cherryswitch's recent activity

  1. Advice for returning to a frozen car at long term airport parking

    ~travel Ask (advice)
    I'm returning home from a trip and am on my 4th layover in a nightmarish series of delayed flights and last minute changes; when I get home it will be 5 degrees (F) which was not the forecasted...

    I'm returning home from a trip and am on my 4th layover in a nightmarish series of delayed flights and last minute changes; when I get home it will be 5 degrees (F) which was not the forecasted temp when I left, so I did not make any kind of preparations and left my car in uncovered long term parking, a 5-ish minute walk from the airport. It dipped into negative temps while I was gone and I'm terrified that I'll get back to a car with frozen locks and no lighter, lock de-freezer, hair dryer, etc, anything to help me get in. I've searched for advice but everything I've read seems to assume you're at home, not at a airport. I'm already so drained and exhausted and it will be late when I get there so I'm just trying to find something, anything that might be helpful in advance before I'm stuck standing outside in unexpectedly, dangerously frigid weather with no plan in jeans, sneakers, and a hoodie. Apologies if something like this has been posted, I couldn't find anything and feel like I'm about to collapse. Any advice is appreciated, even obvious things, I'm sure I may have overlooked something that would be clear to someone else. Posting this before I board my next flight in the hopes there may be some replies by the time I get home. Thank you for reading

    Update: made it back, took an Uber home and will pick up my car either tomorrow or the day after during the day. I should have thought of it myself and feel silly that I didn't. Thank you all so much for the feedback, really saved me some stress, I probably shouldn't have driven home even had it not been so cold out with how tired I was. Will definitely use all the advice here to be more prepared when leaving during the winter in the future, no matter the forecast.

    36 votes

  2. Things to consider when viewing a house, not in regards to inspection concerns?

    ~life Ask (advice)
    My spouse and I were recently pre approved for a home loan; this evening, we will be going to look at a house for the first time. This will be our first house, and unless truly extenuating...

    My spouse and I were recently pre approved for a home loan; this evening, we will be going to look at a house for the first time. This will be our first house, and unless truly extenuating circumstances arise, we will not be looking to move or sell anytime soon.

    There are plenty of existing threads and articles covering things to look for in terms of the state of the house itself, such as foundation cracks, new paint covering mold, water damage, etc; what I am looking for is more a question of things to consider potentially liking or disliking about a home, regardless of its state of repair, that we might not think of until it's too late.

    For example, some things I've come across that are important and can't be changed about a house, but I wouldn't have thought to consider if I hadn't seen someone else mention them, include:

    • whether we get good cell service when not using wi-fi
    • whether the hallway is wide enough to move large furniture through
    • what direction the house faces, and subsequently when/where light comes in

    What other things might be easy to overlook about a property, but should be taken into account?

    35 votes

  3. Comment on What's something you want to understand the appeal of? in ~talk

    cherryswitch
    Link Parent
    This is a HUGELY important aspect! It can be almost euphoric to be involved in a community of people who collectively get excited about the same things - especially when first discovering that...

    ...and they really enjoy being in an environment where others echo the same level of passion.

    This is a HUGELY important aspect! It can be almost euphoric to be involved in a community of people who collectively get excited about the same things - especially when first discovering that community after initially getting into one interest or another on your own, and then meeting others and being able to share your thoughts.
    Seeing other fan communities be passionate about whatever it is they're into, often feels contagious and makes me want to look into that thing, even if it's something I wouldn't have been interested in otherwise.

    5 votes

  4. Comment on What's something you want to understand the appeal of? in ~talk

    cherryswitch
    Link Parent
    As a heavily invested vtuber fan, I'll try to take a crack at this one. The reasons why I am so invested in vtubers boil down to two specific things for me, and I think that same combination can...

    As a heavily invested vtuber fan, I'll try to take a crack at this one. The reasons why I am so invested in vtubers boil down to two specific things for me, and I think that same combination can apply to many fan cultures. Those things are interest/passion and social/community.

    Starting with interest - I have a genuine, passionate interest in vtubing itself. I am deeply fascinated with all that it has to offer. It's a very new industry, only having been around in the modern sense of vtubers for about 6 or 7 years, and has changed and evolved so much in just that short time, which is fascinating and exciting to watch unfold from a perspective of understanding why each change is significant and looking to how things could change in the future. The technology itself is also relatively new, and it's incredible to see all the unique ways it can be used as an avenue for creativity and self expression. If vtubing existed in a vacuum, without the massive fandom or fan culture around it, I believe I would still be fascinated by it.

    It doesn't exist in a vacuum though, and that's where the social/community aspect comes in. Imo, this is what elevates people from being just a fan of something, to the kind of deeply invested super-fans I think you're referencing. Coming to know and understand the intricacies of a fan culture gives a sense of inclusion. It may not sound that substantial to people who find themselves to already feel like part of a community in other ways, such as with friends, family, or work; but not everyone has that. For me, who has no family, works a solitary job from home, and has few friends - being able to engage with others who have the same interest as I do gives me an instant feeling of connection and understanding. It's a kind of shared experience that can create a strong emotional attachment to the fandom in question.

    6 votes

  5. Comment on Anyone here a fan of Kdramas? in ~tv

    cherryswitch
    Link
    A few months ago I stumbled onto Reply 1988 whilst Letterboxd surfing and watched the first two episodes, which I found to be an incredibly lucky first delve into k dramas as it's so far one of...

    A few months ago I stumbled onto Reply 1988 whilst Letterboxd surfing and watched the first two episodes, which I found to be an incredibly lucky first delve into k dramas as it's so far one of the best shows I've ever seen. It's about a group of families of varying levels of dysfunctionality that live on the same block in the 80s and are all friends with each other (kind of like That 70's Show). It's a hilarious and relatable insight into the good and bad of our relationships with friends and family, which I've found very touching. Unfortunately I haven't yet progressed any further than episode 2 due to them being movie-length episodes, though I'm not sure how normal that is or isn't for k dramas.

    2 votes

  6. Comment on Recommendations for credit cards in the USA with cashback rewards? in ~finance

    cherryswitch
    Link Parent
    Goodness, I forgot to state that I'm in the US. Added it to the post. I always think it's funny when people don't put their country in a relevant post and here I am doing just that.

    Goodness, I forgot to state that I'm in the US. Added it to the post. I always think it's funny when people don't put their country in a relevant post and here I am doing just that.

    4 votes

  7. Recommendations for credit cards in the USA with cashback rewards?

    ~finance Ask (recommendations)
    I've had the same secured credit card through my bank for years; I only use it for car rentals and when my debit card gets declined on international online purchases. It's very easy to maintain as...

    I've had the same secured credit card through my bank for years; I only use it for car rentals and when my debit card gets declined on international online purchases. It's very easy to maintain as there are no fees and I always pay off the balance within the week; however, there are also no rewards. I know that a lot of credit cards out there have cashback rewards, and it seems like kind of a waste not to take advantage of that. But there are so many different ones that it's horribly overwhelming for me to try to research which one(s) might be a good choice. Costco has one which would have probably been an easy choice if I were able to spend more money there, but as of currently I have very little space and only hold a membership for gas.

    So, do any of you lovely folks have recommendations to give me a starting point for what to look into? What cards have you used and been happy with?

    ETA: I am in the US!

    30 votes

  8. Comment on So what's the VR scene like for the people who have invested into it? in ~games

    cherryswitch
    Link
    I had a similar initial VR experience to yours; we have a local arcade with some VR stuff, and my friend had a PSVR that I played some things on. VR seemed neat in theory, but in practice was more...

    I had a similar initial VR experience to yours; we have a local arcade with some VR stuff, and my friend had a PSVR that I played some things on. VR seemed neat in theory, but in practice was more a novelty to me - cool, but not something I thought was worth heavily investing in at the time.

    What flipped the script for me was Google Earth VR as experienced on another friend's Vive. It's really something else to be able to go to any place in the world and actually be standing there, looking around. Navigating the map has you flying over cities and landscapes like some kind of superhero. I remember sitting in the middle of a desert and watching the sun rise - the first one I'd seen in many years due to my work hours. And I remember being absolutely floored when, at the end of the tutorial, the whole earth "zooms out" until you are looking at it from space, where you float, suspended in the stars like every dream I ever had as a child about being an astronaut.

    Shortly after that, I got hooked into Beat Saber as well, which I have now poured many hundreds of hours of my life into. It's unbelievably addicting and rewarding, and was also the only thing keeping me in shape for a while; the modding and custom map community is massive and incredible.

    People talk about the VR marketplace not being big enough yet, but if not a single other thing existed in VR except Beat Saber and Google Earth, it would still be worth it for me.

    As far as specific headsets, my Index was more than worth the investment for the controllers alone, which strap to your hands so that you can simply open and close your fingers instead of pressing buttons, and can see each individual finger move in VR. Base station tracking, which is what both the Index and Vive use, has always been seamlessly smooth for me, which is perhaps more important in VR than anything else for immersion and functionality, and I don't think I could ever be happy with a less expensive compromise.

    6 votes

  9. Comment on What have you been eating, drinking, and cooking? in ~food

    cherryswitch
    Link
    I've been eating a lot of bologna sandwiches lately. Which sounds boring, and probably is, but it's been interesting for me because they used to be one of the only meals I could afford, so I ate...

    I've been eating a lot of bologna sandwiches lately. Which sounds boring, and probably is, but it's been interesting for me because they used to be one of the only meals I could afford, so I ate them constantly and got so sick of them. I got to a place in my life where I could afford to not have to eat them anymore, and never had another one again for about 12 years. Here recently though, I was at the store and noticed the bologna in the aisle and kind of mused to myself, "wouldn't it be funny if I had one of those sandwiches I was so tired of back then?" so I bought some, and whaddya know, I actually really enjoy them when I don't have to eat 5 or 6 a week.

  10. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    cherryswitch
    Link
    Citizen Sleeper Just now finishing up my 3rd playthrough. Jacob Gellar mentioned it in his Top 10 Games of 2022 video, and boy am I glad he did because I honestly doubt I ever would have played it...

    Citizen Sleeper

    Just now finishing up my 3rd playthrough. Jacob Gellar mentioned it in his Top 10 Games of 2022 video, and boy am I glad he did because I honestly doubt I ever would have played it otherwise. In my experience, it's been one of those games where most people I've talked to have neither heard of nor played it, but those who have are equally as delighted by it as I am. It's a text-based sci fi rpg in which you play as a human consciousness stuck in a robot body, stranded on a remote space station, in which you spend the game surviving, exploring, making friends/enemies, and trying to either escape the station or build a life there. Character art is imaginative, detailed, and beautiful, and the writing is possibly the best I've ever seen in this type of game. And the gameplay loop is surprisingly addictive! You get a handful of d6 dice at the beginning of each in-game day to assign to whichever actions you'd like to complete, with the dice numbers corresponding to the odds of a good outcome for that action, and you lose dice if you're injured or starving. The developer recently announced there will be a sequel and I couldn't be more excited.

    Solar Ash

    This one's an action-platformer where you have space roller blades - movement and exploration is an absolute blast. The game world is vibrant and trippy - you're in planetary ruins near a black hole and gravity is all messed up in areas, causing the horizon to twist in unnatural ways. I found the story to be passable, but mostly uninteresting until reaching the end of the game, where there are some incredible twists that maybe someone smarter than me may have seen coming, but for me were totally unexpected and took my story rating through the roof. I'm working on a hardcore playthrough and getting my ass handed to me, but still having the time of my life.
    Also, the game is from the studio that made Hyper Light Drifter, and while the games aren't directly related, I did read that they take place in the same universe!

    1 vote

  11. Comment on Autistic adults: how do you stim/self-soothe in public? in ~talk

    cherryswitch
    Link Parent
    Yes yes YES, rubber bands!! I'm always so surprised to not see them mentioned more often in this type of thread. I've kept a few rubber bands on my wrist every day since I was a child, you can do...

    Yes yes YES, rubber bands!! I'm always so surprised to not see them mentioned more often in this type of thread. I've kept a few rubber bands on my wrist every day since I was a child, you can do so many different types of fidgets with them, and can create interesting sounds and feelings with the tension!

    Plus, they are very handy if you need to close a bag of chips or open a tough bottle or jar.

    6 votes