first-must-burn's recent activity

  1. Comment on What keeps you up at night? in ~talk

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    I feel this way sometimes. I manage mine with self-care - a massage, a quiet night alone watching a movie, a walk. Things that recharge you might be different, but I hope you can find something.

    I feel this way sometimes. I manage mine with self-care - a massage, a quiet night alone watching a movie, a walk. Things that recharge you might be different, but I hope you can find something.

    1 vote

  2. Comment on Introductions | March 2025 in ~talk

  3. Comment on Introductions | March 2025 in ~talk

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    Congratulations!

    In fact, this is the first time I am publicly saying that attached to my real identity.

    Congratulations!

    1 vote

  4. Comment on What quotes inspire you? in ~talk

    first-must-burn
    Link
    Oh, I have over 1000 in my collection. Here is a selection:

    Oh, I have over 1000 in my collection. Here is a selection:

    We are an impossibility in an impossible universe.
    ~ Ray Bradbury

    Despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage.
    ~ Smashing Pumpkins, "Bullet with Butterfly Wings"

    I walked up to a beautiful woman in a bar, and I said, "Do you live around here often?"
    And she said, "You're wearing two different colored socks."
    and I said, "I know, but to me they're the same, I go by thickness."
    ~ Steven Wright

    Let us then, be up and doing,
    With a heart for any fate;
    Still achieving, still pursuing,
    Learn to labor and to wait.
    ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

    For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life, please press three.
    ~ Alice Kahn

    If you don't stick to your values when they're being tested, they're not values, they're hobbies.
    ~ Jon Stewart

    Did you hear my covert narcissism I disguise as altruism
    Like some kind of congressman?

    ~ Taylor Swift, "Antihero"

    You cannot explain human nature unless you abandon rationality. Fortunately, if you abandon rationality, you can explain anything.
    ~ JoAnne Schmitz

    3 votes

  5. Comment on What quotes inspire you? in ~talk

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    The Guy Gavriel Kay one reminded me of: And the comedy ones:

    The Guy Gavriel Kay one reminded me of:

    Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be to eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.

    ~ Gandalf, from JRR Tolkein's Lord of the Rings

    And the comedy ones:

    That is the saving grace of humor, if you fail no one is laughing at you.

    ~ A. Whitney Brown

    1 vote

  6. Comment on What quotes inspire you? in ~talk

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    I love that Pratchett quote. Also this one: The other one reminded me of:

    I love that Pratchett quote. Also this one:

    You can't give her that!' she screamed. 'It's not safe!'
    IT'S A SWORD, said the Hogfather. THEY'RE NOT MEANT TO BE SAFE.
    'She's a child!' shouted Crumley.
    IT'S EDUCATIONAL.
    'What if she cuts herself?'
    THAT WILL BE AN IMPORTANT LESSON.

    ~ Terry Pratchett, Hogfather

    The other one reminded me of:

    Violent and doomed this world might be, but a romance it certainly is.

    ~So Young, Brave, and Handsome by Leif Enger

    2 votes

  7. Comment on What quotes inspire you? in ~talk

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    Kind of like "The majority is always sane." (Heinlein, I think)

    Kind of like "The majority is always sane." (Heinlein, I think)

  8. Comment on What quotes inspire you? in ~talk

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    I really like this!

    If your plan starts with "If everyone just..." then you don't have a plan. At no point in human history has everyone "just".

    I really like this!

    1 vote

  9. Comment on What quotes inspire you? in ~talk

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent

    We do not need to become each other in order to work together. But we do need to recognize each other, our differences as well as the sameness of our goals. Not for altruism. For self-preservation—survival.

    ~ Audre Lorde, from a graduation address given at Oberlin College on May 29, 1989

    1 vote

  10. Comment on If you had to buy a car today, what would you buy? in ~transport

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    If you don't mind weighting in a bit more, what's your take on frame damage (rust)? The general tenor of what I've been able to find online is that beyond a certain point, it's dangerous to drive...

    If you don't mind weighting in a bit more, what's your take on frame damage (rust)?
    The general tenor of what I've been able to find online is that beyond a certain point, it's dangerous to drive and it's difficult to repair. But I wonder how conservative that approach is - I imagine much of that is about avoiding lawsuits.

    Maybe since the engine runs well, I can find someone who wants it for parts.

  11. Comment on If you had to buy a car today, what would you buy? in ~transport

  12. Comment on If you had to buy a car today, what would you buy? in ~transport

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    That's just for one, but agree, still tight. Maybe looking at used cars for that reason, or justifying going up a tier. I've had this car for so long, I sort of stopped paying attention to other...

    That's just for one, but agree, still tight. Maybe looking at used cars for that reason, or justifying going up a tier.

    I've had this car for so long, I sort of stopped paying attention to other cars, so I'm really starting from scratch in terms of my sense of what's out there. As I mentioned elsewhere, I've been trying to pay more attention to cars in parking lots.

    I grew up in Texas, so driving a truck is definitely A Thing in my head. But having driven the ridgeline (which is basically a pilot with a bed), I kind of have to admit to myself that I don't need one anymore.

    I will likely test drive the Maverick and the new Ridgeline, maybe go to a Honda dealership and look at all of the options.

  13. Comment on If you had to buy a car today, what would you buy? in ~transport

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    I was parking lot car shopping at Target yesterday, and the RAV4 did catch my eye. It looks like good medium-sized choice. I was briefly involved in the litigation for the unintended acceleration...

    I was parking lot car shopping at Target yesterday, and the RAV4 did catch my eye. It looks like good medium-sized choice. I was briefly involved in the litigation for the unintended acceleration stuff in the late 00's, so I have a slight bias against Toyota. But honestly I think that kind of thing can happen with any of the manufacturers, and it's more about the reliability of specific models.

  14. Comment on If you had to buy a car today, what would you buy? in ~transport

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    She might get one that says "Hot girls hit husbands"!

    She might get one that says "Hot girls hit husbands"!

    1 vote

  15. Comment on How to write idempotent Bash scripts in ~comp

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    When you get to the end of this series, I hope you publish one a tête-bêche that reads as a bash manual on one side and this story on the other.

    When you get to the end of this series, I hope you publish one a tête-bêche that reads as a bash manual on one side and this story on the other.

    3 votes

  16. Comment on If you had to buy a car today, what would you buy? in ~transport

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    Hitting curbs with the plastic skirting is probably the biggest problem my wife has with her Impreza!

    Hitting curbs with the plastic skirting is probably the biggest problem my wife has with her Impreza!

    1 vote

  17. Comment on If you had to buy a car today, what would you buy? in ~transport

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    My sister has the Kia minivan and is pretty happy with it.

    My sister has the Kia minivan and is pretty happy with it.

  18. Comment on If you had to buy a car today, what would you buy? in ~transport

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    Curious - how do you evaluate what kind of condition these high mileage cars are in? And do you work on them yourself? I know the basics, but am not a "car guy" by any means. Also, my reliable...

    Curious - how do you evaluate what kind of condition these high mileage cars are in? And do you work on them yourself? I know the basics, but am not a "car guy" by any means. Also, my reliable (and cheap) mechanic retired, and I haven't found another one, so we've seen our repair costs on our older cars go up quite a bit in the last few years.

    1 vote

  19. Comment on Confess your food crimes in ~food

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    My 10 year old has entered the chat.

    If you like using your hands so much, why don't you eat steak and veg with your hands?

    My 10 year old has entered the chat.

    8 votes

  20. Comment on Confess your food crimes in ~food

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    I like Wendy's fries dipped in chocolate frosty. Nothing better!

    I like Wendy's fries dipped in chocolate frosty. Nothing better!

    5 votes