy and then a couple of years later, had the blood marker test to verify. My reactions to eating gluten have not been consistent, and I don’t know what to make of it. More often than not, I get the diarrhea and bloating. Sometimes I get the nausea, but only once have I thrown up from eating gluten. Sometimes I get nothing at all (not as common, but it happens).

Then there was a period of about 1.5 years where I’d get random swelling in my face (usually in my eyes and lips), and hives. My sinus cavities would often get very swollen and irritated, too. But that suddenly stopped, and is no longer a symptom.

Been to a few different gastroenterologists over the years, and went to an allergy doctor when I was having all the facial swellings. Nobody was able to explain why I have such inconsistent reactions, but they are confident I have Celiac disease.

Maroon 5 - Songs About Jane.

They used to be so delightfully unique and funky. They’re just sellouts now.

For me, money isn’t necessarily the issue. It’s family. I don’t want to live somewhere they’re not.

Project Zomboid community.

Michael Scott trying to explain his success as branch manager to David Wallace in The Office.

Idk why you’re getting downvoted. That was a solid reference

Also, as a native Texan that still lives here because it’s not feasible to leave, I feel no particular allegiance to Texas. This government doesn’t represent anything I stand for – it’s infuriating. Fuck Texas, and fuck proud Texans.

but it’s better to look like an idiot now, than a dumbass later.

Wise words, friend.

Can you not

Thanks for the correction and explanation!

For real, had to read it like 3x to understand. The amount of commas in the OP title is just unnatural. I might even do:

No Okta, it was senior management - not an errant employee - that caused you to get hacked.

If that’s wrong, then I have no idea what hyphens are for lol.

Yes, many of us agree that Christianity is also not a model religion (if there even is such a thing). Not sure what the point is in bringing that up in a discussion about an Iranian teen being murdered for not wearing a hijab.

Agreed! She has the most wonderful smirk in the pic of her being carried off.

What’s your trick for getting out of sleep paralysis? It doesn’t happen to me as often as it used to, and fortunately I’ve never seen anything during those episodes (only heard things like people talking or music playing), but it’d be good to keep a trick in my back pocket for next time. It’s certainly not a comfortable feeling.

When I was in my early twenties, I lived with my brothers in my oldest brother’s house. It was a new construction home in a fairly ritzy suburb of a large city in the US.

During this time, I was attending college and working part time at Gamestop. One of my brothers was working at Chipotle at the time, so there were some afternoons that we’d both have off and we’d be chillin at the house together. One afternoon while my oldest brother and his wife were at work, my brother and I were in the living room playing Diablo 3. All of the sudden I hear this weird old song playing from the loft and I instantly whipped my head around towards the loft, trying to figure out what tf it was. It wasn’t a song or a tune I’ve ever heard in my life before. The thing is, my brother whipped his heads towards the loft the exact second I did because he heard it too. We looked at each other for a second, and decided to investigate. Everything in the upstairs area was ours, too - we moved in right when my oldest brother and his wife bought the house, and they left that whole area for us. We both knew we didn’t own anything that could’ve played the little song we heard. Haven’t heard it since.

Not too long afterwards, while i was still living with my brothers in the same house, another incident occurred. I was upstairs in my room, and it was probably around midnight. I had turned off my Xbox and TV, and was just laying in bed on my phone in the dark, when my pup started lightly growling. My dog is pretty smart, friendly, and really perceptive. He doesn’t growl at anything unless he perceives a threat. He is always chill and silent throughout the night. But that night, he went from chillin’ in bed with me with his head on my chest, to instantly sitting upright, intently staring and growling at a spot on the wall to my right. I didn’t think much of it right away, and just tried to calm him down, but he just got more rigid and starting growling a little louder, still stating at the one spot. I sat upright, turned on my lamp, and looked around the wall to see if I saw a bug or a small critter, but there was nothing. He suddenly starts darting his eyes around that same wall as if he was following something that was moving quickly. All of the sudden, he whips his head and darts his eyes to a spot maybe 5 ft above my head. I look immediately above me, and see nothing at all. I felt an insane feeling of dread, grabbed my dog and ran to my brothers room across the hall, and asked if I could spend the night with him. I was way too fucking scared to go back to my room that night. Nothing like that ever happened again.

Not sure what either of those, and things like that don’t normally happen to me. Which is probably why it’s so scary to me. I don’t think I believe in ghosts or demons or anything like that, but idk what to think of these instances. Could’ve been nothing, or could’ve been something I can’t see/perceive. The thought of the latter scares me.

Ah, this one hits close to home. Except for my insane mushroom trip, I didn’t think I was dying. I had something in my head telling me to kill myself - over and over again. I’m not normally suicidal. I mean, I’ve certainly had thoughts during particularly dark moments of my life, but never to the point of seriously considering it, i.e. making plans. But shit, I cannot explain the pure, raw despair and hopelessness I felt for idk how long. I am 100% certain that if I had been tripping alone, I would have done it. Fortunately, I was with my 2 older brothers and my now-husband, and ultimately what kinda “brought me back” was one of my brothers having a meltdown of his own. Kinda put me in care taker mode, and helped me get out of the woods. I’ve taken mushrooms since, but I insist on microdosing and never being alone, and only with people i truly trust. I’m terrified of letting that part of my brain take over again.