This is a monthly thread for those who need it. Vent, share your experiences, ask for advice, talk about how you are doing. Let's make this a compassionate space for all who may need one.
Post your current bingo cards.
Continue updating us on your games!
If you did not participate in Weeks 1-2 but want to start this week, that's fine!
Reminder: playing bingo is OPTIONAL.
Quick links:
11 participants played 11 bingo cards and moved 43 games out of their backlogs!
There were 2 bingo wins. Congrats to u/Wes and u/J-Chiptunator! 🎉
Also, in my rush last week to get the recap up, I forgot to celebrate u/Wes's win from Week 1. So, additional congratulations!
Game list:
12 participants played 11 bingo cards and moved 24 games out of their backlogs!
Game list:
I had an overnight in Last Vegas for work, and got to spend about 4 hours at the Meow Wolf Omega Mart installation.
It was truly one of the most amazing things I have ever seen -- awe inspiring in scope, vision, and execution.
It's an interactive art installation, but, interactive turned up to 11. If you've ever played a video game where there are bits of stray paper scattered around, and reading them progressively discloses the story, this is like that, it in real life. You start wandering through it, and you realize that, while it is trippy as hell, there is a narrative connecting it all. Another thing that amazed me is the depth of the material. Dozens of pages to read, hours of video to watch. Tasks to complete. Puzzles to solve. Circling back as I realized it was all connected.
The first part of it is an other-worldly grocery store. Equal parts bizarre and hilarious. If you've played the game Control, I think the grocery store so i'd be at home in the FBC. Then you get into the factory where things are made, then the interdimensional portals, the aliens, and the lore.
Here are some pictures I took that don't even scratch the surface of what it is, but maybe set the tone. There are also some commercials on youtube.
Anyway, if you ever get a chance to go, I highly recommend it. But give yourself a whole day if you're a completionist. And pay the three dollars for the boop card.
I'm feeling deeply emotional today. There's a lot that's happened over the last few months - including a fair bit that I won't bring up here, outside of the relationship woes. Sorry if this rambles a lot, but I'll try and keep it organized.
For those that need background:
Struggling with my relationship
So it turns out I've been cheated on.
It's been nearly 4 months. I adjusted well to being single again. Went out and restarted hobbies I used to enjoy, took myself out on dates, and generally tried to feel like myself again. Two months after my last post, I had an opportunity to begin seeing someone new. I'm being cautious and careful and the new person is very calm, communicative, and understanding. I recognize it may be early to be seeing someone and this line of thought will be relevant later.
Things were... Copacetic? With my ex. I wasn't terribly happy but was able to move my thoughts along. I got mad at them, said angry things that didn't help, reconciled somewhat and tried to move on. We negotiated financial details a bit, and settled into summer plans. Their new partner was still around a lot, and still refused to ever even talk to me. How dare they, thought I, act like I wasn't even around? At least have the courage to say something, thought I. It irked me. I tried to find out more about this person, search for them online for anything, because they were now around my child more and more and I knew nothing. My searches were in vain, I found not a trace. They were a ghost.
I still kept contact with my ex's best friend - though that's a loose term now. They were equally exasperated and upset about the situation. Their relationship was breaking down because the new partner was - shall we say - incompatible with the best friend. Late in June, I thought to ask a question. One which I had an assumed answer for, but didn't actually know.
"Are they still married?"
The best friend answered. "Yes. It's something they don't like to talk about."
oof.
Here is where some of you will take issue with me, maybe.
That piece of the puzzle was the last thing I needed to find the new partner. I can be very determined when I set my mind to something. I discovered who they were. Their address. Their family. Their partner on Facebook. And I informed them about what was going on. I won't deny it felt good to burst their bubble of secrecy, but I also wanted this partner (let's call them J) to not be blindsided as I was. I wanted to give them the power to make their own choices and decisions with knowledge, not secrecy.
They were completely unaware of what was going on. Long story short, they had been in couples therapy for years. Were high school sweethearts. Together 25+ years. J was livid, of course. They had a family together, with several children (mostly older) involved. My ex found out what happened and blew up at me, claiming that I made a terrible choice and that what I did was wrong, and how could I go "talk to the other side"? They threatened to do what my parents had done. To fight, squabble and argue endlessly. To restrict access to the former stepkids. To limit everything I could do.
Everyone else seeing that situation insists I did the right thing - including J, who was grateful towards me. The house of cards my ex and their new partner had built was now collapsing. Things developed quickly from there. My ex turned everything into my fault. I was the villain in this story of theirs. In speaking with J recently, since after our initial conversation I gave them weeks of space to sort things out, I've learned some things about how my ex has been framing things.
The story New Partner was told was that I'm an alcoholic who abused my ex. My ex claimed that when they were drunk one night I raped them, which led to the pregnancy of our child. My ex said that I tried to force an abortion. That I didn't want our child. There's more details - such as describing the constant debt cycles as being caused by my student loans (nevermind that I haven't had student loans since before we got together) in order to explain those details away and make it all my fault. The more I learned, the more I realized what my partner was describing. It was word for word something that had happened with a prior ex of theirs. A story they'd told many others in their life. The dots are so simple to connect that they might as well be numbered.
Now I am at a juncture. I have had many other things come up this summer which leave me feeling overwhelmed. Professionally and personally. I am seeking legal counsel because claims of rape can and will impact my career and personal life. I am looking for a therapist but the process is excruciating.
In the meantime, I'm doing the best I can to put on a brave face and be there for my child, even when they show up with a shirt saying "X parent is cooler than Y parent".
But today I cried. I cried a lot. I hid it from my child because I didn't want to answer about why I was crying. I sobbed into my pillow until they came asking for pancakes and coca cola and forgive me but I provided.
Hungarian Grand Prix
Hungaroring
July 24-26, 2026
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:18.277 | 1:17.456 | 1:17.207 | 16 |
| 2 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:18.730 | 1:17.803 | 1:17.219 | 15 |
| 3 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:18.984 | 1:17.626 | 1:17.445 | 20 |
| 4 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:18.726 | 1:18.393 | 1:17.479 | 20 |
| 5 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:18.891 | 1:17.928 | 1:17.684 | 15 |
| 6 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:18.656 | 1:18.249 | 1:17.725 | 18 |
| 7 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:18.856 | 1:18.445 | 1:17.760 | 20 |
| 8 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | 1:18.754 | 1:17.872 | 1:17.856 | 14 |
| 9 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1:19.233 | 1:18.360 | 1:18.281 | 18 |
| 10 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 1:18.796 | 1:18.639 | 1:18.686 | 18 |
| 11 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:19.161 | 1:18.765 | 12 | |
| 12 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:19.741 | 1:18.844 | 12 | |
| 13 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:19.771 | 1:19.027 | 12 | |
| 14 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:19.069 | 1:19.105 | 11 | |
| 15 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas F1 Team | 1:20.010 | 1:19.734 | 12 | |
| 16 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:20.126 | 1:19.808 | 15 | |
| 17 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas F1 Team | 1:20.233 | 6 | ||
| 18 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:20.621 | 9 | ||
| 19 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:20.658 | 9 | ||
| 20 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:20.659 | 8 | ||
| 21 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:20.886 | 10 | ||
| 22 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | 1:21.322 | 9 |
Source: F1.com
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time / Retired | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 70 | 1:39:56.180 | 25 |
| 2 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 70 | +15.080s | 18 |
| 3 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 70 | +18.728s | 15 |
| 4 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 70 | +23.840s | 12 |
| 5 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 70 | +24.540s | 10 |
| 6 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | 70 | +55.488s | 8 |
| 7 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 70 | +57.503s | 6 |
| 8 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 69 | +1 lap | 4 |
| 9 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 69 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 10 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 69 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 11 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 69 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 12 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 69 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 13 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 69 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 14 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 69 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 15 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 68 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 16 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas F1 Team | 68 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 17 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 68 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 18 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 68 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 19 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas F1 Team | 68 | +2 laps | 0 |
| NC | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 55 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 11 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | 48 | DNF | 0 |
| NC | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 13 | DNF | 0 |
Fastest Lap: Charles Leclerc // 1:22.000 on lap 58
DOTD: Max Verstappen
Source: F1.com
Next race:
Dutch Grand Prix
Circuit Zandvoort
August 21-23, 2026
Spoiler discussion for Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey
I have a dispenser style Brita filter (link) that I keep in my fridge. I noticed a few weeks back it was dispensing water slower and at a slight angle, and figured maybe the plastic bits had gotten worn down and it might need replaced soon.
Today, I noticed it was even slower, so I emptied it and held it up to try to look at the nozzle. Couldn’t really see anything, but I did notice the nozzle appeared to be removable so I did that to get a closer look…
Looked like maybe there was some biofilm or mold or something at the nozzle tip. Cleaned it with soap and water and a straw brush, but honestly I’m horribly grossed out.
I’ve been drinking most of my daily water dispensed by it. I haven’t been sick or anything over the past month so like, presumably I’ll be OK but…ew.
I've been slowly convincing myself that I want to go to Africa, mostly because I haven't done a solo trip in a while, but also because I haven't been to Africa at all yet! Some of my team members are in Ghana and they sent me pictures of it, and it looked amazing. I definitely would love to go! I'm thinking of going during the week of Christmas only because it's probably my only time I'm available for the rest of the year. Any tips or places that I should be looking at?
(I also have some Scandinavian countries, Prague, or Scotland/Ireland on my docket, but I've been to Europe so much these last couple of years and I figure I'd need something new)
What are you reading currently? Fiction or non-fiction or poetry, any genre, any language! Tell us what you're reading, and talk about it a bit.
Have you seen any memes or shitposts lately (...or not lately) that you loved or otherwise found super hilarious? Share them with the community!
So the Mrs. and I are planning on a trip to Japan for June of this year. I received a tip to take a look at the deals found on said travel agency and I was impressed. I made a cursory research on the legitimacy of the service and found that it does deliver. I took the dive and got myself booked--with an additional fee to cancel and have my deposit fully refunded. Since then I've been looking more and more into their services and find that way too many reviews are overwhelmingly negative. The corresponding Reddit board screams "don't do it!" (though most of the posts there are a bit dated, admittedly)
And now that I'm finally a member of this fine community at Tildes, I figured that I'd ask you kind people for your feedback and discussion. What do you all say? Is there any consensus on any particular travel agency? Or is it best that I engage in the grunt work to book all the hotels ahead of time? We're looking to hit Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto at the very least. My total cost so far is less than $5000 for 9 days, FYI. And travelling from USA, if that makes any difference.
This is my first post on Tildes prompting discussion, btw. Glad to be here! 🤞
What have you been playing lately? Discussion about video games and board games are both welcome. Please don't just make a list of titles, give some thoughts about the game(s) as well.
As part of a weekly series, these topics are a place for users to casually discuss the things they did — or didn't do — during their week. Did you accomplish any goals? Suffer a failure? Do nothing at all? Tell us about it!
Particularly interested if it has already impacted your life, or scrapped any plans or influenced where you decided to live.
Anybody else chose their current/ next home because of lower natural disasters risk or climate change resilience?
Add awesome game deals to this topic as they come up over the course of the week!
Alternately, ask about a given game deal if you want the community’s opinions: e.g. “What games from this bundle are most worth my attention?”
Rules:
If posting a sale, it is strongly encouraged that you share why you think the available game/games are worthwhile.
All previous Save Point topics
If you don’t want to see threads in this series, add save point to your personal tag filters.
Tildes is a very serious site, where we discuss very serious matters like trafficking.sex, pyrex and shitposts. Tags culled from the highest voted topics from the last seven days, if anyone was observant.
But one of my favourite tags happens to be offbeat! Taking its original inspiration from Sir Nils Olav III, this thread is looking for any far-fetched offbeat stories lurking in the newspapers. It may not deserve its own post, but it deserves a wider audience!